The Long and Short of the MSU-Texas A&M Series

There are perhaps no two schools in the Southeastern Conference with as much in common as Mississippi State and Texas A&M. Both schools’ colors are maroon and white, both have dogs for mascots, both are land grant institutions and both have strong veterinary schools.  Additionally, both schools have a snobby “University of” liberal arts school in their respective states to serve as their arch rival.

The schools also share strong military backgrounds. While the military influence today is much more visible at A&M, enrollment at MSU was at one time limited to male “cadets”, just as it was in the early days at Texas A&M.

Then there is the coaching connection. Both Jackie Sherrill and Emory Bellard became the head football coach at Mississippi State after serving in the same capacity at A&M.  Mark Johnson, A&M’s highly successful head baseball coach for 21 years, made the move to College Station from Starkville after serving for nine years as Ron Polk’s top assistant.  And most recently, former Bulldog head basketball coach Rick Stansbury is now on staff as an assistant coach for Aggies head basketball coach Billy Kennedy.

The Mississippi State – Texas A&M football rivalry is quite old, dating back to 1912. In spite of this rather long history, the two schools have met a mere seven times on the football field.  Two of those games were played the past two seasons after A&M became a member of the Southeastern Conference’s western division.  The Aggies hold a 4-3 edge in the series and remarkably, the seven games have been played at six different sites.  A&M and Mississippi State have played in Houston, Dallas, Tyler, TX and Shreveport, LA as well as the two campus sites.

A&M romped in the 1912 game played in Houston, by a score of 41-7. But State rallied in 1913, winning 6-0 in College Station and 7-0 in the 1915 contest played in Dallas.  The two schools did not meet again until 1937, when the Aggies captured a 14-0 victory in Tyler, TX.

Some 63 years would pass before the two maroon and white squads would again meet on the gridiron, this time coming in the 2000 Independence Bowl played in Shreveport. The game pitted Bulldog coach Jackie Sherrill in a grudge match against his former school, now coached by former Sherrill assistant R.C. Slocum.

The game achieved national notoriety because it was played in a driving snowstorm and would later be dubbed the “Snow Bowl.” So heavy was the snow during the game that even the Weather Channel featured clips from the game in the following days.  The game itself was quite exciting, as the Bulldogs and Aggies battled to a 35-35 tie in regulation, which led to one of the most unlikely overtime finishes in the history of college football.

A&M had possession of the ball first in the overtime period, and promptly seized the momentum with Ja’Mar Toombs’ 25 yard touchdown rumble on the first play. But momentum abruptly turned against A&M on the ensuing PAT. Defensive tackle Willie Blade blocked the kick, which was first scooped up by Eugene Clinton, then lateraled to Julius Griffith, who raced to the opposite end zone for an MSU two point conversion.

The Bulldogs likely caught a break on the play, though. Because of the weather conditions, officials were not in best position once the blocked kick return began and replays indicated the lateral may have actually been a forward lateral, which would have negated the two point conversion. (Remember there was no instant replay in those days).   Although the quality is poor, here’s a video of the blocked PAT and return.  Judge for yourself.

Now trailing by just four points, the Bulldogs had their turn in overtime, and quarterback Wayne Madkin closed the game with a 9 yard TD run, securing a 43-41 victory.

When the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, MSU-A&M football game became an annual event. So far, A&M has had the better of the Bulldogs in SEC play, winning the 2012 contest in Starkville by a 38-13 count and also prevailing in last year’s 51-41 track meet in College Station.  A victory Saturday against the Aggies would do far more than merely even the series and give State its first ever SEC win over A&M.  It would further elevate the Bulldogs into the national discussion and likely set up an historic top ten showdown next week with Auburn.