Oh my gracious, there have been dozens of great plays in Texas A&M football history.
With
that in mind, TexAgs is ranking the greatest 50 plays in Texas A&M
football history. The list will be revealed five plays at a time from
No. 50 to No. 1.
There were big runs, big catches, big hits, big
kicks and big returns. Some produced iconic moments. Some clinched
championships. Some contributed to stunning upsets. Some even came in
losses. There was “The Hit,” “The Texas Special” and “Bo No Go.” There
was Johnny Football, Sirr Parker and Toooombs.
They will bring
back great memories. They will cause great debates. There will be
questions like “How could that play not be higher?” or “Why was this
play omitted?”
Oh Doctor, it was hard compiling our list. See how closely yours matches ours.
40. Stephen McGee touchdown upsets Texas (Nov. 24, 2006): No. 11 Texas
needed a win to finish first in the Big 12 South Division but was
struggling against the Aggies, who had lost their previous two games by
one point each. The Aggies again were trailing by a point, 7-6, in the
fourth quarter but launched an 18-play drive to the Texas 8-yard line.
On third-and-three, quarterback Stephen McGee ran a keeper left, cut
inside a devastating block from Chris Alexander at the 5-yard line and
powered into the end zone for the the game-winning score in a 12-7
Aggies victory.
39. Larry Horton starts Slocum era in style
(Sept. 2, 1989): LSU had beaten A&M in 1986, ’87 and ’88 and allowed
a total of 20 points in those three games. In fact, A&M had managed
just a field goal in the previous two. So there may have been some
apprehension at Kyle Field when the Aggies, in their first game under
coach R.C. Slocum, lined up to receive the opening kickoff from the No. 7
Tigers. Horton caught the kickoff at the 8-yard line and sprinted to
his left. He accelerated through a hole at the 30-yard line, picked up a
big block from Eric Moore at the 45 and outran the remaining LSU coverage
team to the end zone. The Aggies went on to post a 28-16 victory.
38.
Mike Evans burns the Alabama secondary (Sept. 14, 2013): A&M
trailed No. 1 Alabama 42-28 with less than nine minutes remaining and
had third-and-nine at its own 5-yard line. Receiver Mike Evans was
already having a big game against the Crimson Tide defense, so
quarterback Johnny Manziel looked his way again. Manziel threw deep to
the 6-foot-5 Evans, who had gotten behind Alabama cornerback Cyrus
Jones. Evans made the over-the-shoulder catch on the numbers at the
40-yard line, shoved Jones away with a stiff arm and rambled downfield.
Jones fell trying to wrestle Evans down, and Evans sprinted the remaining
32 yards to complete a 95-yard touchdown.
37. Granger finds
Schorp to beat Stanford (Aug. 26, 1992): The Aggies offense had been
frustrated throughout most of the 1992 Pigskin Classic against No. 17
Stanford. Trailing 7-0, they started to move the football early in the
fourth quarter and reached the Stanford 21-yard line. From there,
quarterback Jeff Granger dropped back to pass but was flushed out of
the pocket by a strong pass rush. He eluded a tackle and drifted back 14
yards to the left side of the field in front of the Stanford sideline.
With another Stanford defender closing in, the left-handed Granger
launched a deep pass into the end zone for tight end Greg Schorp. With a step on a linebacker, Schorp made the catch about nine yards deep
in the end zone for the Aggies’ only touchdown in a 10-7 victory.
36.
Leeland McElroy’s return gashes Horns (Nov. 25, 1993): In a game that would decide the Southwest Conference champion, the Texas
Longhorns had controlled play in the early going against the
eighth-ranked Aggies. Texas drove for two field goals to take a 6-0 lead
midway through the second quarter. The Aggies were in need of a big
play to ignite the Kyle Field crowd. Leeland McElroy provided it. After
Texas’ second field goal, McElroy took the ensuing kickoff three yards
deep in the end zone and headed into the middle of the field. He burst
through a hole at the 10-yard line, angled toward the right sideline to
the 30 and then raced past Texas kicker Scott Szeredy and by midfield he
was on his way to a blazing 103-yard touchdown return that revived the crowd. The Aggies went on to win 18-9, earning the SWC title and a Cotton Bowl berth.
Nobody seems to ever point out that Allen's INT was useless. It occurred on 4th down and was returned to the LOS. He broke up the pass; that was the important part.
GHT made 3 or 4 huge runs after the INT to kill the clock, and Rodney Thomas broke a huge run to set up the clinching FG (18-9 final).
The clinching FG was kicked on a 4th and inches from the t.u. 3 yard line. You can see Chris Dausin cursing about not going for it, but as soon as Venetoulias kicked it (the obvious correct call), Dausin is the first guy off the bench celebrating.
I'd put the '95 Alamo Bowl against Michigan over it. Michigan had just knocked Ohio State out of the national championship game. Also the 1990 Holiday Bowl against BYU.
Stephen McGee's touchdown meant so much to me since I was watching with my family and celebrated right in front of them. No one believed we would beat tu. One of the best Thanksgiving breaks that I've had.
40. I know this is about plays, but it was the whole drive that was so impressive. I've never seen a drive like it. 18 plays and killed almost the entire quarter.
38. Mile Evans does not get enough credit for the "Johnny Manziel era"
