Texas A&M
(#19) Oklahoma State
(#25) Texas A&M 28, (#19) Oklahoma State 25
Nov 01, 1997 | Football
November 01, 1997
Inside the Letterman's Lounge about an hour before Saturday night's kickoff, a standing-room only crowd gathered to honor the 30-year anniversary of the Aggies' 1967 Southwest Conference championship season.
The head coach of that team, Gene Stallings, recalled some of his favorite moments from that incredibly memorable season. But one comeback win, Stallings said, will forever stand taller than any other memory of that year.
"That come-from-behind win over Texas Tech on the final play of the game, after it appeared that Texas Tech had won the game, turned the whole season around and propelled us to the championship," Stallings said as the players from that team nodded in approval. "That was a win for the ages."
Call it coincidence, sweet irony or just plain destiny that Stallings and the '67 team members were in the stands on this particular Saturday night. Thirty years after their remarkable dramatic comeback, the Aggies once again produced a win for the ages.
In a game that seemed hopelessly lost and woefully out of hand midway through the fourth quarter, the Aggies mounted a final, furious 15-point rally that tied the game at the end of regulation. Then, feeding off the feverish Kyle Field crowd and its own tidal wave of momentum A&M went for the jugular in the first overtime.
The Aggies held OSU to a field goal on its first possession of overtime. And on the third play Texas A&M's first post-regulation possession, D'Andre Hardeman powered into the endzone from six yards out setting off a celebration that none of the 60,776 fans inside Kyle Field - or those in the national television audience - will soon forget.
Texas A&M 28. Oklahoma State 25. Aggies will likely be talking about it for at least the next 30 years, regardless of whether it leads to a championship of not.
"I can't really describe how good it is," Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said after the A&M improved to 6-2 overall and moved into a first-place tie with OSU and Texas Tech in the Big 12 South at 3-2 in league play. "That's about as good as it gets."
Only the visibly-shaken, shell-shocked Cowboys and their fans could possibly argue. OSU dominated this game from the opening kickoff until the Aggies scored the first of two touchdowns with 5:06 left in regulation.
Even then, however, Oklahoma State seemed perfectly positioned to bury the Aggies. In fact, sensational freshman quarterback Tony Lindsay appeared to drive a final dagger in A&M's heart with just over three minutes left in the game when he muscled his way for a key first down near midfield.
It got to overtime because the A&M defense shut down the Cowboys on their next set of downs and Aggie junior quarterback Branndon Stewart then calmly directed the drive of his college career.
Stewart, playing the entire game for the first time this season, hit passes of 8, 11, 19, and 15 yards to put the Aggies on the OSU 25 with under a minute left in the final quarter. And on second down, Stewart connected with Chris Cole on a 25-yard touchdown pass to pull the A&M within 22-20.
On the two-point conversion attempt, Stewart rolled right and short-armed a pass to a wide-open Sirr Parker, who leaned forward, made a knee-high catch and scurried into the endzone to tie the game.
Stewart displayed great resolve throughout the fourth quarter, completing 9-of-13 passes for 13 yards and one touchdown on A&M's final two drives of regulation. The laid-back Stewart was typically low key in the post-game press conference. But clutched in his hand, as he answered questions from the media, was evidence of just what a vital role he played in the comeback: the game ball. Slocum, who presented Stewart with the keep-sake in the locker room, said he couldn't ever recall giving the game ball to an individual player in his nine-year career as the Aggies' head coach.
After the A&M defense held OSU on its overtime possession and forced a 39-yard Tim Sydnes field goal, Stewart simply tossed the ball to Parker and Hardeman, who did the rest. When Hardeman crossed the goal line in the south end zone, euphoric A&M players piled onto each other in a massive mob of maroon mayhem, while Kyle Field erupted like rarely before.
Moments earlier, the Aggies had appeared dead, their regular season spiraling completely out of control. But with one magical, mad rush, A&M might have righted the season and regained its respect after back-to-back losses.
The Aggies aren't just back in the race for the South Division title. They are tied at the top of it, thanks to this incredible turn of events.
But the Aggies never lost faith, the players said. Not even when it was 22-7 OSU midway through the fourth.
Nevertheless, you can bet your Aggie ring that A&M fans, players and coaches will at least try to explain it for years and years to come. Like the Texas Tech win 1967, the story of this victory is destined to become legendary in A&M lore. It was quite simply one for the ages.
