Texas A&M 33
Northwestern 22
Saturday, December 31, 2011 12:00 PM
(ET)
Recap: Texas A&M 33, Northwestern 22
SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 31, 2011
Ryan Tannehill passed for 329 yards and a touchdown in his final college game to lift Texas A&M to a 33-22 victory over Northwestern on Saturday in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas in Houston.
Jeff Fuller caught seven passes for 119 yards and a score and Ben Malena rushed for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Aggies (7-6), who were playing their final game as a member of the Big 12 before moving to the SEC next season.
Northwestern has not won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats have lost nine bowl games in a row overall, matching the NCAA record.
Playing under interim coach Tim DeRuyter with new coach Kevin Sumlin watching from the press box, Texas A&M sent pressure at Northwestern all afternoon, sacking the quarterback tandem of Dan Persa and Kain Colter eight times.
The Aggies made their move in the second quarter, scoring three times in the final 7:58 to go into the locker room with a 20-7 edge. Tannehill and Fuller hooked up for the highlight play of that stretch, a 26-yard touchdown that made it 17-7.
The Wildcats (6-7) made it interesting in the fourth quarter, with Persa driving the team up the field and Colter finishing off two drives to pull it to 30-22.
Needing a first down to seal the win, Tannehill hoisted a 20-yard pass to Fuller down the left sideline. The senior wide receiver raised up and made a fingertip catch over the back of the defender to put the Aggies in the red zone and allow them to set up a clinching field goal.
Dec 31, 2011
Ryan Tannehill passed for 329 yards and a touchdown in his final college game to lift Texas A&M to a 33-22 victory over Northwestern on Saturday in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas in Houston.
Jeff Fuller caught seven passes for 119 yards and a score and Ben Malena rushed for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Aggies (7-6), who were playing their final game as a member of the Big 12 before moving to the SEC next season.
Northwestern has not won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats have lost nine bowl games in a row overall, matching the NCAA record.
Playing under interim coach Tim DeRuyter with new coach Kevin Sumlin watching from the press box, Texas A&M sent pressure at Northwestern all afternoon, sacking the quarterback tandem of Dan Persa and Kain Colter eight times.
The Aggies made their move in the second quarter, scoring three times in the final 7:58 to go into the locker room with a 20-7 edge. Tannehill and Fuller hooked up for the highlight play of that stretch, a 26-yard touchdown that made it 17-7.
The Wildcats (6-7) made it interesting in the fourth quarter, with Persa driving the team up the field and Colter finishing off two drives to pull it to 30-22.
Needing a first down to seal the win, Tannehill hoisted a 20-yard pass to Fuller down the left sideline. The senior wide receiver raised up and made a fingertip catch over the back of the defender to put the Aggies in the red zone and allow them to set up a clinching field goal.
