Texas A&M drops No. 1 Oklahoma

Posted 8:31AM on Sunday 10th November 2002 ( 22 years ago )

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - Oklahoma couldn't escape Texas A&M this time, and it could cost the Sooners a shot at the national title. Saturday's 30-26 loss certainly will drop the Sooners (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) from the No. 1 position in both the Associated Press poll and the Bowl Championship Series standings. The Aggies (6-4, 3-3) beat a No. 1 team for the first time in school history behind freshman quarterback Reggie McNeal, who came off the bench to throw for 191 yards and four touchdowns. He had scoring passes on three straight possessions to give Texas A&M its first lead. McNeal's 40-yard TD to Terrence Murphy with 1:51 left in the third quarter put the Aggies ahead 27-23 before the teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter. Terrence Kiel, who was burned for an earlier touchdown, intercepted Nate Hybl's pass with 1:12 left to seal the victory. When the Sooners won the national championship two years ago, they arrived at Kyle Field coming off three straight impressive wins over Top 25 teams. Then they overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 35-31, propelling them to the national title game. Oklahoma was trying to follow the same path this time. It entered Saturday's game after beating Texas, Iowa State and Colorado. But the Aggies and McNeal, who also rushed for 89 yards, didn't cooperate. Texas A&M not only damaged Oklahoma's title hopes but gave embattled 14th-year coach R.C. Slocum a sorely needed victory. The Aggies had lost three straight games at Kyle Field, after losing just four times there throughout the 1990s. They'd blown fourth-quarter leads of 18 and 17 points their last two home games. McNeal replaced struggling starter Dustin Long (3-of-9 for 28 yards and an interception) on the final possession of the first quarter. McNeal was 8-of-12. After the Aggies went three-and-out on his first possession, and Oklahoma then drove for a field goal and a 10-0 lead, McNeal was almost unstoppable. Texas A&M went ahead when McNeal threw a 17-yard pass to Bethel Johnson to start the second half. That came just three plays after McNeal's 33-yard keeper converted a third-and-16. Oklahoma needed just three plays to catch up, with Hybl hitting Curtis Fagan - who raced by Kiel - for a 68-yard TD. Then came McNeal's only interception, a deflected pass that Eric Bassey grabbed to set Oklahoma up at the Aggies 31 midway through the third quarter. The Sooners weren't able to get a first down, but the third of DiCarlo's four field goals - a 46-yarder - gave them a 23-20 lead. Showing the poise of a more experienced player, McNeal came back later in the quarter and hit Murphy for the go-ahead 40-yard TD. Murphy had five catches for 128 yards. Brent Smith fumbled on the next play after a completion to give the ball right back to Texas A&M. Helped by McNeal's 24-yard keeper, the Aggies drove for Todd Pegram's 24-yard field goal for a 30-23 lead early in the fourth quarter. Hybl completed 20 of 34 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Quentin Griffin had his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game but had just 29 of his 141 yards after halftime. Texas A&M's sensational freshman quarterback had an 18-yard keeper before a 61-yard pass to Murphy for the first TD in the second quarter. Murphy made the catch in a gap between defensive backs Derrick Strait and Brandon Everage. He ran the final 35 yards untouched to complete the longest play against the Sooners this season. Oklahoma then had its second straight drive of more than 70 yards that ended with a field goal, DiCarlo's 22-yarder that made it 13-6. The Aggies still had 1:24 left, plenty of time without even using any of their three timeouts. McNeal scrambled 14 yards on the second play, and after an incompletion hit Murphy for gains of 15 and 10 yards. Rather than calling a timeout with the clock running under 20 seconds, the Aggies lined up for another play. Greg Porter streaked by the defenders and McNeal hit the tight end in stride in the end zone for a 40-yard TD before John Pierson kicked the game-tying extra point.

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