How the Longhorns looked in win over Texas A&M

Against its fiercest rival, No. 16 Texas football made its case for the College Football Playoff with a 27-17 win Friday over No. 3 Texas A&M at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Now the Longhorns (9-3, 6-2 SEC) can only hope the CFP selection committee agrees.

In arguably its most complete game of the season, Texas brushed off a shaky first half to pull away from A&M, which was seeking its first perfect regular season since 1992 and its first SEC championship. The Longhorns produced 285 of their 397 total yards after halftime while holding the potent Aggies (11-1, 7-1) to just 150 yards in the second half and ending their hopes of reaching the SEC championship game.

Here’s how the Longhorns graded out in their 27-17 win over Texas A&M:

GOLDEN: With a third top-10 win, did Texas do enough to make the CFP? 

RELATED: Longhorns hand No. 3 Aggies their first loss and make their CFP case with 27-17 win

Arch Manning reverted to some early-season accuracy issues in the first half (8 of 22 for 52 yards), but threw for 127 yards and a touchdown on 6-of-7 passing after the break. To the appreciation of the sold-out crowd, he also flashed his speed while running for 70 yards on seven carries, before taking away 17 yards on sacks, including a 35-yard touchdown run.

Quintrevion Wisner must love the color maroon. He’s dominated the Aggies in back-to-back years. He ran for a season-high 155 yards on 19 carries while providing balance to an offense carried by Manning over the past month, and he now has 341 yards rushing on 52 carries against Texas A&M over the past two seasons. 

Tight end Jack Endries’ biggest game as a Longhorn proved the bright spot for a receiving corps that endured a ho-hum night. The former Cal player had four catches for 93 yards — both season highs — while the wideouts combined for just five catches for 53 yards and a Ryan Wingo touchdown.

The Aggies entered the game ranked second in the nation averaging 3.55 sacks a game, but left tackle Trevor Goosby and the line gave up just two sacks and gave Manning plenty of time to scan downfield. The line did work in the running game, too, while paving the way for a hearty yards-per-carry average of 6.2 and paving the way for the first 100-yard rushing game by a Longhorn since the first-round CFP win over Clemson last December.

Senior defensive end Ethan Burke made the most of his final game at DKR with one of his best games of a solid career. He racked up a career-high nine tackles, blocked a field goal, made another key tackle on special teams and broke up a pass. Tackle Cole Brevard had three solo tackles and helped hold the Aggies to 157 yards rushing, and Colin Simmons racked up his 11th sack of the season.

Despite the absence of All-American middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., Trey Moore and Liona Lefau helped the unit hold up against a potent Texas A&M offense that only managed 337 yards. Lefau led the team with 11 tackles, and A&M had just one run of at least 20 yards.

Safety Michael Taaffe missed a tackle on a touchdown run by Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, but he made amends with one of two late interceptions by the secondary that also included one by Kobe Black. Those two picks may have ended a darkhorse Heisman Trophy run by Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, who threw for 180 yards and the two picks on 20-of-32 passing.

It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for special teams coordinator Jeff Banks’ bunch, and Friday looked like the top of a hill. Burke blocked a field goal, Mason Shipley made both of his field-goal attempts, and punter Jack Bouwmeester averaged 48.9 yards on his seven punts and helped the Longhorns avoid a deeper first-half hole by keeping the Aggies pinned deep.

Steve Sarkisian made the necessary offensive tweaks after a shaky first half, and the Longhorns didn’t commit a turnover in a game bearing the emotional weight of the entire state. The Longhorns showed poise under pressure, and at least some of that credit has to go to the coaching staff.