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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Texas A&M has developed a strong
passing game this season. The Aggies can run, too. Ja'Mar Toombs
made certain of it.
|  | | Texas A&M's Jason Glenn returned an interception in the first quarter Saturday to help upset Kansas State. |
The 275-pound fullback plowed through Kansas State's defense for three
touchdowns as the Aggies earned a 26-10 victory over the Wildcats (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) on
Saturday.
"I talked to Ja'Mar walking off the field before the game and
he told me he would get the job done," offensive coordinator Steve
Kragthorpe said. "So I saddled him up and rode him off into the
sunset."
Toombs had his biggest rushing day of the season, gaining 84
yards on 24 carries.
"I knew I'd have to step up this game," Toombs said. "After
Jason Glenn intercepted the ball, I had a call against me the next
play. That made me realize I had lost my concentration for a
second. That forced me to be focused the rest of the ball game."
In the last game between the teams, the Aggies rallied from a
15-point deficit to beat Kansas State 36-33 in overtime and knock
the Wildcats out of a chance to play for the national championship.
This loss probably knocked the Wildcats out of Top 10 and also
ended a string of 60 straight regular-season victories over
unranked opponents.
"This is a big loss for us," Wildcats defensive end Monty
Beisel said. "We need to bounce back and finish the season. We did
a decent job on defense. We played well, but Toombs is a great
running back. He ran over us today."
The Wildcats didn't make it interesting until the second half.
Texas A&M (6-2, 4-1 Big 12) jumped to a 19-0 lead, marking the
first time in four years the Wildcats (7-2, 3-2) had been held
scoreless in the first half.
"The two turnovers and six penalties we had in the first half
really hurt," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. "We'd get a
play here and there but we couldn't sustain it. A&M did a nice job
with their offense and their defense.
"I'm not concerned about our confidence but we have to see how
it plays out."
Toombs had touchdown runs of 2 and 8 yards and Terence Kitchens
kicked field goals of 31 and 22 yards to give the Aggies their
lead. Kansas State had not been shut out in the first half in 47
games, dating to a game at Colorado on Nov. 16, 1996.
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Sat, October 28
Shame on Kansas State. They have been unable to respond positively to adversity for some time now. Look back two years ago, they lost the Big 12 Championship game, went to the bowl game, didn't play very well and lost. This season, they haven't played well since they lost to Oklahoma. They won last week against Texas Tech, but they struggled; then the loss today at the hands of Texas A&M. Once they had a disappointment, they haven't been the same team.
The Wildcats tend to be an emotional team who play with a chip on their shoulder. They talk about not getting any respect even though they could win the national championship. Then they lose a game, and everything they were playing for is gone. They haven't been able to refocus their goals after a loss.
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"They played excellent football and they were aggressive and
stuck with their blocks," linebacker Ben Leber said. "We are
pretty frustrated right now. It's hard to take any kind of loss."
The Aggies tore into the Kansas State defense, ranked No. 6 in
the nation in total defense. Toombs got his first touchdown as time
expired in the first quarter, and scored again with 2:14 to go in
the half.
Kansas State came into the game allowing 261 yards per game and
the Aggies got 230 in the first half. After a slow third quarter,
the Aggies finished with 326 total yards.
Kansas State's defense finally got control of the Aggies in the
third quarter, holding them to no first downs for the period while
Jonathan Beasley rallied the offense briefly with a 31-yard TD pass
to Aaron Lockett with 11:20 to go in the quarter.
Jamie Rheem kicked a 22-yard field goal for the Wildcats with
5:29 to go in the third period, cutting A&M's lead to 19-10.
That's when the Texas A&M defense came on to save the day.
Kansas State had third-and-2 at A&M's 35 late in the third quarter
but the Wildcats were held to no gain on tackles by Brian Gamble on
third down and Jason Glenn on fourth down.
Glenn also had a first-quarter interception to set up Kitchens'
second field goal.
Early in the fourth quarter, linebacker Christian Rodriguez
killed a Kansas State punt at the 1. With 11:55 left in the game,
safety Wes Bautovich intercepted Beasley's pass at the Wildcats'
29.
That set up Toombs' third touchdown, an 8-yard run with 10:21 to
play. Toombs finished with 89 yards on 24 carries.
Beasley completed 14 of 39 passes for 227 yards and two
interceptions. Mark Farris was 12-of-20 for 155 yards for the
Aggies.
"This game shows what we can do if we put our minds to it,"
Farris said. "I think we have the talent in our locker room to
beat anyone in the nation. We talked all week about gaining
respect. I think we did that today."
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Kansas State Clubhouse
Texas A&M Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Ja Mar Toombs rumbles 8 yards for the Aggie TD.
avi: 561 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jonathan Beasley finds Aaron Lockett for the 31-yard TD strike.
avi: 1077 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Texas A&M's Ja Mar Toombs goes in the end zone on the 1-yard TD romp.
avi: 721 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jason Glenn picks off Jonathan Beasley and returns it inside the 5.
avi: 1612 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ja Mar Toombs breaks tackles on the way to his third rushing TD of the game.
avi: 889 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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