SOUTHWEST ROUNDUP : Texas A&M; Beats TCU, Improves to 11-0

The Texas A&M; Aggies aren’t satisfied with equaling the school record for victories--they also want to match the school’s 1939 national championship.

They moved a step closer Saturday at College Station, Tex.

Terry Venetoulias kicked three field goals and the defense stonewalled Texas Christian in the second half as No. 4 Texas A&M; won its second consecutive Southwest Conference title with a 37-10 victory.

The Aggies’ victory equaled the 11-0 record of the 1939 Texas A&M; national championship team. The Aggies play games on Thanksgiving at Texas and New Year’s Day in the Cotton Bowl.

“It just points out how difficult it is to win 11 games,” Texas A&M; Coach R.C. Slocum said. “Because we’re the defending champs, we get everybody’s best shots.

“People look forward to playing us two weeks in advance. I won’t celebrate this until after the season is over.”

Venetoulias made kicks of 47, 21 and 22 yards and Greg Hill, who gained 187 yards in 25 carries, had his seventh 100-yard performance of the season as the Aggies (11-0) improved to 6-0 in the SWC.

TCU (2-8-1, 1-6) was within 13-7 at halftime before fading. The Frogs went 22 minutes before getting their initial first down of the second half.

“Their defense just wore us down in the second half,” TCU Coach Pat Sullivan said. “A&M; is one of the top teams in the country and we had to play a perfect game to win. They are as good as any defense in the country.”

Baylor helped the Texas A&M; cause by beating Texas, 21-20, ending the Longhorns chances for a conference championship.

Rice 27, Navy 22--After 28 consecutive losing seasons, Rice should have figured that clearing that last hurdle to a winning year would not be easy, and it wasn’t.

The Owls, needing a victory over Navy to ensure their first winning season since 1963, ran into a howling thunderstorm at Houston and an equally fierce effort by the Midshipmen, but were able to slosh to a victory.

Play was suspended for 63 minutes as tornadoes bounced around the Houston area and a monsoon-like rain turned Rice Stadium into a lake.

The storm, however, ignited the Owls (6-4), who came back from the delay to score 17 points in the fourth quarter, then held on as Navy (1-9) scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech 44, Houston 35--Robert Hall returned from a three-game absence to throw for three touchdowns and run for a fourth score as Tech won in blowing snow and slush at Lubbock, Tex.

Texas Tech finished the season 5-6 and 4-3.

Turnovers hurt Houston (3-7, 1-5), which lost two fumbles and an interception deep in Red Raider territory.

Texas Tech’s Byron Morris barreled his way for 222 yards and two one-yard touchdowns in 37 carries. He scored the first midway through the first quarter and again late in the third quarter.

Hall, who ran for a one-yard touchdown in the first quarter, threw scoring passes of three yards to Scott Aylor and 38 yards to Lloyd Hill in the second quarter as Tech built a 28-21 halftime lead.

His 34-yard touchdown to Donald Marshall in the third quarter made it 35-21, and the Cougars never seriously threatened the rest of the way.

Hall completed 12 of 23 passes for 231 yards and no interceptions.

Houston quarterback Jimmy Klingler threw for 412 yards on 33-of-57 passing with one interception and two touchdowns. He hit Sherman Smith for an eight-yard touchdown and Donald Moffett for a 19-yard score, both in the second quarter.