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Texas A&M junior quarterback Stephen McGee had 35 carries for 167 yards in A&M's 36-14 victory over Nebraska Saturday. McGee also threw for a touchdown.

Running away

McGee leads Aggie ground attack to win over Cornhuskers

By: Brad Cox

Posted: 10/22/07

For the first time in 52 years, Texas A&M left Lincoln, Neb. with a victory over the Cornhuskers. The last successful campaign came was 1955 when the Aggies were led by Head Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant to a 27-0 victory and a 7-2 season.

In the series history, when in Lincoln, the Aggies had been outscored by an average of 18 points a game. The tides turned Saturday when the Aggies controlled the ball for more than half the game and defeated Nebraska 36-14.

A&M junior quarterback Stephen McGee and junior running back Jorvorskie Lane rushed for a combined 297 of the team's 359 yards.

"My offensive line really dominated," Lane said. "They gave me and McGee and everybody great running lanes. With the offensive line doing what they did, I could have driven my car through those holes today."

Lane's four touchdowns on the ground brought him to within one of the school's record of 44, while McGee carried the ball for a career high: 35 times for 167 yards.

"The 35 that he had, it takes a lot of man to do that," Lane said about McGee. "The defense scouted us really well. Every time I ran the zone play, they were taking it away. McGee did a really good job of going outside and getting four, five or six yards."

McGee's 35 carries ranks 11th in school history for carries in a game.

"I'm definitely sore right now," McGee said. "I need some rest."

Nebraska's record of 4-4 is the Cornhuskers worst eight game record since going 3-4-1 in 1961. Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan said the team had trouble defending A&M's zone read offense.

"We had a tough time containing the quarterback," Callahan said. "We really didn't close down the quarterback the way we should have on the read."

Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller completed 59 percent of his passes and threw for 275 yards and a touchdown. Keller, who had been averaging 264 passing yards a game, said it is tough not winning games.

"We're just trying so hard to win and make something happen," Keller said. "We all play together and we felt good coming in to this one and there's not much you can say really."

The Aggie defense held their opponent to 14 points or less for the fourth time this season. The game marked the second time Texas A&M has come back from a loss to score at least 30 points on their next opponent.

"We had a great week of practice," said senior linebacker Mark Dodge. "I really think we won that game [against Nebraska] on Tuesday. We came out with a different attitude after last week. We just kind of came out and played."

Texas A&M is 6-0 when the Aggies finish the game with the turnover advantage. Nebraska turned the ball over three times on three fumbles compared to A&M's zero turnovers.

"We have been pretty good at taking care of the football, and we did that again today," said A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione. "When you can get three or four and not give up any then you've got a good chance to win most games."

The win moves A&M to 6-2 and 2-1 in the Big 12. The six wins make the Aggies eligible for a bowl game.