Texas A&M and Baylor gave us what we expected Saturday, with the Aggies holding off the Bears 15-10 in the meeting of two 3-0 teams.

A&M now moves to 4-0 while Baylor slides to 3-1, but with the Aggies not getting a four-try bonus point and Baylor getting a BP for a close loss, they aren't all that separated.

The game was a defensive battle as both teams struggled to adjust to dealing with a stronger defensive front than they've seen so far. Baylor finally got on the board through flyhalf Michael Hand midway through the first half. It wasn't until just before halftime that A&M equalized with a try from their excellent hooker Tom Batterson. 

Baylor wing Braydon Murdock not only has a name that makes him sound like a private investigator, but also has finishing ability and his try right after the halftime break set up Baylor for a 10-5 lead. Right after that both teams ran on a series of tactical subs and A&M seemed to get the better of that. No. 8 Nic Corsico scored midway through the second half to make it 10-10 and then with 11 minutes to go Justin Orlando's try finally get the Aggies the lead at 15-10.

It was a tough game for Baylor in part because they lost starting flanker Andrew Cayasso to injury just two minutes into the game. They battled on, however, but couldn't close the five-point gap. Amazingly, for teams that have very useful goalkickers, neither team was able to convert any of their tries.

A&M Head Coach James Lowrey said it was a tough game that his squad "made it a hell of a lot harder than we should have. However the grit never ceased and that was what got us through in the end."

It's very difficult to coach heart and tenacity, said Lowrey, but "the boys had it in spades. The forwards were tremendous. They have been the real strength this year and continued to deliver when it was needed. It was technically frustrating as a coach but at the end of the day, winning games when you didn't play your best says a great deal about where we're heading."

Lowrey added that A&M is gaining a lot of confidence from a strong defensive performance, something they take pride in.

"We just need to translate some of that energy into our execution in back play, which has a lot left to be desired," he said. "It's a good bit of motivation for them to bring into the spring, so I am eager to see how they accept that challenge. 

"Baylor have always been a great foe and continue to improve with their new coach [Will Magie]. His impact has been immediate and has that team hungry to improve which is why you want to develop competition and to make the conference better overall. I expect them to lift again in the spring."

Meanwhile, Oklahoma ended their fall with a 52-0 shutout of North Texas. Center Josh Dickens scored 23 points on two tries, a penalty goal, and five conversions. Wing Ethan Betchan and hooker Sean Flahive each nabbed two tries in the shutout.

The Red River teams go to Winter Break and will resume the season in the New Year.

Updated Red River Conference standings (unofficial)