Tell Me About Texas a&m

[wood 11,778]

On 7/24/2021 at 5:17 PM, Randolph Duke said:

Aaggypedia.com

Fixed.

[wood 11,778]

On 7/25/2021 at 12:04 AM, Stinkpalm said:

Wow, that dude is seriously just the ultimate puppet for aggy brass. To the point that he didn’t even dare fixing the illiteracy that they wrote down on the Golden Corral napkin for him to tweet

I know a relative of his pretty well. He's a total goober just like Brent.

[LTtxfan 50,039]

 

Thx for article  @Eggo

How BYU QB Steve Sarkisian wrecked Texas A&M’s Wrecking Crew for 6 touchdowns 25 years ago - Athletic

Quote

The moment Phil Bennett picked up the phone, knowing the topic of conversation, he said, “Thanks for bringing up my 44-year nightmare.”

That’s how long the North Texas defensive coordinator has coached football, and few losses stick with him the way the 1996 Pigskin Classic does. It was 25 years ago this week that Bennett, then Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator, and the No. 13 Aggies traveled to Provo, Utah, for a preseason kickoff game. BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian and the Cougars’ high-powered offense razed the Aggies’ vaunted Wrecking Crew defense for 536 passing yards, six touchdowns and a 41-37 victory.

“I’ve never gotten over that game,” Bennett said, “ever.”

Although Sarkisian, 47, is the center of attention for his new gig as Texas head coach, trying to restore the Longhorns to their past glory, he holds a seminal place in BYU lore. His on-field exploits helped engineer one of the best seasons in Cougars program history, a season that began with a memorable display of quarterbacking a quarter century ago. That it came against the program that is now his in-state and future SEC rival is just a convenient twist of fate.

“He was incredibly accurate as a passer,” said former NFL tight end Chad Lewis, who played for the Cougars on Aug. 24, 1996. “Wherever he put it, we were going to go catch it.

“He was just such a perfect leader for our team.”

It was a game that almost didn’t happen.

The Pigskin Classic, a preseason game that didn’t count against the NCAA 11-game limit, took place every August from 1990 to 2002. It began as a neutral-site affair in Anaheim, Calif., before shifting to on-campus sites in 1995. Texas A&M, following a 9-3 season capped by a win against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl and a top-15 finish in the rankings, was offered a chance to host the ’96 game but was unwilling to guarantee a sellout, a requirement by the game’s organizers.

Before the game came together, head coach R.C. Slocum mentioned the possibility of playing a kickoff game to his staff. Bennett, whose defense had just lost key secondary pieces such as cornerback Ray Mickens and safety Dennis Allen, had only one request: Don’t play anybody who throws the ball a lot.

The Aggies explored playing Northwestern at Soldier Field in Chicago, but those plans were shuttered because of a conflict with the Democratic National Convention, which was being held in the city around the same time. With A&M instead paired with BYU, Slocum summoned Bennett to deliver the news.

Bennett still recalls his response to Slocum: “Are you fucking crazy?”

Bennett’s fears were warranted. The Aggies had two cornerbacks (Donovan Greer and Andre Williams) coming off knee surgery. BYU coach LaVell Edwards and offensive coordinator Norm Chow were ahead of the curve in offensive football then, spreading it out and throwing the ball much more frequently than their peers.

And though the Cougars were unranked and coming off a 7-4 season in which they missed the postseason, they spent the offseason leading up to 1996 practicing “with a chip on our shoulder and something to prove,” Sarkisian said. The 1995 season broke BYU’s 17-year bowl appearance streak and the team was eager to shake off that disappointment.

“That offseason was pretty intense,” Sarkisian said. “When that game got scheduled, our mindset was that it was a chance to prove ourselves.”

The ’96 Cougars were talented. Five BYU players who started against A&M wound up being NFL Draft picks: offensive linemen Eric Bateman and John Tait, defensive lineman Harland Ah You, tight end Itula Mili and receiver Ben Cahoon. Cahoon caught a key 33-yard pass from Sarkisian in the fourth quarter against A&M. Lewis, the tight end opposite Mili, went undrafted but had a productive nine-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the Aggies had the Wrecking Crew. Slocum’s mid-1990s defenses had a reputation for being big, physical and stingy. From 1993-95 only six of A&M’s 35 opponents reached the 20-point threshold. And the last time Texas A&M met BYU, it was ugly: The Aggies dominated the Cougars 65-14 in the 1990 Holiday Bowl, separating both of quarterback Ty Detmer’s shoulders. The Los Angeles Times headline: Aggies Hang Detmer on Trophy Wall.

The night before the ’96 clash, Edwards pulled up video highlights (or rather, a horror film for BYU) from the Holiday Bowl that assistant Duane Busby had compiled. He showed it to the team, and after it concluded, a recording of Detmer, who was in training camp with the Eagles at the time, appeared on screen. The former Heisman Trophy winner encouraged the Cougars to get revenge.

“That was a powerful video,” Lewis said. “It was incredibly motivating for our team. After we saw that, it was ‘Game on.’”

Sarkisian, a Torrance, Calif., native, took an unconventional path to BYU. Coming out of high school, only UC-Davis, a Division II school at the time, offered a football scholarship. He instead took a baseball scholarship to USC, but never really got comfortable.

He transferred to El Camino College, where he returned to football and thrived. After two seasons, he transferred to BYU. Sarkisian started immediately as a junior and had his ups and downs. But he finished the 1995 season by completing 31 of 34 passes for 399 yards and three touchdowns against Fresno State in the Cougars’ season finale.

When those stats flashed across the ABC game broadcast before kickoff against A&M, Dick Vermeil, the eventual Super Bowl-winning coach who served as the game’s analyst alongside play-by-play man Brent Musburger, said, “you can look for him to be better today, but maybe not recreate those kinds of statistics. He hasn’t faced a pass rush like he’s going to see today.”

Instead, BYU’s big and talented offensive line barely allowed the A&M defense to touch Sarkisian. And the senior quarterback was nearly flawless.

The Cougars started fast, scoring on their first possession after Sarkisian hit Mili for a 48-yard gain and Lewis for a diving 5-yard touchdown catch for an early six-point lead. But the Aggies, led by Tennessee transfer quarterback Branndon Stewart and a strong rushing attack, settled in and took control, jumping out to a 20-6 lead early in the second quarter.

Special teams helped BYU get back in it, as A&M returner Michael Jennings bobbled a bouncing punt, which the Cougars recovered. Sarkisian and the BYU offense found a rhythm, and he hit Mili and receiver Kaipo McGuire for touchdown passes to tie the score at 20 just before halftime.

The second half turned into a shootout. Sarkisian caught fire, completing 17 consecutive passes at one point before A&M safety Rich Coady picked him off in the third quarter. Sarkisian, Mili, Lewis, McGuire and receiver Levi Kealaluhi ate up chunks of yards in the middle of the field.

“They figured out how to attack us,” said A&M linebacker Dat Nguyen, named an All-American in 1998. “We were covering more space than we were used to. We couldn’t stop them.”

“We knew they were a heavy man-to-man team,” Sarkisian said. “We were able to chase them out of man coverage with some of our man beaters, and that forced them into playing more zone, which maybe they weren’t as comfortable doing. That got us into our comfort zone of finding those soft spots and getting completions.”

Stewart, with the help of 100-yard performances from running backs Eric Bernard and Sirr Parker, continued to respond. With the score tied at 34 early in the fourth, a dramatic finish awaited.

Late in regulation, Stewart hit Albert Connell on a slant for a touchdown, but it was called back on an ineligible man downfield penalty. With 87 seconds left, the Aggies settled for a 52-yard field goal and a three-point lead, leaving Sarkisian and the Cougars one more chance to tie the score or win it.

It took BYU just three plays to get downfield. Sarkisian hit McGuire for an 11-yard gain, then hit Kealaluhi, nicknamed “K.O.,” over the middle for 21 yards to cross midfield.

When the next play call came in, Kealaluhi wasn’t thrilled. His job was to run a go-route down the sideline to influence a safety to help, which would open up the middle of the field so Sarkisian could hit a tight end.

But Sarkisian had noticed that A&M’s cornerbacks “were nosy. They were looking in the backfield trying to maybe help others do their job rather than just doing their job.” So the Cougars opted to take a downfield shot from the Aggies’ 46-yard line.

When Kealaluhi came off the line of scrimmage, he thought, “Oh, I’m never gonna get this ball.” But once he noticed Sarkisian firing it his way, he accelerated, beat Williams, and caught it over his shoulder. Hit perfectly in stride, Kealaluhi sprinted across the goal line, slid onto his back and held the ball up above his face before dropping it and covering his facemask with both hands in disbelief. The crowd exploded. Moments later, a Stewart fumble on the final A&M possession sealed BYU’s victory.

On the touchdown call, Musburger yelled, “Levi Kealaluhi, the K.O. punch!”

“No way that just happened,” Kealaluhi recalled thinking. “To be thrown the ball in that situation when the game’s on the line, that’s all you dream of. … That was probably the highlight of my career.”

“We did something no one thought we could do,” Sarksian said. “We knocked off one of the perennial powers in college football at that time when no one was really giving us the chance to do it.”

Even Edwards was surprised, at least at how it all unfolded. Surrounded by jubilant fans who had rushed the field, he told sideline reporter Jack Arute after the game, “This is certainly not the score I would have predicted.”

Of the field rush, Sarkisian joked: “After celebrating, my next thought was, ‘I wanna get out of here, because I don’t know who all these people are.’

“But it was a great day, and it was a great start to a really memorable season.”

BYU went 14-1, losing only at Washington that season. The Cougars won the Western Athletic Conference, beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl and finished the year ranked fifth in the Associated Press poll.

“It’s the only time in BYU history that they’ve ever played on New Year’s Day,” Sarkisian said. “So we hold that in high regard.”

Added Kealaluhi: “It’s a memory that will always go down in history. When someone taps you on the back and reminds you of what you did for a program or how you made them feel, there’s nothing like it.”

Meanwhile, the loss was a sign of further trouble for the Aggies. Three weeks later, they lost to Louisiana (then known as Southwestern Louisiana) to start 0-2. They finished 6-6 with a blowout loss to Texas to end the season, one of only two .500 seasons that Slocum had in his 14-year tenure.

“Coach Slocum took us back into two-a-days (after the BYU loss),” offensive lineman Steve McKinney said, remembering a relentless two weeks of practice before A&M, “went down to Louisiana and completely laid an egg.”

Multiple players on that 1996 A&M team would get a better ending as part of the 1998 team that upset Kansas State and won a Big 12 championship, though.

Sarkisian’s final line against the Aggies: 33 of 44 passing, 536 yards, six touchdowns, one interception. He went on to throw for more than 4,000 yards in 1996, set a school record for completion percentage, surpassing Steve Young, led the nation in passer rating, won the Sammy Baugh Trophy and was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year. Sarkisian went undrafted and spent three years in the Canadian Football League before entering coaching in 2000.

Beyond the numbers and accolades, Kealaluhi remembers a poised, reliable leader. When the pressure was on and chaos reigned, Sarkisian was calm and steady.

“He’s one of the best, if not the best leader I’ve ever been around,” Kealaluhi said. “He had this swag about him. … I actually strive to be like him as a coach and a leader. He had this way to make us feel comfortable when we knew it was on the line.”

The old quarterback is now trying to impart his wisdom on a pair of young ones, as Sarkisian oversees a competition between Hudson Card and Casey Thompson for the right to be Texas’ QB1. Sarkisian’s successful history coaching quarterbacks is well-documented, fueled in part by his own playing experience. Sarkisian credits Chow, the late Roger French and former BYU national championship quarterback Robbie Bosco for tutoring him in the BYU offense, which gave Sarkisian freedom to change plays and route combinations at the line of scrimmage. That authority paid off that August day against Texas A&M.

Sarkisian also still carries much of what he learned from Edwards, a college football coaching legend and pioneer who died in 2016. Now in his third head coaching job thanks in large part to his offensive mind, Sarkisian tries to maintain not only the core schematic principles that he learned in Provo, but also build relationships the way Edwards did.

“A lot of my talks with him were not about football,” Sarkisian said. “It was about being a man and being the best man you can be, and also the confidence that he had in me. I’ve always tried to hold on to that.

“As coaches, we’re more than X’s and O’s, we’re more than just schemes and techniques. We’re leaders of men. But that quiet confidence he instilled in me as a player is something I’ve always tried to do with the guys that I’ve coached. Make sure that every Saturday that they take the field, that my coach believes in me.”

 

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 22,333]

The Pigskin Classic, a preseason game that didn’t count against the NCAA 11-game limit, took place every August from 1990 to 2002. It began as a neutral-site affair in Anaheim, Calif., before shifting to on-campus sites in 1995. Texas A&M, following a 9-3 season capped by a win against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl and a top-15 finish in the rankings, was offered a chance to host the ’96 game but was unwilling to guarantee a sellout, a requirement by the game’s organizers.

So they had a team that was expected to be highly ranked going into the season. but didn't think they could sell out their home opener.  What a bunch of 2%ers.

[Vertigo 20,502]

1 hour ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

The Pigskin Classic, a preseason game that didn’t count against the NCAA 11-game limit, took place every August from 1990 to 2002. It began as a neutral-site affair in Anaheim, Calif., before shifting to on-campus sites in 1995. Texas A&M, following a 9-3 season capped by a win against Michigan in the Alamo Bowl and a top-15 finish in the rankings, was offered a chance to host the ’96 game but was unwilling to guarantee a sellout, a requirement by the game’s organizers.

So they had a team that was expected to be highly ranked going into the season. but didn't think they could sell out their home opener.  What a bunch of 2%ers.

Combines and livestock are frowned upon going through airport security. 

[wood 11,778]

On 8/4/2021 at 7:39 PM, DFW Horn said:

101 Aggie Facts - A Statistical Case by Kyle Umlang

 

Ordered & on its way.

[Deej 77,905]

In typical aggy fashion, it's all about quantity over quality. 

Quote

TEXAS A&M WELCOMES LARGEST INCOMING VETERINARY CLASS IN THE NATION

August 23, 2021

The addition of 18 students in the inaugural 2+2 DVM program at the Veterinary Education, Research, and Outreach facility in Canyon brings the Texas A&M CVMBS’ Class of 2025 to 180 students. 

 

https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/class-of-2025/

[closetohumping 17,834]

[demos 3,042]

Are they trying to diploma mill the vet school since tech got a vet school now so they want bragging rights on class size?

[lemonandaturd 4,289]

Sark stunted on those hoes.  536 yards passing.  Nice.  

[Deej 77,905]

29 minutes ago, demos said:

Are they trying to diploma mill the vet school since tech got a vet school now so they want bragging rights on class size?

I thought they were largest class by student size. 

[Lat22 4,100]

Heard on the radio yesterday that aggy was playing Penn State this weekend.  I just looked up the kickoff time and saw that it was Kent State.  Of course they're not playing Penn State.   Why did I ever think that?

[bluto 5,000]

But they did play penn st and the milkman said they were gonna send joepas old ass to an early grave at the river walk pep rally. Who knew just a decade or so later we woulda cheered for that.

Penn st beat their ass

[Gil Bang 26,268]

Texags:
Haynes King: The Most Texan Aggie Quarterback Ever?
 

That is one geeky looking motherfucker. Lucky for him that he was a High School Football star, because otherwise he would have been the recipient of many a swirlie.

[Jkwellborn 7,072]

But they did play penn st and the milkman said they were gonna send joepas old ass to an early grave at the river walk pep rally. Who knew just a decade or so later we woulda cheered for that.

Penn st beat their ass

Beat the tears out of them.

[Dennis Taylor 19,394]

Must be going for the Johnny Wad Holmes look

 

 

[Bullneck 19,602]

Wow, they have a ton of new statues at Kyle.  How about this one?  Is it just me or does this guy have a big head?

 

[ousux 5,649]

No trophies, gotta memorialize somewhat notable gomers.

[Cairn Horn88 8,503]

Ya know….aggy could almost fill up their stadium with statutes!

[LTtxfan 50,039]

 

 

[Guest Lobo]

39 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

Wow, they have a ton of new statues at Kyle.  How about this one?  Is it just me or does this guy have a big head?

 

That statue is about as proportional as the student body representation by non-scholarship athlete Blacks on A&M's campus.  

[lemonandaturd 4,289]

2 hours ago, Bullneck said:

Wow, they have a ton of new statues at Kyle.  How about this one?  Is it just me or does this guy have a big head?

 

Klaatu barada nikto

[Deej 77,905]

[fattyflattie 4,640]

3 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

 

I’m about 2 hours, someone who knew what they were doing could easily put together a 5 min lowlight reel of that loudmouth motherfucker getting burned.  Hell, he had one as a recruit he had to cry to get taken off Twitter.  Would be the perfect reply for the 10 times a year he opens his cockholster. 

[Cairn Horn88 8,503]

aggy super-excited this year:

 

”I'm so excited for the next few years of A&M football. As good as we will be this year, next year King and the OL will all be experienced, and we will have talent and depth across every position, including WR. 2022 is the year many have targeted for a break out. 

Then in 2023, Conner Weigman will take over a truly stacked team as a RS Fish, or Sophomore. We are on the cusp, and Fisher built this team to compete year after year. But it all starts this year ...”

R I g h t !   Silly aggy.

[Deej 77,905]

[JohnnyTapia 622]

 

[demos 3,042]

Guess that’s what you have to do when you don’t have any thing to offer in terms of NIL except endorsements for some sausage processing companies and texags.

[Deej 77,905]

Just now, demos said:

Guess that’s what you have to do when you don’t have any thing to offer in terms of NIL except endorsements for some sausage processing

Paging Akita 41.

[InkaUtexas 26,999]

9 hours ago, Bullneck said:

Wow, they have a ton of new statues at Kyle.  How about this one?  Is it just me or does this guy have a big head?

 

 Nice Hitleresque haircut. 

[CooterBrown 18,289]

Back in the spring, a friend posted a pic of her kid with one of those aggy banners they send out with their acceptance letter.

Today she posted pics of moving her son into the dorm and it was aggy-Galveston. I went back and looked at the first pic and sure enough his banner is a generic aggy one that appears to be aggy-collie station.

It’s so aggy to consider all the system schools as being real aggy.

[Bevo14 8,470]

2 hours ago, Deej said:

Paging Akita 41.

Hide yo fence hide yo neighbor

Edited August 30, 2021 by Bevo14

[Randolph Duke 4,034]

2 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Back in the spring, a friend posted a pic of her kid with one of those aggy banners they send out with their acceptance letter.

Today she posted pics of moving her son into the dorm and it was aggy-Galveston. I went back and looked at the first pic and sure enough his banner is a generic aggy one that appears to be aggy-collie station.

It’s so aggy to consider all the system schools as being real aggy.

aggy is pulling out all the stops to catch Central Florida for the coveted “nation’s highest enrollment” title. 

Because when you are aggy, shit like that means everything. 

The people of Texas deserve better than Texas A&M. 

[MAUFRAIS 6,747]

 Nice Hitleresque haircut. 

Not a Radiohead fan I guess.

[BERT 4,499]

On 8/25/2021 at 11:33 PM, ousux said:

On 8/25/2021 at 6:02 PM, Nolacycling said:

Texags:
Haynes King: The Most Texan Aggie Quarterback Ever?
 

White kid from deep in East Texas? Depends on if you consider East Texas to be be Northwest Louisiana like many real Texans do.

Oh go fuck yourself

[Thatguy 9,457]

On 8/26/2021 at 7:54 AM, LTtxfan said:

 

Thx for article  @Eggo

How BYU QB Steve Sarkisian wrecked Texas A&M’s Wrecking Crew for 6 touchdowns 25 years ago - Athletic

 

 

  The University of Texas should have a coach who wore Aggy's ass out back in his playing days. All is right with the world.

[markstanco 12,815]

Oh go fuck yourself

He’s not a fan of earl.

[Vic Mackey 48,038]

Oh go fuck yourself

Agreed. Texas is Texas. Same as people who consider Dallas to be Oklahoma. Nah, it's Texas, moron. With that logic, is Houston considered Louisiana?

[n64ra 1,150]

WTF is up with so many "experts" predicting aggy winning the SEC?

[Gaffords 778]

54 minutes ago, n64ra said:

WTF is up with so many "experts" predicting aggy winning the SEC?

Lazy journalism.  Let one recognizable dumb fuck say as aggy bait, the other dumb fucks are soon to follow...  Not a single one will take the time to actually take a closer look at the numbers behind the sleeping giant's yearly projected breakout.  He'll, half of them don't even realize aggy is breaking in a new qb.

[fattyflattie 4,640]

15 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Back in the spring, a friend posted a pic of her kid with one of those aggy banners they send out with their acceptance letter.

Today she posted pics of moving her son into the dorm and it was aggy-Galveston. I went back and looked at the first pic and sure enough his banner is a generic aggy one that appears to be aggy-collie station.

It’s so aggy to consider all the system schools as being real aggy.

Theyve always considers Galv an extension of Collie Station iirc.  They are the only other campus (maybe Qatar) that gets rings.  I had an aggy HR girl telling me about her husband graduating from Galv once, and how it was same as CS and they get rings while others don’t blah blah. 

[fattyflattie 4,640]

17 hours ago, demos said:

Guess that’s what you have to do when you don’t have any thing to offer in terms of NIL except endorsements for some sausage processing companies and texags.

They’ve spent a fuckload of money over the last 3 years on some really good players.  It’s going to be peak aggy if they can’t win shit during that time.  They’ve purchased some key positions. 

[closetohumping 17,834]

[Harrison Bergeron 1,798]

On 8/25/2021 at 11:33 PM, ousux said:

On 8/25/2021 at 6:02 PM, Nolacycling said:

Texags:
Haynes King: The Most Texan Aggie Quarterback Ever?
 

White kid from deep in East Texas? Depends on if you consider East Texas to be be Northwest Louisiana like many real Texans do.

Go Fuck Yourself 2.0.

[General Specific 3,508]

Agreed. Texas is Texas. Same as people who consider Dallas to be Oklahoma. Nah, it's Texas, moron. With that logic, is Houston considered Louisiana?

Well, their campus is East Berlin!

[ousux 5,649]

Lot of East Texans in here

[Randolph Duke 4,034]

2 hours ago, closetohumping said:

This past spring Texas A&M had its first individual NCAA national champion in men’s swimming. 

First in school history. 

And the ags had to essentially ignore that accomplishment because to tout it would only raise comparisons with UT Austin’s men’s swimming program. 

The dog shit that defines Texas A&M is extensive. 

With football season around the corner, the ags can now go back to claiming their cherished “highest minimum secondary market football ticket price” national championship prospects. 

The people of Texas deserve better than Texas A&M. 

[nnm 38,020]

6 hours ago, Gaffords said:

He'll, half of them don't even realize aggy is breaking in a new qb.

Autocorrecting “well” to “we’ll” and “hell” to “he’ll” makes me surly. Not you, @Gaffords, you’re the victim of this the same as me multiple times a week. 

[elfenix 34,796]

missing an sec sticker

[DFW Horn 6,672]

59 minutes ago, elfenix said:

missing an sec sticker

That ol' aggy must really be redass