Texas Longhorns top Texas A&M Aggies, to play for SEC title - ESPN

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In its first season as a member of the SEC, Texas didn't just show it belongs, it proved it deserves to contend for championships.

The No. 3 Longhorns secured a spot in the SEC title game Saturday with a 17-7 victory over No. 20 Texas A&M, closing out an 11-1 regular season with another signature road victory that helps guarantee the program will earn a spot in the College Football Playoff field.

In their first game back in College Station since a dramatic walk-off win in 2011, the Longhorns left no doubt by overpowering their in-state rival on both sides of the ball. Texas got a career-high 186 rushing yards on 33 carries from running back Quintrevion Wisner and a shutout performance from its defense that featured three critical fourth-down stops.

«I really thought we controlled the game and, quite frankly, dominated the game,» Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

The Longhorns will get a chance for revenge when they meet No. 7 Georgia in Atlanta next Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated Sarkisian's then-No. 1 ranked squad 30-15 in Austin on Oct. 19. Since then, Texas has stayed on course with a five-game winning streak that included three SEC road victories.

On Saturday night, Texas' defense set the tone yet again by holding Texas A&M to 146 passing yards and 98 rushing yards. They halted the Aggies' opening drive by stopping a fourth-and-1 rush for no gain from their own 10-yard line, then got an interception from Michael Taaffe at their 7-yard line on the Aggies' next drive.

Their biggest stop came in the fourth quarter, after Texas A&M blocked a punt and recovered it in the red zone with 7:48 remaining. Texas' defense stuffed running back Amari Daniels on third-and-goal at the 1. A field goal would