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Despite finding themselves down 7-2 early in the first quarter, the Aggies had no problem at all dispensing with the UTEP Miners in Texas A&M's 57-7 win.
The struggling Aggies' defense opened scoring with a safety, of all things, but surrendered a 9-play, 73-yard touchdown drive on UTEP's next possession. Texas A&M responded with a 4-play drive capped by Johnny Manziel's 44-yard touchdown to Travis Labhart, and it was all Aggies from there.
The A&M lead was 36-9 at halftime, and the starters were pulled following a 21-point third quarter that put the finishing touches on the blowout.
There was one chilling moment in the fourth quarter when Texas A&M running back Tra Carson went down with an unspecified injury to the head/neck area. He appeared to have movement in his extremities as he was being carted off the field.
Box Score Hero: Johnny Manziel threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns and added another 68 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Rankings Ramifications: Texas A&M came into this one ranked 12th in the BCS standings. They will likely leapfrog No. 7 Miami following the Hurricanes' blowout loss to FSU, but it's hard to see much more upward movement than that.
But Did They Cover? Texas A&M was favored by anywhere from 45.5 to 48 points, depending on which oddsmaker you prefer. It was an awfully big spread to cover, but the Aggies' 50-point margin of victory did the trick.
For More On This Game: For more on Aggies football, visit Good Bull Hunting, plus SEC community Team Speed Kills.
Next Week's Schedule: Texas A&M plays Mississippi State at home. UTEP travels to North Texas.
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