Aggies Rally From 17 Down To Defeat Pokes

Adarius Bowman and Dantrell Savage were outstanding but it was Texas A&M’s Jorvorskie Lane who was the difference maker Saturday night as the Aggies matched their largest comeback ever by rallying from 17 points down to defeat Oklahoma State 24-23 at Kyle Field.

Bowman caught seven passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 29-yard pass on a halfback pass, while Savage ran for 110 yards, and threw his first career TD to Bowman on the trick play, but it wasn’t enough for the Cowboys. OSU is now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 standings.

The Cowboys were virtually unstoppable in the first half, and the OSU defense, which entered the game ranked 97th in the nation, held the Aggies to only 132 yards in the first 30 minutes. Bowman’s 29-yard TD pass from Savage, his 47-yard scoring pass from Zac Robinson, and a Jason Ricks 32-yard field goal put the Cowboys up 17-0 at halftime.

Texas A&M, now 5-1 overall and atop the Big 12 South standings with a 2-0 record, scored on its first two possessions of the second half to pull within 17-10.

The Cowboys responded by taking the ball the length of the field – from their own 18 to the A&M 1-yard line – and used up more than seven minutes before settling for a Ricks 25-yard field goal.

Lane, who scored on three touchdowns (two rushing and one receiving), then completed a 49-yard pass to Kerry Franks down to the 1. Lane carried it in for the TD on the next play. The Aggie running back put his team ahead 24-20 when he caught and scored on a 10-yard pass from A&M quarterback Stephen McGee with 8:04 remaining.

But the Cowboys, under the direction of Bobby Reid who was playing after Robinson got knocked out of the game, drove the length of the field and appeared to be ready to take the lead. The Cowboys drove from their own 12-yard line to the A&M 7 on the 14-play, 81-yard drive. Savage took a pitch from Reid and got down to about the 3 on first-and-goal from the 8. But tight end Brandon Pettigrew was called for holding and the Cowboys were moved back to the 16. Three plays later Ricks was called on to kick a 25-yard field goal to pull OSU within 24-23.

The Cowboys forced a three-and-out by the Aggies and were prepared to take over in good field position following a punt with less than two minutes to play. But OSU’s Quinton Moore was called for roughing A&M punter Justin Brantly on the play, and the Aggies were awarded a first down and ran out the remaiining time.

The 17-point comeback ties a rally from a 17-0 deficit to Baylor in 1986 when the Aggies won 31-30.

OSU plays at Nebraska next Saturday.