25-21 Discussion
Aaron Wallace Q&A
Texas A&M Football
Texas A&M's 50 greatest football victories: Nos. 25-21
There have been
nail-biters and blowouts. There have been amazing comebacks and
improbable upsets. There have been last-minute touchdowns and clutch
goal line stands.
Through 121 seasons of Texas A&M football, the Aggies have posted 717 victories.
One resulted in cotton falling like snow at Kyle Field. Another had a historic “Bear” hug. Several came at the expense of Heisman Trophy recipients.
Some transformed star players like Crow, Hargett, Johnny Football and the Haskell Hurricane into legends.
From the Dixie Classic, to the Sugar Bowl, to — oh, my gracious — a stunning triumph at Tuscaloosa, TexAgs has attempted to rank the Aggies’ 50 greatest football victories to be revealed in sets of five.
See if your Top 50 matches ours.
Texas A&M’s greatest football victories: Nos. 50-46 ... 45-41 ... 40-36 ... 35-31 ... 30-26
25. Texas A&M 13, Fordham 12 (Jan. 1, 1941): A&M lost its claim to a national championship when it fell in the regular season finale. However, the 8-2 Aggies, who shared the Southwest Conference championship with SMU, bounced back strong with a Cotton Bowl victory marked by one of the most famous plays in A&M lore.
Fordham, which entered the Cotton Bowl ranked 12, held a 6-0 halftime lead but the momentum would soon shift to A&M.
Early in the third quarter after a three-yard gain, surprise backfield starter Earl “Alabama” Smith wandered toward the sideline while the rest of the A&M team huddled up.
Pugh threw downfield to Smith, who was deep behind the Fordham secondary. Smith caught the pass on the “Hideout Play” for a 62-yard touchdown to tie the score.
A&M took a 13-6 lead on its next series with a John Kimbrough 1-yard touchdown run and Pugh’s extra point.
Fordham answered in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown run by Jim Blumenstock, but Martin Ruby blocked the extra point to preserve the lead.
Neither team threatened to score again.
24. Texas A&M 7, Baylor 0 (Nov. 10, 1917): Not only were the Aggies taking an undefeated 5-0 record to Waco, but A&M had not allowed a point all season.
Meanwhile, Baylor was also 5-0 and two weeks prior had romped to a 103-0 victory over Hardin Simmons.
Of course, the A&M defense was much more formidable than that of Hardin Simmons. The Aggies posted their sixth straight shutout victory en route to a Southwest Conference championship and perfect 8-0 season in which they did not allow a point.
Baylor finished second in the SWC standings.
23. Texas A&M 17, Houston 13 (Oct. 14, 1989): Behind eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Andre Ware, Houston’s Run-and-Shoot offense was rolling up numbers like a pinball machine.
The Cougars scored more than 50 points in six games that season and scored at least 36 points in every game but one. In that one, the Run-and-Shoot ran into A&M’s Blitz-and-Destroy.
Houston entered the ’89 season’s fifth game averaging 647 yards per game. But Ware completed only 28 of 52 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown as he was constantly under pressure from blitzing linebacker Aaron Wallace, who posted 3 ½ sacks that day. Ware lost his helmet on one of those sacks and Wallace famously held it high like David holding up the severed head of the slain Goliath.
The Aggies were the only team to go unbeaten in SWC play in three consecutive seasons.
Texas A&M Media Relations
Leeland McElroy's 1993 kickoff return touchdown helped propel the Aggies to another memorable — and record-setting — win over Texas.
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22. Texas A&M 7, Santa Clara 3 (Oct. 6, 1939): The Aggies were typically dominant in winning their only AP national championship, but had to survive a tough trip to San Francisco to face Santa Clara.
Santa Clara was a West Coast power that had beaten LSU in the 1937 and 1938 Sugar Bowls. The Broncos would finish that season 5-1-3 and ranked 14th in the national polls.
Their lone loss was to A&M, which rallied from a 3-0 deficit to post the 7-3 victory.
21. Texas A&M 18, Texas 9 (Nov. 25, 1993): On a bitterly cold Thanksgiving Night at Kyle Field, defensive back Dennis Allen made the play that enabled the Aggies to defeat Texas, win the Southwest Conference championship and set a record with 22-consecutive SWC victories.
Leeland McElroy returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Corey Pullig threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tony Harrison to give the Aggies a 15-9 halftime lead.
However, Texas drove inside the A&M 5-yard line with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Facing fourth-and-two, Longhorns quarterback Shea Morenz rolled right in search of a receiver for a potentially game-winning touchdown pass.
Instead, Allen stepped in to intercept Morenz’ throw and protect the Aggies’ precarious lead.
A&M then moved downfield for Terry Venetoulias’ victory-clinching 20-yard field goal with 58 seconds left.
Through 121 seasons of Texas A&M football, the Aggies have posted 717 victories.
One resulted in cotton falling like snow at Kyle Field. Another had a historic “Bear” hug. Several came at the expense of Heisman Trophy recipients.
Some transformed star players like Crow, Hargett, Johnny Football and the Haskell Hurricane into legends.
From the Dixie Classic, to the Sugar Bowl, to — oh, my gracious — a stunning triumph at Tuscaloosa, TexAgs has attempted to rank the Aggies’ 50 greatest football victories to be revealed in sets of five.
See if your Top 50 matches ours.
Texas A&M’s greatest football victories: Nos. 50-46 ... 45-41 ... 40-36 ... 35-31 ... 30-26
25. Texas A&M 13, Fordham 12 (Jan. 1, 1941): A&M lost its claim to a national championship when it fell in the regular season finale. However, the 8-2 Aggies, who shared the Southwest Conference championship with SMU, bounced back strong with a Cotton Bowl victory marked by one of the most famous plays in A&M lore.
Fordham, which entered the Cotton Bowl ranked 12, held a 6-0 halftime lead but the momentum would soon shift to A&M.
Early in the third quarter after a three-yard gain, surprise backfield starter Earl “Alabama” Smith wandered toward the sideline while the rest of the A&M team huddled up.
Pugh threw downfield to Smith, who was deep behind the Fordham secondary. Smith caught the pass on the “Hideout Play” for a 62-yard touchdown to tie the score.
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Smith, who was undetected by the Fordham defense, then raced down the sideline when A&M quarterback Marion Pugh took the snap. Pugh threw downfield to Smith, who was deep behind the Fordham secondary. Smith caught the pass on the “Hideout Play” for a 62-yard touchdown to tie the score.
A&M took a 13-6 lead on its next series with a John Kimbrough 1-yard touchdown run and Pugh’s extra point.
Fordham answered in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown run by Jim Blumenstock, but Martin Ruby blocked the extra point to preserve the lead.
Neither team threatened to score again.
24. Texas A&M 7, Baylor 0 (Nov. 10, 1917): Not only were the Aggies taking an undefeated 5-0 record to Waco, but A&M had not allowed a point all season.
Meanwhile, Baylor was also 5-0 and two weeks prior had romped to a 103-0 victory over Hardin Simmons.
Of course, the A&M defense was much more formidable than that of Hardin Simmons. The Aggies posted their sixth straight shutout victory en route to a Southwest Conference championship and perfect 8-0 season in which they did not allow a point.
Baylor finished second in the SWC standings.
23. Texas A&M 17, Houston 13 (Oct. 14, 1989): Behind eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Andre Ware, Houston’s Run-and-Shoot offense was rolling up numbers like a pinball machine.
The Cougars scored more than 50 points in six games that season and scored at least 36 points in every game but one. In that one, the Run-and-Shoot ran into A&M’s Blitz-and-Destroy.
Houston entered the ’89 season’s fifth game averaging 647 yards per game. But Ware completed only 28 of 52 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown as he was constantly under pressure from blitzing linebacker Aaron Wallace, who posted 3 ½ sacks that day. Ware lost his helmet on one of those sacks and Wallace famously held it high like David holding up the severed head of the slain Goliath.
The Aggies were the only team to go unbeaten in SWC play in three consecutive seasons.
Texas A&M Media Relations
Leeland McElroy's 1993 kickoff return touchdown helped propel the Aggies to another memorable — and record-setting — win over Texas.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Leeland McElroy\u0027s 1993 kickoff return touchdown helped propel the Aggies to another memorable — and record-setting — win over Texas.","MediaItemID":22001}
Santa Clara was a West Coast power that had beaten LSU in the 1937 and 1938 Sugar Bowls. The Broncos would finish that season 5-1-3 and ranked 14th in the national polls.
Their lone loss was to A&M, which rallied from a 3-0 deficit to post the 7-3 victory.
21. Texas A&M 18, Texas 9 (Nov. 25, 1993): On a bitterly cold Thanksgiving Night at Kyle Field, defensive back Dennis Allen made the play that enabled the Aggies to defeat Texas, win the Southwest Conference championship and set a record with 22-consecutive SWC victories.
Leeland McElroy returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Corey Pullig threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tony Harrison to give the Aggies a 15-9 halftime lead.
However, Texas drove inside the A&M 5-yard line with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Facing fourth-and-two, Longhorns quarterback Shea Morenz rolled right in search of a receiver for a potentially game-winning touchdown pass.
Instead, Allen stepped in to intercept Morenz’ throw and protect the Aggies’ precarious lead.
A&M then moved downfield for Terry Venetoulias’ victory-clinching 20-yard field goal with 58 seconds left.
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