The 1986 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season by finishing the regular season with a 5 – 6 record under the tutiledge of Head Football Coach Fred Akers in his 10th season at the Longhorn helm. After a 16–3 loss to rival Texas A&M, head coach Fred Akers was fired.
Akers’ notable accomplishments include a Heisman Trophy for Earl Campbell in the 1977 season….along with national title chances in the 1978 and 1984 Cotton Bowl Classics…..whereby In both of those years, Texas went undefeated in the regular season….only to lose in their bowl games. Akers received criticism from those who believed he failed to match the standard set by previous head coach Darrell Royal. However, much of that was mitigated by an impressive overall record and a winning mark against Barry Switzer of the Oklahoma Sooners, who was 3–0–1 against Texas before Akers came along. However, in Akers’ last five years he struggled against Oklahoma by going 1–3–1….and against Texas A&M after losing his last three game to the Aggies by an average margin of 23 points. In 1986, after notching Texas’ first losing record in 30 years….he left to become the head football coach at Purdue University….after posting a ten year record of 86 – 31 – 2….with a winning percentage of .731.
The 1986 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech Universityin the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first and only season under head coach David McWilliams….who went on to coach at the University of Texas after Fred Akers was fired the following season….as the Red Raiders compiled a 7–4 record in the regular season (5–3 against SWC opponents) and finished in a tie for fourth place in the conference. The team was invited to play in the 1986 Independence Bowl and lost to Ole Miss, 20 to 17….in a game when the team was coached by Spike Dykes. Over the course of the full 1986 season….the Red Raiders outscored opponents by a combined total of 271 to 268….as the team played their home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
This game seen herewith was played on November 1, 1986 at Jones Stadium….as the Raiders defeated the Longhorns by a score of 23 – 21….in what was a typical hard-fought, tough Southwest Conference game….that is well worth watching.
