Goodbye Nebraska.....Thanks for the Memories

Goodbyes are always so hard to come by. 

Tonight when the clock strikes midnight, the Big XII conference and Nebraska will go their separate ways.  The Big XII will become a conference of 10 teams and Nebraska will find a new home in the Big 10 as the 12th team (but hey, don't change the names.  That won't confuse women everywhere).

We will miss Nebraska.  The fact is they are a great university (whether they are a member of the AAU or not) from a place with lots of fantastic people and most importantly fans.  They have their great traditions such as the blackshirts and going to Lincoln is always an intimidating place to play at.  It's a shame I never got the chance to go. 

But as we say goodbye to Nebraska, its important to always remember the special times we had together. 

I've thought about this question a lot today and I think it's a pretty fair question to ask.  Did two of the best games every played at Kyle Field involve the Nebraska Cornhuskers? 

October 10th, 1998.

#18 Texas A&M defeats #2 Nebraska 28-21

 
To understand this game you have to know a few things coming in.  Nebraska in 1998 was a college football powerhouse.  I'm not sure if a program today in 2011 is close to their standards.  Nebraska had won the national championship in 1994 24-17 over #3Miami, in 1995 with a 62-24 crushing defeat over #2 Florida (wow), and the year before in 1997 with a 42-17 stomping of #3 Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl.  That's three out of the last four folks.  Dynasty.  Oh and in that 1997 season?  Texas A&M and Nebraska matched up in the Alamodome for the Big XII Championship where Nebraska just tore us apart 54-15.  Yes 54-15!  During that time right at the beginning of the formation of the Big XII, the old Big 8 (now Big XII North minus Oklahoma and brother State) had all of the powerhouses in Nebraska and Kansas State (we'll get to them later) and the new Big XII South?  Mack Brown and Bob Stoops hadn't walked through that door yet.  It was Texas A&M and a bunch of scrubs.  (Sound like the Big XII North we came to know doesn't it? )

On that day in October, Nebraska was ranked the #2 team in the entire country, coming down south to play at Kyle Field.  They were bringing with them a 19 game winning streak, the longest in the entire country. 

Of course they didn't leave with it. 

With battle cries of "Remember the Alamodome!" (so cute) the Cornhuskers went back to Nebraska defeated.  The Cornhuskers would later go on to lose to #20 Texas in Lincoln and new #2 Kansas State, finishing 9-4 in Frank Solich's first season.  (Lost their bowl game to Arizona).  But what happened to Nebraska isn't important. 

That victory on that October day propelled Coach RC Slocum's squad, led by current LB coach Dat Nguyen, Dante Hall, and TOOOOOOOOOOMBS  to a 7-1 record in the Big XII (only defeat came to Texas in Austin--gag) and a right to once again play for the Big XII Championship, this time in St. Louis.  And of course, how could we forget:

November 20th, 2010

#18 Texas A&M defeats #8 Nebraska 9-6

There isn't a lot I need to say about this game.  It's very fresh in our minds.  I even called it my most favorite memory in the 2010-2011 Aggie Athletic year in our first post.  The fact is that in front of a national audience on ABC in prime time, the largest crowd in Kyle Field history (90,000+) came together to watch the re-emergence of the Wrecking Crew right before our very eyes.  Now in the overall grand scheme of things will a game that got Texas A&M to 8 wins, 9 overall on the season, be always remembered?  Maybe not.  But let's not lose sight of the fact that the TV audience that got to witness first hand the return of the Wrecking Crew, and the best atmosphere in college football.  Of course, the next few years will determine how much of a turning point we actually saw that night.  Will we win Big XII Championships starting in 2011?  Or just more average 7-5, 8-4 type seasons?  Time will tell how pivotal this game will be in Aggie Football history.  

So as you sit and ponder about how these games stack up against in the rest in Kyle Field history, here is some feedback I have received today on the topic.  

MASAXET from TexAgs.com

Great question!!!!

I'll go with, potentially 2 of the top 5. It depends on if we can look back at the game last year as a turning point for the program. The atmosphere was electric, and it has potential to be a real catalyst for us moving forward

RM1993 from TexAgs.com

I don't know that either of those would be the "greatest". Probably both in the top 10 though.
I think a more apt descriptor of each of those games might be "two of the most pivotal" games in Kyle field history.
The 1998 victory was the springboard to a B12 championship and Sugar Bowl berth....last year's game wasn't so much of a springboard as it was validation that the earlier victory over OU wasn't a fluke.

 Cinco Ranch Aggie from TexAgs.com

tu '85 announced to the CFB world that we had arrived

tu '99
blOU '02
NU '98
BU '86 - don't laugh, Baylor used to be pretty good and Dave Campbell called this the game of the decade in the State of Texas

 And last but not least Louie Belina from 1150AM The Zone in College Station (2-4pm Weekdays) answered this question on air today (thanks for answering Louie!) and his response was simple. The 2010 game should definitely go down as one of the most memorable games in Kyle Field history when considering the atmosphere, etc.  But time will tell how the game will impact the program.  And for him, 1998 will always be one of this top memories. 

I think that is our best answer.  Defeating a defending national champion and the resurrection of the Wrecking Crew on ABC will always be memories I cherish.  And many will for some time.  Best or greatest games in Kyle Field history?  Let's not go too far now.  I'm sure John David Crow and Jackie Sherrill would have a thing or two to say about that.  I bet the 1939 National Championship team would also like to throw their two cents in as well. 

Whatever those games mean to you, the fact remains Nebraska won't be visiting Kyle Field again.  At least any time soon.  And with that, we say goodbye to one of our Big XII foes.  (Just don't go breaking any cameras Carl Pelini)

Oh.  Colorado.  Didn't see you there.

(P.S., thanks to Aggie Athletics for having great videos on YouTube!)