Texas A & amp;M, Texas ready to collide



The Aggies like to run the ball while the Longhorns like to stop the run.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas A & amp;M likes to run, whether it's 280-pound wrecking ball tailback Jorvorskie Lane smashing into defenses or speedy Mike Goodson dashing around them.
Texas stops the run. The Longhorns rank No. 1 in country in rush defense and give up a paltry 42 yards per game.
Something's got to give when they meet Friday in the 113th edition of their rivalry.
The No. 11 Longhorns (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) got a steady dose of Lane last season when he rumbled for 104 yards on 17 carries in a 40-29 Texas win.
The Aggies (8-3, 4-3) average 208 yards rushing. Goodson leads the team with 699 yards, but Lane is the punishing ball carrier who wears down defenses and has scored 19 touchdowns.
"Lane's almost big as me," said Texas' 320-pound defensive tackle Frank Okam. "You try to tackle somebody that big, and he's probably way faster than me, and I mean that's a lot to handle. You take physical science, force times mass and you get acceleration, and that means gang tackling."
Lane can do more than smash skulls.
He can pass, too
He showed a little razzle-dazzle in that bulky body when he tossed a halfback pass for a touchdown against the Longhorns last season. That play sticks in Texas' memory because the Longhorns have given up three halfback or wide receiver passes for TDs this season.
"We've stopped the run so well, we're seeing every trick play known to man," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
"We're pretty much expecting them to use it again," said senior safety Michael Griffin.
As good as Texas is against the run, the Longhorns would probably prefer the Aggies keep things moving -- just a little bit -- on the ground.
That's because when teams start throwing, Texas can seldom find a way to stop it.
Struggle in secondary
Standout cornerback Aaron Ross aside -- and even he had a bad game in 45-42 loss to Kansas State -- Texas has struggled in the secondary.
The Longhorns rank 111th nationally against the pass. The 2,739 yards surrendered through the air has already set a school record.
The secondary has been hobbled by various injuries all season and having a weekend off to rest should help, Brown said.
"We've been so hard on our defense ... [but] they've hung in there in some tough situations, he said. "We'll probably be healthier as a team than we have been for the past eight weeks."
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