Good way to start your Monday

Crossroads

Lot's of talk the last 7 or so days regarding the looming breakup of the Big 12. First, Nebraska and Mizzou to the Big 10.....then just Nebraska, with Missouri left on an island. Then Baylor and Colorado jockeying for that last spot that would make the PAC-10 the "PAC-16". After Colorado accepted a solo invite, effectively neutering Baylor's chances, we have started to see cracks in the remaining five: Texas, A&M, Tech, OU, and Oklahoma State. A&M is the only team to exert any level of independence from "daddy", refusing to let Texas call all the shots. Good for A&M, for not following what Bake calls "the flock", and being UT's willing prison bitch. Since A&M showed some backbone, it looks as though the Sooners are also entertaining a break to the SEC with A&M.

As of yet, there is no offer for A&M, but the SEC Commissioner was reportedly in College Station today.

All the talk seems to be centered around the end of Texas and A&M's near 100 years in the same conference, and the potential crumbling of a century old rivalry, in which each team mentions the other in their fight song. Certainly A&M and t.u. would continue their annual Thanksgiving day game, even as a non-conference matchup, right? Seems that UT may be trying to leverage A&M west, by saying they would not schedule A&M in any sport as a non-conference opponent. This is political jockeying, but I'm certain of one thing: UT is DEAD SET on going to the PAC-10, and I don't think they will do otherwise. Their President is a Cal alum, and can't resist the idea of circle-jerking with his elitist west coast buddies at Berkeley and Stanford.

In the end, I hope A&M does what's best for the school. If we break from the pack, I will accept it, but there is much I will miss. I will never forget my first Thanksgiving night game at Kyle Field in 1987. As it had been so many times, the winner would go home with bragging rights, as well as the SWC title and a Cotton Bowl berth. A&M was the better team that year, having lost only to LSU and Texas Tech. Texas was an underdog, but gave it a fight, just as you would expect, and the game came down to the final quarter. As the Aggies sealed the victory, I could see cotton floating in the Kyle Field lights.

What will bring me great sadness will be the impact of that move to the RoosterBowl. Clearly, playing in different conferences would end this annual contest between the Aggies and the Red Raiders.

Therefore, it is in defense of this RoosterBowl tradition that I hold so dear, that I am advocating to hold together, expand, or whatever it takes, the Big 12 Conference. This is the only way to keep all of our valuable traditions intact....especially the unique tradition of RoosterBowl.

Guns Up Charlie

Why do I automatically think of Teddy K whenever I see a photo of Charlie?

Rooster White

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Merry Christmas

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Pictures updated!

I updated the pictures page with pictures from this years' festivities. I only had about 30 pictures, so please submit your additions to the collection.

Magnum

New War of Words?

Asked about dealing with the altitude in A&M's upcoming game in Boulder, Aggie coach Mike Sherman replied, "Well, Lubbock is a pretty good altitude up there. There's a lot of hot air up there too."

FYI:

My new Mac Book Pro departed it's Shanhai assembling area yesterday morning at 10:35 am, via FedEx. Scheduled Austin delivery is this Monday morning. Will have plenty of thoughts to share once it's here.

Ouch...

This one definitely left its mark...

I knew the streak could not possibly last forever, but I certainly did not believe this year would be the year. Apparently, I was not alone in that regard either.

At any rate, aggy showed up, played hard for 4 quarters, and deserved this victory. Congratulations.

Aggies 52 Red Raiders 30

Joe with Midnight Matador

Photo taken by the "Masked Rider"

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Updated BCS Top 5:

1) Florida - not too tough to figure this one out

2) Alabama - wonder how McElroy would've fared in the HUB had he kept his oral com

3) Barack Obama - the Linguistic Wizard could leap frog 'Bama by inserting a few more powerful words into his repotoire

4) UT - Colt has been mediocre this year thus far

5) TCU - need some Christians to offset all of the Jews in this poll

High Five: Texas Tech-Texas A&M | Texas A&M Aggies News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

High Five: Texas Tech-Texas A&M | Texas A&M Aggies News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

08:46 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 21, 2009

From staff reports

Texas Tech wins

Oct. 7, 1995, Red Raiders 14, Aggies 7, in Lubbock: Texas A&M entered the game as the No. 8 team in the country and enjoyed a 29-game conference winning streak. But with the score tied 7-7 with 30 seconds left and the Aggies driving, Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas picked off a Corey Pullig pass and returned it 23 yards for the winning touchdown for the unranked Red Raiders.

Oct. 5, 2002, Red Raiders 48, Aggies 47 (OT), in College Station: Unranked Texas Tech rallied from 18 points down in the fourth quarter to push No. 23 Texas A&M into overtime. Dustin Long had seven touchdown passes for A&M and Kliff Kingsbury had five for Tech, but two kicks determined the difference. John Pierson missed his OT extra-point try, and Robert Treece made his.

Oct. 2, 1999, Red Raiders 21, Aggies 19, in Lubbock: With tailback Ricky Williams unable to go, Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes moved fullback Sammy Morris to his spot. Morris gained 170 yards rushing against No. 5 Texas A&M and its top-ranked run defense, and the Red Raiders rallied from 10 points down to score all 21 of their points in the second quarter for the upset.

Sept. 30, 2006, Red Raiders 31, Aggies 27, in College Station: Trailing with 2:12 left and 80 yards ahead of him, Texas Tech sophomore quarterback Graham Harrell went to work. A drive that included an interception overturned by replay and an 11-yard catch by Jarrett Hicks on fourth-and-5 ended with Robert Johnson's 37-yard touchdown catch with 26 seconds left for the win.

Oct. 25, 1997, Red Raiders 16, Aggies 13, in Lubbock: With 19 seconds left, unranked Texas Tech had a chance to break a tie with No. 20 Texas A&M with a successful field-goal attempt. But Texas Tech senior kicker Tony Rogers, a backup until Jaret Greaser was injured the week before, had to try a 47-yarder with a tricky 24 mph wind. His kick glanced off the left upright and went through.

Texas A&M wins

Nov. 13, 2004, Aggies 32, Red Raiders 25 (OT), in College Station: For the second time in three years, Texas A&M and Texas Tech were going to overtime in College Station. Courtney Lewis went 25 yards on an option play to give Texas A&M the lead on the first play of overtime. Then, on fourth-and-9, Byron Jones knocked down Sonny Cumbie's pass to the end zone to secure the win.

Oct. 3, 1992, Aggies 19, Red Raiders 17, in College Station: Texas A&M kicker Terry Venetoulias was having a tough day. He had missed a 43-yard field goal attempt and an extra-point attempt earlier to keep unranked Texas Tech in the game. But with one second left and down by one, Venetoulias made a 21-yard field goal to keep No. 5 Texas A&M undefeated.

Oct. 1, 1994, Aggies 23, Red Raiders 17, in College Station: Texas Tech turned two interceptions by Zach Thomas and Marcus Coleman into 10 points and scored on a fake punt to lead No. 10 Texas A&M 17-7 at halftime. But the Aggies rallied with two 1-yard touchdown runs in the second half. Texas Tech's final shot to the end zone went through Field Scovell's hands to end the upset threat.

Oct. 6, 1990, Aggies 28, Red Raiders 24, in College Station: Texas A&M senior halfback Darren Lewis rushed for 232 yards and the Aggies had almost twice as many first downs as the Red Raiders, yet Texas Tech was still in it until the end. With 2:12 left and Texas Tech facing fourth-and-13, Texas A&M defensive back Kevin Smith picked off Robert Hall to secure the win.

Oct. 24, 1998, Aggies 17, Red Raiders 10, in College Station: No. 25 Texas Tech scored its 10 points off of two fumbles by Aggies quarterback Randy McCown, but the defense saved the day for No. 8 Texas A&M. Texas Tech quarterback Rob Peters was sacked five times and his offense managed only 205 yards. The Red Raiders' last hope was a pass to Donnie Hart that he caught out of bounds in the end zone.

Let The Streak Begin...........

Sherman was the aggy offensive line coach in 1995 when Pullig threw the pick that was heard 'round the world. The game was tied with less than a minute to go when Zack returned it 23 yards for the win.

"Yeah, I remember throwing a pick to Zach Thomas," Sherman said. "I threw the same pick [at Green Bay] when he was in the NFL when we played against him at Miami. He's kind of been a nemesis for me over the years, and just someone I really respected, starting back with his days at Tech."

This $@%* is Real

Leach is 7-2 versus aggy, and unbeaten at home. In fact, none of the current seniors have ever lost to aggy.

Says Marlon Winn: “My redshirt (freshman) year, the first year we traveled down there, I remember the touchdown catch Robert Johnson made in the end zone to seal the game (31-27). I felt the rivalry between the two teams and how we just snatched the air out of the stadium. I enjoyed the feeling. They come here the next year, and kind of the same thing happens. It’s something that, when you go into practice that week, you remember those kind of things, and you don’t want to be the team that ends up losing to Texas A&M, who of course is a great team."

Sheffield out two to three weeks with foot injury | Red Raiders

Sheffield out two to three weeks with foot injury | Red Raiders

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Uh oh.....

if head to head is any accurate barometer....

Texas Tech is to K-State (66-14) as K-State is to Texas A&M (62-14).

I don't think head-to-head is necessarily a good predictor, but clearly Tech is pulling it together, following back to back losses with the K-State blowout and a dominating win over ranked Nebraska in Lincoln, while A&M is still struggling.

With a night game in Lubbock looming, the Aggies had better put this lost behind them and get ready to correct the "funk" they found themselves in in Manhattan.

Leach 101

Is it possible that I am paying more attention to recent "Leach-speak" than Bake?

Asked about his "game-time decision" to start Taylor Potts or Steven Sheffield vs. Nebraska, Leach commented that the media should not "do anything to diminish the excitement and anticipation of a game-time decision, because I think that would screw up the whole thing, and then we'd be less big-time around here and that would certainly be disturbing to everybody."

Wine + Mac Book =

Muy malo....

Will be up and posting a lot of garbage pertaining to the White Jumpsuit Gang asap!

Night game in Lubbock!!

Official kickoff time of 6 pm has been announced for RoosterBowl XII.

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