Evans Caglage / DMN
Texas A&M’s "Wrecking Crew" defense stopped Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on four straight plays at the goal line.A&M: Champion of Cotton
Aggies stop Auburn, pass biggest test
1/2/1986
Texas A&M linebacker Larry Kelm knew in the fourth quarter didn't need to look at the clock to know that "it was time to find out if you are a champion.'
He learned the happy truth Wednesday when he helped turn back two crucial fourth-down runs by none other than Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, tackles that helped lift A&M to a 36-16 victory over Auburn in the 50th Cotton Bowl Classic.
In front of a spillover crowd of 73,137 at the Cotton Bowl, Kelm and his teammates showed their long-suffering fans that this is the new Aggie Army. These cadets no longer fall on their swords.
A&M, representing the SWC for the first time since the 1967 season, first stopped Jackson on a fourth-and-goal situation at the 2-yard line early in the fourth quarter, a stop that would protect a 21-16 lead. Kelm, along with freshman linebacker Basil Jackson, applied the clamps. Thus, Auburn drove 91 yards and got no points.
Then minutes later, with the Tigers at the A&M 27, the Aggies stopped Bo again, this time when he tried to run wide. Cornerback Wayne Asberry shoved him back into Kelm's pursuit.
"Those were the two big plays right there," said A&M coach Jackie Sherrill. "I knew this team would do whatever it took."
From there, the Aggies scored the put-away touchdown that was set up when Kevin Murray, on his way to a Cotton Bowl-record 292 yards passing, completed a 37-yarder to tight end Rod Bernstine. A 9-yarder to running back Keith Woodside scored the clinching points.
"The key was our inability to convert those (fourth-down) plays and their ability to come up with some great plays," said Auburn coach Pat Dye, whose Tigers finished the season at 8-4. "A&M is probably the strongest team we have faced all year."
Indeed, this plucky A&M team rewrote some Aggie jokes as they finished up at 10-2. Having won 12 of their last 14, the Aggies are the first SWC champs to win the Cotton Bowl since SMU's 7-3 win over Dan Marino and Pitt in 1982. They did because they picked at the Tigers' secondary with short passes and hurried Auburn passers into a dismal 7-for-17 performance that included two interceptions. They also survived some early heroics by a remarkable running back.
In his collegiate bow before heading for big professional bucks, Jackson carried 31 times for 129 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the ball. He also turned an ordinary screen pass into a 73-yard score fit for any highlight film.
With his team down by 12-7 in the second period, Jackson caught a short lob from Pat Washington at the 22-yard line, ducked behind a couple blocks to the 45, then angled crossfield to the end zone to complete the stunning display. Writers covering the game were duly impressed, and they chose Jackson over Murray as the outstanding offensive player in a close vote.
"He has such a burst of speed when he hits a seam," said A&M defensive coordinator R.C. Slocum. "He is really something special."
So, too, were A&M linemen Doug Williams, Randy Dausin and friends. They punched holes in the Auburn defense for five Aggie running backs to rush for the 186 yards that balanced Murray's passing. Anthony Toney led A&M with 72 yards on 17 carries.
It was that inside power running and the short darts underneath the Auburn secondary that let A&M rebound from Jackson's startling run with the screen pass.
From a 13-12 deficit, A&M took the lead on a Scott Slater field goal; Toney then made it 21-13 on a 22-yard touchdown run. Chris Johnson answered for Auburn with a 26-yard field goal in the third period to draw the Tigers to within five, at 21-16. That set up the need for Kelm & Jackson.
"I got a pretty good lick on Jackson on that one at the goal line, but he's so strong you have to have help," said Kelm. "On the second one, Asberry and Johnny Holland sent him back into me. Everybody was looking for Bo to get the ball, and we knew that to win we had to stop him."
Said Holland, who had a game-high 10 tackles: "It was a thrill to stop him. That was a big turnaround.'
"Those fourth-down plays cost an opportunity to make this a close game," said Auburn running back Kyle Collins. "The first time wasn't so bad, since we drove back down later. But the second time – that was a killer."
If there was any taint on the Aggies' performance, it was that they were too good. That is, Sherrill drew bitter reaction from Auburn players and assistants who thought he had run up the score.
Already ahead, 29-16, and assured of victory with the ball at Auburn's 1-yard line, Sherrill could have ordered Murray to kneel down with the snap and kill the remaining time. Instead, with three seconds left to play – and 10 remaining on the 25-second clock – he sent Toney off left tackle for a meaningless touchdown that left Auburn questioning Sherrill's sportsmanship.
"After that," said a bitter Auburn staffer who asked not to be named, "I'm surprised they didn't go for a 2-point conversion."
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