{"id":65917,"date":"2025-11-26T12:45:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/65917\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T12:45:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:45:09","slug":"longhorns-week-13-preview-vs-aggies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/65917\/","title":{"rendered":"Longhorns’ Week 13 preview vs Aggies"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time in 15 years, Texas football <\/a>gets to face Texas A&M<\/a> in the friendly confines of Royal-Memorial Stadium.<\/p>\n

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And Friday\u2019s football feast couldn\u2019t include much higher stakes.<\/p>\n

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The No. 16 Longhorns need a win to keep their hopes alive of a third consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff<\/a>. The No. 3 Aggies need a win to secure their first undefeated regular season since 1992 as well as a spot in next week\u2019s SEC championship game.<\/p>\n

And both programs would like nothing more than to gain a heavy dash of bragging rights in a series that began in 1894 but took a 13-year hiatus beginning in 2012 after Texas A&M left the Big\u00a012 Conference and joined the SEC.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) gets into a verbal argument with Texas A&M defensive back Will Lee III (26) during the Lone Star Showdown at Kyle Field on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in College Station, Texas.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Texas currently carries the bag of boasts after winning 17-7 a year ago<\/a> in College Station. But the loaded Aggies, just one of four teams ranked in the top 20 nationally in both offense and defense, look primed for revenge. Second-year quarterback Marcel Reed<\/a> has played his way into Heisman Trophy contention and boasts a 15-4 record as a starter over the past two seasons, and edge Cashius Howell<\/a> leads one of the best pass rushes in the nation.<\/p>\n

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The Longhorns have developed some defensive holes in recent weeks, but quarterback Arch Manning<\/a> leads a potent offense that has gotten better as the season wears on.<\/p>\n

Here’s a full scouting report for the\u00a0Texas Longhorns\u00a0vs. the Texas A&M Aggies:<\/p>\n

GOLDEN: Why Arch Manning gives Horns puncher’s chance vs. Marcel Reed, Aggies<\/a><\/p>\n

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Texas (8-3, 5-2 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where: Royal-Memorial Stadium\u00a0<\/p>\n

TV\/radio:\u00a0ABC, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)<\/p>\n

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Weather:\u00a0Cloudy with temperatures in the 60s and the slightest chance of rain.<\/p>\n

Texas vs Texas A&M football betting info<\/p>\n

Moneyline:\u00a0 Texas A&M +125, Texas -105<\/p>\n

Spread: Texas A&M is favored by 2\u00bd points.<\/p>\n

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MORE: Texas football film study: How Longhorns used Arch Manning differently against Arkansas<\/a><\/p>\n

Texas history: Texas A&M<\/p>\n

All-time:\u00a0 Texas leads 77-37-5<\/p>\n

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Last meeting:\u00a0 Texas 17, Texas A&M 7 (Nov. 30, 2024)<\/p>\n

Most memorable meeting:\u00a0\u00a0Texas A&M 20, Texas 16 (1999).\u00a0Fierce fistfights between nationally ranked teams in the World War II era. An emotional and bittersweet battle in the aftermath of the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963. A defensive dogfight in the final Southwest Conference game in 1995. Ricky Williams\u2019 run into the record books<\/a> in 1998. Justin Tucker\u2019s kick in 2011<\/a>. But no game meant more to the spirit of the series and the psyche of the state than Texas A&M\u2019s dramatic win in 1999, which came just eight days after the\u00a0Aggie Bonfire<\/a>\u00a0had collapsed and killed 11 Texas A&M students and one former student. The hard-fought win at Kyle Field proved cathartic to the Texas A&M community, and the sportsmanship shown by both programs \u2014 which included an emotional rendition of \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d by the Longhorn band at halftime \u2014 helped heal the rawest of wounds.<\/p>\n

Know the foe: Texas A&M<\/p>\n

Last week: Beat Samford, 48-0 <\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Players to watch:\u00a0Quarterback Marcel Reed, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound redshirt sophomore, has developed into one of the most effective quarterbacks in the country. Dangerous with his arm and feet, he\u2019s tallied 3,147 yards of offense and 31 total touchdowns and is one of two players in the SEC with at least 25 touchdown passes and five touchdown runs, along with Vanderbilt\u2019s Diego Pavia.<\/p>\n

Left tackle Trey Zuhn III<\/a>, a 6-6, 320-pound senior, gives the Aggies one of the most experienced players in the SEC at one of the most important positions on the field. In 48 games and 3,144 career snaps, he\u2019s committed nine penalties. This season, he boasts a 96.7 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which leads\u00a0FBS offensive linemen.<\/p>\n

Edge rusher Cashius Howell, a 6-2, 250-pound senior, is arguably the best pass rusher in college football this season. He ranks second nationally and leads the SEC with 11\u00bd \u00a0sacks and ranks 19th nationally with 13 tackles for loss.<\/p>\n

Central Texas connections:\u00a0Bravion Rogers<\/a>, a junior cornerback from La Grange, has appeared in all 11 games and has developed into a special-teams star. Paxton Land<\/a> is a redshirt freshman quarterback from Westlake, receiver Johnny Ryder is a walk-on from Granger, tight end Carter Braugh is a walk-on from Hyde Park Baptist and Alessandro Perez is a walk-on defensive lineman from East View.<\/p>\n

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When Texas has the ball<\/p>\n

Starting four games ago against Mississippi State<\/a>, Texas quarterback Arch Manning has carried the Longhorns\u2019 offense. He\u2019s averaged 328.5 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions on 65.1% passing in that span, but he\u2019ll have to deal with the SEC\u2019s top pass rush that ranks second in the nation behind Oklahoma with 39 sacks. Fortunately for Texas, the Longhorns have allowed just three sacks over the past three games.<\/p>\n

Running backs Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter <\/a>remain quiet for Texas, which ranks 14th in the SEC with 121.6 yards rushing per game. That means the Longhorns are unlikely to take advantage of a questionable Aggie run defense that ranks 11th in the SEC in yards-allowed-per carry with 3.81 despite its league-high sack numbers.<\/p>\n

When Texas A&M has the ball<\/p>\n

Anchored by Zuhn, Texas A&M has allowed just five sacks in its last seven games and leads the SEC in fewest sacks allowed with one per game. However, Colin Simmons<\/a> has 11 sacks and is the first Texas player with double-digit sacks since Jackson Jeffcoat had 13 in 2013, and he leads a pass rush that ranks third in the SEC right behind the Aggies with 37 sacks.<\/p>\n

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Before Arkansas gashed Texas<\/a> for 188 yards rushing last week, the Longhorns had allowed just 83.6 yards rushing a game. But they didn\u2019t have star middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.<\/a> last week because of a broken hand, and he remains questionable for Friday\u2019s game. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko<\/a> said injured running back Le\u2019Veon Moss<\/a> will likely miss the game against Texas, but Rueben Owens II<\/a> had 436 yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries in the previous six contests before resting in last week\u2019s win over Samford.<\/p>\n

Texas vs Texas A&M key matchup<\/p>\n

Texas cornerback Kade Phillips \u00a0vs. Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas would love to match lockdown cornerback Malik Muhammad on the lightning-quick KC Concepcion, who leads the Aggies with 52 catches for 829 yards and nine touchdowns. But Texas A&M will try and scheme Concepcion into a matchup with Phillips, the true freshman who has taken over as the starter at one cornerback spot for a defense allowing 311.6 yards passing over the past five games.<\/p>\n

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Texas vs Texas A&M predictions<\/p>\n

Danny Davis: Texas. Who\u00a0doesn\u2019t love a little drama around the holidays? Arch Manning will continue his late-season surge and Texas will at least give the College Football Playoff committee something to think about after spoiling the Aggies\u2019\u00a0perfect season.<\/p>\n

Thomas Jones:\u00a0Texas A&M 38, Texas 35.\u00a0Arch Manning may be the best player on the field Friday, but the Aggies have too much firepower across the board against a Longhorn defense that suddenly has a splurge of concerns.<\/p>\n

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David Eckert: Texas 35, Texas A&M 31.\u00a0The improved play of the Longhorns\u2019 offensive line and Arch Manning fuel a big night for Texas against an average Aggies defense. On the other side of the ball, UT creates one or two game-deciding turnovers.<\/p>\n

Follow the American-Statesman on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a> for more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n