Cotton for Aggies, Rotten for Longhorns : Texas A&M; Gets to the Bowl by Beating Beleaguered Texas, 16-3

Tenth-ranked Texas A&M; knows its future includes a Cotton Bowl date on New Year’s Day against Ohio State. The Texas football team, on the other hand, doesn’t know if it even has a future under Coach Fred Akers.

Texas A&M; won its second consecutive Southwest Conference title by beating Texas, 16-3, Thursday night to complete a 9-2 season. The Aggies’ third consecutive victory over the Longhorns plunged Texas to its first losing season in 30 years amid reports that Akers won’t be back next year.

“Our players reached their goal,” Aggie Coach Jackie Sherrill said. “First, we wanted to get a piece of the championship, then put ourselves in the position to go back to the Cotton Bowl.”

Led Thursday night by quarterback Kevin Murray, who passed for a touchdown, and fullback Roger Vick, who ran for another, the Aggies got the title with a 7-1 record. They finished a game ahead of Arkansas, 6-2 in the SWC and 9-2 overall, and Baylor, 6-2 and 8-3. The Razorbacks will meet Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Texas finished 5-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play. “It’s time to regroup, start over and think about the next one,” Akers said.

His next big test, perhaps the biggest he has faced with the Longhorns, is scheduled Saturday when the Texas athletic council meets to decide his future. Asked for his comments on the meeting, Akers said: “If it’s up to me, I’m going to be back.”

The Aggies got the break they needed in the third period when punter Todd Schantz was roughed by Texas linebacker Tex Mercer, and the 15-yard penalty gave Aggies a first down at the Texas 41-yard line. Eight plays later, Murray threw six yards to flanker Rod Harris, who made a diving catch in the end zone for a 10-3 Aggie lead.

Murray completed 25 of 36 passes for 277 yards, and Vick, a 221-pounder, ran 41 times for 167 yards in becoming the first Texas A&M; player in 35 years to win the SWC rushing championship. He finished the season with 960 yards.

Texas A&M;’s Scott Slater kicked field goals of 22, 41 and 34 yards to establish a single-season SWC record of 21.