Photo by Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs
Texas A&M Football
Memory Serves: The truth about an A&M-Texas bowl game
Since creeping into my 50's, the memory plays tricks on me.
On Tuesday, it was running serious razzle-dazzle.
The confusion started with this tweet from Chip Brown, a respected Austin-based sports journalist: “Is the SEC telling bowl games with SEC and Big 12 tie-ins it doesn’t support a Texas vs. Texas A&M postseason matchup?”
He took a passive-aggressive approach. Technically, he only asked a question, but implied the Southeastern Conference might seek to block a Texas A&M-Texas meeting in a college football bowl game.
Two Dec. 29 bowl games — the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Texas Bowl in Houston — match SEC and Big 12 teams. So are we to believe the Southeastern Conference, which assigns its teams to specific bowl games, would manipulate the pairings in other bowl games to ensure the Aggies and Longhorns don’t play?
The implication that the SEC or Texas A&M would seek to duck Texas really has the memory befuddled. After all, wasn’t it Texas, angry that Texas A&M was moving to the SEC, that ended the regular-season series?
Wasn’t it then-Texas athletic director Deloss Dodds that told Texas A&M that the Longhorns’ football schedule was too full to include Texas A&M?
To refresh a failing memory, this excerpt was found from an Oct. 15, 2011 ESPN.com article:
"'We’re scheduled out with non-conference games through 2018 and our Big 12 schedule is not yet settled,' Dodds said in an email to then-A&M athletic director Bill Byrne. 'What we have right now is a full schedule, but if any future options are available, the decision will not be made by just one person.'"
College football schedules are often adjusted and re-adjusted. Games and can be canceled or postponed. The trick is finding an opponent that wants to play. Texas A&M wanted to play Texas. That series could have been continued had Texas shared that desire.
Later, Dodds told the Texas student newspaper The Daily Texan: “They left. They’re the ones that decided not to play us. We get to decide when we play again. I think that’s fair. If you did a survey of our fans about playing A&M, they don’t want to. It’s overwhelming. I know. I hear it. Our fans are important to us. I think there’s got to be a period where things get different. I think there’s too many hard feelings.”
Of course, there was some revisionist history as well as some typical arrogance in that quote.
SI.com
The end of DeLoss Dodds' time in Austin was characterized by, among other things, a constant misrepresentation of the A&M-Texas situation.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The end of DeLoss Dodds\u0027 time in Austin was characterized by, among other things, a constant misrepresentation of the A\u0026M-Texas situation.","MediaItemID":9715}
To say A&M didn’t want to play Texas just isn’t accurate. A&M just didn’t want to play Texas as a conference game.
And why should Texas get to decide when to play again? Why would that be fair?
That comment brought back memories of a colorful remark by Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who said she wouldn’t schedule Texas A&M for the same reason she wouldn’t sleep with her ex-husband after a divorce.
Dodds' comment sounded like someone who’s been divorced, but thinks the ex should be at their beck-and-call.
Dodds felt like Texas should get to decide when to play A&M again?
Well, obviously the Longhorns decided that Jan. 4, 2013 wasn’t the time to play.
Texas and Texas A&M could have played in the Cotton Bowl following the 2012 season. The Cotton Bowl wanted that matchup. But two Cotton Bowl officials told me face-to-face that Texas wasn’t interested.
Look, I was born and raised in Texas. That traditional Thanksgiving Day game between the Aggies and Longhorns was part of my heritage. It was part of who we were. I hate that it’s gone, especially because so many people who aren’t from Texas were instrumental in that rivalry ending.
Yet, the Aggies’ non-interest in playing Texas now is understandable. Texas didn’t want to continue the series, but now wants to play a bowl game. Therefore the Aggies should dutifully comply?
That ship has sailed.
Though Brown’s tweet only asked a question, it came off as an accusation. Did someone inside Texas’ athletic department make an accusation that led to the tweet?
Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
At this point, the Aggies have way more important concerns — and opponents — than Texas.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"At this point, the Aggies have way more important concerns — and opponents — than Texas.","MediaItemID":46393}
If so, that comes off as monumentally hypocritical.
Besides, why would Texas A&M, which has played five teams that are currently ranked, look to duck unranked Texas?
At least one ESPN analyst projects Texas A&M to face Texas in the Texas Bowl. Another pits Texas A&M against West Virginia there.
But Jerry Palm of CBS Sports projects Texas A&M to the Outback Bowl to face Wisconsin. That’s the matchup the Aggies should be looking to duck.
That would pit A&M’s struggling run defense against Wisconsin Heisman Trophy candidate Melvin Gordon, who leads the nation in rushing and gained more than 400 yards just last week.
Texas’ running game isn’t nearly as potent. The Longhorns haven’t rushed for as many as 250 yards in any game this year.
Well, that is if memory serves.
On Tuesday, it was running serious razzle-dazzle.
The confusion started with this tweet from Chip Brown, a respected Austin-based sports journalist: “Is the SEC telling bowl games with SEC and Big 12 tie-ins it doesn’t support a Texas vs. Texas A&M postseason matchup?”
He took a passive-aggressive approach. Technically, he only asked a question, but implied the Southeastern Conference might seek to block a Texas A&M-Texas meeting in a college football bowl game.
Two Dec. 29 bowl games — the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Texas Bowl in Houston — match SEC and Big 12 teams. So are we to believe the Southeastern Conference, which assigns its teams to specific bowl games, would manipulate the pairings in other bowl games to ensure the Aggies and Longhorns don’t play?
The implication that the SEC or Texas A&M would seek to duck Texas really has the memory befuddled. After all, wasn’t it Texas, angry that Texas A&M was moving to the SEC, that ended the regular-season series?
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A request for comment from the SEC is pending.The implication that the SEC or Texas A&M would seek to duck Texas really has the memory befuddled. After all, wasn’t it Texas, angry that Texas A&M was moving to the SEC, that ended the regular-season series?
Wasn’t it then-Texas athletic director Deloss Dodds that told Texas A&M that the Longhorns’ football schedule was too full to include Texas A&M?
To refresh a failing memory, this excerpt was found from an Oct. 15, 2011 ESPN.com article:
"'We’re scheduled out with non-conference games through 2018 and our Big 12 schedule is not yet settled,' Dodds said in an email to then-A&M athletic director Bill Byrne. 'What we have right now is a full schedule, but if any future options are available, the decision will not be made by just one person.'"
College football schedules are often adjusted and re-adjusted. Games and can be canceled or postponed. The trick is finding an opponent that wants to play. Texas A&M wanted to play Texas. That series could have been continued had Texas shared that desire.
Later, Dodds told the Texas student newspaper The Daily Texan: “They left. They’re the ones that decided not to play us. We get to decide when we play again. I think that’s fair. If you did a survey of our fans about playing A&M, they don’t want to. It’s overwhelming. I know. I hear it. Our fans are important to us. I think there’s got to be a period where things get different. I think there’s too many hard feelings.”
Of course, there was some revisionist history as well as some typical arrogance in that quote.
SI.com
The end of DeLoss Dodds' time in Austin was characterized by, among other things, a constant misrepresentation of the A&M-Texas situation.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The end of DeLoss Dodds\u0027 time in Austin was characterized by, among other things, a constant misrepresentation of the A\u0026M-Texas situation.","MediaItemID":9715}
And why should Texas get to decide when to play again? Why would that be fair?
That comment brought back memories of a colorful remark by Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who said she wouldn’t schedule Texas A&M for the same reason she wouldn’t sleep with her ex-husband after a divorce.
Dodds' comment sounded like someone who’s been divorced, but thinks the ex should be at their beck-and-call.
Dodds felt like Texas should get to decide when to play A&M again?
Well, obviously the Longhorns decided that Jan. 4, 2013 wasn’t the time to play.
Texas and Texas A&M could have played in the Cotton Bowl following the 2012 season. The Cotton Bowl wanted that matchup. But two Cotton Bowl officials told me face-to-face that Texas wasn’t interested.
Look, I was born and raised in Texas. That traditional Thanksgiving Day game between the Aggies and Longhorns was part of my heritage. It was part of who we were. I hate that it’s gone, especially because so many people who aren’t from Texas were instrumental in that rivalry ending.
Yet, the Aggies’ non-interest in playing Texas now is understandable. Texas didn’t want to continue the series, but now wants to play a bowl game. Therefore the Aggies should dutifully comply?
That ship has sailed.
Though Brown’s tweet only asked a question, it came off as an accusation. Did someone inside Texas’ athletic department make an accusation that led to the tweet?
Kirby Clarke, TexAgs
At this point, the Aggies have way more important concerns — and opponents — than Texas.
{"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"At this point, the Aggies have way more important concerns — and opponents — than Texas.","MediaItemID":46393}
Besides, why would Texas A&M, which has played five teams that are currently ranked, look to duck unranked Texas?
At least one ESPN analyst projects Texas A&M to face Texas in the Texas Bowl. Another pits Texas A&M against West Virginia there.
But Jerry Palm of CBS Sports projects Texas A&M to the Outback Bowl to face Wisconsin. That’s the matchup the Aggies should be looking to duck.
That would pit A&M’s struggling run defense against Wisconsin Heisman Trophy candidate Melvin Gordon, who leads the nation in rushing and gained more than 400 yards just last week.
Texas’ running game isn’t nearly as potent. The Longhorns haven’t rushed for as many as 250 yards in any game this year.
Well, that is if memory serves.
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