By By BRENT ZWERNEMAN, COLLEGE STATION BUREAU Courtesy of Chron.com
Updated 09:51 p.m., Saturday, October 22, 2011
Texas A&M running back Christine Michael (33) runs from Iowa
State defensive back Jacques Washington (10) and defensive back Ter'Ran
Benton (22) during the second half of an NCAA college football game
Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, in Ames, Iowa. Texas A&M won 33-17. (AP
Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Photo: Associated Press, Charlie Neibergall / AP |
QUICK HITS
By a foot: Senior kicker Randy Bullock made a career-high four field goals and is 15-of-16 on the season. He also became the program's fourth 300-point scorer, joining fellow kickers Kyle Bryant and Todd Pegram and running back Jorvorskie Lane.
Not rusty: A week after not punting against Baylor, Ryan Epperson showed no signs of rust with five for an average of 46.6 yards.
Two-minute drill: The Aggies have scored in the final two minutes of the first half in all seven games this season. In their last five games, the five scoring drives have come on eight or more plays.
By a foot: Senior kicker Randy Bullock made a career-high four field goals and is 15-of-16 on the season. He also became the program's fourth 300-point scorer, joining fellow kickers Kyle Bryant and Todd Pegram and running back Jorvorskie Lane.
Not rusty: A week after not punting against Baylor, Ryan Epperson showed no signs of rust with five for an average of 46.6 yards.
Two-minute drill: The Aggies have scored in the final two minutes of the first half in all seven games this season. In their last five games, the five scoring drives have come on eight or more plays.
• Box score
AMES, Iowa — Texas A&M's Christine Michael said he considers fellow running back Cyrus Gray "like a brother from another mother."
"We laugh, joke and hang out as much as possible," Michael said Saturday. "We feed off each other."
That feeding turned into a frenzy at Iowa State, and by game's end the Big 12's best one-two punch at tailback had delivered a knockout in No. 17 A&M's 33-17 victory at Jack Trice Stadium before 51,131 fans.
"We just stuck with what we do," Gray said of A&M hammering away at the Cyclones with its brotherly-love ground game.
That wasn't easy for the Aggies (5-2, 3-1), however, considering they had a lone rushing yard at the end of the first quarter.
"They were bringing extra guys in the box and stopping the run," Michael said. "We had to throw to open up the defense, and once it opened, we started getting back to the basics."
The basics included Michael gaining 142 yards on 18 carries and Gray earning 125 yards on 21 carries, as both busted the 100-yard mark in the same game for the first time this season (and third time in their careers).
The duo had alternated 100-yard games in the past three contests, and Michael said coaches had approached them all week and said, "It's time for y'all to both get 100-yard games."
Underwhelming win
They did, in glossing over an occasionally unsightly showing for the Aggies, who were simply happy to exit Ames with a victory before a homecoming crowd.
"I knew it would be this way," said A&M coach Mike Sherman, whose team won its third consecutive game. "I told the players beforehand, 'We'll get the very best this team has to offer.' "
The Aggies did — but only after ISU coach Paul Rhoads turned to backup quarterback Jared Barnett in an effort to spark the offense in the first quarter. The Cyclones (3-4, 0-4) responded with an 83-yard drive and led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
"We did a lot of good things, but not enough to beat the 17th-ranked team in the country," Rhoads said.
After the euphoria of Barnett's scoring drive wore off for ISU, A&M's defense responded by shutting the Cyclones down in a decisive second quarter.
"(Barnett) wanted to run around a lot, so we ended up spying him kind of like we did (Baylor's) Robert Griffin last week," A&M linebacker Sean Porter said.
Meanwhile, the Aggies offense reeled off 17 points in the second quarter to help the team lead 20-7 at halftime. The teams played practically even the rest of the three quarters, as ISU lost its fourth consecutive conference game following a 3-0 start.
The Aggies, who will enter the Southeastern Conference next year, continued their Big 12 farewell tour in style. A&M is 9-1 over its last 10 league games, its best stretch since the conference's formation in 1996.
Sticking to the plan
The Aggies did it on Saturday by staying with Gray and Michael, even after ISU's defense dared A&M to keep throwing the ball.
"They tried to stop the run game against us early," Sherman said. "We had six blockers and they had seven defenders. Then we started throwing the ball and dropped some that we shouldn't have."
In the end, however, Michael and Gray pounded away at a run defense that entered the game ranked 110th nationally.
"We talked about (each) getting 100 yards before the game," Gray said. "We got the job done and we got the win — and that's the most important thing."
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
twitter.com/brentzwerneman
AMES, Iowa — Texas A&M's Christine Michael said he considers fellow running back Cyrus Gray "like a brother from another mother."
"We laugh, joke and hang out as much as possible," Michael said Saturday. "We feed off each other."
That feeding turned into a frenzy at Iowa State, and by game's end the Big 12's best one-two punch at tailback had delivered a knockout in No. 17 A&M's 33-17 victory at Jack Trice Stadium before 51,131 fans.
"We just stuck with what we do," Gray said of A&M hammering away at the Cyclones with its brotherly-love ground game.
That wasn't easy for the Aggies (5-2, 3-1), however, considering they had a lone rushing yard at the end of the first quarter.
"They were bringing extra guys in the box and stopping the run," Michael said. "We had to throw to open up the defense, and once it opened, we started getting back to the basics."
The basics included Michael gaining 142 yards on 18 carries and Gray earning 125 yards on 21 carries, as both busted the 100-yard mark in the same game for the first time this season (and third time in their careers).
The duo had alternated 100-yard games in the past three contests, and Michael said coaches had approached them all week and said, "It's time for y'all to both get 100-yard games."
Underwhelming win
They did, in glossing over an occasionally unsightly showing for the Aggies, who were simply happy to exit Ames with a victory before a homecoming crowd.
"I knew it would be this way," said A&M coach Mike Sherman, whose team won its third consecutive game. "I told the players beforehand, 'We'll get the very best this team has to offer.' "
The Aggies did — but only after ISU coach Paul Rhoads turned to backup quarterback Jared Barnett in an effort to spark the offense in the first quarter. The Cyclones (3-4, 0-4) responded with an 83-yard drive and led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.
"We did a lot of good things, but not enough to beat the 17th-ranked team in the country," Rhoads said.
After the euphoria of Barnett's scoring drive wore off for ISU, A&M's defense responded by shutting the Cyclones down in a decisive second quarter.
"(Barnett) wanted to run around a lot, so we ended up spying him kind of like we did (Baylor's) Robert Griffin last week," A&M linebacker Sean Porter said.
Meanwhile, the Aggies offense reeled off 17 points in the second quarter to help the team lead 20-7 at halftime. The teams played practically even the rest of the three quarters, as ISU lost its fourth consecutive conference game following a 3-0 start.
The Aggies, who will enter the Southeastern Conference next year, continued their Big 12 farewell tour in style. A&M is 9-1 over its last 10 league games, its best stretch since the conference's formation in 1996.
Sticking to the plan
The Aggies did it on Saturday by staying with Gray and Michael, even after ISU's defense dared A&M to keep throwing the ball.
"They tried to stop the run game against us early," Sherman said. "We had six blockers and they had seven defenders. Then we started throwing the ball and dropped some that we shouldn't have."
In the end, however, Michael and Gray pounded away at a run defense that entered the game ranked 110th nationally.
"We talked about (each) getting 100 yards before the game," Gray said. "We got the job done and we got the win — and that's the most important thing."
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
twitter.com/brentzwerneman
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