Texas
Texas A&M’s offense collapses with season on the line against Texas
Marcel Reed on Texas A&M mindset ahead of Texas rivalry
Coming off a loss to unranked Auburn, No. 20 Texas A&M now faces No. 3 Texas in the final regular season game of the 2024 season.
COLLEGE STATION — With the season on the line, Texas A&M football lined up for a fourth-down attempt that would keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Down two possessions in the fourth quarter, the Aggies came out of a timeout at the 1-yard line with multiple tight ends, hoping to generate some push and get into the end zone. But that run ended just as the other fourth-down run did: With Texas defenders in the backfield and A&M losing possession.
“We tried a lot of different things, none of it worked,” head coach Mike Elko told reporters following the 17-7 loss. “When you can’t win the line of scrimmage, and your running back is averaging 1.6 yards a carry, it’s going to make it really hard.”
A&M (8-4, 5-3) ran for just 98 yards on the night, averaging 2.9 yards a carry, in what was a dominant effort by the Longhorns’ defense. Remove quarterback Marcel Reed’s 24-yard rush and the numbers for the other 30-plus carriers become even uglier.
It was the worst rushing performance for the Aggies all year, 30 yards worse than any other output in Elko’s first season. Reed led the team with 60 rush yards, nearly doubling the output of running backs Amari Daniels (13 carries for 21 yards) and Rueben Owens (three carries for 10 yards) and EJ Smith (one carry for 4 yards).
The longest rush for a running back was 5 yards.
“We lost the line of scrimmage all night. We weren’t able to get anything going,” Elko said. “Really disappointing. We just didn’t play well enough on offense at all to have any chance at having success.”
The Aggies opened the game with two straight offensive drives that moved well into the Longhorns’ territory but ended with zero points. Daniels was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-1 on the first drive, giving the Longhorns the ball back on its own 10-yard line.
On the ensuing A&M drive, Reed rolled to his right, forced an errant pass that was intercepted, and gave Texas the ball back once again. Ten plays later, Texas scored the game’s first points.
A&M finished the game with just 244 yards of total offense, its worst statistical output since Week 1 against Notre Dame when they finished with 246 against the Fighting Irish.
The Aggies finished 4-for-14 on third and fourth downs while going 0-for-2 in the red zone and having two turnovers on the night.
They lost the time of possession battle 25:16 to 34:44 and trailed by two scores for most of the game.
“It’s pretty difficult to get the pass game going when a team knows that they can stop your run and that you can’t get going on the run game,” Reed said following the loss. “I feel like a lot of the defense we’ve played, we’ve been able to make adjustments. I don’t think we were able to make any adjustments tonight, and it showed.”
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Texas
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New screwworm portal aims to protect Texas livestock, wildlife and rural economy
AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
Texas
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