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BOX SCORE
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Not even the largest, and perhaps
loudest, crowd to watch a football game in the state of Texas could
deter No. 1 Oklahoma.
|  | | Oklahoma linebacker Torrance Marshall returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to preserve the Sooners' unblemished record. |
Torrance Marshall kept the Sooners' national championship drive
alive when he scored on a 41-yard interception return in the fourth
quarter to rally No. 1 Oklahoma to a 35-31 victory over Texas A&M (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) on Saturday.
After cruising through their first eight games almost untested,
the Sooners took note of the ear-throbbing din of 87,188 fans,
mostly maroon-clad Aggies waving their white 12th man towels.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops warned the Sooners about this game.
"I told our players last week, there was a good chance we were
going to go down to the final series in this game so just be
prepared," Stoops said "I think it's good to be in these types of
games. You grow and learn from it.
"You just hang in there to the end and find a way to make a
play. It shows how much character and poise this team has."
Marshall's first career interception came with 7:18 left in the
game, completing a comeback from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit
that allowed the Sooners (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) to remain the nation's
only major team with a perfect record.
"I was just running until somebody tackled me," Marshall said.
"I really was just trying to hold onto the ball and not let
somebody strip me. That's what it was, it was Sooner magic."
With a Kyle Field attendance of 87,188 roaring from the outset,
Sooners quarterback Josh Heupel finally got the Sooners going in
the fourth quarter.
"We're always confident," Heupel said. "On the sidelines and
in the huddle, we kept saying, `We're going to make a play.' We
were just talking about staying in rhythm, stay confident on that
last drive. We expected good things to happen."
With Texas A&M ahead 31-21, Heupel -- just 2-for-8 on third-down
conversions at the time -- made three straight third-down plays
leading to a 2-yard touchdown run by fullback Quentin Griffin with
7:43 left.
Moments later, Marshall gave the Sooners the lead when he
stepped in front of a pass by A&M's Mark Farris and weaved his way
into the end zone to give Oklahoma its first victory in College
Station since 1903.
The Aggies (7-3, 5-2) had a final chance to win the game when
they took over on the Oklahoma 44 with 1:33 left, but Farris'
fourth-down pass completion fell five yards short of a first down
and Oklahoma took over with 36 seconds left. The Sooners ran out
the clock and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"The bottom line is that we had a chance to win the game and
didn't get it done," Farris said. "That's why they are the No. 1
team in the country. There was a lot of ups and downs in the game.
That is the way big games go. They did a good job of putting
pressure on me but our offensive line held and I was only sacked
twice."
Oklahoma should remain first in next week's Bowl Championship
Series standings, which determine who plays in the BCS' national
title game in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.
The Sooners still have games remaining against Texas Tech and
Oklahoma State before a probable spot in the Big 12 title game on
Dec. 2.
After coming so agonizingly close to victory, the Aggie dropped
to 0-9 against No. 1 ranked teams. The last time A&M played a No. 1
team was 1977 when it lost to Texas 57-28.
"When you play the No. 1 team in the nation and play them
close, that tells you what kind of drive and character we have on
this team," Ja'Mar Toombs said. "I can walk out of the locker
room holding my head high because I'm proud to be on a team that
does not quit."
A&M hadn't even made it close against the top ranked teams until
Saturday, losing the eight games by an average score of 41-12.
Big plays by Texas A&M's defense, including two interceptions
off Heupel, helped the Aggies to their 31-21 lead. Heupel, among
the top Heisman Trophy contenders, finished 28-of-42 for 263 yards.
The Aggies capitalized on a blocked punt, interception and
fumble to set up three scoring plays for a 17-10 halftime lead,
marking the first time this season that Oklahoma had trailed at the
half.
It looked even bleaker for the Sooners when the Aggies went
ahead 24-10 with nine minutes to play in the third quarter on a
1-yard run by Toombs, which followed Heupel's second interception
of the game.
But Oklahoma finally got a break when Sooners cornerback Michael
Thompson intercepted a pass by Mark Farris, leading to a 27-yard
field goal by Tim Duncan after a holding penalty by OU lineman
Frank Romero that wiped out a 4-yard TD run by Josh Norman.
A short 42-yard drive took only three plays to make it even
tighter as Griffin scored on a bull-like 21-yard run up the middle
and Heupel passed to tight end Matt Anderson for the 2-point
conversion and the Sooners trailed 24-21 with 14:46 to play.
Toombs kept the Aggies ahead when he broke off four players and
carried three defenders into the end zone on his 27-yard TD run
that put the Aggies ahead 31-21.
With the score tied 10-10, Jonte Buel stripped Sooners receiver
Andre Woolfolk of the ball and safety Michael Jameson recovered at
the Oklahoma 39, setting up a 4-yard TD pass from Farris to Robert
Ferguson.
Ferguson caught the ball in the end zone behind Thompson, who
also had two first half pass interference calls that helped the
Aggies. Ferguson caught eight passes for 105 yards.
The Aggies got the first break when Jay Brooks broke through and
blocked Oklahoma's first punt of the game, his career fourth block,
giving A&M a first down at the Sooner 12-yard line.
An 11-yard pass interference gave the Aggies a first at the 2,
setting up Farris' 2-yard touchdown keeper with 9:14 to go in the
first quarter.
It was Oklahoma's narrowest victory margin of the season. The
Sooners beat Kansas State 41-31.
A one-point victory would have satisfied Marshall.
"We've got a pretty good defense, but I guess you'd call it a
no-name defense," Marshall said. "That's why we wanted to come
through and win this game. When you come through in a situation
like this in the fourth quarter, you see what your team is made
of."
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Oklahoma Clubhouse
Texas A&M Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Antwone Savage does a tap dance on the sidelines to haul in this pass and keep a Sooners' drive alive.
avi: 1288 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Oklahoma's Torrance Marshall intercepts A&M quarterback Mark Farris and returns the ball 41 yards for the winning TD.
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Texas A&M's Ja'Mar Toombs carries most of the Oklahoma defense into the end zone for a 27-yard score.
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Oklahoma's leading Heisman candidate Josh Heupel escapes tacklers and finds Curtis Fagan in the end zone for a score.
avi: 974 k
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Jay Brooks breaks through to block the Sooners' punt, setting up a Mark Farris touchdown.
avi: 900 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Quentin Griffin breaks tackles on his way to a 21-yard Sooner touchdown.
avi: 878 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Robert Ferguson hauls in the perfect Mark Farris pass for a 4-yard Aggies score.
avi: 802 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Josh Heupel says the Sooners believe good things will come out of their hard work.
wav: 124 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bob Stoops feels fortunate to go back to Norman with a win.
wav: 114 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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