The 15th-ranked Aggies are at 4-over 580 (288-292) for the weekend, trailing leader and 10th-ranked Cal (573, -3) by seven strokes. The Golden Bears were the only team in the field to shoot under par on Saturday.
"I really felt like yesterday we played great from tee to green and kind of let a chance for a great round slip away a little," head coach J.T. Higgins said. "Today we weren't as sharp but man, we really fought hard. I thought that was the difference. We easily could have had an 8- to 12-over, but the guys just wouldn't let that happen. They kept battling back and scrambling and getting the ball in the hole. It was a great effort today-mentally we were really tough."
Individually, A&M freshman Ty Dunlap carded an even-par 72 and maintained second place. He is at 4-under 140 for the tournament, two shots back of the leader-Texas Tech's Logan McCracken (138, -6).
"When he knows what he's trying to do and if there's no doubt in his mind, he's really solid," Higgins said. "He feels like he's got a great game plan, so he's able to attack the golf course the way he wants. He looked great, he's putting the ball where he wants it and chipping and putting well. If he gives himself some birdie opportunities tomorrow I think he's got a chance to win this golf tournament."
Host and 11th-ranked UNLV (579, +3) is in second place, one shot ahead of the Aggies. No. 12 Stanford and No. 5 UCLA are tied for fourth at 7-over, followed by No. 1 Texas (+8), TCU (+10), No. 3 Alabama (+11), No. 25 Florida (+12), No. 4 USC (+13), Texas Tech (+14), No. 16 Duke (+16), No. 24 Oklahoma State (+18), New Mexico State (+35) and Arizona State (+43).
A&M All-Americans Jordan Russell and Cameron Peck shot 73 for the second consecutive day, and both are tied for 26th with a 2-over 146. Greg Yates (74-76=150) is 6-over and in 44th place, while Jade Scott rebounded nicely with a 74 on Saturday and is in 56th at 10-over 154. Geoff Shaw, playing as an individual, also rebounded with a strong Saturday round of 73 and is in 51st overall at 8-over 152.
"Cameron double-bogeyed No. 8 to go 4-over, and then played the back nine at 3-under today-and it wasn't playing easy," Higgins said. "That was big for us. We needed his round. I'm really happy with the fight he showed today-that was huge for our team and kept us in position."
The Aggies will tee off on the par-72, 7,510-yard course for Sunday's final round beginning at 10:30 a.m. (PT) and will be paired with Cal and UNLV for the second consecutive day. Live scoring can be found on golfstat.com and aggieathletics.com, and fans can also follow the action with updates via twitter at @AggieMensGolf and @SHCollegiate.
"I think we're going to do the same stuff tomorrow," Higgins said. "We feel like we know how to attack the golf course. Tomorrow will be a little tougher-the wind is supposed to blow and that makes a difference out here. That's not something we've seen yet and that will present some challenges. If we try and stay really patient and let everything come to us, we should be in pretty good shape. You always want to be in position to win going into the final round and that's exactly where we are."