COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Don't mess with Texas' defense.

That's one nasty, punishing, rock-solid unit.

Texas delivered a statement Saturday night that will reverberate in every corner of this football-crazed state. The Longhorns run Texas, although Texas A&M made them sweat to establish that.

Texas' defense refused to let this victory slip away, even after Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers nearly made a mess of this in the second half.

No. 3 Texas pushed around the rival it considers little brother in a 17-7 takedown of No. 19 Texas A&M at Kyle Field.

In a battle for the soul of Texas, 109,028 fans watched the Longhorns announce that they're built for the SEC's rigors.

Just as Texas A&M seemed ready to turn this into a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, Ethan Burke burst through the line to wreck the Aggies on fourth down.

Many have tried to conquer this Texas defense. Many have failed.

"Defensively tonight, an absolutely dominant performance," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

In delivering this result, the Longhorns quieted the “Texas ain’t beat anybody!” crowd, but the Longhorns' offensive erosion after halftime means questions persist about whether Texas is balanced enough to win the national championship.

Arch Manning remains the most popular backup quarterback in America. He added to his buzz by running for a touchdown when Sarkisian inserted him for a fourth-down play, wanting to use Manning's speed.

But, Sarkisian trusts Ewers most with Texas' national championship hopes, even though he showed an unsteady hand, just as he did in a loss to Georgia.

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Win helps validate Texas and earns SEC championship game

Texas finally owns a win against an opponent that had a number next to its name in the CFP rankings, but the playoff committee didn’t wait for this validation.

Texas has enjoyed the No. 3 ranking for the past three weeks, because the selection committee would not deny what their eyes had seen. That is, the Longhorns (11-1) are solid – and elite on defense.

The Longhorns must wonder what the big deal was about the SEC, anyway.

Texas spent the season punishing its new conference foes – and that includes its former Big 12 rival that got a 12-year head start on it in the SEC.

"The game is won upfront," Sarkisian said. "We don't play flag football. We don't play 7-on-7. You've got to be really good upfront, especially in this conference."

Texas will face Georgia for the SEC championship in its debut season in a conference that supplied 13 of the past 18 national champions since Texas won its last national championship in the 2005 season.

The Aggies (8-4) only reach the SEC championship in their dreams. This year joins 2012 and 2020 for A&M as another close bid for Atlanta that came up short.

After Texas established its instate supremacy, the question shifts to: Can the Longhorns win a national championship?

The defense, at least, looks the part. Not so sure about that Texas offense.

Texas defense elite, but should Longhorns fret about Quinn Ewers?

Sarkisian built Texas into a physical program that plays punishing defense. The Longhorns put a beating on any Aggie with the ball in his hands. They’re ball hawks, too, and Michael Taaffe supplied Texas with its 25th takeaway of the season with an acrobatic interception of Marcel Reed.

Grade A beef abounds on the offensive line. The running lanes were bountiful for Texas ball carriers to enjoy, and Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 186 yards.

That leaves quarterback. Ewers couldn't supply the final completion Texas needed last year in a CFP semifinal loss to Washington.

If Texas should fret about anything, it's turnover woes.

Turnovers foiled Texas in a loss to Georgia, with Ewers contributing three, and his turnovers on back-to-back drives Saturday allowed the Aggies to climb back in the game after Texas had built a 17-0 halftime lead.

Sarkisian took up for his quarterback and credited his "gutty performance" while playing on an injured ankle. Sarkisian described Ewers' turnovers as "bad-luck plays," and, to his credit, Ewers provided several big completions and multiple long runs while Texas established a commanding lead.

As for the turnovers, Ewers threw a pick-six while under duress from a blitz. That revived an Aggies crowd that had fallen silent while Texas threatened to turn this into a blowout.

As Aggies fans waved their white towels and raised their voices, the stadium shook, and the tension mounted.

A Ewers fumble ended Texas' next drive. Next, A&M blocked a punt, and, in a blink, the Aggies were in the red zone, on the verge of turning this into a one-possession game.

Burke had another idea. His tackle for loss extinguished the rally.

Shortly after that, Texas fans began chanting, "SEC! SEC! SEC!"

Texas belongs to the Longhorns. With one more victory, the SEC will be theirs, too.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas football defense smothers Texas A&M – but is Quinn Ewers OK?