College Station, Texas ? Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal made a big first impression on Oklahoma as a freshman last season when he came off the bench and led the Aggies to their only victory over a No. 1 team.

He’s hoping for a repeat today against the No. 1 Sooners in Norman, Okla., but McNeal knows he’ll be a marked man.

“That comes with the position,” he said. “You can’t go out there scared. You go out with your head up. I know they’re going to be coming after me, coming after us, so it’s something we’ve got to deal with.”

McNeal had played little last season when he shocked Oklahoma with four touchdown passes. He hit 8 of 13 passes for 191 yards and ran for 89 yards on 16 carries.

McNeal didn’t blink before 84,036 fans at Kyle Field as the Aggies sent Oklahoma’s national championship dream up in smoke. Everyone was shocked except McNeal.

“I didn’t surprise myself; I might have surprised some of you all,” McNeal said. “I felt like I could play with anybody at any time, so I don’t think I surprised myself. It was the right time. Everything fell in place for the game. I was just ready to play.”

McNeal beat Justin Long for the starting job this season and has made improvements.

“He’s more confident because he’s the starter, and I saw that change in him early in the season when that happened,” tackle Alan Reuber said. “When you look at him in the huddle he’s looking you right back in the eye and you know there’s a confidence that wasn’t there before.

“Last year, when he’d come in the huddle, you could tell he was a little nervous, and that’s gone now.”

Wide receiver Terrence Murphy got excited when he saw McNeal against the Sooners last season.

“I knew he could play, but I didn’t know if he was ready yet,” Murphy said. “He went out and showed the world that he was a great player. That’s why he was so highly recruited out of high school.”

McNeal has had just one bad game this season. He was 7-of-19 with three interceptions for a season-low 77 yards in a 48-10 loss to Nebraska.

He’s been a major reason that coach Dennis Franchione has been able to achieve his goal of having a more balanced offense. McNeal has completed 93 of 176 passes for eight touchdowns and six interceptions.

McNeal is the Aggies’ second-leading rusher behind Courtney Lewis with 343 yards on 92 carries and three touchdowns.

“I thought he was the real deal,” Murphy said. “For a true freshman to go out and play against the No. 1 team and lead us, that was something great. I felt A&M could build a program around him over the next few years.”