In as emotionally charged game as they will ever play, the No. 24 Aggies rallied from a 16-6 halftime deficit to beat No. 7 Texas 20-16 at Kyle Field on Friday.
This has been an unrelentingly grim season for the Aggies, even before the Nov. 18 deaths of 12 people who died building the traditional campus bonfire.
Coach R.C. Slocum's son underwent heart surgery in April. In June, quarterbacks coach Ray Dorr was diagnosed with LouGehrig's disease.
On Oct. 2, a loss to Texas Tech cost the Aggies a run for the national championship. Embarrassing losses to Oklahoma and Nebraska dashed their hopes for another Big 12 South title.
But Dorr kept coaching, and the Aggies kept fighting.
On Nov. 11, they defeated Missouri and started getting ready for their biggest rival, the Longhorns. Then the bonfire tumbled. Eleven 11 students and a recent graduate died and 27 people were injured. Many players went immediately to the scene to help remove fallen logs in the search for those trapped.
Slocum worried that the grieving would take its toll on his players.
But the team found its strength against Texas. The Aggies got the early lead, but a bobbled extra point try and a fumble by quarterback Randy McCown helped the Longhorns take a 16-6 halftime lead.
At the final whistle, players, coaches, fans mingled on the field. They hugged and sobbed.
11-29-99
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