Rice Pulls Out All the Tricks, Texas A&M; Pulls Out Victory

HOUSTON —  Rice pulled out the gadgets. No. 18 Texas A&M; struggled but pulled out the victory.

Corey Pullig’s 26-yard scoring pass to Albert Connell in the third quarter gave the Aggies the lead for keeps and Texas A&M; escaped with a 17-10 victory Thursday night.

Punter Tucker Phillips completed two passes for Rice in the first half, each time catching the Aggies’ special teams napping. His first-quarter, 37-yard pass to Jeff Venghaus gave the Owls a 7-0 lead. Rice also resorted to an end around and a desperation halfback pass.

“You never know what to expect,” Texas A&M; Coach R.C. Slocum said. “You’ve got to give credit to them. They made big plays on the fake punt. That gave them some momentum and got them going. But in a ballgame, a trick play will only carry you only so far.”

Leeland McElroy carried the load for the Aggies, 6-2 and 4-1 in the Southwest Conference, with 168 yards in 28 carries, including a 45-yard touchdown run that tied the score, 7-7, in the second quarter.

It was the fourth victory in a row for Texas A&M; and its 15th in a row over Rice (2-6-1, 1-4).