John F. Rhodes / DMN
Greg Hill's fumble on the goal line was one of three the Texas A&M running back lost on the day.Aggies falter at every turn, 10-2
Eight miscues fuel Seminoles' Cotton victory
1/2/1992
Texas A&M and Florida State matched defenses and turnovers in the 56th annual Mobil Cotton Bowl. The fifth-ranked Seminoles had a little more of the former and a little less of the latter to pull off a 10-2 victory over the No. 9 Aggies on a gray, drizzly New Year's Day before a sellout crowd of 73,728 at the Cotton Bowl.
The Seminoles (11-2) and Aggies (10-2) tied a Cotton Bowl record with 13 turnovers. A&M set a bowl and school record with six lost fumbles and threw two interceptions. Florida State threw four interceptions and lost a fumble. Their combined 12 points are the fifth-fewest in a Cotton Bowl.
"Great defenses cause offenses problems," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "Guys get rushed into doing things that throw off timing. Miami and Florida State played, and they're two of the most explosive offenses in the country and they had a low-scoring game (a 17-16 Miami victory).
"The defenses are so much quicker, it's difficult to get any consistency. You just have to grab-bag it."
A&M's turnovers proved more critical than Florida State's. The Aggies had turnovers after reaching the Seminoles' two-, 29-, 22- and 17-yard lines. The Aggies nullified a 47-yard field goal with a delay of game penalty, had an interception return for a touchdown called back after safety Chris Crooms took one step out of bounds and lost another scoring opportunity after receiver Tony Harrison dropped a pass inside the five.
The Seminoles fared just well enough to tie an NCAA record with their seventh bowl victory in seven years. Their 46-yard, first-quarter scoring drive started after – of course – an A&M fumble. Quarterback Casey Weldon perfected a bootleg to score on a four-yard run, giving Florida State a 7-2 lead.
Otherwise, Florida State struggled against A&M's defense. The Seminoles had a season-low 280 total yards. They lost yardage on four pass plays. Weldon's 92 total yards were his fewest in 19 starts. His four interceptions were a career high.
A&M was 0-for-12 on third-down conversions. Florida State was 3-of-17.
"You have to give credit where credit is due," Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said. "It was not sloppy. Only a couple of times did I see sloppy ball-handling. It seems like most of the things that came out were knocked out."
Perhaps the biggest knockout happened early. A&M's Greg Hill broke upfield on a 39-yard run but fumbled after being caught at the two-yard line by cornerback Errol McCorvey. The officials gave Florida State possession at the two because Hill lost the ball in-bounds and it went out after entering the end zone. It was the first of Hill's three lost fumbles.
A&M took a 2-0 lead on the next play when linebacker Quentin Coryatt closed in on Weldon's rollout to tackle him in the end zone.
But it wasn't the first time the Aggies were plagued by a missed chance for a touchdown.
Later in the first quarter, Harrison beat All-America cornerback Terrell Buckley on a flag pattern but dropped a pass that hit him in stride inside the five.
Crooms intercepted Weldon in the second quarter to give A&M possession at the Seminoles' 26. He appeared to have returned it for a touchdown but officials ruled – correctly, according to replays – that he stepped out of bounds running down the sideline.
Richardson was intercepted in the end zone by Buckley three plays later.
Florida State also could count its missed opportunities. The Aggies fumbled the second-half kickoff, but Florida State failed on a 42-yard field goal attempt.
The final turnover exchange came early in the fourth quarter. Crooms made his second interception at Florida State's 16. On A&M's first play, freshman receiver Wilbert Biggens dropped a reverse pitch from quarterback Bucky Richardson. The Seminoles recovered at their 18.
Florida State added a 27-yard field goal by Gerry Thomas with 2:40 left.
"We have to be grateful our defense did such a great job to keep us in the game late," Richardson said. "We didn't get the breaks we needed. I don't want to say we beat ourselves, but we definitely hurt ourselves in a bunch of situations."
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