Texas A&M
Oklahoma
(#18) Texas A&M 51, Oklahoma 7
Nov 15, 1997 | Football
November 15, 1997
There was a time when the road to the Big Eight conference title almost always went through Oklahoma's Owen Field. Presumably, a few OU fans can still remember those days. But the evidence is somewhat inconclusive.
After all, by the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game, there weren't any Oklahoma fans left in the stands to ask about the Sooners' glory days. Like OU's triumphant past, they were long gone.
The fans still braving the cold at the end of the game were all Aggies. Of course, that was also the story of the game itself: All Aggies.
From start to finish, there was never a doubt. Not even an inkling of one.
Texas A&M (8-2, 5-2) completely controlled and totally dominated the hapless, hopeless Sooners, scoring 17 points in each of the first three quarters and roasting to an easy and seemingly effortless 51-7 win. In the process, the Aggies secured their first-ever berth in the Big 12 title game on the same field where the Sooners once "hung half a hundred" points on so many opponents in the past.
But times have obviously changed. Red-hot A&M did all the hanging on Saturday night, while the barely-breathing Sooners (3-8, 1-6) provided the rope and tied their own noose. A week after committing six turnovers in a 30-7 loss to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma gift-wrapped five turnovers for the Aggies. In fact, of the Sooners' first six offensive plays, two resulted in fumbles that A&M immediately turned into touchdowns.
The second lost OU fumble, coming with 6:55 left in the first quarter, was picked out of the air by Dat Nguyen, who returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give the Aggies a 17-0 lead.
At that point, the rout was officially on. Not long afterward, so was the mass exodus of the Oklahoma fans among the crowd of 64,929 inside Owen Field.
With the win, the Aggies haven't actually wrapped up the South Division title. A&M remains tied for first place with Texas Tech, one game ahead of Oklahoma State. But by virtue of Texas Tech's 27-3 win over OSU, coupled with A&M's win over the Sooners, the Aggies are guaranteed a spot in the Big 12 Championship game opposite Nebraska on Dec. 6 in San Antonio.
Against Oklahoma, the Aggies accomplished all they had intended to do. The Aggies did little wrong in piling up 405 yards of offense and 51 points. A&M ran the ball at will, churning out 257 yards on the ground. Sophomore Dante Hall led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 139 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Sirr Parker added 123 yards and one score on 22 carries.
And for the fourth consecutive game, A&M quarterback Branndon Stewart picked apart an opposing defense. Showing patience and precision, Stewart completed 9-of-16 passes for 133 yards against the Sooners before being replaced by Randy McCown in the fourth quarter. In his last 13 quarters - since the beginning of the second half at Texas Tech - Stewart is 57-of-91 for 716 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
In other words, Stewart is playing at championship level just as the Aggies are making a push toward the championship game.
With the victory, A&M head coach R.C. Slocum tied Homer Norton as the all-time winningest coach in A&M history.
After a disappointing week against Baylor the week before, the A&M defense also bounced back in impressive fashion. The Wrecking Crew held the Sooners to only 220 yards of total offense with most of those yards coming in the second half when the game was completely out of hand. In the first half, while A&M was building a 34-0 lead, the Aggies limited OU to just 33 yards of total offense. Even more impressively, the Sooners did not gain a single yard in the second quarter.
What confidence Oklahoma may have had entering the game disappeared quickly, as the Aggies poured on the points. By the end of the first quarter, the Sooners were history and the Aggies were well on their way to making history by wrapping up a trip to San Antonio.
In reality, the Aggies have been on a roll ever since the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma State game. That victory, coming on the heels of back-to-back losses to Kansas State and Texas Tech, has turned the season around for A&M. And the Aggies continue to build on the momentum.
And that's why so many A&M fans stayed at Owen Field to every last minute of a game that, for all practical purposes, had ended hours earlier. This was a night to remember for the Aggies. Just like the ones the Sooners used to enjoy - according to rumor, that is.
