It was put on a platter for Texas A&M.

But it's been famine, not feast, for the Aggies come bowl time over the past two decades.

The Aggies have found a way to lose 10 of their last 12 bowl games. It's a trend that has to be frustrating the Aggie faithful, especially when they outnumber the opposition's fans by at least four to one.

In previous two bowl losses -- 38-7 to Tennessee and 45-10 to California -- the Aggies were obviously outmanned, and it didn't take long for that to be evident. On Saturday at the Alamo Bowl, that was not the case.

The Aggies appeared as if they had something to prove. They also appeared capable of doing it. Penn State was even cooperating.

When Kevin Kelly was wide right with a field goal attempt on the Nittany Lions' first drive, the Aggies floated off the field. It was Texas Tech all over, except this time it was the opposition missing a field goal that gave the Aggies life.

And it showed on the ensuing drive when the Aggies marched 70 yards for their first points.

Immediately, A&M got another break -- a fumble on the kickoff -- and again they capitalized.

Fourteen to nothing.

And in the process of A&M shooting to a two-touchdown lead, it appeared Penn State had no answer for a fleet-footed Mike Goodson, who scored the first two TDs.

But on the opposite end of A&M's 2-10 bowl mark since 1992 is Penn State's 9-3 record since 1993 and a 23-10-1 overall bowl record under Joe Paterno, who was coaching his 500th game overall.

A Nittany Lion touchdown that the Aggies felt could have been overturned and Goodson trying to make something out of nothing at the wrong end of the field was all Penn State needed to get back in the game.

A&M interim head coach Gary Darnell, one of six in such a position this bowl season, should be commended for having the Aggies ready in a less-than-ideal scenario.

After a second quarter that was eerily similar to the Cotton Bowl three years ago and the second half of the Holiday Bowl last season, A&M came out and did what it does best in the second half: control the football.

But just like in basketball, finishing is more important than setting up a good opportunity.

A&M put together drives of 78 and 93 yards and got three points out of one and none out of the other.

The field goal at least tied the game at 17, but after salvaging what could have been a game-tying drive with two third-and-long conversions in their own territory, the Aggies went sideways from the Penn State 2-yard line, failing to get one yard to set up a first-and-goal from the 1.

Stephen McGee, who had made the throws after ducking out of trouble to convert the third-down plays earlier, slipped and fell on his backside on an option play that was going nowhere, anyway.

The situation, if not the play, was all too familiar for Aggie fans, who watched as the player with 45 touchdowns in 35 games, almost all of which came inside the 5, was on the sideline.

And we might add, not too happy about it as well. See the Miami game.

Jorvorskie Lane, who had only been stopped once in the game for no gain, wasn't even in the game as a decoy, someone to make the Lions load the box so McGee and Goodson could have at least been one-on-one outside the tackles instead of facing a handful of Nittany Lions, who are known for the way they pursue.

Lane was in on the third down play but the Aggies had to call timeout as the clock wound down. He watched from his corner on the sideline while Alexander ran for two on a third-and-three and McGee had nowhere to go but down on the ensuing play.

Penn State's running game did the rest, and Darnell, like every other interim coach so far this bowl season, came up just short.

• Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.