The 204-pound running back dashed through the first-team defense for 34 yards on his first carry. He accounted for 156 more yards as the Aggies had their final scrimmage of fall camp before the season opener Aug. 30 against Arkansas State.
Stephens capped his night with a 49-yard pass reception. He caught a short pass over the middle from senior quarterback Stephen McGee and weaved his way through the second-team defense. That set up the go-ahead touchdown for the first-team offense in the scrimmage's final segment, a situational setup that forced the first-team offense to rally from a 13-3 deficit.
The first-team offense shook off an interception of McGee by junior linebacker Will Harris to score touchdowns on its final two possessions.
Freshman wide receiver Jeff Fuller hauled in a 43-yard pass from McGee to set up the first touchdown. Fuller was closely covered by freshman defensive back Terrence Frederick, but Fuller used his 6-foot-4 frame to stretch out for the well-thrown ball toward the sideline.
McGee had a hand in both of the touchdowns. He ran in the first one from 2 yards out, then hit backup quarterback Jerrod Johnson for a 1-yard touchdown pass.
The 6-5, 229-pound Johnson had five catches for 47 yards playing tight end in the spread formation. That included a 15-yard touchdown catch during red-zone play that earned applause from the fans.
Third-string quarterback Ryan Tannehill had been the big story this week for his increased playing time at wide receiver. McGee was named the starter last Thursday with Johnson as the backup.
Tannehill didn't see action at quarterback or wide receiver, because of a slight tweak in his quad muscle.
The scrimmage opened with the first-team offense going against the second-team defense and the first-team defense working against the second-team offense.
McGee led the offense to a quick score, needing only seven plays to go 70 yards. Dump passes to junior tailback Mike Goodson and freshman Cyrus Gray accounted for 32 yards. McGee then teamed up with junior tight end Jamie McCoy for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Freshman defensive tackle Eddie Brown was credited with a sack of McGee to end the first-team offense's second drive.
The second-team offense responded with a touchdown.
Stephens caught a screen pass from Johnson on third-and-7, turning it into a 16-yard gain. Junior linebacker Matt Featherston had a clean shot at Stephens in the open field but didn't get a hand on him as the crowd responded to Stephens' moves.
Gray then covered 46 yards in two plays. He got 14 on a screen pass, then ran around left end but cut back against the pursuit for a touchdown.
Freshman quarterback Tommy Dorman had several good plays and led the third-string offense to the opponents' 15. But he and redshirt freshman Nick Trice bumped into each other resulting in a fumble recovered by redshirt freshman Michael Ebbitt.
Senior defensive end Michael Bennett had two sacks and the best hit that didn't count. Johnson faked and end round to sophomore wide receiver Kenny Brown who was leveled by Bennett as Johnson completed a 15-yard touchdown run in red-zone play.
Tidbits: Head coach Mike Sherman said both sides of the football had a more consistent effort Thursday. Last week, the first-team offense scored the first four times it had the ball. "When the defense had to step up, they made some key plays," Sherman said. "I saw good things on both sides."... Sherman said Tannehill could have played, but he hadn't done that much running until this week. ... Sophomore running back Cornell Tarrant didn't take part. Tarrant has some undisclosed personal issues and his status will be determined. "There's a chance he might not be on the team," Sherman said. ... Senior fullback Jorvorskie Lane, junior offensive lineman Vincent Williams, senior fullback Nick LaMantia, junior running back Keondra Smith and senior cornerback Danny Gorrer didn't scrimmage. Freshman fullback Kyle Mangan had his pads off after the first half. He had an 8-yard reception in the first half. Sherman is hopeful that his injured fullbacks will be back Monday.
Next up: A&M will watch film and work out Friday morning before having Saturday off. The team will begin regular game-week preparation Sunday afternoon.