The Pecan Park Eagle

Aggies? Waving goodbye to Texas University?

Well, back in 1975, they sort of did. For about eight days. But the goodbye was gone for sure in less than a month. You just don’t dump an arch-rival that easily because, even in those years you beat them, you still have to win the other big games on your schedule. And 1975 stands out as a good example as we all variably roll, gig, hook, or just plain watch our ways today into another of those college football “Game of the Century” Saturdays.

On the Friday following Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1975, the Texas Aggies (9-0-0) entertained their arch-rival competitors, the Texas Longhorns (9-1-0), at Kyle Field in College Station before a record crowd of 56,679 in an afternoon temperature of 84 degrees with no rain. The 1975 Aggies of Coach Emory Bellard were 9-0 going into the game ranked # 2 in the nation. All they had to do to win a berth in the Cotton Bowl and position themselves for a run at the national championship vote was to beat UT, then beat Arkansas at Little Rock on December 6, then defeat highly regarded Georgia in the Cotton Bowl. Led by fiery linebacker Ed Simonini and Bellard’s wishbone offense, the Aggies perched themselves for a serious run at greatness.

The Friday leftovers day part went extremely well.

Early in the game, UT QB Marty Akins went out with a re-injured knee and had to be replaced by freshman Ted Constanzo.

“We were able to key on Earl Campbell when Akins went out,” Aggie middle linebacker Robert Jackson said. “Our bench went crazy when Akins went out. We felt we could beat them with Akins in there, but we were glad to see him go. He’s a great options quarterback.”

The Aggies went on to win the game over UT by 20-10.

“I don’t want to see any of that stuff in the papers about how (Texas quarterback Marty) Akins would have made the difference,” Simonini said. “We played with some people hurt too.”

Texas Coach Darrell Royal was gracious in defeat. “I would like to see something happen to Ohio State so that if they (A&M) take care of business we could have another national champion here (in the State of Texas).”

Wow! Talk about class delivered with a measured reminder. At this point in history, Royal and UT had garnered three national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970.

The high-scoring Horns were limited to only 6 points and 113 rushing yards, the lowest total by a Royal team in three years.

“They (A&M) played as solid a game as you can play,” Bellard said. “They played other games as well too, but I guess this would be our greatest victory.”

It would remain the greatest Aggie victory. The Aggies went up to Little Rock the next week for their December 6th game with Arkansas and got drubbed, 31-6, sending the Razorbacks to the Cotton Bowl as tri-champions of the SWC along with UT and A&M – and sending the Aggies to the Liberty Bowl for a 12/22/1975 date with USC.

In his last game as coach at USC, John McKay guided and watched his Trojans blank the Aggies, 20-0 in the Liberty Bowl for a 10-2 closure collar on a successful 1975 Texas A&M football season, but not one that would end in a national championship – or even mark itself as a new period of dominance over UT for the Aggies.

“Close, but no cigar” is the perennial or occasional contender’s anthem. If that phrase were a song title, it would play more often, in more places, than even Elvis could have imagined.