Texas A&M football vs Texas: Mike Sherman, Cyrus Gray and Randy Bullock revisit Aggies 2010 win over Longhorns
COLLEGE STATION — Searching through notes and files, Mike Sherman chuckles, thinking about one particular contest during his 146-game head coaching career.
It was 2010. Then the head coach for Texas A&M football, Sherman and the Aggies were playing for a share of the Big 12 South title and to win a sixth straight game. Not only did they beat rival Texas 24-17 that day, they knocked the Longhorns into their first losing season since 1997.
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If the win wasn’t enough, his daughter and son-in-law gave birth to Sherman’s grandson, Brook, the day after.
But it wasn’t all positive memories for the coach who’s worked at the high school level, in the NCAA and in the NFL.
Mike Sherman embraces running back Cyrus Gray (32) following Texas A&M’s 24-17 win over The University of Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2010 in Austin. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
Darren Carroll/Getty Images
“I’ve only missed one meeting in my entire life since I’ve been coaching,” Sherman said with a laugh to the American-Statesman this week. “It was the night before the Texas game (in 2010). I had come down with the flu, and I was vomiting incessantly.”
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Sherman, a native of Norwood, Mass., started as a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. He continued until 2013, when he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. His career also includes six seasons as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and four with the Aggies.
But the Lone Star Showdown sticks with him.
His only victory in four tries over the Aggies’ archrival, a win that would be celebrated for 15 years and counting.
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“I said, ‘How am I going to call plays?'” Sherman said. “I’m sick as a dog. Vomiting every 10 minutes. Behold, we still end up winning the game.”
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Walking out of Austin with a win
No matter what the next steps in life are for players and coaches involved in the A&M vs. Texas rivalry, some memories just stick.
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For running back Cyrus Gray, who had a career-high game that evening, it was the chance to end the Longhorns’ season that night that motivated him.
“Texas needed one game to make its bowl game, but that didn’t happen that day,” Gray told the Statesman Wednesday. “I remember walking off the field that day and coach Sherman hugged me and said, ‘Cyrus you are the best.’ I’ll never forget that moment.”
Gray finished the night with 223 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard run and a 48-yard run.
While Gray was the star of the night, he wasn’t the only Aggie who made an impact play.
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Former A&M kicker Randy Bullock made more than 200 field goals as a professional, and to him perhaps none were bigger than the one he made that day.
“I had a lot of high-pressure kicks during my college and NFL career, but I still vividly remember the pressure and excitement watching my 50-yard field goal split the uprights in DKR to take a third-quarter lead,” Bullock told the Statesman this week. A year later, he won the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the nation’s top placekicker, before the Houston Texans selected him 161st overall in the 2012 NFL draft.
“The 2010 win over Texas in Austin is still one of my top memories from my time at A&M,” Bullock said.
Mike Sherman, head coach of Texas A&M, waves to fans following the Aggies 24-17 win over Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 25, 2010 in Austin. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
Darren Carroll/Getty Images
Texas A&M first began playing one another in 1894. The teams often met on Thanksgiving when they shared a conference in the Southwest Conference and Big 12. But is that sense of importance still there today? Few players spend four years on one campus, as Bullock did, thanks to loosened transfer rules. And how do players prepare for such rivalries?
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From a coach’s perspective, some things never change, if you ask Sherman.
“Once they get on the field, they kind of understand the uniqueness of it all and how special a game it is,” Sherman said. “Not all the kids are from Texas, and they don’t grow up in that environment where the Texas-Texas A&M football game on Thanksgiving weekend is the biggest thing in the world. They’ve seemed to survive that and seemed to understand how important it is.”
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A lasting memory of a rivalry’s renewal
Like many Aggies over the years, that 2010 win against the Longhorns remains a treasured memory. The teams have recently resided in different conferences, laying the rivalry dormant for 13 years. And A&M has only claimed one win against Texas in the past five matchups.
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Sherman remembers the final meeting in 2011, a year after he led the Aggies to their last win in the series.
“My thoughts initially were, I didn’t think (A&M) should (go to the SEC) because I didn’t think we were ready at the time,” Sherman said. “No. 2, I didn’t think life could go on without Texas and Texas A&M playing. So I struggled with that quite a bit. It was one of the biggest games in college football, and I couldn’t see how we could possibly give up on it.”
From 2002 to 2011, A&M went 3-7 against Texas, including the infamous Justin Tucker kick at Kyle Field that secured a Longhorns victory and marked the beginning of almost two decades of bragging rights for the fans in Austin.
But that can change Friday.
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A game that rivals them all
As Battered Aggie Syndrome subsides with each win, there’s still one box the 2025 football team must mark on its regular-season checklist.
The 2024 A&M team, on the verge of reaching its first SEC title game, went scoreless on offense, losing 17-7 and derailing what was once a promising season. Currently, the Aggies are No. 3 in the country and have effectively secured a College Football Playoff spot. Once again, they are knocking on the door for a conference title.
“Here we are, finally, Mike (Elko) has taken this team to a position where they’re one of the very best teams in the country,” Sherman said.
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Elko is 19-5 during his tenure with the Aggies and has the program reaching the success many in College Station have yearned for.
Coach to coach, Sherman’s message to Elko and this year’s team is simple.
Mike Sherman, head coach of Texas A&M, joins players in a post-game singing of the Aggie War Hymn following the Aggies 24-17 win over Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 25, 2010 in Austin. (Photo by Darren Carroll/Getty Images)
Darren Carroll/Getty Images
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Sherman said. “Without a doubt, ya’ll are heading in the right direction. Just bring everything you got to the game, to the stadium, and just let it all out, and you’ll be fine.”
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The Aggies, usually underdogs in this matchup, are favored by 2½ points. And for good reason. A&M boasts the No. 4 offense in the SEC (465.0 yards per game) and the No. 5 defense (301.9).
While rivalries like Ohio State-Michigan and Alabama-Auburn often dominate the spotlight, Sherman isn’t shy about where he stands, ranking the A&M-Texas game.
Texas-A&M may not be the most popular matchup in the nation — that honor goes to Michigan and Ohio State, which is typically among the most-viewed games of the college season— but even a New Englander like Sherman senses the importance when the Aggies and Longhorns line up.
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“Yeah, it’s no question the game,” Sherman said. “When you’re a part of that Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, you realize very quickly it’s the game being played. There’s a certain amount of awe about it, not just with the team, but with the fans, the 12th Man, the administration. Some young kid in grammar school looking up to Von Miller or Ryan Swope and wanted to be like that, playing in that game.”
Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.
