COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Dennis Franchione's voice was nearly silent. The embattled Texas A&M coach looked like he needed a vacation.
"I don't think I've ever seen a season with as many last-minute games as this one," Franchione said. "It's amazing. I'm proud of our players. We fought all the way to the end. It just comes down to you need to make one more play."
Saturday's 28-27 loss to Nebraska was the seventh-straight week A&M's contest was decided by 10 points or fewer, and the second-straight crushing loss at home after Oklahoma's 17-16 win at Kyle Field last week.
After what was a very promising 8-1 start to 2006, A&M is now looking at possibly three-straight losses to end the regular season with a date at Texas looming in two weeks.
Not exactly something A&M wanted to experience on Senior Day.
"It's hard taking a loss any time, walking off Kyle Field, but this one was the special time we knew it would be, and we just couldn't finish the game," senior linebacker Justin Warren said. "We kind of felt a little frustrating and disheartening, but we had some great times here, and you know that's not the only memory we're going to have."
The Aggies' seniors looked like they had a great Senior Day memory after overcoming a 21-7 deficit behind the playmaking ability of quarterback Stephen McGee.
The sophomore accounted for 302 total yards and burned the Blackshirts with both his arm and his legs to rally A&M in the second half.
Particularly frustrating for the Cornhuskers was McGee's ability to help the Aggie offense pick up chunks of yardage on third down.
On a third-and-10 from NU's 36, McGee pitched to freshman Mike Goodson on the option. Goodson broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and raced 53 yards to set up an Aggie field goal.
One drive later McGee read an NU blitz and audibled to a designed QB keeper. He raced 57 yards for a touchdown on third-and-eight to bring A&M within 21-19.
"We usually only run that once or twice at the most every game," McGee said of his touchdown run. "We knew we would get one opportunity to exploit that and caught them at a good time."
For the game, McGee completed 18 of his 31 passes for 244 yards and rushed for 58 yards, but he couldn't keep the Aggies from dropping their third-straight game against Nebraska dating back to 2003.
"Stephen had his ups and downs today against a good defense," Franchione said. "But we kept at them, and he kept fighting and kept playing just like the rest of our team. And he certainly was a catalyst for that, and he made plays to give us a chance to get in the position we were in."
But the exhaustion and frustration were clearly evident on the faces of the Aggies, who have lost back-to-back games and are watching their bowl position slip in the Big 12 Conference pecking order.
After 11-straight weeks on the field, A&M gets next week off before its rivalry game with Texas to end the season. Every one of the Aggies looks like he could use the break.
"The thing is throughout the season we have finished," junior defensive lineman Chris Harrington said. "It's just coming down to one play. One play here or there, and it's over, and I don't think there's anything in the way."
