The 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1941 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1942, at the Cotton Bowl

Cotton Bowl (stadium)

The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...

 in Dallas, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 (SEC), and the Texas A&M Aggies, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC) as conference champions. Alabama won the game 29–21.

Alabama

The 1941 Alabama squad finished the regular season with a 8–2 record. The Crimson Tide also finished third in SEC play with losses to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Commodores football

The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...

 and conference champion Mississippi State

Mississippi State Bulldogs football

The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124...

. Following their victory over , Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day on December 1. The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, and the first bowl game played outside the Rose Bowl Game

Rose Bowl Game

The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...

.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M finished the regular season with a 9–1 with its lone defeat coming against Texas. The appearance marked the second for the Aggies in the Cotton Bowl, as they defeated Fordham 13–12 in the 1941 game.

Game summary

In a game statistically tilted toward the Aggies, Alabama won 29–21, after racing to a 29-7 lead. Alabama then inserted its third-string, allowing for Texas A&M's late scoring. Alabama had only one first down to A&M's 13; however, under the Southwest Conference rules in 1942, touchdown runs and pass plays were not counted as first downs; Alabama also had 59 rushing yards to A&M's 115; and 16 yards receiving to 194. The Crimson Tide prevailed through special teams play and intercepting seven Aggie passes in their victory.