COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Urban Meyer feared it might happen.
Anticipating trouble in the what he considers one of the most intimidating venues in the country, Meyer said it was crucial for the Utes to hold their own for the first 10 minutes of Saturday's meeting with Texas A&M at Kyle Field. If they could weather the storm, he felt, then it would be a game.
It was, but not exactly according to script.
Capitalizing on two touchdowns in the first 10:18 of play, Texas A&M outlasted Utah 28-26 before a rowdy crowd of 74,019.
Meyer acknowledged the early deficit proved too great to overcome, but chose to dwell on the positives. He was impressed with how Utah's offensive and defensive lines performed in the challenging environment and was especially pleased with the performance of running back Brandon Warfield. The Texas native rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns in his homecoming while sparking a furious rally.
It came up short, however, when quarterback Brett Elliott was stopped on a two-point conversion attempt with eight seconds remaining. An unsuccessful onsides kick followed and squelched the comeback.
The Utes, who trailed 21-0 at halftime, stormed back into contention when Warfield scored three consecutive Utah touchdowns over the third and fourth quarters. A 45-yard scoring strike from Elliott to John Madsen followed, setting up the decisive conversion attempt.
"I'm disappointed we lost the game on one two-point play," Meyer said. "But there were a lot of positives."
Over the final two quarters, Utah recovered three fumbles and stopped A&M on a fake field goal. A tackle by defensive end Marquess Ledbetter ended the latter, while linebacker Corey Dodds scooped up two of the loose balls — including a recovery near the goal line. Tommy Hackenbruck grabbed the other fumble.
"We played hard and we didn't want to lose this game," Dodds said. "In the first half we were all excited and wanted to make big plays. I, for one, blew assignments. In the second half, we came out settled, more relaxed and didn't make as many mistakes."
It wasn't enough, however, to overcome early shortcomings.
Utah's woes began after an exchange of punts opened the game. It also followed a pair of missed opportunities as Texas A&M recovered two of their own fumbles. The second one preceded the game's first score—an 80-yard touchdown run by Terrence Murphy.
The Utes were unable to pull even despite a retaliatory drive inside Aggie territory. A fumble—one of six they had before halftime and the first of two resulting in a turnover and an A&M touchdown — ended the promising series.
Bo Nagahi, who was inserted into the offense in place of the suspended Paris Warren, lost the ball after catching a shovel pass and getting hit. Defensive back Bryant Singleton recovered it on the 16, where A&M began its second scoring march.
Powered by a 50-yard pass from McNeal to Murphy, the Aggies eventually crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run by Keith Joseph.
In the second quarter, another fumble proved costly for the Utes. Steve Savoy lost control of the ball on a reverse. Defensive end David Ross pounced on it to give A&M possession on the Utah 4. On first down, the Aggies extended their lead when McNeal connected with a wide-open Quinlin Germany in the back of the end zone.
It capped all scoring in the half and left the Utes, who were penalized eight times over the first two quarters, trailing 21-0.
Things brightened after the break, however, when they opened with an impressive 11-play, 73-yard sequence that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Warfield. The ensuing PAT attempt was no good, but if failed to deter Utah's new-found momentum.
The Utes closed the gap to 21-13 with 5:42 remaining in the third quarter when Warfield capped a short drive with a 6-yard score.
Texas A&M countered with what proved to be the game-winning touchdown early in the fourth quarter. A 28-yard run by Courtney Lewis made it 28-13.
Utah, which missed an earlier chance to score when a 39-yard field goal attempt by Bryan Borreson's was wide left, answered with a 1-yard score from Warfield and Madsen's catch down the stretch before A&M cornerback Jonte Buhl ended the comeback by knocking Elliott down near the 2-yard line. Elliott was injured on the play and may have a broken arm.
"I told the team that college football games usually come down to a handful of plays," Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. "We played hard every snap and in the end we made one more play."
The Utes host California Thursday (5:45 p.m., ESPN).
E-MAIL: dirk@desnews.com