The last meeting between Texas and Texas A&M before the Aggies moved to the Southeastern Conference was an instant classic.
After a failed two-point conversion by the Aggies, the Longhorns trailed by just one point with under two minutes left in the game. The pressure was on quarterback Case McCoy to drive the ball downfield with limited time in a hostile environment. On the sixth play of the drive, McCoy ran for 25 yards into Aggie territory, but the Texas offense couldn’t execute on third down. The game was suddenly in the hands of kicker Justin Tucker. For the final play of the rivalry, Tucker drilled a 40-yard field goal to win the game. The excited Longhorns ran out onto the field while the home crowd stood in the stands in silence. Tucker became an instant legend, and the image of that final play is etched into the minds of fans on both sides.
It was the last memory that both programs share of each other, but that will change on Nov. 30.
In honor of the return of the Lone Star Showdown, here is a look at the most iconic games from the historic rivalry.
1963: Texas 15, Texas A&M 13
Most of the games for that weekend’s college football slate were canceled due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy just six days prior. President Kennedy was scheduled to give a speech on the Forty Acres the night before the game, but the Longhorns and Aggies still played their annual game as the nation mourned. The stakes couldn’t have been higher for the Longhorns, who came into the matchup undefeated and the top-ranked team in the country.
Texas A&M led Texas 13-3 entering the fourth quarter. Just when it looked like the Aggies were about to pull off a legendary upset, a costly fumble gave the Longhorns the momentum to score two consecutive touchdowns to win the game. Texas secured its first-ever national championship in program history with the victory.
1998: Texas 26, Texas A&M 24
In Mack Brown’s inaugural year as head coach, Texas was the underdog going into the matchup, as Texas A&M was 10–2 and the No. 6 ranked team in the country. Heisman frontrunner and eventual winner, Ricky Williams, rushed for 259 yards, overwhelming the Aggie defense. The Longhorns had a 23–7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Aggies scored 17 points that went unanswered and took a one-point lead.
With around two minutes left in the game, the Texas offense drove the ball 70 yards downfield, securing the win with a field goal that stopped the Aggies from completing a comeback for the history books.
1999: Texas A&M 20, Texas 16
On Nov. 18, just eight days before the matchup, an unfathomable tragedy struck the Aggie community.
During the annual “Aggie Bonfire” tradition, the bonfire stack collapsed and killed 12 students. There were talks of canceling the game, but both university officials agreed to play the game as scheduled. A sense of unity and grief permeated throughout Kyle Field, also amongst Texas fans.
It was one year when the two teams disregarded their bitter rivalry to mourn at each other’s side. Texas held the lead going into the fourth quarter until Aggie quarterback Randy McCown lobbed a pass 14 yards into the hands of Matt Bumgardner for the game-winning touchdown. The Texas offense tried to come back on the next drive, but cornerback Jay Brooks forced quarterback Major Applewhite to fumble the football, which was recovered by Aggie linebacker Brian Gamble to ensure the victory. After the recovery, Gamble fell onto the ground with tears in his eyes, looking up and pointing to the sky. The win was no doubt healing for the Aggies.
