Lots on the Line for Texas and A&M

By CHIP BROWN / Associated Press

AUSTIN - Nothing would make Texas A&M happier than to ruin the Big 12 championship dreams of rival Texas.

Longhorns coach John Mackovic knows it.

"I'm sure that will be a big thing with them, to rain on our parade," Mackovic said. "I know if it were reversed, we'd be saying, 'Let's knock them out of the Big 12 title game.' "

Aggies running back Sirr Parker understood.

"This is our chance to put it all on the table," Parker said. "We know they're thinking about the Big 12 championship. But we're thinking about a bowl game."

Texas (6-4, 5-2 Big 12) is a five-point favorite to beat A&M (6-5, 4-3) in Austin on Friday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. EST. Both teams are on a roll, each riding three-game winning streaks.

If Texas wins, the Longhorns will represent the Big 12 South in the league championship game against either Colorado or Nebraska in St. Louis on Dec. 7. A&M would be eliminated from bowl contention.

If the Aggies win, Texas Tech will go to St. Louis and A&M will earn a postseason berth, most likely to the Alamo Bowl.

The Aggies were in the hunt for the Big 12 title game until Tech knocked off Oklahoma last week.

"I thought there was a real potential for problems if we put all our emphasis on the Big 12 game when it could be taken away from us," said A&M coach R.C. Slocum. "We took the approach that we were playing Texas, a big rivalry game.

"That in itself is motivation enough. And we have the added motivation of needing to win to go to a bowl game."

On paper, the game figures to boil down to Texas' ability to pass the ball against A&M's inexperienced secondary, and A&M's ability to run on a Texas defense giving up 206 yards per game.

Texas linebacker Tyson King is expecting to be tested by A&M running backs Tiki Hardeman, Dante Hall, Eric Bernard and Parker.

"They'd be stupid not to try to run on us," King said. "We're used to people trying."

But Slocum says it won't be that simple.

"If we said we're just going to run the ball, they'd be able to stop it," he said. "So we're going to be forced to be balanced. We're going to have to make some big plays in the passing game, no question."

Mackovic says A&M's secondary, scorched in early losses to Brigham Young, Southwestern Louisiana and Colorado, has improved dramatically.

"There's nothing worse than opening with a young secondary against BYU," Mackovic said. "They're playing the coverages they've played in the past and doing well. They've grown up."

Despite Mackovic's praise, Texas quarterback James Brown believes the Longhorns can exploit the Aggies' pass coverage.

"They're much better than they were against BYU," Brown said. "But I don't think they're as good as our secondary that we go up against every day in practice."

The Aggies have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Longhorns and have a 10-2 record against Texas since 1984.

Last year's 16-6 victory by Texas in College Station was the Longhorns' first against A&M in five years and snapped the Aggies' 31-game winning streak at Kyle Field.

Brown says a victory over the Aggies on Friday would by doubly satisfying.

"I think this year if we beat them, it would be even better than last season because of the early problems we had and trying to bounce back," he said. "Being in the Big 12 championship game is what we wanted from the beginning."