Texas A&M 52-Texas Tech 30: Aggies Get a Huge Win For Mike Sherman

You want to know the key to sticking around as the head coach of Texas A&M football and making alumni happy? Get a win that no coach has gotten in 16 years.

That's right, the Texas A&M Aggies marched into Lubbock and won for the first time at Tech since 1993.

The Ags showed some serious signs of life in terms of the rushing attack, ripping off 321 total yards on the ground. They have always been a dominant rushing team in the past, but it has been a long time since they took it to a ranked opponent like this.

The Red Raiders were just recently placed in the rankings by voters and were hoping to keep moving up, but they failed to take the Aggies seriously.

The win effectively extends head coach Mike Sherman's life line another year, quickly making people forget the terrible outing at Kansas State last week.

After that game, I wrote an article blaming Mike Sherman for that loss; mostly because I felt he did not have his team prepared for the Big 12 road game atmosphere.

Well that is a thing of the past now, as the Aggies stopped a four game skid to the hated in-state rival. The Aggies had been embarrassed in all the recent meetings in Lubbock, and for them to get a win there shows the team is making great strides.

Cyrus Gray was the star for Texas A&M, totaling 172 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He found hole after hole in the weak Red Raider run defense along with true freshman teammate Christine Michael; the two combined for 47 carries and 252 yards.

Michael rushed for 121 yards and set the tone in the second half that the Ags would not quit with a 44 yard touchdown run.

The key to the game, besides the dominant rushing performance, was owning the turnover battle. After Uzoma Nwachukwu fumbled on the Aggies first play, the Aggie defense forced five Tech turnovers the rest of the contest.

The game was effectively won when the Aggies outscored the Red Raiders 21-0 in the second quarter and took a 28-14 lead. The momentum was snatched from the Lubbock crowd when Terrence Frederick intercepted Taylor Potts in the Aggie end zone, keeping the A&M lead at 14. 

A&M would put the game away in the third quarter with a touchdown and a field goal extending the league to 24, prompting head coach Mike Leach to pull Potts in favor of third string QB Seth Doege.

Jerrod Johnson had a poor outing at Kansas State last week and responded with one of his best games of the season. He totaled over 300 yards passing and rushing and two touchdowns. He took care of the football this week after throwing his first three interceptions of the season against KSU.

Most of the game was won on the ground, but Johnson kept the Red Raider defense honest with the short passing game.

The Aggies should be able to build on this great win and move forward with the goal of being bowl eligible. It would seem Mike Sherman's job is safe—for now.