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| Texas A&M coach Jackie Sherrill celebrates after beating the Longhorns in a 37-12 victory that set off a long bad stretch for UT. |
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 11:04 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
Published: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
Unlike the neutral-site rivalry the Longhorns have with Oklahoma, the Texas vs. Texas A&M series, for the most part, has not been one of long winning streaks.
The two schools' alternating homefield advantage often puts a quick halt to a run by either team.
In 1984, however, the game marked a turning point in the football fortunes of both schools.
Early in the season, Texas was on top of the college football world after beating Bo Jackson and Auburn in Austin, then crushing Penn State in the Meadowlands. A bitter 15-15 tie with No. 3-ranked Oklahoma started a bit of a slide for Fred Akers' Longhorns, but they were still 7-2-1 and ranked 13th when the faced the Aggies in Austin.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, was stuck in neutral.
In 1982, A&M had scandalized college football by signing Pittsburgh coach Jackie Sherrill for a whopping $1.7 million.
To earn that money, Sherrill had to coach six years, not the six games that big-time coaches now work to cash that kind of check. But at the time, the contract was huge.
Michigan's then-athletic director, Don Canham, had to work to hang onto his coach Bo Schembechler and said then, "I'm afraid this will start an escalation in the bidding I don't like to see. Suddenly money doesn't mean anything. It becomes plastic. Everything is all out of whack."
Heading into the Texas game, the Aggies hadn't received much of a return on their investment.
After almost three complete seasons in College Station, Sherrill's record was a very mediocre 15-16-1 — including two lopsided losses to Texas.
The Aggies weren't playing for much else than pride, but they jumped out to 20-0 lead and cruised to a 37-12 win. It was only A&M's fourth win at Memorial Stadium and the most points the Aggies had scored against the Longhorns to that point in the series.
Texas quarterbacks Todd Dodge and Bret Stafford both played and were sacked five times, and a swarming A&M defense held Texas to 80 yards on the ground. The Aggies, led by Thomas Sanders, ground out 287 yards and quarterback Craig Stump passed for 168 yards.
There was no bowl game for the Aggies and there shouldn't have been one for Texas. While many of the Texas players wanted the season merely to end, the team when to the Freedom Bowl, where it was embarrassed by Chuck Long and Iowa, 55-17.
Akers never again beat A&M at Texas; his last season at Texas was 1986. Sherrill left A&M after the 1988 season, but was replaced by defensive coordinator R.C. Slocum, who continued A&M's successful run. From 1984 through 1994 Texas beat Texas A&M only once, by a single point in 1990.
jmaher@statesman.com; 445-3956
Updated: 11:04 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
Published: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, 2011
Unlike the neutral-site rivalry the Longhorns have with Oklahoma, the Texas vs. Texas A&M series, for the most part, has not been one of long winning streaks.
The two schools' alternating homefield advantage often puts a quick halt to a run by either team.
In 1984, however, the game marked a turning point in the football fortunes of both schools.
Early in the season, Texas was on top of the college football world after beating Bo Jackson and Auburn in Austin, then crushing Penn State in the Meadowlands. A bitter 15-15 tie with No. 3-ranked Oklahoma started a bit of a slide for Fred Akers' Longhorns, but they were still 7-2-1 and ranked 13th when the faced the Aggies in Austin.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, was stuck in neutral.
In 1982, A&M had scandalized college football by signing Pittsburgh coach Jackie Sherrill for a whopping $1.7 million.
To earn that money, Sherrill had to coach six years, not the six games that big-time coaches now work to cash that kind of check. But at the time, the contract was huge.
Michigan's then-athletic director, Don Canham, had to work to hang onto his coach Bo Schembechler and said then, "I'm afraid this will start an escalation in the bidding I don't like to see. Suddenly money doesn't mean anything. It becomes plastic. Everything is all out of whack."
Heading into the Texas game, the Aggies hadn't received much of a return on their investment.
After almost three complete seasons in College Station, Sherrill's record was a very mediocre 15-16-1 — including two lopsided losses to Texas.
The Aggies weren't playing for much else than pride, but they jumped out to 20-0 lead and cruised to a 37-12 win. It was only A&M's fourth win at Memorial Stadium and the most points the Aggies had scored against the Longhorns to that point in the series.
Texas quarterbacks Todd Dodge and Bret Stafford both played and were sacked five times, and a swarming A&M defense held Texas to 80 yards on the ground. The Aggies, led by Thomas Sanders, ground out 287 yards and quarterback Craig Stump passed for 168 yards.
There was no bowl game for the Aggies and there shouldn't have been one for Texas. While many of the Texas players wanted the season merely to end, the team when to the Freedom Bowl, where it was embarrassed by Chuck Long and Iowa, 55-17.
Akers never again beat A&M at Texas; his last season at Texas was 1986. Sherrill left A&M after the 1988 season, but was replaced by defensive coordinator R.C. Slocum, who continued A&M's successful run. From 1984 through 1994 Texas beat Texas A&M only once, by a single point in 1990.
jmaher@statesman.com; 445-3956
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