Persistent Tigers edge Aggies in overtime 33-27

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Missouri has been making determined comebacks all season but coming up just short.

Saturday, the Tigers had trouble holding a lead before Brad Smith's 1-yard touchdown run in the second overtime helped Missouri overcome blowing a two-touchdown halftime lead to beat Texas A&M 33-27.

Smith also threw two TD passes for the Tigers (5-6, 2-5 Big 12), who were coming off a 42-35 overtime loss to Colorado.

"What was the final score?" Missouri coach Gary Pinkel asked jokingly. "My guys are tough. My guys will fight. My guys will compete. The reward is that it paid off. The confidence level shoots up."

The Aggies (6-5, 3-4) were trying to follow up their victory over top-ranked Oklahoma with another victory, and they had the ball first in the second overtime. But they failed to score when Missouri cornerback Michael Harden intercepted Dustin Long's pass.

Missouri had reason to celebrate. The Tigers erased a 27-7 third-quarter deficit before losing to Colorado in overtime. They also played close before losing to Iowa State and Oklahoma.

"That's what we needed after working so hard," Missouri center A.J. Ricker said. "We overcame a lot. There's a lot of time we could have went in the tank. They are a good defensive football team. This is huge."

Long replaced injured starter Reggie McNeal in the second quarter and helped Texas A&M rally to tie the score at 24 in regulation. Joe Weber scored his second touchdown from the 1-yard line with 15 seconds left.

Still, Harden's overtime interception spoiled his day.

"They were coming on a blitz and the guy just made a good break in front of Bethel (Johnson)," Long said. "He picked it off."

In the first overtime, Michael Matheny kicked a 40-yard field goal and A&M's Todd Pegram matched it with a 40-yarder.

Smith completed touchdown passes of 8 yards to Zack Abron and 32 yards to Justin Gage.

Smith, a redshirt freshman, needs one rushing yard to become the second quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. Woody Dantzler of Clemson passed for 2,360 yards and rushed 1,004 yards last season.

Smith completed 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards and rushed 94 yards on 29 carries.

"We have to build on it, get another win and get a bowl bid," Ricker said. "We were in so much better condition then they were. They couldn't stop us."

The Aggies trailed 17-3 before Weber scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter and Long dove across from a yard out on the first play of the fourth quarter to tie it.

Smith's 32-yard pass to Gage with 8:40 left to put Missouri ahead 24-17, and the Aggies responded with a 67-yard drive, aided by two pass-interference calls against the Tigers. Weber's run sent it to overtime.

The drive also included an interception by Missouri's Sean Doyle, who fumbled. Weber recovered the fumble at the Aggies 30 to keep the drive going.

Missouri built its 14-point halftime lead on two touchdowns by Abron, one a 9-yard run and the other an 8-yard TD catch from Smith, and a 20-yard field goal by Matheny.

McNeal, a freshman, earned the starting quarterback role after leading the Aggies past Oklahoma 30-26 in a stunning upset last week. But with 10:45 to go in the second quarter, he was helped off the field with what appeared to an injury to his right foot or leg.

Texas A&M declined to release more details about McNeal's injury.

"I thought we came out flat in the first half as a team and that made the crowd flat," A&M linebacker Brian Gamble said. "It was really mundane. For the most part, we played pretty good after halftime."

Long completed 22 of 35 passes for 270 yards and two interceptions. Abron ran for 127 yards on 27 carries for the Tigers, who snapped a seven-game road losing streak and moved within one game of becoming bowl-eligible.

Long took the Aggies to the Missouri 1-yard line late in the second quarter, but a fourth down pass into the end zone toward Keith Joseph was incomplete.

Matheny had a 38-yard field goal attempt blocked by A&M's Johnny Jolly on the final play of the second quarter.