Erich Schlegel / DMN
Fullback Jerome Bettis had 75 of Notre Dame's 290 yards rushing on the day.Not a perfect ending for Aggies
Irish swamp SWC champions, 28-3
1/2/1993
Texas A&M officially withdrew from the national championship race less than a minute into the Mobil Cotton Bowl's fourth quarter. The fourth-ranked Aggies kicked a field goal just to avoid a shutout to fifth-ranked Notre Dame.
The Aggies were knocked off, 28-3, by the Irish before a sellout crowd of 71,615 on New Year's Day. The national championship talk was left to Notre (10-1-1).
"If this were a playoff system, I think we might go a long way," Notre Dame senior quarterback Rick Mirer said. "I've been on some good teams the last four years, but for the last seven games this is the best team I've ever played on."
The Aggies' bid for a national championship had faded despite being one of only three remaining unbeaten, untied teams. A&M (12-1) failed to answer skeptics' claims that its undefeated record was a result of playing just one ranked opponent before meeting the Irish.
"They thoroughly beat us," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "I'd have to say I'm surprised. We're not accustomed to being beaten like that."
It was A&M's worst loss in Slocum's four-year tenure and the largest margin of defeat for the school in a bowl game.
The loss wasn't unique for the Southwest Conference in the Cotton Bowl. A&M, which lost to Florida State in the Cotton Bowl last season, was the fifth consecutive SWC champ to lose in the game. The SWC winner hasn't scored a touchdown in the last three Cotton Bowls and has not scored a touchdown in four of the last five.
A&M's Terry Venetoulias kicked a 41-yard field goal with the Irish ahead, 21-0, with 14:27 left. Venetoulias missed a 44-yarder in the first half.
"You at least like to get some points on the board," Slocum said. "You knew it was going to be a long haul to get back into the game."
Notre Dame's senior-filled lineup simply overpowered the sophomore-oriented Aggies. The Irish took a 7-0 lead on a perfectly executed screen to receiver Lake Dawson for a 40-yard score with 36 seconds before halftime.
Notre Dame dominated the Aggies with a 14-point third quarter. Junior fullback Jerome Bettis scored on a 26-yard pass reception and a one-yard run. The Irish outgained the Aggies 135 yards to 23 in the third quarter while running on 20 of 22 plays. Bettis' touchdown catch to make it 14-0 with 7:17 left in the period was the Irish's second pass attempt of the quarter.
"In the second half, they dominated both sides of the ball," Slocum said. "Our defense was on the field a lot in the first half, and I don't know if it came down to them getting worn down. It wasn't a scheme change. It looked like they got stronger."
The Irish countered the Aggies' defensive quickness by being bigger and just as quick. Notre Dame rushed for 290 yards and more than doubled the Aggies' season-long average of allowing 14 points per game, which ranked No. 9 nationally.
"Their offensive linemen were the fastest and best I've seen," A&M junior linebacker Jason Atkinson said. "And their backs ran hard. Bettis wasn't as hard-nosed as everyone said. He was faster than I expected."
A&M struggled offensively more than it did last season while getting only a safety in its 10-2 loss to Florida State. The Aggies had 165 yards total offense against the Irish after getting 180 against the Seminoles.
"Everyone's joked about ND meaning No Defense," Irish senior defensive end Devon McDonald said. "But we're playing the best defense since I've been here. We were so prepared. I knew when they went in motion they'd run the zone play.
"I played on a different level. A couple plays I made I don't know how I made them."
A&M sophomore tailback Rodney Thomas had 50 yards rushing on 20 carries. He was unable to go outside against the Irish and thrown for 24 yards in losses on five carries. Thomas was making his first start in place of Greg Hill, who was suspended by the university after it looked into allegations published in The Dallas Morning News that Hill received improper payments while working for an A&M alumnus.
"A lot of situations, it didn't matter who was in the backfield," Thomas said. "I ran on my instincts. They just stopped everything."
Notre Dame also pressured A&M freshman quarterback Corey Pullig, who fumbled twice and was sacked four times.
"We've played two very good defenses in Florida State and Notre Dame," Slocum said. "That's part of the problem in scoring. And we've got a freshman quarterback in there and they gave him a lot of looks, which is good coaching."
Slocum wouldn't argue with the Irish's claim to be No. 1. The Aggies were the sixth ranked opponent Notre Dame has defeated in winning its last seven games.
"I'd think if you looked at it statistically coming into the game, just down the line,"Slocum said, "you'd have to say they were a little better team than we were on paper."
The Irish proved to be a lot better than the Aggies on the field.
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