Taurean York owns Texas A&M's rivalry collapse but already has his eyes on the CFP, urging Aggies to reset, reload and "go play four games in a row" for a title.
Texas A&M walked into Austin dreaming of perfection. It walked out with its first loss of the season, a 27-17 punch to the gut courtesy of the Texas Longhorns - and no shot at the SEC Championship Game.
Up 10-3 at halftime, the Aggies were in control and playing far better than they had in last year's rivalry meeting. But the second half unraveled fast.
Texas seized momentum, Arch Manning ripped off a back-breaking 35-yard touchdown run, and Marcel Reed threw two late interceptions that killed any hope of an Aggie comeback.
For captain Taurean York, the loss stung deeply. But even in the immediate aftermath, his eyes were already drifting toward what’s next: the College Football Playoff.
"Oh yeah, you know, we're still good," York said after the loss. "Probably gonna get a good little seed. We just got to go play four games in a row to go win the championship."
York didn't sugarcoat how much the rivalry defeat hurt, especially with bragging rights and a trophy on the line.
"Obviously, this one hurts, you want to win that trophy, you want to have the in-state rivalry bragging rights, but you know, it wasn't our time," York continued. "So, we have just got to keep on pushing forward and getting ready for the playoffs."
The junior linebacker was one of the few bright spots on a rough night for the Aggie defense. York finished with 11 total tackles, second only to Dalton Brooks' 12, but he was blunt about how and why things fell apart after halftime.
"I mean, we just busted way too many things, you can't bust it," York said. "Plays like that, against an upper-echelon team like Texas, you can’t close off, it's gotta be down-to-down football."
Those "busted" plays showed up everywhere ... chunk runs by Quintrevion Wisner, scrambling lanes for Manning, and explosive drives that flipped the game in Texas' favor. After locking down in the first half, the Aggies couldn't get off the field when it mattered most.
Still, at 11-1 with a historic regular season in the books, Texas A&M remains firmly in the College Football Playoff picture. A trip to Atlanta is off the table, but a home playoff game at Kyle Field is very much in play as the Aggies wait for their seeding and opponent.
For York and the 12th Man, the message is clear ... the rivalry loss will sting, but the championship chase is just getting started.