Card #10 of 64
January 1, 1946
Texas 40, Missouri 27
Attendance: 45,000
Coaches: Chauncey Simpson, Missouri; D.X. Bible, Texas

All-American Bobby Layne joined the Texas football team late in 1945 after his discharge from the Merchant Marines. He more than made up for his tardiness in the 10th annual Cotton Bowl as he personally outscored Missouri, 40-27. Layne, a future NFL Hall-of-Famer, completed 11 or 12 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns, ran for three scores, caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Ralph Ellsworth and kicked four extra points to complete perhaps the most dominating individual Cotton Bowl performance ever.

Rice's Dicky Maegle had one of the greatest games in Cotton Bowl history in 1954, gaining 265 yards on 11 carries, including touchdown runs of 34, 79 and 95 yards, for a stunning 24.1 yards per carry. But this game will always be remembered for the infamous "bench tackle" by Alabama's Tommy Lewis who, seeing Maegle on his way to the 95-yard score, left the Alabama bench to clothesline Maegle near midfield. The referee awarded Rice the TD and the Owls went on to beat Bart Starr and the Tide, 28-6

The game matchup was #8 Alabama (8-1) and unranked Texas A&M (6-4); the game-within-the-game matchup was Crimson Tide coach Bear Bryant and his protégé, former player and defensive assistant, Aggie coach Gene Stallings. This time around, the pupil had plenty to teach the master, as Texas A&M surprised everyone by taking to the air, attempting 21 first-half passes, and putting up a 13-10 halftime lead. Lefty Tide QB Kenny Stabler engineered a comeback but fell short as A&M completed the stunning upset.

If ever the Cotton Bowl had the potential for a storybook ending, it was in 1988. Notre Dame senior Tim Brown, fresh off winning the Heisman Trophy, returned to his hometown of Dallas to conclude his collegiate career. And while Brown had a fine game, catching six passes for 105 yards and a first-quarter TD, the Irish managed only a Ted Gradel field goal the rest of the way. The Aggies won convincingly, led by QB Bucky Richardson, only the second freshman to be named the game's outstanding player.