Aggies will win on Thursday
Texas A&M will shock the world when they upset Texas and ruin their hopes of a perfect season.
By: David Harris
Issue date: 11/25/09 Section: Sports
The year was 1979. Texas A&M was in its second year under Head Coach Tom Wilson. The Aggies were limping into the annual Thanksgiving showdown against Texas with a record of 5-5. The Longhorns were on their way to securing a spot to play against top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. However, when the Horns walked into Kyle Field, they found out the hard way that Texas A&M-Texas isn't just any other game. The Aggies stunned the Horns that frigid Thanksgiving evening by the score of 13-7.
Why I am telling you all this? Because if this legendary rivalry has taught me anything, it is to expect the unexpected. Just ask former Head Coach R.C. Slocum who coached the game 30 times, more than anybody in the 115-year history of the rivalry.
"I think one thing. In that game, you can throw out all the records," Slocum said. "What the teams have done prior to the game doesn't always reflect the outcome of that game. I go back to '79. They came over here and were on their way to the Sugar Bowl, and we shouldn't have been on the field with them. But when the smoke cleared, we won. The next year in Austin, we weren't very good and we didn't have a lot to lose and as the game went on, they let us hang around and we beat them again. In '84, they were heavily favored and we beat them pretty good. And, as we all know, in '99, they were No. 5 in the nation and we beat them."
The Lone Star Showdown. Primetime football at Kyle Field. Thanksgiving night. The perfect setting for one of the best rivalries in all of college football.
This year marks the 116th meeting between the two squads, making it the third most played rivalry in all of Division 1-A. Besides the longevity, there is much more that goes into making it so special and unique.
Why I am telling you all this? Because if this legendary rivalry has taught me anything, it is to expect the unexpected. Just ask former Head Coach R.C. Slocum who coached the game 30 times, more than anybody in the 115-year history of the rivalry.
"I think one thing. In that game, you can throw out all the records," Slocum said. "What the teams have done prior to the game doesn't always reflect the outcome of that game. I go back to '79. They came over here and were on their way to the Sugar Bowl, and we shouldn't have been on the field with them. But when the smoke cleared, we won. The next year in Austin, we weren't very good and we didn't have a lot to lose and as the game went on, they let us hang around and we beat them again. In '84, they were heavily favored and we beat them pretty good. And, as we all know, in '99, they were No. 5 in the nation and we beat them."
The Lone Star Showdown. Primetime football at Kyle Field. Thanksgiving night. The perfect setting for one of the best rivalries in all of college football.
This year marks the 116th meeting between the two squads, making it the third most played rivalry in all of Division 1-A. Besides the longevity, there is much more that goes into making it so special and unique.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com