While Alabama and Texas A&M have not met that much on the field, playing only 10 times since 1942 with the Tide winning eight, the connections between the two programs make this a rivalry as much as anything.
Every self-respecting Bama fan knows that Paul “Bear” Bryant was coaching at Texas A&M when “Mama called,” and he returned to his alma mater in 1958. There was also Gene Stallings, who played for Bryant at A&M before coaching the Tide from 1990-96. And Jackie Sherrill, who played for Bryant at Alabama before coaching the Aggies from 1982-88.
On the field, it’s pretty much been all Bama, starting with a 29-21 win in the 1942 Cotton Bowl that secured the school’s 1941 national championship. Among the Tide’s other wins are a 23-10 win in Birmingham in 1985, a 30-10 win in College Station in what was known as the “Hurricane Bowl” in 1988 and the last five meetings in a row.
The Aggies’ only wins came in a 20-16 victory in the 1968 Cotton Bowl after which Bryant carried Stallings, his former player and assistant coach, off the field to help Stallings celebrate his team’s triumph and a 29-24 upset in their first trip to Bryant-Denny as a Southeastern Conference member in 2012. The win basically sealed the Heisman Trophy for Johnny Manzel, and the Aggies went on to finish in the Associate Press Top 5 for the first time since Bryant guided them there in 1956.
In its current five-game winning streak, Bama has outscored Texas A&M 209-98, including a 59-0 pasting in Tuscaloosa in 2014. H&A
Kickoff for Alabama-Texas A&M: 2:30 CST on CBS
Photo courtesy Alabama Athletics
