Sept. 23, 2005

Final Stats |  Notes

COLLEGE STATION - Barrick Nealy passed for 378 yards, while Markee White became the Bobcats' first 100-yard receiver in two years, but their performances were overshadowed by the Texas A&M offense in a 44-31 Aggie win at Kyle Field.

For the first time in A&M history, the Aggies had a 300-yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher in the same game. Reggie McNeal threw for 317 yards, Jason Carter caught eight balls for 219 yards, and Courtney Lewis ran for 140 yards on 27 carries.

The Bobcats gained 493 yards, including Nealy's 378 in the air, but Texas State turned it over three times in the loss. Despite two turnovers of their own, the Aggies turned in 559 yards of total offense in the win.

After holding Texas State (2-1, 0-0 SLC) to a three-and-out to begin the game, Texas A&M (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) scored on its first drive with a 28-yard Todd Pegram field goal to give A&M a 3-0 lead. The score was set up by a 45-yard completion from McNeal to Carter and capped a seven-play, 53-yard scoring drive for the Aggies.

After an interception on the Bobcats' second drive of the ballgame, Texas A&M was forced into a three-and-out punting situation, but Texas State return man Derwin Straughter muffed the return to give the Aggies their second red-zone possession of the game.

Texas State forced the Aggies into a kicking situation, but Texas A&M holder Chad Schroeder converted a fake field-goal attempt into a 13-yard touchdown run, pushing the Aggie lead to 10-0 lead with 6:32 to play in the first quarter.

Another three-and-out forced a Bobcat punting situation, but the third Texas State turnover of the first quarter came when Cory Eloff mishandled the snap and A&M's Kerry Franks recovered the fumble at the Texas State 16.

Following the fumble, Texas A&M struck on a six-play, 13-yard drive with a 20-yard Pegram field goal to take a 13-0 lead with 1:34 to play in the first.

Texas State fired back, cutting the Aggie lead to 13-7 on a six-yard pass from Nealy to White. The scoring play was Nealy's second completion to White on the drive, who set the up the touchdown with a 72-yard reception at the 13:35 mark in the second.

The Aggies would then respond, making the score 20-7 on a 71-yard touchdown pass from McNeal to Carter, topping off a drive that took only three plays and knocked just 35 seconds off of the clock.

Texas State continued with the second quarter's back-and-forth trend at the 9:57 mark, notching a six-play, 80-yard drive that was finished with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nealy to Blake Burton to get the Bobcats within a touchdown at 20-14.

On the very next A&M drive, the Aggies fumbled the ball on a reverse which was picked up by Texas State's Ramel Borner and returned 31 yards to the A&M 32-yard line. A Texas State dead-ball penalty pushed the ball back to the Aggie 47, which was where Bobcats began a 10-play, 17-yard scoring drive, capped by a 32-yard Stan Jones field goal. The kick cut the Aggie lead to 20-17, and left 4:04 on the first-half clock.

The ensuing A&M drive used a little more than two minutes, finished by a 44-yard touchdown pass from McNeal to Schroeder that made the score 27-17.

For the first time in the second quarter, a drive ended without a score as the clock expired, leaving the `Cats down ten at the half.

Texas A&M began the second half with the football, and after just four plays, the Aggies found the end zone on a four-yard Lewis touchdown run, making the score 34-17. The drive took only 1:49, and was highlighted by a 41-yard pass from McNeal to Howard Morrow that put the ball at the Bobcat four.

On Texas State's first drive of the second half, the Bobcats moved the ball into Aggie territory and facing a third and two, the `Cats converted a 16-yard pass to Tyrone Scott to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Nealy's third-down pass slipped out of the hands of Ronnie Miller, and the Bobcats were forced to attempt a 42-yard field goal. Jones' kick sailed wide right, and the Aggies took over at their own 25 with 4:54 to play in the third.

From that point, A&M went 75 yards in 10 plays, topped by Lewis' second score of the game, this time a six-yard punch that put the Aggies on top 41-17. The Bobcat defense nearly held the Aggies on A&M's end of the field to stop the drive, but a 35-yard McNeal scamper extended the drive and helped set up the score.

Texas State countered, taking possession with 3:14 to play in the third and scoring in nine plays to trim the Aggie lead to 41-24. The `Cats found pay-dirt on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Nealy to Scott, and Nealy found four different receivers on the drive, including a third-down pass to White that extended the possession and went for 30 of the 85 yards in the possession.

Texas A&M tacked on an 18-yard Pegram field goal with 11:25 to play in the game, and the Bobcats scored on a 38-yard Nealy touchdown run with 9:07 to play.

With 9:07 to play in the game, A&M took control and after a completed pass to Franks, the Aggie wide-out fumbled for the second time in the game, which was recovered by Jamarqus O'Neal and returned to the seven-yard line.

Following a Texas State offensive pass interference call, the Bobcats failed to convert on a fourth down, giving the Aggies control with 6:21 to play in the game. Texas A&M drained nearly five minutes from the clock, and after an Aggie punt, Texas State got the ball with 1:36 to play.

The Bobcats were halted after four plays, and the Aggies knelt to burn the last 30 seconds in the game.

The win was the second straight for the Aggies after dropping their season opener to Clemson, and the loss was the first of the season for Texas State, who started with a pair of wins in the opening two weeks of the season.

Texas State returns to the field a week from Saturday against South Dakota State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.