COLLEGE STATION, Texas — As the final seconds ticked away in Texas A&M’s 33-19 win over No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday night, the fans at Kyle Field began a chant.
It started quietly, but soon grew louder. “Wreck-ing Crew, Wreck-ing Crew,” many of the more than 81,000 fans yelled.
Texas A&M gave up 426 yards a game last year and was one of the worst defenses in the country. On Saturday, the unit evoked memories of the storied Wrecking Crew defenses of the late 1980s and 1990s for one of the first times in years, stopping Oklahoma’s prolific offense on fourth- and-1 from the 1-yard line three times.
The Aggies loved hearing the chants but said they aren’t the ones to decide if the Wrecking Crew has returned.
“It’s up to the fans,” safety Trent Hunter said. “I guess we’re one step closer. The more we do, the more the fans are going to point to us as the new Wrecking Crew.”
Linebacker Michael Hodges led the defense with a career- high 19 tackles and two sacks for the most tackles by an Aggie since All-America linebacker Dat Nguyen had 20 in the 1998 Cotton Bowl.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to hear the fans screaming that for us,” Hodges said. “That’s a goal of ours, and we took a big step toward that today.”
Ryan Tannehill threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns, Cyrus Gray added a season-high 122 yards rushing and another score as Texas A&M broke a seven-game losing streak to Oklahoma. A&M won its third straight overall and beat the Sooners for the first time since 2002.
The Aggies built a 19-0 lead and withstood a 17-point third quarter rally by Oklahoma before adding two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter.
“We clawed our way back and missed some opportunities on three different occasions down on the 1-yard line,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “I’m proud of the way we fought back. We played hard, A&M just played better.”
Texas A&M never trailed and was up 9-0 just three minutes into the game after a bad snap on Oklahoma’s first play resulted in a safety and Tannehill threw a quick touchdown pass.
The loss puts Oklahoma behind in the Big 12 South standings and makes A&M bowl-eligible. It ends a string of misery against the Sooners that included being outscored 131-38 in the last two meetings.
