Texas A&M
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Kansas
(#18) Texas A&M 24, Kansas 21
Oct 03, 1998 | Football
October 03, 1998
Texas A&M coaches, players and fans have been asking the same question over and over: What's the deal with the offense?
They've been searching for clues as to why the Aggies have sputtered, even after A&M bolted to quick leads against Southern Miss, North Texas and Kansas.
Well, finally, the answer came to the maroon and white in A&M's Big 12 opener against the Jayhawks before 36,000 at Memorial Stadium.
Get in a hole. Fall behind. Stare defeat in the face.
Then roll down the field on a picture-perfect 75-yard drive for the game-winning touchdown.
That's exactly what the Aggies did, emerging from Memorial Stadium with a 24-21 victory over Kansas.
"It seemed like we were determined to make it exciting," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "But when the game was on the line, we buckled up and did what we had to do."
Indeed, it was A&M's most impressive drive of the season, as the Aggies mixed the run and pass and capped the 75-yard march when Dante Hall rushed for a 3-yard score with 3:24 remaining in the game.
Kansas reached the A&M 48-yard line on the ensuing drive, but the Aggie defense stiffened and snuffed the rally. After the clock ran out, the Aggies felt relieved to escape with the narrow win over one of the Big 12's least impressive teams. It hasn't been a textbok ride to 4-1 , and with the Cornhuskers coming to Kyle Field, A&M's margin for error slips to zero.
Once again, the Aggies appeared headed for a stat-padding game, as linebacker Dar Nguyen picked off a Wegner pass across the middle on the game's first play from scrimmage. Dante Hall scored the first of his three touchdowns on an untouched 8-yard run, and A&M lead 7-0.
Just five minutes later, the Aggies pulled out to a 14-0 lead on Hall's 2-yard run. The rout, it appeared, was on.
But then the Aggies reverted to their funk on offense - dropping passes, missing blocks and committing penalties. A holding penalty brought backa 64-yard touchdown run by Hall, who still finished with 177 yards on 36 carries.
The best example of A&M's up-and-down offensive ways came in the third quarter with the Aggies leading, 14-7.
After converting a fourth-and-1 at the KU 25-yard line, the Aggies went backward and finally faced a fourth-and-25 from the 39.
Forced to punt, the Aggies turned to one of their biggest weapons, and Shane Lechler bounced a short punt off the backside of KU blocker Henri' Childs. Nguyen recovered the muffed ball at the KU 14, and the Aggies quickly moved to the 1.
And that's where they stopped. Kansas stuffed the Aggies on three straight downs, and A&M had to settle for a 21-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead.
"We left them in the game," A&M senior strong safety Rich Coady said. "We could have put the game away earlier, but we didn't take advantage of those opportunities."
While the offense continues to misfire, the Wrecking Crew has been solid this season. And the Aggies were outstanding on KU s final drive.
But uncharacteristically, the A&M defense gave up its longest play of the year - a 58 yard touchdown to Termaine Fulton.
A&M also allowed 87-yard and 83-yard scoring drives from a Kansas team that was one year removed from having Division I-A's worst unit.
OF course, playing Nebraska (a fortunate 24-17 winner of OSU) will require a complete game from the Aggies on offense and defense.
"We're playing a great team next week, and we can't rely on our defense every week," said Hall, whose previous high for carries was 22 against Colorado in 1997.
Quarterback Randy McCown made his first start since the Texas Tech game last year, and he completed 50 percent of his passes (9-18-0) for 89 yards.
But on the Aggies' game-winning drive, McCown looked poised, and his receivers began to hold onto the ball.
And, just as he said on Tuesday of game week, McCown injected some fire and enthusiasm into the huddle on the drive.
"I told the guys let's get it done," McCown said. "We're 1-0 in conference, so we'll take it. But when we get teams down like that, we have to knock them out."
Yes, the upset smell was in the autumn-like air, but it finally dissipated when the Aggies decided to assert themselves.
"Teams lose games like this," Slocum said. "But I thought that was a first-class drive we made on offense. They took it down the field and put points nn the board."
Although the Kansas game was played before a weak crowd in a dingy stadium on a gray day, the Aggies avoided the type of loss that can haunt a program. Instead, A&M will head into the Nebraska showdown at Kyle Field with the record most people - including Slocum - expected.
