COLLEGE STATION -- As the final seconds of the 104th renewal of the Texas-Texas A&M football rivalry ticked away at Kyle Field on Friday, the stormy conditions finally subsided -- in more ways than one.
The 15th-ranked Aggies overcame horrendous weather and a valiant effort by the pumped-up Longhorns to earn a 27-16 victory, graciously putting a long-awaited end to a tumultuous Texas season.
The defeat proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Horns' head coach John Mackovic, who was reassigned just under 28 hours after A&M's victory. Texas finished the disappointing year with a record of 4-7, matching its worst mark in 41 seasons.
"So many games, we've come so close to winning and we just didn't," said free safety Donald McCowen. "That's what is so frustrating -- to end it on a game like this where we had fought so hard."
The fact that the Horns lost a game that they had chances to win wasn't the only way that Friday's contest bore an eerie resemblence to previous games this year.
Once again, running back Ricky Williams tore through an opposing defense for a gaudy rushing total, this time 183 yards. Once again, the Texas defense showed brief signs of brilliance before giving up too many big plays. And once again, the Horns made a huge mistake to lose any chance of coming out on top, the most recent error being wide receiver Kwame Cavil's fumble on a potential score-tying drive.
"We came out fired up, wanting to pulverize them," defensive end Aaron Humphrey said. "But we just gave up too much, and that's been the case all year."
After A&M took advantage of a huge 37-yard pass from Branndon Stewart to Daniel Campbell by converting a 22-yard field goal that put the Aggies up by eight points with 3:19 remaining, Texas had one final shot to force overtime.
On the third play of the following Horns possession, quarterback James Brown connected with Cavil near midfield on a post route, but Rich Coady forced a fumble that was recovered by A&M's Jason Webster, putting an end to Texas' hopes of a comeback. The Aggies added one final field goal with 15 seconds left to cement their outright Big 12 South title.
"I felt after we held them to a field goal that our offense would go down, score a touchdown and get the two points," Humphrey said. "I felt good, but it didn't work out that way."
Texas appeared to have the momentum on its side midway through the third quarter, when Williams capped a 70-yard drive with his second touchdown of the day to make the score 21-13. But on that same drive, the nation's rushing champion suffered a high ankle sprain that clearly affected his game, even though he never missed more than three consecutive offensive plays.
The injury had its biggest influence on Texas' next possession, when Williams was unable to turn the corner on a 25-yard scamper that Horns' fans have come to expect touchdowns from. That drive stalled at the A&M 36, and Texas was forced to punt.
"It was on the way to be my best performance ever, but I think that injury kind of slowed me down a little bit," Williams said. "I've never felt that good running the ball. I felt relaxed and comfortable and there were big holes and I felt like I could run all day."
Despite Williams' woes, the Horns were presented with yet another opportunity early in the fourth quarter when Hodges Mitchell returned a punt 26 yards to the A&M 29. On that possession, though, the Aggies were able to shut down the Horns' dread-locked thoroughbred, and Texas was forced to settle for a 39-yard Phil Dawson field goal that set the stage for the late-game excitement.
"We knew this was going to be a fight for 60 minutes," said Aggie linebacker Trent Driver. "We knew Ricky would get the ball a lot. We just had to get in there and keep battling."
After Stewart's pass and the following field goal put A&M up 24-16, a group of Aggie fans in the second deck of Kyle Field unfurled a banner that was apparently ignored by UT officials one day later. The sign read, "Aggies for Mackovic/4 more years/Keep John."
"This kind of sums up the year for us," Dawson said. "We put ourselves in position to win, but then we just couldn't do it."
As news of Texas head football coach John Mackovic's reassignment swept across the state Saturday, many learned about what had happened through family members, car stereos and even retail store televisions.
And those were just Mackovic's former players.
"I thought it was really tacky the way the players had to hear it.
All of a sudden you see 20 TV's with [athletic director] DeLoss Dodds
saying that your coach is gone, and that's just not right."
-- Jeffrey Clayton, Texas running back
Officials within the University's athletic department were unable to contact most of the Texas players before announcing the decision at a Saturday afternoon news conference, and many team members were openly frustrated about the manner in which the news was released.
"What really upset me was how the players found out," said senior kicker Phil Dawson. "We're the ones that are affected the most by all of this, and it was kind of like a slap in the face for them not to tell us."
Dawson first learned of Mackovic's reassignment on his way to his brother's high school football game in College Station, where Texas had finished its season with a 27-16 loss to Texas A&M on Friday. Dawson said he listened to the live broadcast of the announcement on his car stereo in the Kyle Field parking lot.
"I was surprised, even though I'd heard and read all the speculation all year," Dawson said. "So many things have happened this season, and it's hard to just place all the blame on one person."
Senior running back Jeffrey Clayton was also unaware of his coach's fate until the moment the news went public. Clayton was shopping at a local Best Buy store when he noticed that multiple television screens in the store were tuned to the UT press conference. He said he shared Dawson's outrage about not being informed earlier.
"I thought it was really tacky the way the players had to hear it," Clayton said. "All of a sudden you see 20 TV's with [athletic director] DeLoss Dodds saying that your coach is gone, and that's just not right."
The decision on when to hold the press conference was difficult, Dodds said, but he eventually decided that coming forward quickly was more important than letting the players know beforehand.
"The upside of doing this [Saturday] is that this has been hanging out there, and we needed to address it -- we needed to get it behind us and move on," Dodds said. "The downside is that we did not have a chance to talk to the players."
While players were initially upset about not being told about Saturday's events sooner, their thoughts soon turned to Mackovic, who had received a lot of support from his team throughout the year.
The younger players on the squad were especially adamant about their disapproval of Mackovic's reassignment, explaining that their decision to attend Texas was largely based on the presence of the 54-year-old coach.
"I really didn't want him to leave," said freshman cornerback Quentin Jammer, who learned of the reassignment after his mother heard about it on the radio. "We're all disappointed. He played a big part in my coming here, because I liked his personality."
Others focused their anger not on the athletic department, but on other sources who have been anticipating, and even encouraging, Mackovic's demise for months.
"I think [Mackovic] is a good coach, and I think that the things that happened this year aren't his fault," said sophomore defensive end Aaron Humphrey. "All the alumni and media and all that crap is sad in the way they've blown it out and made Coach Mackovic look like a bad coach."
Clayton agreed with his teammate.
"It's upsetting that so many outside forces can have that kind of effect on this program," Clayton said. "People don't realize what Coach has been doing for us all this time."
Yet even though most players refused to see any logic behind Mackovic's removal, at least one team member was willing to give someone else a chance.
"Something needed to change," Dawson said. "Whether or not it was Coach Mackovic, I don't know. But I'm sure we'll find out."
For the third time in his 16-year career, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds pronounced that despite advances in the classroom and the community, the University of Texas will not accept being second best on the football field.
Dodds, who oversaw the reassignments of football coaches Fred Akers and David McWilliams, removed John Mackovic Saturday from his position, which remains one of the most coveted and most scrutinized in the country.
To all of you, the players, fans, coaches and the members of the
University family, please know I am honored to have been your coach in
this historic period. Together, we have cheered our three conference
championships and bowl appearances, our excellent graduation rates for
student-athletes, our efforts in the community, and our entrance into a
new generation of football in the Big 12.
-- John Mackovic, former Texas football head coach,in a written
statement
The move came just one day after the Longhorns finished their worst season since the 4-7 season of 1988 with a 27-16 loss to Texas A&M on Friday. The dismal results from the 1997 season outweighed the 82 percent graduation rates and the charitable deeds Mackovic spearheaded during his tenure.
"This is hard, but [the decision] is one that has to be made for the benefit of the University and for the football program," Dodds said.
A 10-person committee will be formed to begin an immediate search for Mackovic's successor, he said.
Dodds said he has a list of 30 potential candidates, but that his short list could be about three to eight. At the top of that short list may be Northwestern head coach Gary Barnett, who recently led the Wildcats to back-to-back Big 10 Conference championships.
Other candidates who have been mentioned are Miami's Butch Davis and North Carolina's Mack Brown. Dodds said that he will consider coaches with NCAA head coaching experience, and he will possibly consider coaches currently in the NFL.
"We'll go after the best football coach in America -- wherever he is," Dodds said. "We want somebody who wants to be at Texas."
Dodds said that he and Mackovic have not discussed where Mackovic will be reassigned to within the athletic department. Dodds said the University will fulfill the final three years of a five-year, $3 million contract that Mackovic agreed to in January 1996. If Mackovic decides to leave the University, the school is not obligated to fulfill the pact.
By state law, UT is required to post the position for a minimum of three days and a maximum of five before announcing a new hiring, but Dodds said he hopes to have the search wrapped up in two weeks.
"We feel that the timeliness of this is important for a lot of reasons, with recruiting being one of them," Dodds said. "I think we'll be able to get who we want."
Mackovic compiled a 41-28-2 record during a rocky six seasons that were filled with scintillating highs and dangerous lows.
The Longhorns clinched the final Southwest Conference and the inaugural Big 12 Conference crowns. But Mackovic's team also saw long-running winning streaks over TCU and Rice snapped. Texas appeared in three consecutive bowl games, but the school lost both the 1995 Sugar and the 1996 Fiesta Bowls.
This season, the Longhorns suffered their worst home loss ever at the hands of UCLA by a program-embarrassing 66-3. Many thought Mackovic would keep his job if Texas recovered, but the team fell to Oklahoma State, Missouri and Baylor -- all of which Texas has defeated easily in the past.
Mackovic was invited by Dodds to attend Saturday evening's press conference, but he declined. In a written statement, Mackovic said: "No one hates losing more than I do. So, I certainly understand the frustration this season has caused for every person who loves the University of Texas.
"To all of you, the players, fans, coaches and the members of the University family, please know I am honored to have been your coach in this historic period. Together, we have cheered our three conference championships and bowl appearances, our excellent graduation rates for student-athletes, our efforts in the community, and our entrance into a new generation of football in the Big 12."
Dodds, who said throughout October and November that Mackovic's performance would not be reviewed until the season's end, said he met with UT Interim President Peter Flawn at 9 a.m. on Friday for an hour-long meeting to discuss the decision.
Dodds then told Mackovic of the decision at about 10:30 a.m. in the coach's office, where the two then decided that Mackovic would inform the rest of the coaching staff at the regularly scheduled 11:30 a.m. meeting. All of the assistant coaches are under contract until August 31, 1998, but Dodds said it would not be a problem if the new coach decides to get rid of any or all of them.
Dodds will now turn his attention to forming the committee that will search for Mackovic's successor. Dodds will chair the committee. Waneen Spirduso, chairwoman of the Men's Athletic Council Chair, and former football coach Darrell Royal have already been confirmed.
Spirduso is expected to name Bob Moses, a former player and athletic's councilmember, to the committee.
Mike Myers, a Dallas businessman, is expected to represent the Ex-Students Association. Doug English of Austin and Alfred Jackson, who lives in Houston, are both former players who will be asked to offer an ex-player's perspective on the new hire. The committee will also include B.M. Rankin, representing the Longhorn Foundation, Regent Tom Hicks of Dallas, and at-large selection Prof. Charles Alan Wright of the UT School of Law.
"What I want is a top 10 program," Dodds said. "You can't do that every year, but that's what I think we ought to strive for. I think we should have a national championship every once in a while."
The pressure for the University to win and the subsequent pressure on Mackovic grew to enormous proportions during the final month of the season.
Season ticket holders returned unused ticket stubs, the UT administration received an onslaught of harrowing e-mails, at least two Web sites were maintained that said UT hoped to "Sack Mack," and T-shirts and airplane banners proclaimed, "Dump DeLoss and Flush the John."
"I've talked to hundreds and thousands of people, and that information has been delivered to me by mail, by phone, by e-mail and airplanes," Dodds said, while never outlining what specific factors led to Mackovic's reassignment.
"It's best categorized by saying that we needed a new direction and new leadership for the benefit of the football program."
As the 1997 season started -- fresh with a top 10 ranking, national championship hopes and two potential Heisman contenders -- it seemed almost unfathomable that the Longhorns would be standing at the crossroads by season's end.
But Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds is now looking at a road map trying to figure out which turn the program should take after he and UT interim President Peter Flawn elected to reassign head football coach John Mackovic.
The six-year coach and Ohio native was cleaning out his desk by Sunday afternoon, with he and his family's future clouded in doubt.
Mackovic, whose positive contributions to the program cannot be denied, had resurrected Longhorn football, but now he was deemed unfit to carry UT over the hump.
"This was a tough decision, as you can imagine, because of all the things that John Mackovic and his staff have accomplished at the University," Dodds said at Saturday's press conference.
Some of the reasons for his dismissal are undeniable.
Mackovic had a distant relationship with several players because of his eccentric personality, demeanor and motivational tactics. Players felt he talked over their heads at times during team meetings in a calm, cool manner, while they were used to high school coaches who berated them and took their frustrations out on the trash can or the water cooler.
What confused many of the UT alumni was how Mackovic stayed in-house and promoted wide receivers/special teams coach Bobby Jack Wright to defensive coordinator during the off-season after Dodds had given Mackovic a blank check for a national search.
Texas' tradition was built on stingy defenses. The 1997 unit ended up setting or breaking nearly every mark of futility as the corps, expected to have an attacking mentality with a revamped 4-3 base, finished the season close to the bottom of the NCAA list in every defensive category.
But although his decisions were called into question, no one ever doubted Mackovic's ability to run a clean program and put diplomas in the hands of graduating seniors. Mackovic had an 82 percent graduation rate with players who had depleted their eligibility, and the Longhorns became heavily involved with causes like the Austin Crime Stoppers program and the Children's Hospital at Brackenridge.
But at the flagship university of the UT System, success is based on wins and losses and not "moral" victories with a team full of "good guys."
Mackovic came to Austin with three other head coaching jobs on his resume, having posted a 74-70-1 record with Wake Forest, the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and the University of Illinois. In all three positions, Mackovic constructed bowl- and playoff-caliber teams, but he left each position after failing to meet escalating standards.
Making his fourth head coaching stop, Mackovic was expected to rebuild a UT program that was on the cusp of a national title in 1990 but fell to 5-6 in 1991 under David McWilliams.
The then-49-year-old coach brought a CEO's business mentality to the program, but some felt his shrewd approach would not translate well in coaching lexicon after McWilliams' good 'ole nature lured dozens of in-state recruits.
Immediately looking to make his mark on the program, Mackovic burned many bridges with UT alumni, high school coaches and the media. He denied former football players access to the weight and locker rooms, cut several ties to schools with good recruiting pipelines and offered a cool disdain and aloof stares to anyone who would openly criticize his game decisions.
Most deep-pocketed alumni and administrators felt they could tolerate his approach if Mackovic achieved the desired results on the field and if his staff continuously produced top 10 recruiting classes.
After his first two teams produced 11-10-1 results in 1992 and '93, Mackovic's team fought down the stretch to grab a piece of the five-way tie for the Southwest Conference title in 1994. The Longhorns went on to win the Sun Bowl against North Carolina -- the only bowl win during the head coach's tenure.
Several events during that season drew radical racial lines in the locker room. Just prior to the Rice game, Mackovic elected to suspend nine black football players for missing curfew, even though many admitted that other white players were out that night as well.
In a rain-soaked affair that some players didn't want to play in as they rode the bus down to Houston, the Longhorns lost to the Owls, snapping a 28-game Texas winning streak over the school and chalking up another embarrassment for Mackovic.
Looking for their first chance to show the nation that Mackovic had the Longhorns on the right track in 1995, Texas battled No. 21 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., but the Fighting Irish pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 55-21 in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. In the loss, UT had discovered itself.
The Longhorns went on to win the final Southwest Conference crown with a dramatic 16-6 win over Texas A&M, breaking the Aggies' 31-game winning streak at Kyle Field. One month later, UT was trashed by Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, 28-10, as the Longhorns imploded after a vicious first half.
Still, Mackovic had enough support from UT administrators to agree to a five-year contract extension in January 1996 that would pay him an estimated $3 million. Texas went into the season with a No. 8 ranking in the polls and very high expectations. After stumbling to a 3-4 record, UT battled back to clinch the Big 12 South spot in the conference's inaugural title game against Nebraska.
In a game that very few UT fans attended for fear of a Cornhusker annihilation, the Longhorns battled Nebraska punch for punch while leading up to the now-famous "Roll Left" call on fourth-and-1. Quarterback James Brown's 61-yard touchdown pass to Derek Lewis was deemed the most courageous call of Mackovic's coaching career, and the team soaked in all the attention leading up to New Year's Day.
However, another nationally televised bowl game and another embarrassment followed. Penn State trounced UT in the Fiesta Bowl 38-15. Despite the loss, the Longhorns carried the momentum from Nebraska into the off-season in preparation for 1997 knowing that overcoming the loss of several key seniors would be a daunting task.
After defeating Rutgers in this season's opener, UT fell to UCLA by an unbelievable 66-3. Afterwards, Mackovic uttered a bitter comment that many used all season as a springboard for his ouster: "Last year we won the Big 12 championship and everybody lived with that. They'll have to live with this, too."
With three national titles to the program's credit, many refused to live with it. Immediately, T-shirts were printed and banners flew over the stadium on game days that read "Dump DeLoss and Flush the John," with some UT alumni and boosters firmly believing that Mackovic had accepted losing as a way of life.
The rest of the season only provided further ammunition for their cause. Texas fell to Missouri, Baylor and Texas Tech, and in its last chance to save the season, dropped the annual showdown with Texas A&M on Friday in a matchup that Aggie fans were ready for after being trounced the past two seasons.