Texas A&M
(#13) MISSOURI
(#6) Texas A&M 17, (#13) Missouri 14
Nov 14, 1998 | Football
November 14, 1998
Amid the wild celebration following Texas A&M's nail-biting 17-14 victory over Missouri last Saturday, gritty quarterback Randy McCown looked toward gutsy tight end Dan Campbell and offered a mischievous smile.
Campbell, the normally sure-handed senior, knew exactly what his buddy was thinking and why he was grinning. And McCown simply couldn't resist a little good-natured kidding.
"As we were sawing varsity's horns off there at the end, I told Dan that, now that we had won the game. I'm going to be able to give you a hard time about that dropped pass for a long, long time," McCown said with a laugh. "I won't let him live that one down for a good while."
It looked for a while like Campbell's drop of a sure touchdown pass - as well as numerous other uncharacteristic A&M errors-might cost the Aggies dearly on yet another dreary, rainy day at Kyle Field. But thanks to some big plays by some very unlikely heroes, A&M (10-1 overall, 7-0 in conference play) secured its second-consecutive Big 12 South title and earned a return trip to the conference championship game.
In the end, it was an almost perfect day for the Aggies, who recorded their 10th straight win. Ironically, it had seemed like a disastrous day in the making for A&M for much of the early afternoon, as the Aggies seemed bent on self-destruction with untimely and unusual mistakes.
"It was an unusual game, and we made some mistakes that could have cost us," said Rich Coady, "But the story of our season has been overcoming adversity and doing it what it takes to win. I've lost track of how many times I've said, 'Every week, we have different guys step up and make big plays to help us win.' But I never get tired of saying it."
This game, however, was far from being a case of the same ol' same ol' for the Aggies. Sure, A&M has had a variety of players step forward week after week. But, as much as any other reason, the Aggies beat a good Missouri team because of A&M's superior field goal kicking.
Sophomore place-kicker Russell Bynum was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including the game-winning 39-yarder with 1:30 left. Missouri, on the other hand, missed two field goal attempts - one from 26 yards and a desperation 56-yard attempt on the final play of the game.
The Aggies' final field goal was set up by another unlikely hero, senior safety and special teams player Toya Jones, who recovered a muffed punt at the Missouri 30 with 5:26 left.
Thanks to those unsung heroes, there were no goats in maroon on Saturday afternoon, as 18 A&M seniors played their final game at Kyle Field. One of those seniors breathed a particularly large sigh of relief as Bynum's final kick soared through the uprights.
"I dropped that pass, and it really bothered me," Campbell said afterward. "If we would have lost, that would have been very difficult for me to handle. But the bottom line - thank God - is that we won the ballgame. I can live with all of Randy's kidding, as long as we won."
Campbell may have been the most relieved person among the 60,433 fans inside Kyle Field. Of course, junior safety Brandon Jennings was a close second.
With the Aggies leading 14-7 midway through the fourth, Jennings made a terrific interception, but then tried to lateral the ball to a teammate. The ball fell helplessly to the turf and was recovered by Missouri at the Aggies 27.
Six plays later, the Tigers tied the contest on a 9-yard pass from QB Corby Jones to tight end Dwayne Blakley.
"If we would have lost that game. 1 think I probably would have transferred to Prairie View A&M," Jennings said. "In the heat of battle, I was just trying to make something happen. But I learned my lesson big time."
The Aggies were indeed fortunate to win this battle of two of the best, most evenly matched teams in the Big 12. The Tigers, who entered the game ranked 13th nationally, finished with more rushing yards, more total yards and more time of possession than the Aggies.
"Missouri's a very, very good team," said A&M tailback Dante Hall, who had a team-high 84 yards rushing on 24 carries. "They were the best tackling, most physical and probably the most fundamentally sound team we've seen all year long ... It was just a big, big win for us. Like I've said before, we're kind of like a steamroller these days. No matter what happens, no matter what team we face, we eventually steamroll over every team we face."
The A&M steamroller simply took a little longer than normal to get started on Saturday afternoon, as the Aggies netted only one first down in the entire first quarter and only two Bynum field goals for the half. As a result, A&M trailed, 7-6, at the intermission.
Early in the fourth quarter, McCown punched it in himself, scoring on a 1-yard run. McCown then hit Leroy Hodge on a crossing pattern for a key two-point conversion to give the Aggies a 14-7 lead.
As would be the case later in the game, the Aggies owed that score, in large part, to superior play in the special teams. Late in the third quarter, A&M junior Shane Lechler unleashed a 69-yard punt that the Aggies downed at the Missouri 2.
Inexplicably, Missouri return man Randy Potter chose not to field the ball at around the 25, allowing the Aggies to pin the Tigers deep in their own territory. The A&M defense held Missouri without a first down, and the Aggies ended up with great field position, starting the next drive at the Tigers' 44. It took just six plays for the Aggies to cover that distance and take the lead.
"In a close game like this, with two evenly matched teams, special teams are always going to play a big part in determining the outcome," said A&M coach R.C. Slocum.
Of course, somebody or some unit has come through for the Aggies all year long. It's a gritty, hard-nosed group that just continues to get it done week after week.
"If you look at this team, they just have as much heart as any team I've ever been associated with," Slocum said.
And we're you winning like these Aggies, you can even laugh at what would otherwise seem like costly mistakes. Just ask Dan Campbell, who probably hasn't heard the last of that dropped pass.
