When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shut down the Texas A&M Aggies in the 1993 Cotton Bowl by a 28-3 score, the convincing victory was satisfying on multiple levels. For starters, the win gave the Irish a final record of 10-1-1 for the 1992 season and it gave Lou Holtz his fourth season with double-digit wins at Notre Dame. However, it also gave him the opportunity to silence critics of the matchup.
Third-ranked Texas A&M went 11-0 during the 1992 regular season and was hoping to play Florida State, their opponent in the previous year’s Cotton Bowl, to maintain their slim hopes of capturing a national title.