Entering 1998, Texas A&M was coming off a Big 12 South Championship the previous season. This program was experiencing a decade of dominance. Early in the '90s, RC Slocum and the Aggies were basically unbeatable in the Southwest Conference. From 1990 to the league's final year of '95, A&M fashioned an overall record of 60-11-2. They did not lose an SWC game from 1991 to 1994.
But the formation of the Big 12 brought questions of who could truly compete. The strength was said to be in the North, with Tom Osborne's Nebraska program flexing the most muscle. The Cornhuskers won national championships in 1994 and 1995. After A&M's southern division title in '97, the Huskers rolled the Aggies, 54-15, in the conference championship game in San Antonio.
"We were all pretty disappointed," Slocum recounted. "They beat us pretty good."
The 1998 schedule had A&M and the Huskers set for an October 10th matchup at Kyle Field. The preseason AP Poll placed the Aggies 14th nationally, and Nebraska fourth. But to begin, a date with the 2nd-ranked Florida State Seminoles in the Kickoff Classic at the Meadowlands in New Jersey was on the docket.
Heavy underdogs, A&M had plenty of bite early, and led 14-10 at halftime. However, despite standing tall for most of the game against the vaunted Seminoles, they eventually fell, 23-14.
Three straight non-conference wins followed. When the calendar shifted to October it was time to transition to the Big 12. Before the much anticipated rematch with Nebraska, a trip to Kansas was first. And A&M nearly got tripped.
After jumping out to a 14-0 lead on the Jayhawks, stagnation set in. A late fourth quarter drive capped by a Dante Hall touchdown provided the lead, 24-21. A defensive stand shortly after closed out the win.
Dante Hall provided a late score in the A&M win over Kansas in 1998.
"It seemed we were determined to make it exciting," stated Slocum after the game.
Too close for comfort, but under wraps, and on to Nebraska.
On the morning of October 10th, heralded linebacker Dat Nguyen knew his team was ready.
"That summer we said 'we're gonna come back and work harder because we're gonna get an opportunity to play them again.'"
"That week of practice…we were so focused," Nguyen continued. "A lot of us were in the zone, knowing we had one opportunity to get them back."
Dat Nguyen had his team ready for a rematch with Nebraska in 1998.
The only way to stop the Big Red Menace, as many called them then, was to make plays. The Aggies did.
Early, an 81-yard touchdown pass from Randy McCown to Chris Taylor on third and long.
Later, a JaMar Toombs rumble of 71 yards to the Nebraska one-yard line.
The defense got in on the act. A Ron Edwards sack caused a fumble in the end zone. Warrick Holdman recovered for a touchdown.
Kyle Field's capacity that afternoon was just 60,000. In the north end, there was only concrete beams and scaffolding while The Zone was being constructed. The way the stadium was shaking, it's surprising the whole thing didn't become a construction site afterwards. The 12th Man roared with elation.
Chris Taylor during the big win over No. 2 Nebraska
"The crowd was absolutely incredible," said Nguyen during the postgame calm. "We fed off the crowd all day long."
Nebraska did mount a 2nd half comeback, trimming A&M's 28-7 lead to just one score. But with 51 seconds remaining, Sedrick Curry's interception of a Husker pass ended the threat. The Aggies got their signature win, stopping the nation's longest win streak, topping No. 2 Nebraska.
Close games were the norm for this team. Two weeks after Nebraska, they narrowly escaped a ranked Texas Tech team, winning 17-10.
Dan Campbell hauls in a touchdown on a fake field goal in the A&M win over Texas Tech.
That was followed by a gloomy Halloween night frightener at Oklahoma State. With rain falling in Stillwater, A&M gutted out a 17-6 win.
In mid-November, Missouri came in ranked 13th. A late field goal sent A&M to a 17-14 win over the Tigers. The Aggies had clinched another Big 12 South championship.
Heartbreak set in Thanksgiving week. Texas stopped the Aggies 10-game win streak, hitting a field goal as time expired. After the 26-24 defeat, A&M entered the Big 12 title game at 10-2, ranked 10th.
The opponent in St. Louis -- No. 2 Kansas State. The game will forever remain in Aggie lore. Branndon Stewart started at quarterback. Randy McCown was injured against Texas.
Stewart engineered a comeback for the ages. Down 27-12 in the final quarter, the offense started to shred a highly regarded Wildcat defense.
"We just started clicking," Stewart recalled. "We felt like we couldn't miss."
"Guys were getting open. It was just easy…as crazy as that sounds."
A&M took the contest to overtime, then to a 2nd extra frame. Trailing 33-30, facing third and 17 from the 32, Stewart looked for Sirr Parker on a slant. He got more than he bargained for.
Sirr Parker provided the dramatic touchdown catch to lift the Aggies to the Big 12 Championship.
"We were just trying to set ourselves up," Stewart remembers, as another field goal would have sent the Aggies and Wildcats to a third overtime. "That was a pretty reliable play to get us a little bit closer."
Parker didn't stop within range of a chip shot. He housed the slant from Stewart, and they both have been household names since. The 1998 Aggies had won the Big 12 Championship over Kansas State, 36-33.
Tonight, they're back in Kyle Field. And, these current Aggies will don throwback uniforms to honor them.
The 2018 team would be wise to mimic them, too. Jimbo Fisher is trying to build a championship culture. He asks his team to believe, to be tough and together, and to never quit. Just think about it for a bit…he's asking his team to be like the 1998 Fightin' Texas Aggies.
