Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
(#8) Texas A&M 17, Oklahoma State 6
Oct 31, 1998 | Football
October 31, 1998
About an hour had passed since Texas A&M put the finishing touches on its 17-6 victory over Oklahoma State last Saturday night, and as many of the 47,250 fans attempted to leave town, the weather turned from gloomy to downright nasty.
Torrential rains, gusting winds and imposing blasts of lightning made for perilous, white-knuckle driving conditions. Of course, those elements could probably be considered relatively mild compared to the driving hazards OSU faced during the game.
The rain eventually let up. The Wrecking Crew did not.
Playing perhaps its finest defensive game of the season - and that's saying quite a bit, considering all the defensive gems the Aggies have produced this year - A&M limited the Cowboys to just 172 yards of total offense, including only 54 in the second half. What's more, the Cowboys could muster only six first downs in the game, including just two in the second half and none in the fourth quarter.
"I think our defense pretty much smothered them the whole game," A&M senior safety Rich Coady said. "We never gave them any real hope of winning."
Great defense has been a characteristic of virtually every victory in 1998, and on offense and special teams, the Aggies are consistently getting big plays and key performances from a variety of sources.
That was certainly the case Saturday night. While the Wrecking Crew stole the spotlight, several A&M offensive players put on an entertaining sideshow.
For example, wide receiver Chris Taylor was rather spectacular, making three catches for 60 yards and a touchdown and sparking the Aggies with his 84-yard kickoff return midway through the second quarter.
But Taylor was certainly not alone in the big play department. Starting quarterback Randy McCown, Campbell, fellow tight end Derrick Spiller, wide receiver Matt Bumgardner, fullback Ja'Mar Toombs, wide receiver Leroy Hodge and backup quarterback Branndon Stewart all produced plays of 19 yards or more, as A&M generated 345 yards of total offense.
"When you've got so many different players making big plays, it really does make a big difference." Taylor said. "A defense can't focus in on one or two key players against us. It's just been a total team effort."
Indeed, it has. And the Aggies needed every bit of that team effort on offense, especially with running back Dante Hall missing most of the game because of a stinger and McCown missing most of the second half with a sprained shoulder.
McCown left the game during the Aggies' first possession of the second half. Facing third-and-17 for the OSU 34, McCown went to the sidelines and Stewart - without the benefit of warming up - calmly hit Taylor on a perfect slant pass for a 34-yard touchdown.
"I've said all along that we've got a quarterback luxury," offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe said. "You can't say enough about Branndon Stewart. Coming out on his first play to throw a touchdown pass, I think it put a nail in (OSU's) coffin on Halloween night."
Said McCown: "Branndon came in and did a real good job. That's a big plus for us, being able to have an experienced guy like him come in and us not have a drop-off or anything. He did a real good job."
The TD pass from Stewart to Taylor gave the Aggies a 17-6 lead with 12:15 left in the third quarter.
After an outstanding kickoff return by Willie Grissom, the Cowboys took over at their own 48 on their ensuing drive. And that was the worst field position the Cowboys would have in the third quarter. The next two OSU drives started at the A&M 44 and 47 yard lines.
Despite the short field, the Cowboys scored no points. Two drives ended in punts and the final one was stopped by a sensational, one-handed interception by Holdman.
While the Cowboys were demoralized by their third-quarter failures, the Aggies were invigorated. Utilizing ball-control offense, A&M kept the football for 10:59 of the fourth quarter to secure the win in a game that started off rather inauspiciously for the Aggies.
The Cowboys had built a 6-0 lead on a pair of Tim Sydnes field goals. OSU scored on its first possession of the game and then threatened to take control of the contest midway with an interception at the A&M 39.
On the first play following the interception. OSU running back Nathan Simmons burst through a big hole and appeared to be on his way to the end zone. But Coady made one of the bigger tackles of the game, dragging Simmons down at the A&M 6.
The Wrecking Crew stiffened, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 27-yard field goal. Then, Taylor lit a fire under the Aggies with his big kickoff return and McCown hit Bumgardner on a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Aggies a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"I thought it was very important that we held OSU to just two field goals when they were deep in our territory in the first half," A&M head coach R.C. Slocum said. "We had our backs against the wall quite a bit, but I was very pleased with the way we responded. This team really embodies the team concept. It's been a fun team to be around."
But about as fun to play against - especially in recent weeks - as driving through a torrential downpour at night.
