The Lady Bears (15-4, 2-3 Big 12) had fallen out of the Top 10 without Jones, losing three of the four games their junior guard missed because of a right leg injury described as a precursor to a stress fracture. Though Jones still appeared a bit gimpy at times, she was driving to the basket and diving to the floor after loose balls.

Brittney Griner, the 6-foot-8 freshman sensation, added 20 points and Kelli Griffin 13 for Baylor.

Tyra White had 19 points for Texas A&M (15-3, 3-2), which was held 28 points below its season average.

Baylor made 10-of-10 free throws in the final minute, including six by Griffin and two by Jones to counter a pair of 3-pointers by Texas A&M that got the Aggies within 55-50.

-No. 22 Iowa State 63, No. 11 Oklahoma 56
AMES, Iowa — Anna Prins and Kelsey Bolte each scored 15 points, leading No. 22 Iowa State to a 63-56 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma on Wednesday night for its second straight victory over a ranked opponent.

Alison Lacey added 12 for the Cyclones (16-3, 4-2 Big 12), who have won four consecutive games after an 0-2 start to the conference season.

Oklahoma (14-5, 4-2) cut a 12-point halftime deficit to 38-35 with
10½ minutes to play and looked to be making a final push.

But Prins, who was 1 of 12 from the field in ISU’s win over No. 19
Texas last Saturday, scored six straight points and put the Cyclones back in control. Bolte then had a scoring run of her own, including a 3-pointer from the corner that pushed the lead to 55-46 with 2:57 to play.

Nyeshia Stevenson led Oklahoma in scoring with 14 points. Abi Olajuwon added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Oklahoma State (16-4, 4-2 Big 12) shot a season-best 57.9 percent and won its third straight game, a run that includes a road win over then-No. 10 Kansas State. The Cowboys overcame the absence of starting point guard Ray Penn, who has a stress reaction-type knee injury and missed his second straight game.

Donald Sloan scored 27 points to lead Texas A&M (14-6, 3-3). The Aggies are 1-4 this season in road games.

Oklahoma State won on the ninth anniversary of a plane crash that killed 10 men associated with the Cowboys’ program. It was only the second time since the crash that Oklahoma State has played on the anniversary date.

-Oklahoma 89, Iowa State 84
NORMAN, Okla. — With its top two scorers injured and in street clothes, Oklahoma built a big lead, then held on to beat Iowa State behind Tommy Mason-Griffin and Cade Davis.

Mason-Griffin scored 38 points and Davis added 24 for the Sooners (12-8, 3-3 Big 12), who are 10-0 at home and 2-8 on the road.
Oklahoma won without guard Willie Warren (17.6) and forward Tony Crocker (12.3), both out with sprained right ankles.

Iowa State (12-8, 1-4) had six double-figure scorers, led by Diante Garrett’s 17.

Craig Brackins, who had been averaging 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds, was held to 13 points and six rebounds.

Oklahoma led by 18 points, but Iowa State cut the deficit to three points four times in the second half, the final time with 6 seconds left. The Sooners clinched it by making 7 of 8 free throws in the final two minutes.

The Sooners (12-4, 2-1 Big 12) blitzed A&M at the start of both halves to build a 16-point lead, then staved off a second-half rally.

Robinson hit six free throws in a 2-minute stretch after Texas A&M had cut the deficit to three with 6:29 to play, and Oklahoma was able to hang on from there.

Tyra White led the Aggies (14-2, 2-1) with 18 points and Sydney Colson had 14 points and five steals. Tanisha Smith, the Aggies’ leading scorer, was held to eight points on 4-of-13 shooting.

Smith was on the bench in foul trouble when A&M made its charge. White hit a 3-pointer to get it going and Sydney Carter’s driving layup from the right side cut the deficit to 60-56 with 7:59 remaining.

Colson stripped the ball from Jasmine Hartman and rushed in for a fast-break layup to make it 63-60, but then Robinson started attacking the basket and getting rewarded with trips to the foul line. She hit six in a row to extend Oklahoma’s edge back to 69-61 as neither team hit a field goal for more than 3 minutes.

Smith, who had been averaging 17.3 points, returned briefly but had no impact before fouling out with 4:49 to play, providing Robinson with the last in her string of free throws.

Danielle Adams finished with 12 points but went 1-for-6 from 3-point range on an off night for the nation’s top 3-point shooting team. The Aggies, who had been making 42.6 percent of their 3-point tries, went just 6-for-21 (29 percent) from the arc.

Amanda Thompson and Abi Olajuwon had matching double-doubles for Oklahoma, with 14 points and 11 rebounds apiece.

For the second straight year, the Sooners denied Texas A&M a chance for its first 3-0 start in Big 12 play.

• No. 11 Nebraska 65

No. 9 Baylor 56

WACO – Yvonne Turner made six 3-pointers and scored 22 points, Cory Montgomery added 18 points and No. 11 Nebraska remained unbeaten by defeating No. 9 Baylor.

The Cornhuskers (16-0, 3-0 Big 12) are one of three unbeaten schools in the country, joining No. 1 Connecticut and No. 17 Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Nebraska went on a 17-6 run over the final 8:23 to end Baylor’s 14-game home winning streak. Neither team led by more than seven points until the Cornhuskers’ late push.

Brittney Griner had 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots for Baylor (14-3, 1-2).

Kelsey Griffin scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Nebraska, which made 12 3-pointers.

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey was given a technical foul with 13:30 left after she stomped down the sideline and threw her jacket aside because she wanted a foul called when Griner had a shot underneath the basket blocked by two Nebraska defenders.

Griner scored seven of Baylor’s next nine points, including a basket that put Baylor up 50-48.

The Cornhuskers then scored on five straight possessions to take control of the game. Montgomery hit a 3-pointer to put Nebraska up 52-50 and Turner hit a pair of free throws.

Turner was good on her sixth 3-pointer and Griffin scored over the 6-foot-8 Griner to give the Cornhuskers a 59-52 lead with 5:30 left.

Turner punctuated the victory by hitting a 3-pointer with 35.3 seconds left, giving the Cornhuskers 65-54 advantage.

Because of Griner’s presence, Nebraska shot mostly from the perimeter. After a cold start, that offensive approach worked.

The Cornhuskers missed 16 of their first 18 shots before hitting seven of their next 10 from the field, including three 3-pointers.

Turner scored all the points in an 8-0 run, and her 3-pointer gave Nebraska a 24-18 lead with 5:45 remaining in the first half.

• Kansas 72, Missouri 59

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Danielle McCray scored 26 points, Sade Morris added 15 and Kansas used a near-perfect first half to beat Missouri.

McCray scored 20 first-half points in helping the Jayhawks build a comfortable 28-point halftime lead. She outscored the entire Missouri team in the first half and made 8 of 10 shots.

Kansas grabbed control early with a 20-6 run that added pressure for a poor shooting Missouri squad.

The Tigers, who were led by RaeShara Brown’s 15 points, shot just 30 percent in the first half while committing 14 turnovers. Amanda Hanneman chipped in 12 as Missouri trailed by at least 13 in the second half.

Kansas, meanwhile, shot 59 percent in the first half.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Aggies (7-0), who outscored North Texas 54-11 in points off turnovers. The Aggies have won their first seven games by an average of 29 points.

The game was tied at 10 five minutes in, but A&M began asserting itself defensively against the overmatched Mean Green (3-7), and led 56-22 at the half.

The Aggies are off to their second best start in school history, trailing only last year’s 12-0 mark at the beginning of the season. The Aggies also have won 40 consecutive nonconference home games since the 2003-04 season.

Chynna Burwell scored 10 points for North Texas.

• No. 15 Pittsburgh 77

Valparaiso 52

PITTSBURGH – Taneisha Harrison had a career-high 27 points and No. 15 Pittsburgh remained unbeaten with a victory over Valparaiso.

Harrison, who scored 17 in the second half, shot 11 for 22 from the field with three 3-pointers for the Panthers (8-0).

Shayla Scott added 13 points and Pepper Wilson 11. Chelsea Cole grabbed 15 rebounds for Pitt, which closed the first half on a 24-4 run to take a 36-15 lead and never looked back.

The Crusaders (3-4) have lost four straight after a strong start and were playing their first of three consecutive Big East opponents.

Betsy Adams made six 3-pointers for 18 points, and Lauren Kenney had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for Valparaiso.

Texas wide receiver Malcolm Williams (9) catches a pass for a first down as Texas A&M cornerback Justin McQueen (21) defends during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009, in College Station, Texas. (AP)

COLLEGE STATION – Colt McCoy threw four touchdown passes and No. 3 Texas overcame a huge game by Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson to wrap up an undefeated regular season with a 49-39 win over the Aggies on Thursday night.

The Longhorns (12-0, 8-0 Big 12) have only next week’s conference championship game against Nebraska standing between them and the BCS title game.

For a while, though, it seemed as though Johnson would rally the Aggies (6-6, 3-5) to a gigantic upset, shattering McCoy’s Heisman Trophy hopes and opening the door for TCU and Cincinnati to vault into the national championship picture.

Jeff Fuller caught three touchdown passes from Johnson, the last with 7:10 left to cut Texas’ lead to 42-39. But Marquise Goodwin returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Longhorns could finally breathe easy after A&M’s Randy Bullock missed a 23-yard field goal try with 3:05 remaining.

McCoy completed 24 of 40 passes for 304 yards and ran for a career-high 175 yards on 18 carries. But Johnson was just as spectacular, completing 26 of 33 passes for 342 yards with four TD passes against the Longhorns’ third-ranked defense.

The two quarterbacks embraced at midfield after the game, and Johnson’s nationally televised showcase just might put him in the conversation for next year’s Heisman.

McCoy is a favorite to win it this year and he put together a monster first half, completing 18 of 26 passes for 222 yards with three TD passes. He also broke a 65-yard run up the middle early in the second quarter, the third longest rush by a Texas quarterback.

McCoy had 111 yards rushing by that point, already a single-game career high.

The Longhorns piled up 398 yards by halftime against the nation’s 100th-ranked defense, but only led 28-21.

The Aggies took a surprising 7-0 lead on the third offensive play, a 70-yard pass from Johnson down the sideline to Fuller. It was the second-longest play from scrimmage against the Longhorns this season.

Early on, though, the Aggies’ defense couldn’t get close to McCoy even when they blitzed, and he tied it with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipley with 3:42 left in the first quarter.

The Longhorns’ defense, meanwhile, had just as much trouble controlling the quick-footed Johnson, ranked 10th in the nation in total offense (293.9 yards per game) coming into the game.

Johnson threw a 36-yard pass to Ryan Tannehill, then found Fuller open for a 14-yard touchdown with 7:34 left in the first half. It was Johnson’s 49th career TD pass, an A&M record.

After Texas moved ahead 21-14, Longhorns defensive end Sam Acho sacked Johnson on a third-down play, forcing a punt. Shipley called for a fair catch, but the ball bounced off a teammate and A&M linebacker Anthony Lewis recovered at the Texas 36.

The miscue set up Johnson’s 14-yard TD pass to Howard Morrow with 1:11 left in the half. The Longhorns hadn’t given up 21 points in a game since a 34-24 win over Texas Tech on Sept. 19.

The Aggies left just enough time for McCoy to answer again. He threw two passes to Shipley for big gains, then found James Kirkendoll for the go-ahead score with 5 seconds left before the break.

Tre Newton had a 7-yard touchdown run, set up by a fumble by A&M running back Christine Michael.

Aggies defensive back Anthony Lewis and Texas defensive back Deon Beasley collided on the ensuing kickoff, and both players initially lay motionless. Lewis was helped off the field, but Beasley was put on a stretcher. He was moving one of his arms as he was taken off the field on a cart.

Johnson broke a 43-yard run, but Texas safety Earl Thomas picked off Johnson in the end zone, his school-record eighth interception of the season.

Bullock’s 31-yard field goal cut the deficit to 35-24, and the Aggies took over again at midfield as McCoy started to misfire. Johnson completed two passes and Michael spun off a Texas defender for a 16-yard touchdown with 13:38 left. Johnson completed a pass to Tannehill for the 2-point conversion to make it 35-32.

McCoy missed on seven straight passes before hitting Kirkendoll on a slant. Freshman defensive back Steven Terrell couldn’t make the tackle and Kirkendoll raced the final 40 yards for a touchdown with 12:04 left.

Just when it seemed as though the Longhorns had put A&M away, Johnson marched the Aggies down the field again. He found freshman Ryan Swope for a 27-yard gain, then lofted a 20-yard pass to Fuller with 7:10 left.

Goodwin then returned the ensuing kickoff all the way for a touchdown, the Longhorns’ third kickoff return for a score this season.

The Longhorns were upset by Texas A&M in 2006 and ‘07, but they’ve won twice since Mike Sherman replaced Dennis Franchione as Aggies coach. Texas has won 12 of the last 14 meetings against its archrival.

This one, however, will go down as one of the most exciting in the 116-game series.

Texas A&M's Corey Clark (54) and Stephen Hodge, left, hold up the trophy as they celebrate with teammates after Texas A&M beat Texas in an NCAA college football game in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M beat Texas 38-30. Texas A&M has twice upset heavily favored Texas in the last three season. The victories have been the highlights of an otherwise forgettable decade for A&M, which hasn't finished a season in the Top 25 since 1999. The archrivals meet again on Thanksgiving night. (AP)

COLLEGE STATION – Texas has taken control of its annual series with Oklahoma, gone 15-3 against ranked opponents since 2005 and won its last five bowl games.

Texas A&M, though, has been a troublesome opponent for Mack Brown’s Longhorns.

The Aggies have twice upset the heavily favored Longhorns in the last three seasons. The victories have been the highlights of an otherwise forgettable decade for A&M, which hasn’t finished a season in the Top 25 since 1999.

The archrivals meet again on Thanksgiving night, and if Texas A&M (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) can pull off another shocker, it’ll probably cost No. 3 Texas (11-0, 7-0) a shot at the national title and cripple Colt McCoy’s chances of winning the Heisman Trophy.

The losses to A&M in 2006 and ‘07 erased Texas’ chances of winning the Big 12 South, but the Longhorns don’t have to worry about that happening this time. They locked up their first berth in the Big 12 title game since 2005 with a 51-20 win over Kansas last week, and Brown acknowledged that’s a relief heading to Kyle Field.

“Sewing up the Big 12 South title really takes a lot of pressure off of this week, so we can go play and enjoy the game,” Brown said. “It is a national game, a rival game again. It is important regardless of the records of the two teams and what’s at stake. This lets us focus on this game and not look at all the other stuff around us.”

Texas handled last year’s meeting just fine, routing the Aggies and new coach Mike Sherman 49-9 in Austin.

But two years ago in College Station, A&M delivered its most inspired performance of the season and knocked off the 13th-ranked Longhorns 38-30, the Aggies’ most significant victory – and last game – under Dennis Franchione.

In 2006, the Aggies toughed out an equally unexpected 12-7 win in Austin. McCoy threw for only 160 yards and was picked off three times, and A&M rushed for 244 yards against the nation’s top-ranked run defense.

McCoy, who set an NCAA record last week with his 43rd career victory, said the Longhorns have hardly mentioned either game since they happened.

“We don’t really talk about ‘06 and ‘07. We don’t like to think about that,” McCoy said. “We talk about being the best we can be and finishing what we started. That’s enough motivation for us. We’ve got a lot at stake.”

Since squeezing past Oklahoma 16-13 on Oct. 17, the Longhorns have rolled past their last five opponents by an average score of 43-12.

Brown said he talked to Florida coach Urban Meyer about easing the pressure on his players during a national-championship run. And lately, Brown has noticed the Longhorns seem to be having the time of their lives.

McCoy and his fellow seniors took a victory lap after the home finale last week, smacking hands with fans and soaking in the adulation. McCoy fired a cannon used to punctuate Texas touchdowns and banged on a giant bass drum before leaving the field.

“We feel like this team is having fun,” Brown said. “Whatever pressure the team had at the first of the year that was on them, they seem to have that off. They are relaxing and really enjoying each other, and enjoying playing.”

Sherman and the Aggies set more modest goals this season, and they reached the biggest one last week, gaining bowl eligibility with a 38-3 win over Baylor.

A&M has been strangely erratic this season, with blowout wins over Texas Tech and Iowa State coupled with even more lopsided losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma.

Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson has ranked among the nation’s total offense leaders all year and set a single-season school record for passing yards (2,875). The Aggies rank second in the Big 12 in total offense (459.3 yards per game), but the Longhorns’ defense ranks third in the nation (238.7 yards).

“If you beat that team, you beat a great team,” Johnson said. “But at the same time, we’ve played with a lot of their guys in high school, so it’s not really a situation where we feel inferior by any means. We expect to win on Thursday (tonight).”

McCoy completed 23 of 28 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s easy victory, and A&M’s defense hasn’t gotten much better. The Aggies rank last in the Big 12 in points (31 per game) and yards allowed (416.3 per game).

The Aggies will wear emblems on their helmets to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the bonfire collapse on campus that killed 12 and injured 27 in 1999.

The bonfire was a long-standing tradition leading up to the showdown with Texas. Students and others built a massive tower of logs and set it aflame on the eve of the game. The event was canceled after the accident.

A&M (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) rushed for a season-high 375 yards against the Big 12’s worst run defense. Michael ran for 116 yards and Cyrus Gray ran for 107, the second time this season both backs have topped 100 yards in a game.

Jerrod Johnson threw for 153 yards to set a single-season school record (2,875 yards). He threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Aggies beat Baylor for the ninth straight time at Kyle Field.

Nick Florence completed 21 of 31 passes for 177 yards with two
interceptions for the Bears (4-7, 1-6 Big 12), guaranteed a losing record for the 14th consecutive season.

Two weeks ago, the Texas A&M Aggies spoke confidently about achieving bowl eligibility and finishing the season strong.

Quarterback Jerrod Johnson and Texas A&M can become eligible to play in a bowl if the Aggies beat Baylor today in College Station. Baylor, though, can become bowl eligible with a win today and a win against Texas Tech on Nov. 28 in Arlington. (AP)

Back-to-back losses have turned optimism into pressure, and A&M (5-5, 2-4 Big 12) has two chances left to earn that elusive sixth win, starting with today’s game against Baylor (4-6, 1-5).

If the Aggies lose to the Bears – who whipped them 41-21 in Waco last year – then they’ll have to upset No. 3 Texas on Thanksgiving to avoid a third losing season since 2005.

“We feel a sense of urgency, just for the fact that the season’s ending,” junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson said. “We have two more games left and we want to win those games. It’s kind of getting down to the last. Of course, the bowl eligibility thing is still on our minds, but we just want to win every game we play.”

Baylor has dropped five of six games since a 3-1 start, but will still have a shot at a bowl game with wins against A&M and then Texas Tech on Nov. 28. The Bears say the possibility of a bowl adds helpful incentive this week.

“It’s huge, every game still matters,” freshman quarterback Nick Florence said. “Last year in this situation, we weren’t going to a bowl game, we were just playing for pride. But this year it’s more than that, so we’re going to practice hard and play for each other. We’re going to leave it all on that field and so are they. They’re in the same boat.”

Both teams are trying to bounce back after humiliating setbacks last week.

The Bears gave away four turnovers – three of them interceptions thrown by Florence – in a 47-14 loss to Texas. Baylor also mustered only 6 yards rushing against the nation’s top-ranked defense.

“With a team like that, we have to play extremely well, pretty error-free and win the three majors: field position, turnovers and momentum,” coach Art Briles said. “I think the outcome shows that we did not do that.”

The Aggies, meanwhile, lost three fumbles in the first half of a 65-10 rout at Oklahoma. The most distressing aspect for A&M coach Mike Sherman was that his team fumbled five times in the game on punt or kick returns.

“We definitely will put extra emphasis, more than we already have, on that part of the game,” Sherman said. “That is very important.”

As long as both offenses can keep the ball, today’s game sets up as a shootout because the defenses are so bad.

Baylor ranks last in the Big 12 in stopping the run (167 yards per game), while A&M has the league’s worst overall defense in both yards (428.2) and points (34) allowed per game.

The Aggies feel fortunate that they won’t have to face quick-footed quarterback Robert Griffin, who accounted for 297 yards and threw two touchdown passes in last year’s Baylor victory. Griffin suffered a knee injury in the Bears’ third game this year, forcing the freshman Florence into the starting role.

But Florence threw for a school record 427 yards in the Bears’ 40-32 win over Missouri on Nov. 7, and the Aggies rank last in the Big 12 in pass defense, giving up 263 yards per game.

A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines is concerned not only about Florence, but that the Aggies’ defense seems to have stopped improving.

“A couple of weeks ago, I was really pleased with how we were getting better,” Kines said. “Individually, we’ve got some guys still doing that. But this isn’t an individual sport. Collectively, we’ve got to all keep moving forward.”

A&M’s offense, meanwhile, still ranks eighth nationally after its worst game of the season. Johnson completed only 12 of 33 passes for 115 yards in Norman, and the Aggies mustered a season-low 226 yards.

Johnson is only 70 passing yards shy of setting a single-season school record. He already has 22 TD passes this year, breaking his school record from last season.

The milestones all can wait – Johnson just wants one more victory.

“We realize we’re at the end of the season, we’ve got two games left,” Johnson said. “Give it everything you have, try to bottle up as much energy as we can, and put it to the next two weeks. You can’t hold anything back. We should be playing our best football right now.”

She’la White added 16 points for the Tar Heels (2-0), who overcame a sluggish first half in which they trailed 20-19 with 6 minutes remaining. Chay Shegog scored 15 points and Laura Broomfield had 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for North Carolina.

Elizabeth Weaver scored 14 points to lead the Chanticleers (2-1), who shot 29 percent from the field.

The Tar Heels blew open the game with a 24-4 run in the first 7 minutes of the second half.

• No. 7 LSU 61,

No. 24 Middle Tennessee 40

BATON ROUGE, La. – Taylor Turnbow had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 7 LSU.

All-American forward Alysha Clark had 16 points and a game-high 20 rebounds for Middle Tennessee (1-1).

• No. 12 Virginia 110,

South Carolina Upstate 63

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Chelsea Shine had a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 12 Virginia.

The sophomore forward, celebrating her 20th birthday, shot 10 for 13 from the field.

• No. 15 Texas A&M 86,

Rice 50

COLLEGE STATION – Danielle Adams scored 15 points in only 18 minutes and No. 15 Texas A&M cruised past Rice.

Tanisha Smith added 14 points for the Aggies (2-0).

• No. 19 Kansas 66, Iowa 55

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Danielle McCray scored 20 points and No. 19 Kansas used a late 11-0 run to beat Iowa.

• No. 22 Vanderbilt 90,

Southern Illinois 64

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Hannah Tuomi had 20 points and eight rebounds as No. 22 Vanderbilt beat Southern Illinois.

• No. 25 Mississippi State 81,

Utah Valley 35

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Alexis Rack scored 16 points to lead No. 25 Mississippi State.

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M started 3-0 and the Aggies seemed headed in the right direction early in coach Mike Sherman’s second season.

Now that promise is gone.

But the Aggies lost their next two games and then got humiliated 62-14 at Kansas State on Saturday, a shockingly lopsided loss that raises questions about just how much progress the program has made.

A&M (3-3, 0-2 Big 12) was handed its worst defeat since a 77-0 thrashing against then-No. 1 Oklahoma late in the 2003 season. The Aggies collapsed in every phase:

• They gave away a season-high five turnovers, and Kansas State converted four into touchdowns. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson threw three interceptions after setting a Big 12 record with 225 passes without a pick this season.

• The offensive line allowed six sacks, matching the combined total from the first four games. The Aggies finished with minus-13 rushing yards – the 51 yards gained were offset by 64 yards lost on Kansas State tackles behind the line.

• The defense gave up 232 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The Wildcats’ offense was ranked 75th in the nation coming into the game.

• Brandon Banks returned the second-half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and Kansas State started four other drives inside Texas A&M territory after short punts and sloppy coverage.

A shell-shocked Sherman had no explanation for why the Aggies played so poorly. He acknowledged on Monday that A&M is still short on talent at several positions, but he also said the team practiced well last week and seemed ready for the game.

“We never saw it coming,” Sherman said. “We had a great week of preparation, the kids were fired up about going and playing this ballgame, and it just hit us. We could never get it right.”

Kansas State led 17-0 after the first quarter and 38-0 at halftime. Senior guard Michael Shumard said as the score spun out of control, more Aggies started doing too much and making matters worse.

“It felt like the harder we tried, the further we fell,” he said. “Guys were trying to make plays, but when they would do something beyond what they were coached to do, we kind of got ourselves in trouble.”

Sherman led a sullen film session on Monday morning and pored over breakdowns in basic fundamentals – missed tackles, poor blocking and mental lapses.

The Aggies don’t have time to sulk. They play No. 21 Texas Tech (5-2, 2-1) on Saturday, a team that’s beaten them by an average of 33 points in the last three meetings in Lubbock.

Beyond comprising a game plan, Sherman said most of his job this week will be trying to restore his team’s confidence.

“I’m the captain of the ship, so to speak,” he said. “We’ve sprung a leak and we need to go fix it, and that’s my job. However I lead them this week will be how they’ll react to this loss. If I do a good job, I’ll lead them in the right direction.”

But the embarrassing loss was still lingering around the A&M football complex on Monday. Shumard got into a heated argument with another lineman about how they both played at Kansas State.

“It’s not like we’re panicking, or anything like that,” Shumard said. “We’re yelling at each other and telling each other to step up and we’re going to do this. You can’t do stuff like that because you don’t want to tear friendships up. But at the same time, we’ve got to win, so there has to be a balance.”

Sherman says the leaders of the team are still emerging and he’ll need them all this week to keep the Aggies together. Johnson, more soft-spoken than fiery, said the best thing for A&M to do now is to put Saturday’s performance out of their minds.

“I can’t exactly say what happened, we just didn’t click very well on offense,” Johnson said. “Things just seemed to snowball and it was one of those nights, one of those things that happened. I’m glad it’s in our past and now we’ve got to move forward.”

Sherman challenged his team to not allow the loss to become the pivotal moment of the season. The Aggies played well in stretches of their previous game, a 36-31 loss to No. 15 Oklahoma State, and they still have six Big 12 games remaining.

“The only thing you can do when you get something like this is try to teach them something,” Sherman said. “If they want this one game to define them or this season, then they’ll just lay down and take it. But if they want to rise above and meet this opportunity that adversity has created, then they can really do something special. That’s what I expect out of this team.”