Final Score: (3) Texas 49, Texas A&M 39

College Station, TX (Sports Network) - Colt McCoy threw four touchdowns and rushed for another, as third-ranked Texas kept its national title hopes alive with a 49-39 victory over Texas A&M at Kyle Field.

McCoy completed 24-of-40 passes for 304 yards and rushed for a career-high 175 yards for the Longhorns (12-0, 8-0 Big 12), who will play Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game next weekend. Tre' Newton carried the ball 16 times for 107 yards and a score.

"Colt McCoy was unbelievable. I don't remember any performance like that, period. He was a great leader and never even blinked. I don't get to vote for Heisman, but if anyone has a better Heisman moment than that, then I'd like to see it," said Texas head coach Mack Brown.

Malcolm Williams caught nine passes for 132 yards for Texas, which has won 11 of its 12 games by double figures. Jordan Shipley had eight catches for 88 yards and two scores, while James Kirkendoll hauled in four passes for 63 yards and two TDs for the victors.

"What a great football game. I congratulate Jerrod Johnson and Texas A&M on a great game. TV and fans around the country on Thanksgiving got a treat to see two quarterbacks play that well, two offenses play that well, and two defenses try to hang in there and fight to make the play," said Brown.

Jerrod Johnson connected on 26-of-33 passes for 342 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception for the Aggies (6-6, 3-5), who were coming off a 38-3 win over Baylor. Johnson also rushed for 97 yards on 14 carries.

Christine Michael carried the ball 19 times for 83 yards and a score, while Jeff Fuller caught six passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Howard Morrow had a TD catch for Texas A&M, which remains bowl eligible.

"First things, let's talk about our football team; they've done everything I've asked them to do. I'm disappointed for my group of seniors; they gave us everything they had tonight should be disappointed about tonight. As far as a bowl game, I haven't thought about it, we focus on one game at a time in preparation. It's like having a spring practice equivalent, I saw some guys that did some good things. We will certainly utilize the next couple of weeks to help this football team," said Aggies head coach Mike Sherman.

Down 35-24, Texas A&M started a drive in Texas territory late in the third. Michael rushed the ball three consecutive times to cap the six-play march, bouncing off tacklers on the third carry before finding the end zone to complete a 16-yard run. The successful two-point conversion cut the gap to 35-32 with 13:38 to play in the fourth.

McCoy and the Longhorns fought right back with a TD of their own to make it a two-possession contest. McCoy's 43-yard rush helped set up Kirkendoll's 47- yard TD reception. On a 3rd-and-12, Kirkendoll caught a pass near the 40 and cut back to middle of the field before sprinting into the end zone for a 42-32 margin with 12:04 left.

Fuller's 20-yard TD catch cut the gap to 42-39 with 7:10 to go. However, the Aggies' bid for an upset came to a halt when Marquise Goodwin returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to extend Texas' margin to 49-39.

Texas A&M's fate was sealed when Randy Bullock missed a 23-yard field goal on the next drive.

The Aggies scored on the third play from scrimmage to jump out to an early 7-0 lead. Johnson unloaded a deep pass down the left sideline to Fuller, who sprinted into the end zone for a 70-yard score.

Texas responded with a TD on its second possession of the contest. McCoy capped a 12-play, 67-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Shipley with 3:42 left in the first.

The Longhorns then bridged the first and second quarters with a five-play, 91- yard scoring drive. On a 3rd-and-2, McCoy took the snap from the shotgun formation and faked a handoff before scampering 65 yards into the end zone for a 14-7 margin with 14:10 left until halftime.

Following a pair of punts, Texas A&M tied the contest with an eight-play, 92-yard march, which Fuller ended with a 14-yard TD reception with 7:34 to go. However, Texas used a 14-yard touchdown catch by Shipley on the ensuing possession to go ahead 21-14 with 4:59 remaining.

The Aggies recovered a fumble on a punt after failing to gain yardage, and Morrow caught a 14-yard TD pass with 1:11 to go as the game was tied once more. Texas was able to march down the field before the break, and Kirkendoll's five-yard TD catch made it 28-21.

Texas got the ball to begin the third and advanced to the Texas A&M 43, but on 4th-and-1, McCoy failed to convert the first down on a quarterback sneak. The Aggies took over but fumbled the ball away on the second play of that series.

The Longhorns capitalized by scoring a touchdown, as Newton rumbled into the end zone from seven yards out on the eighth play of the drive for a 35-21 lead with 8:26 left.

Mistakes continued to plague Texas A&M as Johnson threw a pick in the end zone on the ensuing drive. Texas went three-and-out on offense and was forced to punt, but the Aggies could only get a 31-yard Bullock field goal with the short field, cutting the gap to 35-24 with 1:24 remaining.

The Longhorns started their next drive at their own eight following a penalty. Another three-and-out gave the Aggies the ball at the Texas 49 following the punt.

Game Notes

Texas senior cornerback Deon Beasley was carted off the field on a stretcher after taking a big hit on a kickoff with 8:20 left in the third period. Beasley gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was taken off the field...Texas owns a 75-36-5 advantage in the all-time series with Texas A&M, including a 49-9 triumph over the Aggies last season...McCoy has won more games as a starting quarterback (44) than any player in Division I football history...Texas reached the 12-win mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history...Texas' 783 all-purpose yards was the sixth-best effort in school history. The Longhorns also had 810 yards against UTEP this season...Texas scored 40 or more points for the eighth time this season...The Longhorns outgained the Aggies, 597-532...In just his 22nd career start, Johnson broke Kevin Murray's 23-year old career passing touchdowns school record. Johnson had four against the Longhorns to raise his career total to 51, which broke Murray's mark of 48 from 1983-86. Rushing and passing, Johnson has now accounted for 65 career touchdowns.

11/27 01:35:31 ET