October 07, 2000
Texas A&M Postgame Notes
OFFENSIVE FRUSTRATION --- On four out of five second-half possessions, the Aggies drove inside the Colorado 27-yard line, including twice inside the 5-yard line, and came away with just six points (two field goals). Of those four deep possessions, the Aggies had drove at least 10 plays and three had been more than 50 yards in length. A&M dominated the ball in the second half time-wise (18:10 to 11:50). A&M outgained Colorado in the second half in total yards 206-124 and posted 14 first downs to the Buffs' six. In addition, twice in the first half the Aggies drove inside the CU 35 and didn't score.
COME-FROM-BEHIND SCORING BINGES --- The Aggies' second-quarter scoring binge that erased a 12-0 deficit was reminiscent of several come-from-behind points binges for A&M since joining the Big 12 Conference. Today against Colorado, the Aggies scored 13 points in the last 2:14 of the second quarter on a Robert Ferguson TD catch and a Richard Whitaker TD run after a blocked field goal attempt and a fumble recovery, respectively.
Others:
1998 15 points in the last 9:20 vs. Kansas State (Big 12 Championship game)
1998 17 points in the last 8:29 vs. Texas
1997 15 points in the last 5:06 vs. Oklahoma State
100-YARD DAY FOR B.JOHNSON --- Junior wide receiver Bethel Johnson tallied the second 100-yard receiving game of his career with 101 yards on 8 catches today. His other 100-yard game came in his playing debut game against Louisiana Tech in 1999 (4 for 106). The 8 catches match his career high, first set against UTEP earlier this year.
LONG HOME WINNING STREAK ENDS --- The Aggies' 22-game home winning streak ended with Colorado's 26-19 victory today. It was the nation's third-longest active home winning streak. The 22-game streak ranks as the second-longest in school history (behind a 29-game streak from 1990-95) and the second-longest of R.C. Slocum's tenure at A&M.
Colorado becomes the first Big 12 Conference school with more than one victory at Kyle Field.
CU is the first school to beat the Aggies two straight at Kyle Field since Texas beat the Aggies in 1981 and 1983.
LEFTOVERS --- The 52-yard pass and catch from Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs to Cortlen Johnson was the longest given up by the Aggie defense in 2000. It was the longest by an opponent agains the Aggies since Texas' Chris Simms hooked up with Jamel Thompson on a 57-yard pass and catch in 1999.
12th Man Kickoff teamer Jason Ware posted a tackle against Colorado, the second tackle of the year by a member of the 12th Man unit.
Senior wide receiver Chris Taylor's 4 catches today broke a two-game streak without a reception.
The Aggies penetrated CU's 20-yard line on its final three drives, including two inside the CU 5, but came away with just two field goals.
A&M quarterback Mark Farris completed 27-of-44 passes for 281 yards, all career-high totals. His 27 completions rank No. 4 in school history, his 444 attempts tie for No. 6 (with Edd Hargett, vs. Arkansas, 1966). He did not have an interception.
Colorado's Cortlen Johnson had 31 carries for 99 yards today, which was the most attempts by any opposing running back since Texas Tech's Sammy Morris had 33 totes for 170 yards in 1999.
The Aggies had a whopping 81 offensive plays against Colorado, the most since they ran 85 vs. Southern Miss in 1999.
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Texas A&M Postgame Quotes
Head Coach R.C. Slocum --- "I said all week that we had a lot of respect for Colorado. They have a big offensive line and the quarterback is a good player, they have a lot of good players. We had a lot of mistakes the blocked punt that created a touchdown, the safety. We haven't had those types of problems. I'm surprised and disappointed. I still feel good about our two deep snappers. I don't know if the wetness had anything to do with it.You can go back and dissect any loss and usually it isn't one play. I'm disappointed we didn't get any points right before (after second CU fumble) halftime. This is the sixth time in 12 year that I've had to come into this interview room after a loss."
(missed tackles) "It's always disappointing when you miss tackles. A lot of times they're trying to get the big hit and they're not wrapping up."
(on CU's last TD) "We blitzed and were in man coverage. Harold Robertson had the running back but a wide receiver or tight end blocked down and cleared the way. We'll go back and try to win a game next week. We need to try to improve as a team and focus on bouncing back."
QB Mark Farris --- "We just didn't make the plays we needed to make today. It's kind of the same story as Notre Dame. There were probably eight or 10 plays during the game that needed to be made. We didn't make them and they did."
ILB Brian Gamble --- (on long TD screen) "We had a man-to-man blitz called. They ran a little pick play and picked the guy that was supposed to be on him. There was nothing but green in front of him after that."
DB Michael Jameson --- (home winning streak) "It's extremely disappointing. Being a senior, I haven't lost here my entire career and I sure didn't want to in my senior year. We knew all week that they were a good team, and we had to play hard. We just didn't make the plays that we needed to make today. We missed a lot of tackles. We were going for kill shots too often instead of grabbing cloth and making the tackles like we're taught to do."
FB Ja'Mar Toombs --- (on failed 4th down play) "I thought I should have hauled it in. There is no excuse. I should have made the play and I didn't. I take full responsibility. It was a good play call and I just didn't catch the ball."
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Colorado Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Gary Barnett:
"Our guys fought hard for this win. We had to scrape for this thing. I had a good feeling when I left the locker room before the game. It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to do it. We had just enough defense to hold them. I realize it's hard to come in here and get a win. Our defense made it exciting. We kept throwing defensive backs out there. We also had a little bit of luck o special teams. They had three bad snaps today. (On Ochs) For a freshman to come in here and play like he did today showed incredible poise. But he's not your average freshman. Last week, he did the same sort of thing when we brought him in. He's the spark we needed. To come in here and win in these conditions in front of a hostile crowd speaks volumes for the kind of player he can be."
Quarterback Craig Ochs:
"This was a great team effort. Everybody left their heart out on the field today. When you win, the hits don't hurt as bad. They had a great defense. They were extremely physical. Their ends come up field fast. Matt Russell (former CU player) spoke to us this week about coming here and playing in front of this type of environment. This place is loud. What a great place to play. We were just dying for a win today. We never gave up on the season."
Linebacker Jashon Sykes:
"This is a wonderful feeling. It's motivation for us to carry on into next week. (on not starting) It motivated me a lot. I had to take a step back and look at where I was needed. (on practice this week) What coach Barnett did was perfect. He had us in full pads. We were physical all week. Mentally, we were ready to play. A&M made some big plays on us. I was just trying to cheer everyone up in the huddle and tell them we were going to hold them. We sucked it up in the end and held them."