Big 12 South won't go to Aggies

By JAIME ARON / Associated Press

DALLAS - So much for that dramatic late-season charge by Texas A&M.

The Aggies' hopes of bouncing back from a miserable start to become the first-ever Big 12 South champs were burst Saturday when Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 22-12.

The Red Raiders' victory clears up the importance of Friday's game between Texas and A&M. Now, a Longhorns win sends them to the Big 12 title game in St. Louis on Dec. 7; an A&M victory makes Tech the division winner.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 South's first last-place team was decided Saturday when Oklahoma State pounded Baylor 37-17.

The Bears lost seven of their last eight games to finish 4-7, their worst record since 1978, and 1-7 in league play. Coach Chuck Reedy will learn later this week whether he'll be back next season.

"We'll get together (this) week and talk through things," said Baylor's first-year athletic director Tom Stanton.

Meanwhile, the Texas-Texas A&M game will seem like old times for Southwest Conference fans. The grudge game that determined so many SWC champions will once again have title implications.

Although an Aggies win would force a three-way tie at the top along with Texas and Tech (all at 5-3), the deadlock would be broken in Tech's favor.

Yet, R.C. Slocum's 6-5 squad needs another win to ensure itself of playing in December. Texas (6-4) already is assured of a bowl berth.

"If we can beat Texas in Austin, we'll go to a bowl - and we'll certainly be deserving of a bowl," Slocum said Saturday.

The Red Raiders (7-4, 5-3) also will be bowl-ing, but must wait for things to shake out before knowing where they'll be headed.

They were almost headed out of the Big 12 race Saturday when the Sooners (3-8, 3-5) held a stunning 3-0 halftime lead.

Then, quarterback Zebbie Letheridge finally began taking advantage of a Byron Hanspard-minded OU defense, throwing for one touchdown and running for two more to provide the victory.

While the loss made first-year coach John Blake's squad the first in OU history to lose eight games and the first to lose all their home games, the Sooners can take pride in how they contained Hanspard.

Hanspard gained just 84 yards - his lowest since Oct. 21, 1995 - and was passed by Iowa State's Troy Davis. Davis ran for 225 yards against Kansas to finish the year with 2,185 yards to Hanspard's 2,084.

The race isn't over, though. Statistics in the Big 12 championship game count as regular-season totals, so if Tech makes it, Hanspard could still earn the title of league and national rushing leader.

David Thompson almost got back into those races thanks to the Baylor defense. He ran for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries in Oklahoma State's romp. Thompson came within 12 yards of Barry Sanders' school record.

"I had 300 yards written down (as a goal) earlier in the season," said the senior, who finished his carer with 4,318 rushing yards, the third-best in OSU history behind Thurman Thomas and Terry Miller.

"To have your last game where you win and break 300 yards, you really have two victories. There is a moral victory and a team victory."

The team celebrated a bigger milestone by reaching five victories for the first time since going 10-2 in 1988.

"Number five was important to us, especially these past two weeks," second-year coach Bob Simmons said. "It's been one of our goals to try to show improvement."