Texas Football: Grading the Longhorns' Game vs. Texas A&M

It took every second of the 118th and final scheduled Lone Star Showdown between No. 25 Texas (7-4, 4-4) and Texas A&M (6-6, 4-5) to decide which team would get bragging rights until their next meeting.

With :02 seconds remaining, the Longhorns' Justin Tucker nailed a 40-yard field goal to clinch the game, 27-25, Thanksgiving night, putting a final stamp on the FBS' third-most played rivalry.

The Longhorns would start off slow, but aided by a number of clutch plays on defense and special teams, plus a memorable two-minute drill in the waning moments of the game, Texas finished on top.

The grades are in, and while the report may say one thing, there is nothing but positives surrounding the Texas program.

Quarterback

Grade: B

Let's be real here. For the first 58 minutes of the game, Case McCoy was severely unimpressive. But for the final two minutes, which included a two-minute drill where McCoy went 3-for-3 and had a 25-yard scramble, he was brilliant, leading a drive that led to Texas' winning 40-yard field goal.

There is not too much to be said about McCoy's early performance, for it was no better than anything that either McCoy or David Ash had done up to this point.

On the contrary, there is a ton to be said about McCoy's composure and moxie in leading an offense, that for the most part had been terrible for the entire game, down the field in a harsh environment under heavy circumstances.

There were flashes of an older McCoy during the drive, and while the younger one has miles to go before reaching the same plateau as his brother, Case McCoy did show that he can rally the troops.

The "B" grade is a little misleading. Effectively, he deserves a borderline failing grade for most of the game, but he got a huge bump in his report after his game-winning march on the Aggies.

Running Backs

Grade: D-

For the most part, the running backs did little to pick up an offense that was really struggling.

The entire group had 54 yards on 26 carries, hardly the production one would like to see from a unit that piled on nearly 900 yards over a two-game span.

The running game was supposed to be the bread and butter for the Longhorns, but on a night when they really needed a lift, it was not there.

Cody Johnson had a couple of key, pile-moving rushes that deserve some recognition.

Receivers

Grade: D+

The return of Jaxon Shipley to the lineup was a much-needed lift for a receivers corps that really lacked that "it" factor in recent weeks.

Although the true freshman caught just three balls for 34 yards, each reception was critical in its own right.

Marquise Goodwin did play a much bigger role than normal, but Texas continues to lack consistency on the deep end.

And apart from Blaine Irby's 41-yard catch, there was not a whole lot doing from the pass catchers on any level, whether it be receiving or blocking for the run.

It is a tricky performance to grade because without a handful of plays from the aforementioned, Texas probably does not win. But for the most part, the receivers once again left much to be desired.

Offensive Line

Grade: C

The offensive line was completely average in the grand scheme of things, and the youth in the trenches was evident.

We saw the group get pummeled in the first half, failing to match the intensity of its opposite in a game where each player needed to play with a lit fire for the entire contest.

The push, intensity and effort picked up in the second half, as Texas was able to move the ball much more effectively.

By comparison, the Longhorns have had much better games from this group, but they have also had much worse.

Defensive Line

Grade: A

Contrary to its offensive counterpart, the defensive line manhandled the Aggies in the trenches.

Starting with the ends, Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor continued to be nightmares for the offensive tackles, constantly applying pressure off the edge and dominating their matchups. The stat sheet will not show it, but the impact that these two had on Texas A&M's offense was menacing.

On the interior, for a group that was a huge question mark coming into the season, the defensive tackles have become somewhat of a strength.

Aside from Kheeston Randall, who had three tackles and two for loss, a rotating board of Chris Whaley, Desmond Jackson, Ashton Dorsey and Calvin Howell has the Longhorns producing very well at the position.

Linebackers

Grade: A

With the Longhorns playing in mostly nickel schemes the entire night, seniors Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho got the lion's share of snaps at linebacker, and the duo proved again why they likely may be the best combination in the Big 12.

Robinson has not had the kind of productive year that was expected of him, but his physicality and performance has been increasing in recent weeks. Against the Aggies, though, he only had six tackles, two were for losses, and he gave Ryan Tannehill fits when he scrambled.

Meanwhile, another ho-hum performance out of Emmanuel Acho. For the fourth straight game, Acho has led Texas in tackles as he finished with 14 against the Aggies. His no nonsense attitude surely will be missed next season.

Secondary

Grade: A+

Against an Aggies passing attack that potentially stacks up with the best in the Big 12, the Texas secondary proved too much on the defensive end.

Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs both captured game-changing interceptions. Kenny Vaccaro had an impressive pick of his own out of the nickel. Blake Gideon recorded eight tackles and really helped shore up the run defense from the strong side.

Of the three levels of defense, the secondary may have had the biggest questions coming into the year. But 11 weeks into the season, the Longhorns' secondary came up big against the Aggies and no longer have that question mark dangling over its head.

Special Teams

Grade: B+

There was the obvious game-winning field goal that clinched the match for the Longhorns. Then there was the Quandre Diggs 81-yard punt return that set up another three points and the Jamison Berryhill fumble recovery which led to seven points on the back end.

Then there was the 34.5 average yards per punt on 11 attempts from Justin Tucker, which comes no where near what you would want from your senior kicker.

Overall, Texas does not win without its special teams. While there is that winning aspect to consider, there are still improvements to be made moving forward.

Coaching and Game Plan

Grade: B+

The defensive game plan for Texas was simple, especially with no Cyrus Gray to worry about. The Longhorns wanted to rattle Ryan Tannehill while taking receiver Ryan Swope out of the game. Without Tannehill's security blanket, Jeff Fuller was the Aggies only legitimate receiving threat, and Carrington Byndom did an excellent job on the senior.

Though the Longhorns struggled against the run early, they pared down late and kept Ben Malena in check.

Manny Diaz should be shooting up the boards for some football programs. He has been lights out for the Longhorns this season.

Offensively, what is there to say. The first quarter did not look good. In fact, it looked terrible.

Texas started the game with five straight three and outs and seven straight punts in total, though the seventh led to the muffed catch which led to a Longhorns touchdown.

All things considered, the Horns escaped with a win when their offense performed severely below par for most of the game.

Yes, Texas has been missing pieces lately which has led to some inconsistencies, but against a Texas A&M team that had given up 53, 41 and 38 points to its last three opponents not named Kansas, one would have hoped for more from the Longhorns.

Intangibles

Grade: A+

What is there to say?

On a night when things started out pretty poorly, the Longhorns hung tough to grind to a fourth-quarter, comeback victory, something the Aggies are used to by now.

Texas stayed in the game with huge plays at critical junctures in the game.

Fumbled recovery on a muffed punt, a pick-six, two more interceptions when the Aggies could have answered and, of course, the game-winning field goal.

It was not pretty, in fact, it was no where near pretty. But when things were bleak, Texas grinded its way to a much-needed win that could see the Longhorns to an 8-4 campaign.