Texas A&M
(#2) NEBRASKA
(#18) Texas A&M 28, (#2) Nebraska 21
Oct 10, 1998 | Football
October 10, 1998
The last seconds of perhaps the most monumental Texas A&M victory in the history of Kyle Field had just elapsed. And, as a sea of 60,798 maroon-clad fans created a deafening roar that could probably be heard as far away as Houston, many of the A&M players began searching for words to accurately describe the magnificence of their 28-21 win over Nebraska.
Senior Dan Campbell, however, didn't even bother. He knew words couldn't do justice to this one.
So, Campbell cried. And cried. And cried some more.
"Tears of joy, baby," Campbell said. "There's no way you can describe this, so I just let it all stream out. There aren't words big enough or important enough to describe how big this is, how much this means to me."
This may have been the Aggies' finest hour. At least in recent memory.
Never before had the Aggies beaten a team ranked as high as the No. 2 Huskers. And never again will this current group of Aggies have to answer the question: Why can't you guys win the big one?
"This was about as big as it gets," safety Rich Coady said. "We'd all gotten pretty sick and tired hearing about how we can't win the big games. I think this will put that question to rest."
The Aggies shoved the ball right down the mighty Cornhuskers' throat, controlling the line of scrimmage and out-rushing Nebraska by a whopping 118 yards.
On defense, A&M didn't just slow Nebraska. The Wrecking Crew suffocated, mauled and battered Big Red.
And when Texas A&M's 260-pound freshman full-back Ja'Mar Toombs pounded into the end zone from three yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Aggies led, 28-7.
In other words, it wasn't just a beating. For three quarters and change, it was a thorough whipping.
And the Aggies needed every bit of that 21-point advantage. The Huskers rallied with two quick, impressive touchdown drives to cut the lead to 28-21 with 4:39 left in the contest.
But this time unlike the Missouri game of a year ago there would be no miraculous comebacks.
The emotionally charged Wrecking Crew, feeding off the frenzied crowd, closed the door on the Huskers in dramatic fashion. Reserve cornerback Sedrick Curry intercepted a Bobby Newcombe pass near midfield with just 51 seconds left in the game to seal the Aggies' first victory over a top 5 team since 1975.
"That wasn't just the play of my A&M career," Curry said. "That was the play of my life. I'm just thankful I could be the person to make that play. It's something I'll never forget."
If you're trying to determine the play of the day, good luck. There were too many to even recall. For example, there was:
Chris Taylor's electrifying 81-yard TD reception staked A&M to a lead it would never relinquish.
Toombs' 71-yard rumble to the Nebraska 1 that enabled the Aggies to take a 14-7 lead at the half.
Ron Edwards' sack that forced a Nebraska fumble and Warrick Holdman's recovery in the end zone.
McCown's 33-yard scramble to set up a touch-down and a 28-7 lead.
Three huge defensive plays to stop the Cornhuskers on fourth-down situations.
The list goes on and on. But perhaps the biggest play of the day came on the Aggies' first offensive snap. It didn't lead to a touchdown, but it did set the day's tone.
After the Wrecking Crew stuffed Nebraska on its opening series, running back Dante Hall went 22 yards on the Aggies' opening offensive play. A&M followed that play up with another first down that sent a clear message to the Huskers, the crowd and the national television audience.
"That was huge for us to get off to a good start," Campbell said. "Right then, right there we knew it wasn't going to be like last year's Big 12 championship game (a 54-15 Nebraska win). Those first few plays of the game told us that they weren't a machine; they were humans. Just like us. Just not as good as us today."
The Aggies were indeed better than the Cornhuskers on this day. A&M won the statistical battle in virtually every category.
And when it mattered most, the Aggie defense and the frenzied A&M fans made all the difference.
"The crowd was absolutely incredible," said linebacker Dat Nguyen. "We fed off the crowd all day long. And I know it had to bother (Nebraska)."
It did, although the Huskers were reluctant to admit as much. On the other side, however, it was only tough to find the words to describe it all.
"This is the biggest win of my career," Holdman said. "This is bigger than beating Michigan in the Alamo Bowl. This is bigger than beating Texas last year. This is bigger than I can describe.
"There's no telling what this can do for us the rest of the season. This could be a huge momentum boost for us. I guarantee you it does a lot for our confidence. We just beat the No. 2 team in the nation. We're on top of the world, and we ain't coming down any time soon."
