1995

Builders Square Alamo Bowl | Friday, December 29, 1995
Texas A&M 22 – Michigan 20

Attendance: 64,597
TV Rating: 6.3
Team Payout: $2,546,650 combined

Offensive MVP: Kyle Bryant, PK, Texas A&M
Defensive MVP: Keith Mitchell, LB, Texas A&M
Sportsmanship Winner: Jarrett Irons, LB, Michigan

Head Coaches: R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M), Lloyd Carr (Michigan)
Final Records: Texas A&M (9-4), Michigan (9-4)

Game Recap

The first Alamo Bowl played between teams from the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences was dominated by field goals. Texas A&M’s Kyle Bryant, who earned Offensive MVP honors, kicked an Alamo Bowl record five field goals to give the Aggies a 22-20 victory over Michigan.

But there was more to this game than field goals as A&M’s “Wrecking Crew” defense, ranked No. 3 in the country, stopped the explosive Michigan offense. Heisman candidate Tim Biakabutuka entered the game averaging 143 yards per game but was held to 94 yards. The Aggies also sacked Michigan quarterback and future NFL veteran Brian Griese three times.

On the other side of the ball, the Aggies were without All-America running back Leeland McElroy because of an ankle sprain, so freshman Eric Bernard, D’Andre Hardeman, and Sirr Parker stepped in and combined for 147 yards rushing.

The Aggies’ only touchdown of the game came as Bernard ran in from nine yards out to give A&M a 7-0 lead. The Wolverines tied the game when Griese connected with Amani Toomer, who went on to play 13 years in the NFL, for a 41-yard touchdown pass. At that point the teams began to trade field goals as A&M gained a 22-13 lead late in the fourth quarter.

With just five seconds left in the game, Griese and Toomer hooked up again on a 44-yard touchdown pass to bring the game to a thrilling 22-20 finish.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter
A&M: Bernard, 9-yd rush (Bryant kick)
MICH: Toomer, 41-yd pass from Griese (Hamilton kick)
A&M: Bryant, 27-yd FG

2nd Quarter
MICH: Hamilton, 28-yd FG
A&M: Bryant, 49-yd FG

3rd Quarter
A&M: Bryant, 47-yd FG
MICH: Hamilton, 26-yd FG

4th Quarter
A&M: Bryant, 31-yd FG
A&M: Bryant, 37-yd FG
MICH: Toomer, 44-yd pass from Griese (Hamilton kick)

Final Score

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Total
Texas A&M	10	3	3	6	22
Michigan	7	3	3	7	20

Team Stats

Category	Texas A&M	Michigan
First Downs	17	19
Net Yards Rushing/Att.	130/38	129/45
Net Yards Passing	136	182
Comp-Att-Int	12-22-0	9-23-1
Total Offense (Plays)	67	61
Total Net Yards	266	311
Avg. Gain Per Play	4.0	5.1
Possession Time	31:07	28:53
Third-Down Conversions	3/14 (21%)	2/12 (17%)

Individual Stats

Rushing (Att-Yds)
A&M: Parker 21-56; Hardeman 6-41; Bernard 15-40; Connell 1-7
MICH: Biakabutuka 24-94; C. Williams 7-36; Hayes 1-17

Passing (Comp-Att-Int, Yds)
A&M: Pullig 12-22-0, 136
MICH: Griese 9-23-1, 182

Receiving (Rec-Yds)
A&M: Hardeman 3-41; Connell 3-36; Sanders 2-30; Parker 3-23; Spiller 1-6
MICH: Toomer 5-135; Hayes 2-35; Riemersma 1-10; Biakabutuka 1-2