10:50 PM CST on Friday, November 25, 2005

From Staff and Wire reports

Texas quarterback Vince Young understood how difficult it was for Texas A&M counterpart Reggie McNeal to watch the final game of his college career from the sideline in street clothes.

McNeal suffered an ankle injury in a loss to Oklahoma, but had said he would play against Texas.

"He loves his teammates. He just couldn't get out there," Young said. "He just didn't want to do too much to jeopardize his career, period. I respect him as a quarterback and friend making that decision."

Chuck Carlton

Even modified versions of the Lambeau Leap are an NCAA no-no. Texas A&M junior Brandon Leone got a hug and high five from fans after his 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Leone said he lost the balance and that his momentum carried him to the stands.

He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduction, prompting a protest from coach Dennis Franchione. He was upset that the Longhorns hadn't been flagged for prior celebrations. The Aggies were forced to kick off from their own 20.

Before Saturday, Leone, a former defensive back in his first year at running back, had only carried the ball in one game during an injury-plagued season, against Oklahoma State on Oct. 15. Leone had six carries for 31 yards and no fumbles after committing four, losing one, against the Cowboys.

Chuck Carlton and Rachel Cohen

Texas A&M junior running back Courtney Lewis left in the second quarter with an undisclosed leg injury.

He was pulled down near the sidelines by Cedric Griffin and lay on the ground for about a minute before being helped off. Lewis, A&M's leading rusher, had four carries for 36 yards before the injury. He spent the second on the sidelines in street clothes, standing next to Reggie McNeal.

Chuck Carlton

Even though his 162 yards passing were his second lowest total of the season, Vince Young continued to rewrite the Texas record book.

His 24-yard completion to David Thomas in the first quarter gave him 3,212 total offensive yards this season, passing Major Applewhite's mark of 3,211 yards in 1999.

Young tied legendary Bobby Layne with 28 wins as a Texas quarterback.

Chuck Carlton

Senior Texas A&M kicker Todd Pegram of Plano West finished his college career with 56 field goals, the second most in the Big 12 and tied for second in A&M history.

His career percentage of .747 (56-of-75) ranks as the best in school history. Pegram had a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter.

Chuck Carlton

Courtesy of the Texas A&M sports information office, here's the breakdown on what the team and football family consumed on Thanksgiving: 260 pounds of turkey, 75 pounds of beef tenderloin, 20 gallons of giblet gravy, 145 pounds of dressing, 43 pounds of potatoes, 12 pumpkin pies, 12 pecan pies and eight sweet potato pies.

Chuck Carlton

No one has coined a catchy nickname like Beamer Ball, but the Texas special teams have emerged as, well, special.

MICHAEL MULVEY/DMN

UTs' Michael Griffin blocks Justin Brantly's punt, which Cedric Griffin returned for a Longhorns' touchdown in a 40-29 victory at Kyle Field.

The win over Texas A&M was the latest example. With Texas clinging to a 28-22 lead in the third quarter, Michael Griffin blocked a punt attempt by Justin Brantly. Cedric Griffin [no relation] grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 11 yards for the touchdown and a 34-22 lead.

Texas now has 41 blocked kicks since 2000, tops in Division I-A. Michael Griffin set a school record with the block, the fifth of his career. Griffin also had a momentum-changing blocked punt against A&M in 2004.

Chuck Carlton

A&M continued to struggle on special teams. In addition to the blocked punt, the Aggies also lost a fumble on a punt return. Not including the block, A&M punters averaged 34 yards on four attempts and had a kickoff go out of bounds. Long-distance field-goal specialist Layne Neumann missed a 51-yard attempt, and A&M failed to convert an extra point because of a bad snap.

UT successfully converted a third-quarter fake punt while the Aggies had 10 men on the field. Coach Dennis Franchione said there was confusion as A&M tried to substitute to try to defend a possible fake. The Longhorns scored a touchdown on that drive.

Rachel Cohen

A&M attempted two trick plays. In the first quarter, quarterback Stephen McGee handed off to Jorvorskie Lane, who pitched the ball back for a flea-flicker attempt. But McGee overthrew Jason Carter, who was open for a potential touchdown. The Aggies settled for a field goal.

Later in the quarter, McGee pitched to Lane, who launched an off-balance heave to an open Carter for a 35-yard touchdown.

Rachel Cohen

A&M defensive coordinator, Carl Torbush, declined to speculate about his future. "That's part of the game," Torbush said. "I think all of us understand that when we get into this business as a coach. Things are beyond my control." Coach Dennis Franchione wouldn't discuss the possibility of staff changes. ... Texas kicker David Pino missed his fifth extra point of the season – the eighth overall miss for Texas in 2005. ... Texas LB Rashad Bobino deflected a third-and-11 pass from the UT 14, forcing a 31-yard field goal by A&M's Todd Pegram with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. ... Bobino also ran for six yards on a fake punt on fourth-and-1 from A&M 44 in the third quarter. (A&M only had 10 men on the field for the play.) UT went on to score a TD. ...Apparently, Aggies like Joe Pa. A blue-and-white banner was unfurled from the third deck. It read: "Penn State says gig 'em."