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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Coming into the season, there were plenty of questions about Texas A&M's defense.

It didn't seem much different from the circumstances a year ago. Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder even said, on the first day of preseason training camp, that the challenges were "exactly the same."

By the end of 2012 the results were positive, with the Aggies performing much better on defense than many expected. If they're to do the same in 2013, they still have a long way to go. The Aggies statistically are among the worst defenses in the nation after a 49-42 loss to No. 1 Alabama on Saturday at Kyle Field.

"We're going to learn a lot of lessons come Monday when we watch this film," Snyder said. "Lots of lessons."

They had better, because on Saturday, once Alabama got its footing, it seemed able to do whatever it pleased. The Crimson Tide finished with 568 offensive yards -- 334 passing and 234 rushing. After forcing a punt on Alabama's first drive of the game, the Aggies allowed four consecutive touchdown drives, all of which covered 75 yards or more. In the second half, the Tide had three drives of 65 yards or longer, two that turned into touchdowns and another where the Aggies forced a turnover near the goal line.

One thing that stuck out to Snyder was how many big plays the Tide hit on. More than half of Alabama's yards (280) came on plays that gained 15 yards or more. Alabama had 11 such plays in the game.

"We knew it was going to be a day of big plays," Snyder said. "And I'm sure when I go back and look at the film, if you count up the number of big plays and subtract that yardage, you have a pretty good day. That's something we're going to have to learn from."

The Aggies generated virtually no pressure against Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron. He was never sacked and the Aggies only recorded one quarterback hurry as a team, by defensive tackle Kirby Ennis. Pressure was one of the Aggies' strong suits last year behind the efforts of defensive end Damontre Moore, who now plays for the New York Giants.

"You can't let a great quarterback like AJ McCarron not even get hit or pressured at all," sophomore defensive end Julien Obioha said. "They ran a lot of play action, which doesn't help the defensive line get any pressure, but we've got to come up with a way to get pressure on the quarterback. He can't sit there all day. He's too good."

Senior defensive back Toney Hurd Jr. detailed the struggles of the secondary, which allowed a 44-yard touchdown pass on a fleaflicker and a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the first half to Kenny Bell.

"First and foremost, hat's off to AJ McCarron and their offensive coordinator [Doug Nussmeier]," Hurd said. "They dialed up some great plays. In the back end, I feel like sometimes we had bad eyes. Sometimes we just didn't trust our keys and techniques and they got us on a few big plays. But I'm sure on Monday we'll get back to work and get those things figured out."

Defending the run wasn't much better for the Aggies and that's been a consistent problem through three games. A&M yielded 6.3 yards per rush attempt on Saturday and it marked the third consecutive game that the Aggies have allowed at least 200 rushing yards.

In their first two games, the Aggies were missing starters at defensive end (Gavin Stansbury), linebacker (Steven Jenkins) and cornerback (De'Vante Harris) because of suspensions. All three returned to the lineup against Alabama, but it didn't stem A&M's struggles.

"Give Alabama credit," Snyder said. "They did a nice job; they had some nice wrinkles. It's hard if you haven't been playing and you haven't seen them to kind of adjust to them. But that's no excuse. We have our guys back and we just have to play better, period."

As it stands currently, the Aggies rank 112th nationally in total defense (489 yards allowed per game), 111th in yards allowed per play (6.92), 115th in run defense (260 yards per game) and 81st on allowing third-down conversions (44 percent).

It's worth noting that the Aggies have a lot of youth and inexperience on the field after graduating key players and suffering a key injury (safety Floyd Raven). True freshman linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni made his first start Saturday; junior safety Clay Honeycutt was making only his second career start. There are 11 true freshmen on A&M's defensive two-deep roster. Growing pains are a part of the deal.

But they'll have to grow up quickly. A&M players and coaches spoke on Saturday of their lofty goals still being intact despite one loss. But the defense must improve significantly for them to have a chance at fulfilling those goals.

Snyder believes his unit has that opportunity.

"I told the kids, 'I know what it looks like and we've got a chance to be good,' " Snyder said. "I thought last year as the season went on, we learned [how to minimize big plays]. Our big-play numbers came down and we started playing better defense. So for us today, it was a matter of big plays on our side of the ball and allowed them to get into a groove running the ball once they got the lead."

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State rolled, Texas capitulated, Texas Tech prevailed, TCU scuffled, West Virginia and Kansas State cruised, Iowa State and Kansas faltered and Baylor watched. The third weekend that was in the Big 12:

Team of the week: Texas Tech. So far, the Red Raiders have been the big surprise of the Big 12. The first two games Tech won with quarterback Baker Mayfield and its air assault. Thursday, the Red Raiders beat TCU 20-10 with hard-nosed defense. Tech is off to a phenomenal start and could keep it going with four winnable games coming up next. Those games will be even more winnable if this defense proves to be the real deal.

Disappointment of the week: Iowa State. After a disappointing opening performance, the Cyclones had high hopes they could turn their season around against their instate rival. Instead, Iowa jumped to a 27-7 lead, then withstood Iowa State’s mild fourth-quarter rally. The Cyclones have not looked good offensively through two games, and outside Sam Richardson throwing the ball up to Quenton Bundrage, have really shown no pop. The Cyclones desperately need a running back and a running game to emerge. So far, neither has.

Big (offensive) man on campus: Blake Bell. After losing the preseason quarterback battle to Trevor Knight, Bell roared back to recapture the job for good. Bell completed 27 of 37 passes for 413 yards and four touchdowns in Oklahoma’s 51-20 win over Tulsa. Accounting for both rushing and passing, Bell finished the game with a QBR of 96.7. According to ESPN Stats & Info, that’s the highest single-game QBR (before opponent adjustment) by a qualifying Oklahoma quarterback since Sam Bradford recorded a 99.0 at Baylor in 2008.

Big (defensive) men on campus: Terrance Bullitt and Will Smith. Several different Red Raiders qualified for the honor, but the senior linebackers were instrumental in the win over TCU. Bullitt collected six tackles and batted down four passes, which helped prevent Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin from generating any rhythm on his shorter passes. Smith, who led Tech with nine tackles, helped stuff TCU’s run up the middle. With Tre’ Porter anchoring the secondary and Kerry Hyder wreaking havoc up front, the Red Raiders have the makings of a very solid defense, if this level of linebacker play from Bullitt and Smith continues.

Special teams player of the week: Anthony Fera. Don’t blame the Texas kicker for the Longhorns’ 44-23 loss to Ole Miss. Fera nailed all three of his field goal attempts in the defeat, including a 47-yarder that put Texas up two scores just before halftime. Of course, the Longhorns failed to score the rest of the game. Fera was effective punting, too, pinning Ole Miss inside its own 20 twice. The Longhorns don’t have much going for them at the moment, but at least they have a reliable kicker and punter.

Play of the week: Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington appeared to have scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 49-yard pass in the fourth quarter against TCU. Washington, however, let go of the football just before crossing the goal line. The ball rolled into the end zone and came to a stop, but no one touched it after the field judge signaled touchdown. The play was reviewed and the touchdown was overturned, but Tech was given the ball at the half-yard line (though a celebration penalty pushed the ball back to the 15). The Frogs have a beef about the field judge signaling touchdown prematurely, but, according to the rulebook, officials made the right call on the replay. Had a Frog picked up the ball or had the ball rolled out of the end zone, TCU would have taken over possession, but none of that happened. Instead, Tech was given back the ball, and Davis Webb found Bradley Marquez for the game-winning touchdown -- a play that could have long-lasting effects for both the Red Raiders and TCU.

Stat of the week: After giving up 272 rushing yards to Ole Miss, Texas now has the third-worst rush defense in college football. The Longhorns are allowing 308.7 rushing yards per game. No one else in the Big 12 is giving up more than 223.

Quote of the week: “Forget the coaches, come for the kids. Come for the young guys who are really trying, and come watch them try to beat Kansas State, which we haven't done very often.”

-- coach Mack Brown, in a plea to Texas fans to keep filling the stadium despite the Longhorns’ 1-2 start.

Only because Iowa State and Kansas also lost is Texas not last in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings:

1. Oklahoma State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week 1): While they’ve been in the news plenty lately for other reasons, the Cowboys on the field have quietly lived up to the role of favorite rather well. And with the Nov. 16 trip to Austin no longer looking all that daunting, Oklahoma State should be favored in every game the rest of the way.

2. Baylor (2-0, 0-0 Big 12, last week 2): The Bears are one of only three Big 12 teams that haven’t been forced to play a backup quarterback due to injury, ineffectiveness or the need for a spark. That kind of stability with Bryce Petty is one major reason why Baylor has the look of a viable conference title contender.

3. Oklahoma (3-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 3): Before the weekend, the Sooners had been brilliant in every facet of the game, except for quarterback. Against Tulsa, they were brilliant there, too. Blake Bell gave the passing attack a huge lift, delivering college football’s sixth-highest raw QBR of the week. So far, the OU running game has been dynamic, and the defense has been solid. If the Sooners can also get that level of production from their quarterback, they'll be dangerous.

4. Texas Tech (3-0, 1-0 Big 12, last week 5): Sometimes winning ugly is what’s required. Aesthetics aside, Texas Tech’s victory TCU was huge for the Kliff Kingsbury era. Some of it was TCU’s anemic offense, but Kingsbury had to feel buoyed by the way his defense completely shut down the Horned Frogs. If the Red Raiders keep playing defense, they could emerge into a surprise title contender. Their next four games are very winnable.

5. TCU (1-2, 0-1 Big 12, last week 4): Coach Gary Patterson probably could not have envisioned a worse start to TCU’s season. The Horned Frogs already have two losses, and star defensive end Devonte Fields made little impact in Lubbock after sitting out most of the first two games with a suspension. Now, Fields has an injured foot. Given how lost the Frogs look offensively, they’re probably going to have to win games with defense, at least for now. That won’t be easy with Fields either hobbled, ineffective or both.

6. West Virginia (2-1, 0-1 Big 12, last week 6): After auditioning Paul Millard and bypassing on Clint Trickett, the Mountaineers might finally have uncovered their quarterback in Ford Childress, who had a strong debut showing against Georgia State. These next two weeks will be huge for Childress and the Mountaineers. How they perform against Maryland in Baltimore and conference favorite Oklahoma State in Morgantown will set the tone for the rest of the season, one way or the other.

7. Kansas State (2-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week 8): After the stunning loss to North Dakota State, the Wildcats have bounced back nicely, and there’s reason to believe they can keep it going in Austin. The zone-read has been devastating to Texas, and K-State change-of-pace QB Daniel Sams might be the best running QB in the league.

8. Texas (1-2, 0-0 Big 12, last week 7): After beating the Longhorns by three touchdowns, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said Texas’ defensive scheme was basically the same as last week. The Longhorns played about the same, too, giving up another 272 yards on the ground. That’s 822 rushing yards the Horns have allowed over the past two games. It's not even October, and Texas is already a total disaster. Coach Mack Brown is running out of scapegoats to fire, too.

9. Kansas (1-1, 0-0 Big 12, last week 9): The Jayhawks actually played well defensively in a nine-point loss at Rice. The offense, however, did not; notably, quarterback Jake Heaps, who had a raw QBR of 10.2, the fourth-lowest rating of any FBS quarterback for the week. The Kansas offense has to be -- and should be -- better than this for the Jayhawks to win more than two games.

10. Iowa State (0-2, 0-0 Big 12, last week 10): After two losses to open the year, it’s difficult to see how Iowa State gets to a bowl game. Other than receiver Quenton Bundrage, quarterback Sam Richardson has had virtually no help offensively, and the defense is a notch below what it's been. If Iowa State can’t uncover a running game to take pressure off Richardson, this could end up becoming a long, long year in Ames.

Recognizing the best and brightest from around the Big 12 in Week 3:

QB Blake Bell, Oklahoma

Turns out Bell is a better passer than anyone realized. He threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns against Tulsa, showing impressive confidence and rapport with his receivers. Bell only ran for 24 yards, too. Considering how badly the OU passing attack fared a week ago, the 400-yard showing was a real eye-opener against a Tulsa team that went 11-3 a year ago. The question marks surrounding Bell and his ability to replace Trevor Knight were answered on Saturday, at least for one week.

WR Quenton Bundrage, Iowa State

Bundrage exploded against Iowa for seven catches, 146 yards and three touchdowns in the close 27-21 loss. His touchdowns came from 67, 26 and 17 yards out, and those final two came late in the fourth quarter as Iowa State mounted a rally.

CB Kip Daily, Kansas State

The senior cornerback nabbed an interception in the first quarter against UMass and returned it 38 yards for the first touchdown of the game. He picked off a second pass on a fourth down late in the third quarter, ensuring KSU would have no trouble in a 37-7 win over the Minutemen. Those were the first two interceptions in his career. Daily is up to 16 tackles and two pass breakups on the year after recording only one tackle in six games last season.

QB Ford Childress, West Virginia

Not bad at all, kid. In his first career start, Childress threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-7 win over Georgia State. The redshirt freshman and former ESPN 150 recruit hit on 25 of his 41 attempts and recorded a solid QBR of 74.2. He might be just what the Mountaineers are looking for in their hopes to end their quarterback battle.

RB Jeremy Smith, Oklahoma State

Smith found the end zone three times in an easy 59-3 win over FCS Lamar. He had a modest 40 rushing yards on the day, but OSU really didn’t need much from Smith to get the victory. Smith now leads the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns with six.

Jesse Palmer and Danny Kanell discuss Mack Brown's future at Texas after the Longhorns' loss to Ole Miss on Saturday.

Oklahoma State overcame a week full of distractions to cruise past Lamar, Oklahoma's offense looked explosive for the first time in 2013, and Texas lost. Again.

The Big 12 Conference race continues to become clearer, and Texas Tech is looking to insert itself into the title discussion. With conference play quickly approaching, several Big 12 squads need to tighten up their games before conference play begins.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. BCS at-large
AT&T Cotton Bowl: Baylor vs. SEC No. 3/4
Valero Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Pac-12 No. 2
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: TCU vs. Pac-12 No. 3
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas vs. Big Ten No. 6
New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. American No. 4
Heart of Dallas Bowl: West Virginia vs. Big Ten No. 7

Three weeks in, and it's time to check out where we think the SEC teams will land when the regular season is over and postseason play begins.

VIZIO BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 6: Alabama

Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: LSU

Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1: Georgia

AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 3: Texas A&M

Outback Bowl, Jan. 1: South Carolina

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Florida

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Ole Miss

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Auburn

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Vanderbilt

BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 4: Arkansas

AdvoCare V100 Bowl, Dec. 31: Missouri

Here's what we learned from Week 3 in the Big 12, in which only four undefeated teams are left standing:

1. Texas still can’t play much defense: After his Rebels dispatched Texas 44-23, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said the Longhorns ran virtually the same defensive scheme under coordinator Greg Robinson as they did last week under Manny Diaz. It sure looked that way on the field. Ole Miss racked up 272 yards on the ground and averaged 6.0 yards per carry to coast past Texas in Austin. The Longhorns appear to be no better off defensively now than they were a week ago in an embarrassing 40-21 loss at BYU. If Texas can’t correct its defense, this could end up being a long season in Austin. And Mack Brown’s final one, too.

2. QB Blake Bell isn’t just a Belldozer: So much for the premise Bell can only run. The artist formerly known as the Belldozer passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start as Oklahoma whipped Tulsa 51-20. Bell, who replaced Trevor Knight, completed 27 of 37 passes and posted the highest passing yardage total by any Oklahoma quarterback making his first start. He also delivered a QBR of 96.7 (on a scale of 0-100). Most importantly, Bell’s performance gives the Sooners confidence in their passing attack going into a showdown at Notre Dame in two weeks.

3. The Mountaineers are all in on QB Ford Childress: Dana Holgorsen hinted early last week he would be making a quarterback change. Most everyone assumed it would be Florida State transfer Clint Trickett getting the start over Paul Millard. Instead, it was the redshirt freshman Childress, who played the entire game and played well in West Virginia’s 41-7 win over Georgia State. Despite several drops from his receivers, Childress completed 25 of 41 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. To get to a bowl game, the Mountaineers could really use a win next weekend over Maryland in Baltimore. There’s no doubt now that Childress will be the one they’ll be relying on.

4. TCU’s offense is a mess: Texas Tech’s defense has promise. But the Horned Frogs looked completely discombobulated offensively during Thursday night’s 20-10 loss in Lubbock. Quarterback Trevone Boykin, who finished with a raw QBR of 28.6, could not string any drives together for the Horned Frogs. TCU went 4-of-16 on third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down. After a 1-2 start -- and with difficult road games at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State looming -- TCU’s season could turn disastrous if the Frogs don’t find some offensive flow, and quick.

5. Iowa State has no running game: With quarterback Sam Richardson dealing with a sore ankle, the Cyclones needed to get something going on the ground. For the second game, they couldn’t. Iowa State’s running back quartet managed just 42 yards on 16 carries as Iowa jumped to a big lead before holding on for the 27-21 win. Wideout Quenton Bundrage had a big game with three touchdown catches, but the Cyclones don’t have the kind of receiving weapons to be effective offensively without a solid running game. This could end up being a long season for Iowa State, as the Cyclones might not be favored until Kansas comes to Ames on Nov. 23.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Mack Brown got the camera crews, the extra visitors and anyone who didn’t belong out of his locker room. On this Saturday night, he did the talking.

“It was very quiet. They were very disappointed,” Brown said. “All they do is go back to work and get ready.

“They’re lucky they’ve got a conference and they’re lucky they can start over, and they’re lucky they’re playing a really good team next week that we haven’t played well against.”

He must’ve said more optimistic things than that, because his Texas players who emerged after being thoroughly shut down in the second half of a 44-23 loss to Ole Miss were still espousing faith. That’s all they can do after a game like this, which drops the Longhorns to 1-2.

“We have to be confident,” senior safety Adrian Phillips said. “If we’re not confident we can win the Big 12, we have no chance and the season is a loss. We have no choice but to be confident.”

Texas players say this team can still win the Big 12 championship, and from the looks of things this is not yet a dejected group. Brown isn’t questioning their effort or want-to, but something greater than execution is missing.

The seniors who lead this team were freshmen when Texas went 5-7. They haven’t forgotten how much that depressing collapse of a season hurt. It’s their job now to prevent that from happening all over again.

Look at the schedule. There aren’t gimme wins anymore, no clear and easy path to six victories. A lot has to change for Texas in a short amount of time.

“We refuse to have another 5-7 season,” senior defensive tackle Chris Whaley said. “That was one of the worst seasons Texas has ever had. We just refuse to have another season like that.”

When viewed in a vacuum, Texas losing to Ole Miss made sense. The Longhorns were missing their quarterback and their most explosive weapon on offense. They were asking new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson to enact meaningful change in three practices.

But this is a season of no excuses. This is not what Brown has been rebuilding for and not what he expected.

Think about it: A lot needed to happen in the Longhorns’ favor on Saturday night if they hoped to win. They needed a Case McCoy-led ball-control offense, with more power rushing than they’d relied on all season, to do just enough. That worked fine in the first half, but three-and-outs doomed Texas in the third quarter.

They needed a defense that had serious problems with the zone read and tackling to suddenly fix those flaws in one week. The Rebels wisely exploited that Achilles’ heel to the tune of 221 rushing yards from Bo Wallace and Jeff Scott.

Like BYU before them, they didn’t have much need for a passing attack. They ran the same sweep play over and over because nobody could figure out how to stop it.

Texas needed good luck, turnovers, Ole Miss mistakes and all the kinds of things that programs with teams with less talent, coaching and confidence tend to hope for.

That’s what it has come to for this Longhorns team, with its 19 returning starters, experience-loaded depth chart and ability to recruit anyone. They aren’t playing like a team with more talent than their opponent.

“We just didn’t come out and play Texas football, be aggressive, full-speed, fighting, everything,” Whaley said.

All they’ve proved, so far, is that they can beat one of the worst teams in FBS. What comes next is simple: This is a season that must be taken one game -- and week -- at a time.

Brown liked how his team dedicated itself completely to Ole Miss for seven days. He just can’t figure out why they’re so inconsistent, why they can know exactly what’s coming and still not make plays.

The team that comes to Austin next knew this was coming. Don’t forget the once-controversial line Kansas State linebacker Tre Walker uttered back in July, calling out the Longhorns for giving up in last season’s finale.

“They kind of laid down a little bit,” Walker said. “That’s nothing to say about their character. That’s just what they do.”

That’s just what 5-7 teams do, too. This group will get back to work and vows the season isn’t over. But they’ll need a lot more than luck to get this fixed.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — There was no plan for Johnny Manziel to speak to the media on Saturday.

In fact, win or lose, Texas A&M officials made it clear before the game that the Heisman Trophy winner would not be available for postgame interviews. Earlier this week, coach Kevin Sumlin noted that Manziel's family and attorneys advised him not to speak publicly this week.

But Manziel wasn't going to be told no. He approached Sumlin and Texas A&M associate athletic director for media relations Alan Cannon and said he was going to speak. When Cannon mentioned the objections from Manziel's parents and lawyers, Manziel said, according to Cannon, "My team didn't quit on me, so I'm not quitting on them."

The No. 6 Aggies showed no quit in their 49-42 loss to No. 1 Alabama on Saturday at Kyle Field in one of the most highly anticipated games in school history. What they did show is that they're a good team with a lot of flaws that still need ironing out.

The message from Manziel, who played brilliantly for much of the day but had a couple of throws he'd like to have back, was that the Aggies had to keep playing -- both on Saturday and moving forward.

"My initial reaction is that I'm just proud of these guys," said Manziel, who threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 98 yards. "I kept telling them that no matter what point in the game it was, we were never out of it. Didn't matter what [Alabama] did. I told the offense that going into it, that no matter what happened on the defensive side of the ball, no matter what happened on special teams, we felt like we could come out and score points. So I was proud initially more than anything else, proud of the way they kept fighting until the very end. I mean, we're a young team. That's impressive to me."

The Aggies (2-1) were down by as many as 21 points in the third quarter after taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Alabama roared back with 35 unanswered points and used its power running game and efficient passing attack behind AJ McCarron to eat up yardage and extend drives to score points while keeping the Aggies' offense on the sideline.

The biggest flaw seen on Saturday was on defense. The Aggies' front seven was hammered by the Alabama offensive line -- a unit that struggled in its season opener against Virginia Tech -- to the tune of 234 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per carry, led by T.J. Yeldon's 149-yard effort. McCarron was rarely pressured in the passing game and wasn't sacked a single time; only one player on the Aggies defense, Kirby Ennis, recorded a quarterback hurry. There were big plays given up in the passing game as well, as the Tide threw for 334 yards.

"We've got to get some things shored up in our front defensively," Sumlin said. "We're playing a lot of young guys in there. [Gavin] Stansbury was back and [Steven] Jenkins was back [from suspensions], so they were a little rusty. We didn't have Isaiah Golden today because of the tragedy [involving the death of a family member] earlier this week. That put a lot of pressure on Hardreck [Walker] to handle that type of stuff with Kirby. We just have to get those guys in a routine, a steady routine and a rotation and shore some things up up front."

Mike Evans, who already was considered one of the country's better receivers, made his case to be considered among the best after catching seven passes for a school-record 279 yards and a touchdown. He beat man-to-man coverage consistently, ran good routes and was an asset for Manziel when scrambling.

"I couldn't be prouder of him," Manziel said. "Last night in the hotel, me and him, we're roommates, and we were just talking about how the game was going to play out. I knew he was going to come out and play really well."

Manziel wasn't perfect. A fade pass to Ja'Quay Williams in the end zone was intercepted by Cyrus Jones in the second quarter ("We probably could have run a better route," Sumlin said). He tried to squeeze a pass in to Travis Labhart early in the third quarter but it was tipped by Alabama defensive back Jarrick Williams and intercepted by Vinnie Sunseri, who returned it 73 yards for a touchdown.

"I had a couple throws that I want to have back, two in particular," Manziel said. "Coach Sumlin always says there's no regrets. Leave it all out on the field. I think that's what we all did. I know I did."

But he was, like the Aggies, still very good. He set the single-game school record for passing yards and put up the second-most total offensive yards in a game (562), second only to his own total (576) against Louisiana Tech last year.

He made what many would call an ill-advised throw in the second quarter after magically evading a sack while in the grasp of Alabama defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, heaving a jump ball 40 yards downfield while falling backward. The ball wound up in the hands of a leaping Edward Pope for a first down that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The gain was only 12 yards; Manziel retreated back far to evade pressure.

At some point, it seems it might just be worth chalking it up to a little Manziel magic, since he has seemingly found an uncanny ability to make jaw-dropping plays of the sort each week. It's part of what captivated the college football world en route to his Heisman Trophy last year.

For those who said Manziel's eventful and sometimes tumultuous offseason would come back to haunt him when the games started this year, none of that seemed to be a factor. Though there were some mistakes made on the field, Manziel's play is hard to criticize, especially against the team that was No. 1 in the country last season in total defense. Manziel said afterward that it wasn't a factor.

But for all the flash, the bottom line was that Manziel and the Aggies fell short of their goal on Saturday. They were beaten by a better team.

The disappointment could be heard in the voices of the players afterward; they wanted Saturday's win badly. But with nine games to go in their season, they feel that what they want -- an SEC West title, SEC title and BCS title game berth -- is still within reach; it's just more difficult to obtain now that they're 0-1 in SEC play.

But if the Aggies are still serious about pursuing those goals, there's still much work to do.

"Just got to go game by game," Manziel said. "Just like last year, continue to get better, week by week, and the result was what happened in the Cotton Bowl. For us this wasn't the end of our season. This wasn't the Super Bowl. This wasn't the last game of the season.

"Alabama lost a game last year and still went on to win a national championship. They lost to LSU the year before and still went on to win the national championship. Our season isn't over. Anything can happen. This is college football. Some of the craziest things happen every week. So you never know. All we can do is take care of ourselves, take care of what's in this locker room and continue to get better as a team."

NORMAN, Okla. -- Any more questions?

Oklahoma junior Blake Bell got his first collegiate start at quarterback on Saturday amid questions about his ability to throw the ball. Three hours later, those questions have been answered after Bell led OU to a 51-20 win against Tulsa at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Bell was outstanding as the triggerman of the OU passing game, going 27-of-37 passing for 413 yards and four touchdowns.

Is Bell the next Sam Bradford? Um, let’s not get carried away. But against the Golden Hurricane he proved he can throw the ball well enough to run the Sooners’ offense efficiently and effectively. He made several good reads, was accurate with his throws and didn’t turn the ball over, as the Sooners offense had its best performance of the season. A pair of touchdown darts up the seam of TU’s defense to Sterling Shepard and Jalen Saunders were further proof that the Sooners did indeed recruit Bell for his arm, not his legs.

Yet, it wasn’t just Bell who got OU’s offense humming for the first time in 2013. The receivers played better, and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel used screens and quick passes to jumpstart the offense. Shepard had the best performance of his sophomore season with eight receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Bell connected with seven different receivers as the Sooners spread the football around to several targets.

As good as Bell was on Saturday he still has to prove he can perform at a similar level against better defenses that have planned to stop a balanced offensive attack. Tulsa was athletically overmatched and essentially forced the Bell and the Sooners to beat them through the air. And he did.

Can he do that against a more talented defense? We’ll found out on Sept. 28, when Bell and the Sooners travel to Notre Dame.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- One of the most anticipated regular-season games in recent memory was a show of dominance by Alabama in the final three quarters, as the Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M 49-42 before 87,596 on Saturday at Kyle Field. Let's take a look at how it went down.

It was over when: Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron connected with Jalston Fowler for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:28 remaining in the game. That score gave the Crimson Tide a lead they wouldn't relinquish. It came at the end of a methodical nine-play, 65-yard drive that ate up 5 minutes, 36 seconds.

Game ball goes to: The Alabama offensive line. Once the Crimson Tide responded to the Aggies' early 14-0 onslaught, the Tide's big guys up front got the job done. There was so much talk coming into the week about the line play in the opener against Virginia Tech, but that unit paved the way for 236 Alabama rushing yards. The line allowed the Tide to control the clock and control the pace of the game in the second half. It seemed like whenever the Aggies had a big score, the Tide answered. After falling behind 14-0, the Crimson Tide rattled off 35 unanswered points.

Stat of the game: Texas A&M finished with two turnovers to Alabama's one. Turnovers also played a big role in last season's battle, as the Crimson Tide turned it over three times in a 29-24 loss. A&M had zero turnovers that day. On Saturday in the rematch, A&M turned it over twice, including a 73-yard interception return by Vinnie Sunseri early in the third quarter that gave Alabama a three-touchdown lead. Texas A&M was able to narrow the gap late because of a fumble by T.J. Yeldon in the fourth quarter, but that was the only turnover the Tide had.

What it means for Alabama: The Crimson Tide get some redemption from last season's home loss to the Aggies but, more importantly, are 1-0 in SEC play. They answered a lot of questions about their offensive line, and McCarron looked strong. There might be some questions about the defense after it yielded 42 points and 628 offensive yards, but it's worth noting it was playing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel, and one of the best offenses in the country. Are the Tide good enough to win a BCS title with what we saw on defense Saturday?

What it means for Texas A&M: The Aggies have a lot -- and I mean a lot -- of work to do on defense. That was a question mark coming in, especially the run defense, and it remains that way even though the Aggies finally got almost their full complement of defensive players back from suspensions. They allowed 568 total yards and 234 rushing yards. Are they good enough defensively to still contend for an SEC West title? This loss puts them behind the eight ball in that regard. The Aggies need Alabama to lose twice down the road (perhaps once if there's a three-way tie for the top of the division at the end of the season).

Game ball, Part 2: Give one to Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans. He set the school record with 279 receiving yards on seven catches. He had a 95-yard touchdown grab that got the Aggies back to within a score and gave them hope in the fourth quarter. He has the look of an NFL receiver, whenever he chooses to enter the draft (he'll be eligible after this season). He is big and physical, has great hands, is a great blocker in the running game, and can beat one-on-one coverage.

Johnny watch: Manziel had two interceptions, which hurt, but overall played well. He set the school record for passing yards with 464 on 28-of-39 passing. He had five touchdown tosses and 98 rushing yards. He had some throws he'd like to take back, but he played pretty well against one of the best defenses in the country.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- For a league that was supposed to be all about defense, these wild offensive shootouts are suddenly becoming the norm in the SEC.

Remember the good, old days -- just two short years ago -- when Alabama and LSU played an epic No. 1 versus No. 2 showdown, including an overtime period, without anybody scoring a touchdown?

That model seems to have gone the way of the rotary telephone.

As entertaining as Alabama's 49-42 win over Texas A&M was on Saturday at Kyle Field, it raises a question that will reverberate around the college football world.

Are either one of these teams good enough defensively to win a national championship?

Maybe that's not fair to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who might not actually be Superman, but all he was missing Saturday was a cape. He torched Alabama's defense for 562 yards of total offense and five touchdown passes and was mesmerizing with his uncanny ability to turn nothing into something.

As good as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was, his favorite receiver, Mike Evans, was just as good with seven catches for a school-record 279 yards.

So, just maybe, the Aggies are simply that dynamic offensively.

But you might want to rub your eyes before processing this next statistic: Alabama gave up 628 yards of total offense ... and still managed to win the game.

Raise your hand if you saw that coming.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said earlier in the week that this was a chance for this particular Alabama team to create its own identity.

When you win national championships at the rate the Crimson Tide have the last few seasons, the tendency is to lump them all together.

But the hallmark of this program under Saban is that it delivers when it has to, and even though the Crimson Tide gave up the kind of points and yards usually reserved for an Xbox video game, they had an answer for everything the Aggies and Manziel threw at them Saturday.

It's impossible to imagine how electric Kyle Field was after Texas A&M exploded to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Alabama steadied itself, never flinched and calmly reeled off 35 unanswered points to seemingly gain control.

Evans' improbable 95-yard touchdown catch gave Texas A&M hope once again, pulling the Aggies within 42-35 midway through the fourth quarter. But Alabama, which had fumbled on the goal line the previous possession, responded with a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to finally seal the game.

The fact that Alabama couldn't put Texas A&M away after building a three-touchdown lead late in the third quarter will undoubtedly grate on Saban, whose Alabama defense allowed more yards Saturday than any defense in school history. You'd have to go back to Archie Manning and Ole Miss in 1969 to find an offense that shredded an Alabama defense the way Manziel and the Aggies did.

But Saban has also been around long enough to know that sometimes you have to win ugly, and while this was a different kind of ugly in the realm of Alabama football, maybe it was a sign of the times in this league.

To read more of Chris Low's story, click here.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- When it comes to football, Texas A&M receiver Travis Labhart comes from humble beginnings.

Whether it's his high school alma mater, Whitesboro (Texas) High School, or his journey from a walk-on with the Aggies to a women's basketball practice squad player to a scholarship football player, it has certainly been interesting.

But it's a journey filled with hard work for the 5-foot-9, 182-pound Labhart.

Last week in the Aggies' win against Sam Houston State, Labhart caught his first career touchdown as an Aggie, a 14-yard pass from true freshman quarterback Kenny Hill in the third quarter of a 65-28 win over Sam Houston State. He also served as the team's primary punt returner and is listed as the starting punt returner for Texas A&M this week, when the No. 6 Aggies host No. 1 Alabama at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field.

In high school, Labhart played for a program that had no history of making the postseason. Whitesboro made its first playoff appearance in school history, which spans more than 100 years, in 2011, according to the Dallas Morning News, after Labhart was already at A&M.

Labhart walked on to the Aggies football team but also had a brief stint as practice squad player for the then-defending NCAA champion women's basketball team that fall.

"He was a good player," women's basketball coach Gary Blair said. "He was a good solid kid and we've had some men's practice players over the years and he was one of them."

Blair noted that Labhart was only on the practice squad for a couple of months before returning to the football field.

In 2012, Labhart appeared in three games as a junior but he has made significant strides this season. Despite breaking his collarbone during one of the Aggies' spring football scrimmages, Labhart recovered and had a strong preseason training camp in August and solidified himself a spot in the receiver rotation. He earned the coaching staff's trust enough to return punts.

Against the Bearkats last week, he returned two punts for 30 yards, including one of 18 yards.

"I thought his decision-making was pretty good back there," Sumlin said. "He's back there as our punt returner because he's demonstrated the ability for us to trust him deep. He made a nice catch during the game, a couple of them.

"He's a guy who has worked like crazy and is just a team favorite. Our team appreciates a guy like that who comes to work, wasn't on scholarship, fought his way there and is reaping the rewards of all his hard work and is helping us win."

Labhart, now a senior, was one of four walk-ons to earn a scholarship. Sumlin announced the four during a team meeting before the season began. Now, Labhart could have a chance to contribute in one of the biggest games in Texas A&M history.

"I talked about it a couple weeks ago about the guys that we put on scholarship since I've been here," Sumlin said. "I think it gives our walk-on program credibility that guys that come here and do what we ask them to do, and we give them a chance to get on the field and perform, they're guys that can help us win and earn a scholarship and he's one of those guys."

In today’s mailbag, pretty much everyone piles on the Longhorns, plus another nickname submission.

To the ‘bag:

John in Los Angeles writes: Would Texas ever fire a head coach during a game or mid-season? This question will be relevant if UT suffers another beat-down at the hands of OU.

Jake Trotter: Nobody would never fire a coach during a game (although that would be entertaining) and I can’t see Texas doing anything during the season. But forget about OU, the Horns needs to worry about escaping Ole Miss first.

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Josh in Midland, Texas, writes: Jake, in the very unlikely case that Texas plays relatively well against Ole Miss and consequently wins this weekend, what will the national perception of Texas be? What would it take from the Horns on Saturday to improve the national perception of them?

Jake Trotter: Essentially the same as it is now. In terms of perception, Texas has much to lose and little to gain this weekend. The Horns won’t improve their perception unless they beat Oklahoma -- provided they don’t lose to anyone else before then, either.

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Charles in Dallas writes: I love my Sooners. However, I see a changing of the guard coming in college football. The athletes are going away from OU and Texas and going with the flashy uniforms. This is evident with the rise of Baylor and OSU. You think my theory has any basis?

Jake Trotter: No doubt, Baylor and OSU have been recruiting at another level. I don’t necessarily see a changing of the guard, but the days of OU and Texas completely dominating the league like the 2000s seem to be numbered.

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Cody in Dallas: Is it fair to say the Big 12 is weak right now just because OU and UT are down? Couldn't you make a point the conference is actually thriving with so many programs on the rise?

Jake Trotter: That’s the point Bob Stoops was trying to make in the spring. I wouldn’t characterize the Big 12 as weak, but without a national headliner, it’s difficult to make the case it’s strong, either.

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Andy in Austin: Jake, any truth to the Saban-to-Austin rumors?

Jake Trotter: Yes. In fact, I hear he’s flying with Alabama to College Station, but skipping the A&M game so he can scout Texas-Ole Miss from the sidelines.

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James in Texas writes: Can we call him the Lache Ness Monster? Is that appropriate?

Jake Trotter: No, and don’t give Andy in Austin any ideas.

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Cole in Yukon, Okla., writes: I am not on the Trevor Knight bandwagon. I believe the coaches chose him for upside. So when do you see him starting again?

Jake Trotter: Doesn’t this smack of Wes Lunt’s freshman year at Oklahoma State? Honestly, if Blake Bell or Kendal Thompson plays well at Notre Dame, Knight might not get on the field unless there’s an injury.

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Josh in Hastings, Neb., writes: I know in a chat that you implied a K-State fan was crazy to think K-State had a 70 percent chance to win in Austin given the fact that K-State owns Texas historically in Big 12 play. After the BYU game, is it starting to look not so crazy?? Go K-State!! (We do truly own the Longhorns)

Jake Trotter: I said that? I need to lay off the burnt-orange Kool-Aid.

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Rob writes: Regarding Texas this season you said, "Let's look at the schedule: Ole Miss, OU, at TCU, OSU, Tech, at Baylor ... how many of those games would you pick Texas to win? Best case 3? That leaves them at 8-4 still." Don't you think Texas should actually beat K-State for the first time since early last decade before you start taking a Texas victory over K-State as a given?

Jake Trotter: Agreed, Texas beating K-State is no given.

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William in Amarillo, Texas, writes: Can you write about something else other than Texas? They (stink) and they’re going to continue to (stink).

Jake Trotter: Anyone else want to pile on?

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Brian in Kansas City, Kan., writes: Every year the national media overrates Texas, and every year everyone in the Big 12, who actually watches Texas, laughs about it. No one ever worries about Texas around here. Why do you think this is? Can the national media not register recent history?

Jake Trotter: This is actually a fair point. I have to admit, I was buying Texas during the preseason, too. I couldn’t ignore Mack Brown talking about how great this team was going to be. Color me bamboozled.

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Alan in Houston writes: Does an undefeated OSU or Baylor make it into the BCS championship game?

Jake Trotter: Only if Oregon, Stanford, Ohio State, Florida State and Clemson all lose, too.

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Beau in Denver writes: Kansas is sitting at 7th in the Big 12 standings. They should be feeling pretty good, right?

Jake Trotter: Enjoy it while it lasts.