Reggie McNeal threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns, and Texas A&M beat Texas State 44-31 in a stadium rendered unusually bare in an area choked with evacuating traffic as Hurricane Rita crept closer Thursday night.
Jason Carter caught eight passes for 219 yards and a touchdown for Texas A&M (2-1), which had asked fans outside College Station, Texas, to stay home so more room was available for the thousands fleeing Houston, about 100 miles away, and the Gulf Coast.
The specter of Rita spurred both schools to hastily reschedule the game from Saturday, when the Category 4 storm packing 145-mph wind was expected to make landfall.
Barrick Nealy threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns for Texas State (2-1), which lost its hopes of an upset when the Bobcats couldn’t score after starting a drive at the Aggies 7-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.
Texas A&M president Robert Gates encouraged fans not living in the College Station area to skip the game because hotels were booked with evacuees. The announced paid attendance was 72,741, but about half as many turned out.
LSU: The Tigers’ home opener against Tennessee scheduled for Saturday was shifted to Monday night in response to the threat of Hurricane Rita.
The Southeastern Conference made the announcement after a conference call with school officials. The game will start at 5:30 MDT and be televised by ESPN2.
“After reviewing all of the information, I felt this was the best decision for the game,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said. “The safety of our student-athletes, coaches and fans is our priority.”
LSU’s first home game against North Texas was scheduled for Sept. 3, just a few days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Bowls: The NCAA has approved the use of video replay review of on-field officiating calls during all 28 Division I-A postseason games.
Georgia Tech: Quarterback Reggie Ball looked much better in practice, taking a majority of snaps with the first team and looking as though he will be ready to play Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Ball missed last week’s victory over Connecticut after coming down with viral meningitis, ending 27 consecutive starts.
The No. 15 Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) desperately need Ball for one of their biggest games in years against fourth-ranked Virginia Tech (3-0, 2-0).
Ball got limited work in the first two practices of the week, the coaching staff not wanting to risk a relapse of the illness that put the junior in a hospital for two days. But he stepped up his routine.
“He’s a lot better,” coach Chan Gailey said. “He had a good practice and did a lot more than he did in days past. I’m very encouraged.”
Redshirt freshman Taylor Bennett started against UConn and got most of the work with the first-team offense Tuesday and Wednesday. That wasn’t the case Thursday.
“They shared the snaps,” Gailey said. “Reggie probably had a few more with the (first team) than Taylor.”
The Yellow Jackets designed their game plan to accommodate both quarterbacks playing, but Gailey isn’t saying how he plans to use them.
“I still think both quarterbacks will play,” he said. “What percentage? I don’t know. Who will start? I don’t know. I’ll leave it at that.”
Meanwhile, defensive end Eric Henderson got limited work in practice because of a sore leg, casting doubt on whether he will play.
