Texas A&M football‘s chance at its first SEC title will have to wait another year. The No. 3 Aggies rolled into Austin aiming to beat No. 16 Texas to finish a perfect regular season and secure their spot in the conference championship game, but the Longhorns had other plans.
Texas instead defeated A&M 27-17, earning their third top-10 victory of the season and giving the College Football Playoff committee something to consider. A&M suffered its second consecutive loss to its Lone Star Showdown rival; now it must quickly shift its focus to a first-round CFP game.
Here’s how the Aggies graded in their Week 14 loss:
Article continues below this ad
Texas Longhorns linebacker Ethan Burke (91) grabs the shirt of Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) during the second quarter of the Lone Star Showdown, the rivalry match-up between the Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Nov. 28, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
MORE AGGIES: Texas A&M vs Texas replay: Aggies fall, lose shot at SEC title game
Texas A&M football Week 14 grades
Quarterbacks: D-
Throwing two interceptions and tying the lowest passing total of his season, Marcel Reed needed to shine — but simply didn’t. A 63% completion percentage and just 180 yards passing, with 86 coming in the second half, Reed had his worst passer rating of the season. The quarterback credited Texas for dropping seven, sometimes eight, players into coverage, limiting A&M’s big-play ability. Reed’s longest pass went for 28 yards and his longest run was for 20, coming in the first half.
Article continues below this ad
Running backs: D+
Rhythm in the run game was hard to come by for A&M. Running back EJ Smith had the longest run of the day at the position at just 13 yards. The Aggies’ backs finished with 19 carries for 78 yards, good for just 4.1 yards per carry. Add the three receptions for 7 yards total in the passing game, and the running backs were largely an afterthought.
Receivers: C-
This group finished at 13 receptions for 122 yards. KC Concepcion and Mario Craver had 57 and 44 yards, respectively. Concepcion added an 8-yard touchdown, the Aggies’ first score of the game; however, the team was limited to one of its worst pass-catching performances of the season.
Article continues below this ad
MORE: Arch Manning, Quintrevion Wisner lead No. 16 Texas past No. 3 Texas A&M
Tight ends: D+
A slight uptick in receptions (four catches for 51 yards) doesn’t take away the fact that A&M’s tight ends struggled in the run game. Typically the Aggies’ calling card, they had issues at the point of attack, allowing two tackles for loss.
Article continues below this ad
Offensive line: C+
A group that’s full of veterans struggled in high-pressure situations. Although they allowed just one sack on the night, similar to the tight ends room, the offensive line had issues that reared their heads at inopportune times. On fourth-and-1 at midfield, with the Aggies lined up to go for it, offensive tackle Reuben Fatheree II jumped offsides and forced A&M to punt. On the next drive, Texas drove the ball down the field and scored a touchdown.
Defensive line: C+
The defensive line didn’t have its usual gaudy sack numbers, finishing with just one; they were effective getting tackles for loss, finishing with 5½. Tyler Onyedim, who had the lone sack and three of the tackles for loss, came to play. But the rest of the group became less effective as the game progressed, allowing the Longhorns to gain 285 yards in the second half.
Article continues below this ad
Linebackers: B-
Per usual, the linebackers room was solid. Taurean York finished with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss, while Daymion Sanford finished with four and one tackle for loss himself. York is the emotional leader of this team, bringing the energy in-game and wearing the loss after the fact. On the field, there just weren’t enough plays made around him to help out.
Defensive backs: B
A&M’s best position group of the night, the cornerbacks, held Texas’ wide receivers to just 66 yards. Even the touchdown caught by Ryan Wingo was a breakdown by safety Dalton Brooks, not the corners. What stopped the group from having an “A” night was the play of Texas tight end Jack Endries, who had a field day versus the Aggies’ safeties. Endries finished the night with a team-high 93 yards on four receptions with a long play of 54 yards in the third quarter that set up a UT touchdown.
Article continues below this ad
Special teams: D-
In what A&M hopes doesn’t become a season-ending issue, the Aggies’ kicking situation had another miscue Friday. Kicker Jared Zirkel had a first-half field-goal try blocked, adding to the missed field goal he had in Week 13 after regaining the starting role. Punter Tyler White finished with a 43.4 punt average on five kicks, but had a pair of close calls where the Longhorns brought pressure looking for the block. Concepcion continues to be a weapon, though, finishing the night with 62 return yards in the punt game.
Coaching staff: C-
A huge opportunity to gain momentum in the state over a rival turned into another reminder that there’s work to be done for A&M head coach Mike Elko. From questionable deep shots on third-and-1 to a penalty on fourth down that forced a punt, there were moments where it felt like the stage was too big for the Aggies. Whether it was the opponent or the atmosphere, A&M must be better, top to bottom, when the postseason rolls around.
Article continues below this ad
Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.