Texas Bowl 2011, Texas A&M Vs. Northwestern: Aggies Look To Win For Their New Head Coach

The Texas A&M Aggies fired their head coach shortly after the regular season ended, but they still have a bowl game left to play against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Aggies will be looking for a win for interim coach Tim DeRuyter, the Aggies defensive coordinator, playing for the final time as a member of the Big 12 conference before moving to the SEC. The Aggies will bring an offense that puts up nearly 40 points per game, but they'll also bring a defense that has given up leads late in games. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill will play his last game for the Aggies before moving on to the NFL after an impressive senior season, throwing for nearly 3,500 yards with 28 touchdowns.

Northwestern on the other hand is still looking for their first bowl win since 1949, and this will be head coach Pat Fitzgerald's fourth attempt to do so. Fitzgerald told the school's official website, "Get this monkey off our back, get the win and really springboard the next year and put a great bow to the careers of a senior class that is really special." Quarterback Dan Persa, who has a knack for making games exciting, will play his last game in purple as well. Northwestern's offense is just as explosive as A&M's, but their problem has been putting points on the board. If they want to beat the Aggies, Persa is going to have to make his usual plays, but they'll also need to get in the endzone.