The 1987 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 51st
edition
Edition may refer to:
* Edition (book), a bibliographical term for a substantially similar set of copies
* Edition (printmaking), a publishing term for a set print run
* Edition (textual criticism), a particular version of a text
* Edition Recor ...
of the
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
, played at the
Cotton Bowl in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the
1986–87 bowl game season, it matched the
eleventh-ranked Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
of the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
and the #8
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggi ...
of the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
(SWC).
A slight underdog,
Ohio State won by sixteen points, 28–12.
Teams
This was the first Cotton Bowl appearance by a team from the Big Ten Conference.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were co-champions of the Big Ten with
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, to whom they lost 26–24 on November 22. Ohio State hadn't played a Southwest Conference team since the season opener in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M won their second consecutive Southwest Conference championship under Sherrill. A&M aimed to become the second team to win consecutive Cotton Bowls (the first was
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
in January
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
).
Game summary
Televised by
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, the game kicked off shortly after 12:30 p.m.
CST, ninety minutes after the
Florida Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, located in the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, west of new sports and entertainment facilities including the Amway Center, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, an ...
, and two hours before the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, both on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
[
It was a close game early and Ohio State led 7–6 at halftime. Scott Slater kicked two field goals for the Aggies contrasted with ]Jim Karsatos
Jim Karsatos (born May 26, 1963) is an American football player, Starting lineup, starting at quarterback for two years with the Ohio State University, Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football, Buckeyes. He is of Greek-American origin from the isl ...
's touchdown run. But the second half is where Ohio State and their defense shone; on the third play of the half, linebacker Chris Spielman
Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker at Ohio State University, ...
intercepted a Kevin Murray pass and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown. When the Aggies tried to drive again, rover Sonny Gordon
Sonny Gordon (July 30, 1965 – April 26, 2023) was an American professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in ...
intercepted the ball, his second of the game. Vince Workman capped Ohio State's drive with his 8-yard run midway through the third quarter for a 21–6 Buckeyes' lead.
In the fourth quarter, Aggie Roger Vick
Roger Hamilton Vick (born August 11, 1964) is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles from 1987 to 1990. He played college football at Texas A&M Unive ...
scored from two yards out, but the two-point conversion
In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
attempt was ruled out of bounds, and the Ohio State lead was 21–12 with nine minutes to go. When A&M tried to drive with three minutes to go, linebacker Michael Kee intercepted and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown to seal the win. Despite having less first downs, three passes picked off, and more penalties than A&M, it was Ohio State's defense that was the difference with five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and one that led to a touchdown.
Scoring
;First quarter:
*Texas A&M – Scott Slater 30-yard field goal
;Second quarter:
*Ohio State – Jim Karsatos
Jim Karsatos (born May 26, 1963) is an American football player, Starting lineup, starting at quarterback for two years with the Ohio State University, Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football, Buckeyes. He is of Greek-American origin from the isl ...
3-yard run (Matt Frantz kick)
*Texas A&M – Slater 44-yard field goal
;Third quarter:
*Ohio State – Chris Spielman
Charles Christopher Spielman (born October 11, 1965) is a former American football player and is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker at Ohio State University, ...
24-yard interception return (Frantz kick)
*Ohio State – Vince Workman 3-yard run (Frantz kick)
;Fourth quarter:
*Texas A&M – Roger Vick
Roger Hamilton Vick (born August 11, 1964) is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles from 1987 to 1990. He played college football at Texas A&M Unive ...
2-yard run (pass failed)
*Ohio State – Michael Kee 49-yard interception return (Frantz kick)
:[
]
Statistics
:
:[
]
Aftermath
The next season, A&M returned to the Cotton Bowl for a third straight year, and won in Sherill's penultimate year as head coach. Ohio State went 6–4–1 in 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
and fired Bruce. This was the last time Texas A&M and Ohio State met until the 1999 Sugar Bowl
The 1999 Sugar Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 1, 1999. It was the 65th edition of the Sugar Bowl and featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Texas A&M Aggies. Ohio State entered the game ranked number 4 in the B ...
, which Ohio State won 24–14.
This was the last Cotton Bowl with a Big Ten team until Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
appeared in January 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, against Baylor. In that game, Michigan State trailed 41–21 in the fourth quarter, then scored 21 unanswered points to pull off a stunning one-point win, the largest comeback in Cotton Bowl history. Ohio State returned in December 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, where they defeated USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
24–7.
References
{{Texas A&M Aggies bowl game navbox
Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl Classic
Ohio State Buckeyes football bowl games
Texas A&M Aggies football bowl games
Cotton Bowl
January 1987 sports events in the United States