ESPN College Football

Texas A&M interim head coach Tim DeRuyter talks about the his team's big win over Northwestern.

After a rough season that included the death of teammate Joey Villavisencio last week and the firing of coach Mike Sherman, the Aggies got a bowl win. It's been an emotional year at Texas A&M, but it will end in fine fashion with a good win over Northwestern.

The Aggies did it without top rusher Cyrus Gray, too. Gray missed his second consecutive game and the final game of his career with a stress fracture in his shoulder that he suffered early in a win over Kansas.

Here's some instant analysis.

How the game was won: Texas A&M was the better team and proved it for the first three quarters, but like we've seen all year, the team swooned in the second half. This time it came in the fourth quarter. The Aggies survived via two huge third-down catches from Uzoma Nwachukwu and Jeff Fuller to keep the ball out of Northwestern's hands in the final minutes. This season, the Aggies blew leads of 18 (Arkansas), 17 (Oklahoma State), 14 (Missouri), 13 (Texas) and 10 (Kansas State). They avoided a sixth loss in extravagant fashion this season with a clutch late drive to close out the Wildcats.

Turning point: Trailing 7-3, Texas A&M scored on its final three drives of the first half, highlighted by a vertical, 26-yard touchdown catch by Jeff Fuller from Ryan Tannehill. The Aggies took control and the Wildcats weren't able to get within realistic reach the rest of the game. The Aggies scored the first 10 points of the second half for a 30-7 lead.

Player of the game: A&M receiver Ryan Swope. Swope continued his tear this season with eight catches for 105 yards and broke a few tackles on a 37-yard catch-and-run to set up an early touchdown that put the Aggies ahead for good. Fuller had a huge catch late to seal the game, but Swope kept the A&M offense humming in the first half while it built the big lead.

Unsung hero: Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter. He spelled what looked like a gimpy Dan Persa and ran for 65 yards and a touchdown in a nice performance.

What it means: One epic bowl losing streak ended while another lives on. Northwestern had lost five bowl games going back to 1949 and made it a sixth. Texas A&M ended its eight-game bowl losing streak dating back to 2001. The Northwestern streak was represented on the sidelines by a monkey wearing a No. 63 jersey, the number of years since the Wildcats won a bowl.

Well wishes: Coryell Judie. The Aggies' kick returner and cornerback finally returned to full health against Texas on Thanksgiving after missing a handful of games with a hamstring injury. However, he suffered a fractured wrist during his final collegiate game. It's a rough break for a huge talent, but he'll hear his name called next April in the NFL draft.

Record performance: With his first field goal midway through the first quarter, kicker Randy Bullock broke Texas A&M's single-season scoring record set back in 1927. The Lou Groza Award winner surpassed Joel Hunt's record of 128 points and finished the season with 139 points after making three field goals and three extra points on Saturday.

Here's a look at three keys for Northwestern during Saturday's Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas game against Texas A&M:

1. Protect Persa: One thing the Aggies do as well as anyone is get to the quarterback. They tied for the national lead in sacks per game this season, paced by junior linebacker Sean Porter. Northwestern's offensive line, which allowed 34 sacks this year, needs to hold the fort for quarterback Dan Persa. If he has time, he should be able to exploit a very shaky Texas A&M pass defense. Several quarterbacks had huge days against the Aggies in 2011, including Arkansas' Tyler Wilson (a school-record 510 passing yards), Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden (a school-record 438 passing yards), Baylor's Robert Griffin III (a school-record 430 passing yards) and Kansas State's Collin Klein (281 passing yards and 103 rushing yards). A fully healthy Persa and his favorite target, Jeremy Ebert, can put up similar big numbers if Persa is not running for cover.

2. Pass coverage: Good luck trying to get pressure on Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as his offensive line allowed only eight sacks all season. That's tied for fewest in the nation. So the Wildcats' defense is going to have to excel in pass coverage, which won't be easy without injured starting cornerback Jordan Mabin. Northwestern allowed way too many big plays in the passing game all season even with Mabin, and freshman Daniel Jones got torched when he was pressed into service in the season finale against Michigan State. That puts more pressure on players like corner Jeravin Matthews and safety Brian Peters. The Aggies have a balanced offense that's one of the most explosive in the country, and the Wildcats will have to figure out how to take something away.

3. Just hang around: One way to beat Texas A&M is just to weather the early storm and wait for an Aggies collapse. They led Oklahoma State by 17 points in the first half and lost. They led Arkansas by 18 points and lost. They led Missouri by 11 points and lost. And they led Kansas State by 10 points with six minutes left and lost. If Northwestern can keep this game close in the second half, then you have to wonder about the Aggies' psyche, especially as they're playing for an interim coach. The Wildcats have come up just short in their past couple of bowl games. This time, they just might have the advantage if the game goes down to the wire.

Texas A&M and Northwestern will kick off the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas on Saturday at noon ET at Reliant Stadium in Houston, but here's a look at what the Aggies have to do to grab the win.

1. Be extra careful in those third quarters. It seemed like a fluke at first. Clearly, it was not. Every time, it seems like it's been something different. The common denominator in most of the second-half meltdowns, though, has been turnovers. Limit those in the second half, and Texas A&M should be fine. The Aggies are the better team here. Take care of business, and they win.

2. Make sure Dan Persa is one-dimensional. Persa's a good quarterback, and hasn't run nearly as much this year as he did in 2010 before he suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Still, the Aggies have plenty of speed at linebacker to keep Persa contained, and his arm won't be better than ones the Aggies have already seen, though they've struggled against some. Brandon Weeden, Tyler Wilson, Landry Jones, Robert Griffin and Seth Doege all have better arms than Persa, and all but perhaps Doege have better teams around them. Making sure Persa's legs are a non-factor should be enough for the defense to get the job done.

3. Play with a purpose, whatever that is. It's easy to see this game doesn't have much meaning for the Aggies. What could have been a season for the history books became a forgettable one very fast. At 6-6, the Aggies would seem to be the team that doesn't want to be here. There's plenty to play for, though. A loss would be one final indignity before leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, and a losing season with one of the most talented teams in College Station in a long time. Additionally, these guys could play as a tribute to a well-liked coach, Mike Sherman, especially the seniors. Maybe younger players can play to impress new coach Kevin Sumlin. Teammate Joey Villavisencio was killed in a car accident last week, too. He'd want nothing more than to see his team play its best game of the year. There's no reason to not give 100 percent in the preparation and in-game performance, even if that might seem like the case. If the Aggies show up and play like they're capable of playing, they win this game.

Texas A&M and Northwestern will kick off the New Year's Eve action in Houston with a noon ET kickoff at Reliant Stadium in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

Here's a bit of what to expect:

WHO TO WATCH: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M. The Aggies' backfield has been banged up this year, and it already lost top back Christine Michael to a torn ACL. Gray was sorely missed in a season-ending, heartbreaking loss to Texas after suffering a stress fracture in his shoulder against Kansas. Gray is expected to return, and he's at his best when his team has to use him as the lone featured back. That will likely be the case in this one, and we'll see if he's back to 100 percent after the injury.

WHAT TO WATCH: Texas A&M's second half. You have to, don't you? The Aggies haven't played since Thanksgiving night, but a promising season was ruined by five losses in which the Aggies led by double digits, including early season losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas in which the Aggies led by 17 and 18 points, respectively, and lost. Coach Mike Sherman was fired because of those losses, and Tim DeRuyter is temporarily in charge before leaving, but we'll see if this season-ruining trend ends.

WHY TO WATCH: Who knows what's going to happen with this team? The talent gap between these two teams is enormous, but the Aggies have underachieved all year. With a month off, a coach gone, another coach leaving and their new coach, Houston's Kevin Sumlin, roaming around practice, it's anyone's guess how this unpredictable bunch responds. It should be a fun one.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 31, Northwestern 21: The Aggies are shaken up, with one coach (Mike Sherman) fired and its interim coach (Tim DeRuyter) getting ready to take over at Fresno State. The Aggies' talent takes over in this one, and Cyrus Gray is expected to return. The Wildcats rebounded later in the season to reach a bowl game, but have only one quality win all season: Nebraska. Texas A&M's talent takes control, and this big lead is safe.

Both Northwestern and Texas A&M entered the season with strong senior classes and lofty expectations. Both repeatedly fell victim to blown leads. As a result, both squads finished 6-6 and will square off Saturday at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Let's take a look at the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas:

WHO TO WATCH: Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa. The senior wraps up a record-setting career, and he might be the healthiest he has been all season following more than a month off. Although Persa's injury situation prevented him from matching the Heisman Trophy hype he received in August, he still turned in a strong season, leading the nation in completion percentage (74.2) and leading the Big Ten in passing average (240.3 ypg). He needs 19 pass attempts to qualify for the NCAA's all-time completions percentage record. Persa actually could go 0-for-19 and still get the record, but he'll be aiming for much bigger numbers against a Texas A&M defense that has been dreadful against the pass (113th nationally). Given Northwestern's own woes on defense, the Wildcats need Persa to have a monster performance.

WHAT TO WATCH: The Wildcats' defense has repeatedly let down the team this season, and the unit will be shorthanded against A&M without top cover corner Jordan Mabin (shoulder). It will be interesting to see if bowl practice has helped the unit, particularly young players like redshirt freshman Daniel Jones, who will fill in for Mabin. After recording a Big Ten-low 16 sacks, Northwestern must find ways to generate pressure on Aggies quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who will pick apart the Wildcats if given time. Persa and the offense should do their part in this game, but if the defense doesn't make strides, it might get ugly.

WHY TO WATCH: The main storyline hasn't changed for Northwestern, which is looking for its first bowl win since the 1949 Rose. Northwestern is making its fourth consecutive bowl appearance after losing each of the last three contests by seven points or fewer. Coach Pat Fitzgerald calls the bowl drought the program's only remaining negative and has had players actually wear a stuffed monkey on their backs this week to emphasize the urgency to win. A victory would help Northwestern salvage what has been a disappointing season, while a loss would raise questions about the program's direction as the Wildcats would have seen their wins total decrease for the fourth consecutive year.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 42, Northwestern 31. Persa is primed for a huge game in his final performance as a Wildcat, but barring a surprise, he won't be playing defense, and that's a problem. I don't have much faith in the Wildcats' defense after the past year and a half, and Texas A&M has far too many weapons to exploit the weaknesses, particularly with Mabin sidelined. While A&M has had its share of distractions in recent weeks, the Aggies boast more talent and will prevail in a virtual home game.