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Updated 7:26 AM on Sunday, October 21, 2007

Cessna: Grades the Aggies

By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

OFFENSE

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Quarterback Stephen McGee went right. He went left. He went up the middle. Basically, he went everywhere as the line opened holes and the Nebraska defense vacated them. Tailback Jorvorskie Lane had a quiet 130 yards and four touchdowns with his three longest runs of the season. A&M scored on its first drive of the game and the first two drives of the second half to set a winning tone.

WHAT WENT WRONG: A&M had to settle for a field goal after getting to the 6, and it could have been worse because Nebraska's Corey McKeon dropped an interception on the drive. A&M didn't take advantage of Nebraska's first fumble. The Aggies were 2 of 8 on third downs in the first half.

BOTTOM LINE: It's tough to nitpick when a team rushes for 359 yards, scoring all six times in the red zone. The bottom line is the line was dominant, and the Aggies took advantage.

Grade: A-

DEFENSE

WHAT WENT RIGHT: The Aggies made sure it didn't become a shootout. Misi Tupe's hit on Nebraska's Sam Keller seemed to take its toll on the Husker quarterback, who had decent numbers (275 yards passing) but not decent results. The linebackers' pop punctuated a goal-line stand to start the fourth quarter that took what little life remained out of Nebraska's offense.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Nebraska wide receiver Nate Swift got behind the A&M secondary for what would have been a 42-yard touchdown, but he couldn't hook up with Keller.

BOTTOM LINE: Tupe and Mark Dodge combined for 18 punishing hits. Nebraska had 26 completions, but half of them were to running back Marlon Lucky as the Aggies kept the ball in front of them.

Grade: B

SPECIAL TEAMS

WHAT WENT RIGHT: A fumble recovery by deep-snapper Corey Gibas led to the touchdown that put A&M up 16-7. A&M's offense had just lost 2 yards on the previous three plays. Matt Szymanski's 39-yard field goal gave A&M the lead for good. Nebraska accepted a 15-yard pass interference call on third down against A&M tight end Andrew Key, hoping that it would lead to a Szymanski miss.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Punter Justin Brantly fielded his own 8-yard punt. A&M had an extra point blocked.

BOTTOM LINE: The field goal was big, considering A&M missed a 41-yarder last week into the wind. Getting a score off the fumbled punt return was even bigger.

Grade: B-

COACHING

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Nebraska never adjusted to A&M's zone option, so the Aggies kept running it, all the way back to the airport. A&M threw enough to keep Nebraska's defense honest, making good use of wide receiver Pierre Brown (4 catches-49 yards). Depth showed as A&M didn't miss offensive guard Chris Yoder, tight end Martellus Bennett and defensive back-punt returner Jordan Peterson, who were out with injuries. A&M's defensive play-calling was just as good as the calls on offense and maybe better, for Nebraska didn't score in the second half. Then again, A&M's offense allowed the Huskers only four possessions.

WHAT WENT WRONG: A&M didn't make the right play-calls near the goal on its second possession, which eventually led to fourth-and-goal from the 21.

BOTTOM LINE: A&M head coach Dennis Franchione feels a heck of a lot better than Husker head coach Bill Callahan. Both have been under fire, and Callahan is going to have a lot more off-the-field questions fly his way this week.

Grade: B

OVERALL

WHAT WENT RIGHT: A&M played a complete game on the road, managing to wade through a few sputters. The Aggies had no turnovers playing in front of a crowd of 84,473 pleading for its once proud defense to return to form.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The Aggies made the kind of little mistakes -- a missed PAT, an 8-yard punt and throwing into coverage -- that have to be eliminated to win a close game.

BOTTOM LINE: Conventional wisdom says you savor a 22-point victory at Nebraska, but the Aggies this year have learned it's never wise to look back.

Grade: B-