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San Angelo Central (4-6, 3-3)
September 8, 1995: Converse
There was a time at the start of the game in Converse in which it appeared that the Rockets would crack up and be engulfed by their own flame on the launch pad. The high-efficiency flame was hot, but without some sound suppression water and a flame deflection system to keep vibrations to a minimum and keep everything cool, some bad things can happen. Hence, the Rockets' Offense was raring to go, but a fumble on the first play of the game gave the Bobcats the ball at the Rocket 35. The Defense held, the Cats attempted a FG, the Rockets blocked it, recovering the ball in midair, but immediately coughed it up to give the Cats a fresh set of downs. This time, SAC nailed a 42-yard FG with 5:37 left in the 1st Half. The water system, however, activated just in time to avert disaster and, following the kickoff, Bruce Johnson took off on a 69-yard run to give the Rockets a 7-3 lead once Rudy Bagnato drilled the PAT, giving the Rockets a safe liftoff after all. Bagnato would be successful on two (2) FG's in the 2nd Quarter----a 44-yarder and 33-yarder at the 6:02 and 50-second marks respectively, to give the Rockets a 13-3 lead at the Half.

With 62 seconds gone in the 3rd Quarter, Levon Wilson returned an INT 41 yards to give Judson a 20-3 lead after the PAT, and at the 9:10 mark Ashley Watters blocked a punt that Jeff Hobbins snatched and took in for a 38-yard score. The Rockets then scored on a 10-yard run by Raymond Sullivan with 4:31 to go in the 3rd, SAC fumbled the subsequent kickoff, and Troy Mussey recovered at the 20. Three (3) plays later Guy Anderson took it in from the 5 with 3:29 to go. Bagnato would be successful on all 3rd-Quarter PAT's, as he also was good following a 24-yard run for a TD by Brushaud Callis with 2:55 to go in the game. The Rockets limited SAC to 69 yards on the ground while churning out 239, with Bruce Johnson contributing 113 of those on nine (9) carries; the Bobcats picked up 103 yards through the air and the Rockets got 66 on a 7-of-13 effort by Anderson. The Rockets had two (2) lost fumbles and no INT's; the Cats, on the other hand, lost 4-of-7 fumbles and experienced two (2) INT's. Except for the uneasy early moments on the launch pad, it was a good start for the Rockets.

CC Carroll (5-4-1, 4-1-1)
September 15, 1995: Buccaneer Stadium, Corpus Christi
The 1st DTO for the Rockets once on orbit was a road trip to the coast and Buccaneer Stadium, site of two (2) epic playoff matches with the Tigers of Mary Carroll in 1988 and 1991. The Rockets got all the points they needed in the 1st Quarter when Wilmer Wade caught a Guy Anderson pass and took it the distance for a 51-yard scoring play, and Bagnato followed with the PAT. In the 2nd period, Bruce Johnson scored on a 20-yard run, Callis followed with a 3-yard run, and Bagnato connected on 1-of-2 PAT's to give the Rockets a 20-0 lead at the break. Bagnato would be successful on both 3rd-Quarter PAT's, both of which followed two (2) Johnson TD runs of four (4) yards and nine (9) yards. Callis scored the final TD of the game in the 4th with an 8-yard yard run, while Mike Colwell drilled the PAT. The Tigers were limited to 131 yards on the ground and seven (7) through the air, while completing two (2) passes to Rocket "receivers." The Rockets lost two (2) fumbles, had no INT's, and picked up 132 yards through the air on a 7-of-15 effort by Guy Anderson for 113 yards. Backup QB Richard Mendoza completed 2-of-3 passes for 19 yards. The Offense picked up 280 rushing yards, with Johnson netting 185 of those on 20 carries.

Round Rock (3-7, 3-4)
September 22, 1995: Converse
Each Rocket vehicle has its own "personality," and sometimes, even after several full-up dress rehearsals on the pad, Flight Crews don't really know what they're working with until after they launch. Hence, sometimes certain systems prove balky at first, while others are the manufacturer's perfect demo piece. Such was the case in Converse with the Dragons. The Rockets did not score until the final 100 seconds of the 1st Quarter, when Raymond Sullivan cashed in for a 1-yard run. The PAT would fail, and the Rockets didn't score again until Bagnato hit on a 32-yard FG with 3:04 to go in the Half. Johnson would score on an 11-yard run with less than three (3) minutes gone in the 2nd Half for the only points of the 3rd Quarter. Finally, with the score still 15-0 and after the Dragons had held the ball for the majority of the first three (3) quarters, Darryl Hill took off on a 67-yard TD run and Bagnato got the PAT 16 seconds into the final Quarter. The Rockets then recovered a fumble on the Dragons' next play from scrimmage and, with the aid of a personal foul penalty that cut the field in Half, Johnson took the ball in for a 14-yard TD with 11:28 to go. A two-point play followed, and a final TD and PAT kick followed at the 5:33 mark when Callis ran for a 16-yard score. The Dragons lost 3-of-4 fumbles and experienced two (2) INT's, while the Rockets experienced only one (1) INT. The Dragons gained 192 ground yards and 74 through the air, while the Rockets picked up 34 yards through the air on a 3-of-7 effort by Anderson to go with 327 rushing yards split between seven (7) different Backs. In spite of a few balky systems, for the most part the Rocket vehicle for the 1995 mission was proving to be working like a Champ.

San Marcos (1-9, 0-7)
September 29, 1995: San Marcos
The Rockets paid their first non-playoff visit to the San Marcos area since 1988 and made the best of it. Johnson opened the scoring with a 5-yard run midway through the 1st Quarter for what turned out to be the only points of the Quarter after a missed PAT. 55 seconds into the 2nd Quarter, Hill would score on a 20-yard run, and Johnson would bring the count to 14-0 with a run for the conversion. Anderson then connected with Carrier for a 20-yard TD pass, although the PAT failed, at the 7:37 mark of the 2nd. Hill and Bagnato closed out the scoring for the 1st Half, with 3:13 to go, on a 9-yard run and PAT. Bagnato got both of his PAT kicks in the 3rd Quarter, and Hill and Anderson would score on short runs to bring the count to 41-0. A final TD and PAT for Judson occurred with 28 seconds gone in the final period, and the Rattlers connected on a 36-yard FG with 9:05 to go in the game. The Rattlers were held to 72 yards rushing and 31 passing, and experienced a lost fumble and an INT apiece. The Rockets lost two (2) of four (4) fumbles, and suffered one (1) INT. Anderson completed 6-of-8 passes for 72 yards, and the Rockets gained 307 yards on the ground, with Hill picking up the majority of those.

MacArthur (5-5, 3-4)
October 6, 1995: Converse
This series, when Mac isn't actually winning the game as was the case in 1994, has frequently seen some spectacularly quick TD's traded back and forth in the early going and then again later on, with the Brahmas burning the Rockets with impressive numbers through the air. This one proved to be no different on an evening in Converse that saw, in the pre-game festivities, Jerod Douglas on hand for the retirement of his jersey No. 22, and the debut of Rocket Man, who made his own "touchdown" in the middle of the field by arriving via chopper. With 50 seconds gone, Mac scored first on a 77-yard pass from Jason Griffin to Dee Jackson, and the PAT followed. The Rockets' Bruce Johnson and Rudy Bagnato quickly answered back with a 70-yard run and PAT at the 10:52 mark. Johnson and Bagnato teamed up again with 3:35 left in the period to bring the count to 14-7. The score went to 21-7 on a 25-yard toss from Anderson to Mike Carletti and a Bagnato PAT with 8:37 to go in the 2nd Quarter. 42 seconds later, Griffin completed a 77-yard pass for a score, and after the PAT the Brahmas trailed 21-14 at the Half.

Roosevelt (10-0, 7-0)
October 14, 1995: Blossom
For the first time since the "clipboard game" of 1989, both teams entered the match-up undefeated. This game took place at Blossom as in 1989, but this was where the similarities ended, as this Saturday afternoon meeting under sunny, clear-sky and breezy conditions saw the Riders score first on a 30-yard pass from Jacob Rodriguez to Obrey Herring. Rodriguez toed the PAT, and the Riders led 7-0 with 3:57 to go in the opening period. The Rockets quickly went three-and-out, TR was back in business, and Rodriguez then connected with Terrell Haynes for a 41-yard pass for the second TD of the day, and with Rodriguez’ successful PAT the Riders were up 14-0 with 3:03 to go in the 1st. The Rockets then got things going, with Guy Anderson hooking up with Bruce Johnson for a 13-yard TD pass at the 9:09 mark of the 2nd period. The PAT was good. The Rockets then came back to tie things up with 2:28 remaining in the Half, coming on a 3-yard Johnson run and a successful PAT. The score would remain knotted at the Half.

Rodriguez, who completed 4-of-18 passes for 88 yards and one (1) INT in the 1st Half, did not throw a single pass in the 2nd Half, but with the kind of firepower that the Riders had at their disposal, there were plenty of good things that could still happen on the ground for them. Two of them were 3rd-Quarter TD’s by Terrell Haynes: The first being a 24-yard run at the 9:42 mark of the 3rd Quarter, and the second coming on a 10-yard run with 4:12 remaining. The first score capped a 6-play, 80-yard drive to start the 2nd Half, and the second came at the end of a 70-yard drive. The Rodriguez PAT’s put the Riders back in charge with a 28-14 tally entering the final period. The Rockets had an opportunity to mitigate some of the damage as the 3rd Quarter wound down when they reached 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line; however, on three (3) tries the Rockets failed to punch it in, so they instead got in on 4th Down on the first play of the final period. The PAT was good, bringing the Rockets back to within seven (7) points, but the change in Quarters before the Rockets got into the endzone meant that they would be kicking off into a fairly decent breeze. This gave the Riders a relatively short field to work with on their ensuring drive, Richard Shandy would soon take off on a 59-yard run, and Rodriguez would be good on the PAT only 80 seconds after the Rockets had closed the gap.

The Riders continued to throttle back the Rockets’ offensive thrusters just enough so that their normally quick-strike and good-gain capabilities netted yards a little bit more deliberately; consequently, a lot of clock was chewed up and the Rockets all too often were forced to punt, or they would be stopped on 4th Down, which happened on three (3) different occasions in the 2nd Half. The Riders’ offense would then go to work and pick up just enough yardage to keep the clock moving and their drives alive. Indeed, the Riders finished with 370 yards on the ground, with Haynes getting 169 on 19 carries, Shandy picking up 161 on 15 totes, and the balance turned in by Rodriguez. They punted three (3) times for a 41-yard average, and other than the Rodriguez INT, had no turnovers whatever. The Rockets, on the other hand, likewise had no turnovers whatever and in fact committed only two (2) infractions for ten (10) yards in assessments. One thing that hurt, especially in view of TR’s 41-yard average, were the three (3) punts that went for an average of only 22 yards for the Rockets. Guy Anderson completed 12-of-25 passes for 124 yards, while on the ground the Rockets picked up 226 yards, with Johnson contributing 100 on 26 carries, and the balance split between five (5) others. In all it was a very good matchup between the two top teams, and tactically the Riders simply came out on top in this one, having successfully slowed the Rockets just enough to then get quite a few things done themselves, which they did quite well. Although this Detailed Test Objective (DTO) was relatively unsuccessful for the Rockets and it allowed TR to eventually complete the successful charge up the 26-5A Crown Hill that had so painfully eluded them on a near-annual basis for so long, it did allow the Rockets to get some excellent Development Flight Data and experience that would eventually prove to be valuable. In other words, provided the Flight Crew and the FOD (Flight Operations Directorate---aka Coaching Staff) took care of business, it in no way jeopardized Rocket plans to blast out of the parking orbit for a post-season Division I trip to the moon. But, a lot of work still lay ahead, and the Flight Crew and their FOD would need to refocus somewhat.

Seguin (2-8, 1-6)
October 20, 1995: Converse
A major Rocket Program is one that leaves neither room nor time to get too depressed when certain systems or aspects of the mission don't quite work as planned. Similarly for the Rocket Program operated out of Converse, Rocket Pride demands that the entire Rocket Community get to work in such situations. Football, as does spaceflight, can be very unforgiving if you lose your focus. Such was what was on everyone's mind as the Rockets got to work in Converse for the meeting with the Matadors, on their first visit to Converse since 1986. The Rockets missed on a FG attempt on their opening possession, but the next time they had the ball they drove 64 yards in 12 plays to go up 7-0 on a 1-yard Les Brown run and a Bagnato PAT. Midway through the 2nd Quarter, the Mats nailed a 20-yard FG, but Anderson and Carrier answered back quickly with a 52-yard hookup for the TD. Johnson then scored on an 11-yard run with 81 seconds to go in the Half, and at the break the Rockets led 19-3 after a failed PAT kick and a failed run.

Johnson scored at the 8:26 mark of the 3rd, which came at the end of a 10-play drive. The two-point conversion failed once more. Seguin scored on a 1-yard run with 4:09 left in the 3rd, and it was the Mats' turn to miss on a two-point try. The Mats then appeared to have some momentum by reaching the Rocket 36-yard line, before Larry Herrera recovered a fumble for the Rockets on the 28, which came at the end of a Matador pass play. Nine (9) plays later, the Rockets closed out the scoring with a 6-yard Johnson run and Bagnato PAT with 8:27 to go in the game. The Mats lost one (1) fumble and had one (1) INT, while the Rockets experienced no turnovers whatever. Seguin gained 101 yards on the ground and 78 through the air. The Rockets had two (2) punts for a 39.5-yard average, and gained 330 yards on the ground, with Johnson providing 192 of those on 25 carries. The Rockets also had 158 yards through the air, completing 10-of-14 passes.

Madison (6-4, 4-3)
October 28, 1995: Blossom
The Rockets returned to Blossom for the 2nd Saturday afternoon game in three weeks, hoping the experience with Madison would provide a more pleasing ending than the one 14 days earlier. Somewhat ominously, the Mavs, like the Riders, were sporting a gradually rejuvenating program and, in view of the nail-biter in Converse the year before, this one promised to likewise be interesting. The Rockets capped a 5-play 73-yard drive with a 41-yard Matt Hare dash with 79 ticks gone in the game, and were up 7-0 following the Bagnato PAT. Madison responded with a 1-yard run to help knot things up at the 4:17 mark, and Judson answered with an 8-play, 72-yard drive and PAT to regain the lead at 14-7 with 56 seconds left in the 1st. Madison would tie it up again with 8:44 to go in the 2nd period, and the Rockets responded to retake the lead at 21-14 with 5:06 left in the Half.

With 4:49 to go in the 3rd Quarter, the Mavs tied it up once more, only to have the Rockets retake the lead on a 32-yard pass from Anderson to Wilmer Wade, and a Bagnato PAT, with 1:08 to go in the 3rd. The Mavs kept things close and then on fourth down at the Rocket 28 and with time expiring, Madison QB Matt Pena was hit from behind by a Rocket lineman, releasing a dead duck that Dan Morgan grabbed and ran back with 30 seconds left in the game. Mike Colwell nailed the PAT, and this time on a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon visit to Blossom the Rockets were on the winning end of a 35-21 score. The Mavs had zero (0) lost fumbles but experienced two (2) INT's, while gaining 182 yards on the ground and 86 through the air. The Rockets had one (1) lost fumble but no INT's, while Guy Anderson connected on 4-of-9 passes for 81 yards, and they also gained 287 yards rushing, with Johnson contributing 165 and Hare 75. The Rockets had no punts, and the Mavs had only one (1), which went for 36 yards.

Lee (5-5, 3-4)
November 3, 1995: Converse
This meeting in Converse was one of the few match-ups with the Vols in which the Rockets actually dominated from start to finish. Johnson would score on a 37-yard run, Hill would contribute a 27-yarder, and Anderson would hook up with Matt Hare for a 19-yard TD pass, Callis got a two-point conversion run, and Colwell tallied a PAT. That was the 1st Quarter. In the 2nd Quarter, Hill scored on a 74-yard run, backup QB Richard Mendoza would score on a 47-yard run, and the Rockets would miss on both PAT kicks to grab a 33-0 lead at the Half. A conversion pass would fail following a 4-yard John run midway through the 3rd period, and Bagnato would hit on a PAT following a 1-yard Rocket run with 1:53 to go in the 3rd. Matt Hare scored on an 18-yard run with 8:29 to go in the game, and Colwell got the PAT. The Rockets would get another TD, this coming on a 15-yard run with 5:03 to go, a two-point pass reception would follow, and Quill Redwine and Colwell finished the scoring with a 51-yard run and a PAT with 1:08 left. Lee gave away two (2) fumbles and two (2) INT's, while picking up 66 yards on the ground and 105 through the air. The Rockets had one (1) lost fumble, and no INT's to go with 2-of-6 passes for 24 yards. On the ground, the Rockets picked up 631 yards, with Johnson leading the way with 183, and Hill following with 104, Callis with 83, Hare with 61, Redwine with 55, Mendoza with 52, and five (5) other Backs picking up the balance.

Churchill (5-5, 4-3)
November 11, 1995: Blossom
Another Saturday game at Blossom---this one coming in the evening with the Chargers----awaited the Rockets. The Rockets grabbed a 14-0 1st-Quarter lead by virtue of a 37-yard pass from Anderson to Carrier, a 56-yard interception return by Levon Wilson, and two (2) Colwell PAT's. Colwell tacked on a 22-yard FG at the 8:17 mark of the 2nd Quarter before the Chargers narrowed the gap to 17-7 with 2:58 to go in the Half. The Rockets answered with a 5-yard pass from Anderson to Carrier and a Colwell PAT with 26 seconds left, and Maricio Name would then snare a 47-yard FG for the Chargers with "four zeros" on the clock to make the score 24-10 at the break. The Chargers kept the ball for eight (8) minutes to start the 3rd Quarter, driving to the Judson 5, but turned the ball over on downs after a Les Brown sack and two (2) incomplete passes. The Rockets then responded with a 68-yard Anderson-to-Carrier pass play, and the Rockets led 30-10, with 58 seconds to go in the 3rd, after a botched snap on the PAT. Anderson contributed a 5-yard run, and Colwell connected on the PAT with 8:58 to go. Colwell then followed with a 33-yard FG with 5:47 left. With 1:54 to go Richard Mendoza connected on an 85-yard pass play to Hill, and Colwell got the PAT to finish the scoring and the regular season off. Also finished off were the Chargers, as this result enabled Madison to grab the third-place playoff seed in 26-5A. The Chargers suffered three (3) INT's in gaining 31 yards through the air and 206 on the ground. The Chargers had no lost fumbles, while the Rockets experienced two (2) although suffering no INT's. Johnson was the main contributor of the Rockets' 132 rushing yards, which complemented nicely their 377 passing yards. Once again, the Rockets had zero (0) punts.

Semifinals
Permian 17 Klein 8
Judson 49 Eisenhower 19

Final
Judson 31 Permian 28

Bowie (7-3, 5-2)
November 17, 1995: Burger Center, Austin
A cool, soggy, occasionally drizzly Friday evening set the scene at Austin's Burger Field for this Bi-district rematch for the Rockets and Bulldogs. The Rockets got on the board first with a 13-yard pass from Guy Anderson to Daryl Hill at the 9:28 mark of the opening period, and the Colwell PAT was good. A Rocket turnover at their 28-yard line set up a Bulldog score, which came on a 19-yard run with 5:33 to go in the 1st Quarter. The PAT failed, however, and the Rockets retained the lead at 7-6. With 79 seconds remaining in the 1st period, Guy Anderson connected with Teddy Carrier on a 40-yard pass play for a TD, and the PAT upped the lead to 14-6. Bruce Johnson added a 12-yard run with 6:58 to go in the 1st Half, and the PAT gave the Rockets a 21-6 advantage at the intermission. Late in the 3rd Quarter, Brushaud Callis got a tally on a 5-yard run, the Colwell kick was good, and the Rockets maintained that advantage all the way until the clock said "four zeros" for the game. The Bulldogs picked up only 63 yards on the ground, but they did net 151 yards through the air that involved an 8-of-21 effort and no INT's. The 'Dogs did lose two (2) fumbles. The Rockets, on the other hand, experienced no INT's, did lose three (3) fumbles. This was mitigated by the successful scoring output that was facilitated by the 135 yard through the air on a 6-of-16 passing effort. On the ground, the Rockets netted 215 yards, with Bruce Johnson picking up 109 yards on 23 carries, and the balance contributed by seven (7) other carriers.

Holmes (7-3, 4-3)
November 24, 1995: Alamo Stadium
Dating back to 1985, the Rockets and Huskies met, for the fifth-straight time in the playoffs, at Alamo Stadium. When people arrived on this post-Thanksgiving Friday evening, little did they know that some thirteen (13) days shy of the 10th anniversary of the dramatic 30-29 comeback by the Huskies, the Rockets would be on the winning side of a similarly dramatic if not frenzied 4th Quarter. The game began "innocently" enough for the Rockets as they scored on a 66-yard Anderson-to-Carrier pass play and a Colwell PAT with 46 seconds gone in the game. The Huskies then got on the board with a 26-yard FG by Jaime Pruneda with 18 seconds left in the opening period. At the 9:26 mark of the 2nd period, the Huskies tallied one (1) more 26-yard FG from Pruneda, but the Rockets answered with a 12-yard pass from Anderson to Wilmer Wade with 6:19 to go in the Half. The Huskies then began a drive at their own 4-yard line with a 67-yard pass play from QB Rocky Perez to Brian Hall that brought them to the Judson 29. The Pack then worked it in from there, scoring on a 1-yard Perez run with "four-zeros" on the 1st-Half clock, and the run for two (2) points by Brian Flores knotted things at 14 going into the break.

Holmes then came out in the 3rd Quarter and essentially picked up where they left off, and at the end of a decent drive that netted no points, pinned the Rockets at their own 1-yard line on the punt. The Rockets got to midfield but failed on a 4th-and-1 play, and the Huskies went to work on a short drive that culminated in a 32-yard TD pass from Perez to AC Hood with 5:05 left in the 3rd Quarter. The Pruneda PAT gave the Huskies a 21-14 advantage, which held up as the final period began. The Huskies then increased the lead to 28-14, with 8:40 to go in the game, on a 34-yard pass Perez-to-Hall pass play and a Pruneda PAT. At this point it appeared that the Rockets had a problem serious enough to warrant a "hurry home" burn for a quick abort on a free-return trajectory back to earth. But the Rockets were only getting started, and the Flight Crew and their FOD "worked the problem" and, as it turned out, with plenty of time to spare. The Rockets quickly drove 68 yards on five (5) plays on the ensuing drive. Darryl Hill hauled in a 25-yard pass from Anderson at the Huskies' 5-yard line, Bruce Johnson took it in from there, and the PAT was good with 7:26 to go. The Rockets' Nippi Bryant then recovered Rudy Bagnato's onside kickoff squib kick (not to be mistaken for an onside kick---this is a much more deceptive move that gives no appearance of what's coming when the kicking team lines up), and they were back in business at the Holmes 45-yard line. A personal foul penalty on Holmes moved the ball to the 30, Johnson took the ball 12 yards on the Rockets' venerable sprint draw, and on the next play Johnson took it around left end for an 18-yard TD run. Anderson's pass to Wilmer Wade for two (2) points was good, and with 6:47 to go the Rockets regained the lead at 29-28.

That wasn't to say that the Huskies were going to obediently "go lay down" for an off-season hibernation just because the Rockets were starting to make an emphatic comeback statement. Far from it. The Huskies moved the ball back downfield by completing passes of 21 yards and 29 yards on 3rd and 4th Down, reaching the Rocket 14-yard line. They then worked it down even closer, taking it to the 6-yard line before Pruneda came in to attempt a FG. After a near-perfect game up to this point, Pruneda missed on the 23-yarder, and the Rockets took over at the 20-yard line with 2:24 to go. Five (5) plays later, Johnson took off on a 50-yard dash for a TD with 28 ticks remaining, and Guy Anderson put the Rockets up 37-28 as a result of a run for two (2) points. The Huskies then fired bombs downfield, and on the final play of the game Levon Wilson picked off a pass that he returned 90 yards with "four zeros" on the clock, and the Rockets escaped with a 43-28 decision as a result of this frenzied response to adversity.

Eagle Pass (9-1, 7-0)
December 1, 1995: Alamo Stadium
The Eagles entered the Friday evening match-up at Alamo Stadium with an 11-game winning streak, with their only loss being a 7-6 decision in the season opener with Del Rio. Indeed, the 1995 edition of the Eagle Pass Eagles was a much more lethal version that the one the Rockets faced in this round in 1993, and they quickly served notice that the Rockets would have to deal with them in flight rather than simply continue to put distance between them from the start. The Rockets lost a fumble at their own 21-yard line, and the Eagles immediately took advantage with a 21-yard pass from Eric Villasenor to Rudy de los Santos, the PAT was good, and at the 7:54 mark of the opening Quarter the Eagles were up 7-0. The Rockets quickly responded with a 48-yard Anderson-to-Wade pass with 5:13 left in the 1st Quarter, and the PAT knotted things at 7. Eagles Pass came right back to regain the lead with 3:26 left in the 1st on a 66-yard run by Villasenor and a PAT. Guy Anderson and Teddy Carrier immediately thereafter hooked up for a 61-yard pass play, the Colwell PAT was good, and the score was knotted once more with 3:06 to go. Villasenor would complete one (1) more of what were three (3) consecutive pass completions, but this one would not net any points, and the Rockets then proceeded to neutralize a larger part of the threat by causing the next eight (8) passes to go incomplete. The incompletions meant that little time elapsed between the Rockets' last scoring possession and their next one. Consequently, the Rockets were able to score again and quickly before time ran out in the opening stanza, with the next one coming on a 49-yard run by Matt Hare and Colwell PAT with 107 seconds remaining. At the end of the Eagles' next possession, Adam Carter blocked a punt and Duncan Woods picked it up and returned it 12 yards for the score. The PAT was once more good, and the Rockets led 28-14 with fifteen (15) seconds left in the 1st Quarter.

Damon Washington intercepted Villasenor on the Eagles' next possession, and this set up a 35-yard run by Matt Hare with 20 seconds gone in the 2nd period. The PAT failed, however. With 5:30 left before intermission, Anderson completed a 38-yard pass to Daryl Hill for still one more score, and this time the PAT was good. Finally, with 27 seconds to go in the Half, Brushaud Calis took the ball in from the 3-yard line, and the PAT was good, this all coming after a 53-yard pass from Richard Mendoza to Pat Quinn put the Rockets in business at the Eagles' 15-yard line. The Rockets would be finished scoring for the evening, but the Eagles had one (1) more score left in them, this one coming, with 4:04 left in the game, on a 29-yard pass from Villasenor to Jaime Salinas. The pass for two (2) points failed. The 80-yard drive for the Eagle score involved two (2) roughing-the-kicker calls on the Rockets.

The Eagles were 5-of-14 in the passing department for three (3) INT's and 77 yards netted through the air. They also picked up 243 yards on the ground and did not lose any fumbles. One thing that no doubt hurt was a 4-punt, 19-yard average. The Rockets, meanwhile, picked up 222 yards through the air on 6-of-9 passes and no INT's. The Rockets lost one (1) fumble while picking up 169 yards on the ground, with the majority coming courtesy of Bruce Johnson and Matt Hare. The Rockets were also helped by a 3-punt, 42.3-yard average. All told, it meant that the Rockets had returned to Lunar Orbit in what translates to an eighth-straight visit to the Semi-Finals. The real visitors, however, would be the Eisenhower Eagles who would be swooping into Alamo Stadium for a Saturday evening meeting with the Rockets eight (8) days later, in still one (1) more rematch of a 1993 playoff contest, this one in the penultimate Round of the post-season.

Eisenhower (8-1-1, 6-0-1)
December 9, 1995: Alamo Stadium
Earlier in the day at the cold but sun-soaked Rockpile the Rough Riders kept the Chaparrals on ice for the better part of three (3) quarters and held on to win. Later that evening, the Rockets and Eagles met for the third time and for the 2nd time in frigid conditions. Unlike the two (2) previous meetings with Ike, the Rockets this time got off to the hot start, driving 81 yards on their opening possession. Bruce Johnson took the ball in from the 1-yard line, Colwell nailed the PAT, and the Rockets were up 7-0 at the 8:37 mark of the 1st period. The Eagles were relatively unproductive on their ensuing possession, and the Rockets went right back to work on an 84-yard drive that Matt Hare finished off with a 7-yard pass reception from Guy Anderson, and Colwell complemented the tally with the PAT with 150 seconds remaining in the opening period. The Eagles then answered with a drive of their own, going 51 yards in five (5) to score on an 11-yard run by QB Caleb Walton, followed by the PAT with 48 seconds left in the 1st, and Ike had cut the Rocket advantage in half. The Eagles stopped the Rockets on their answering series, and at this point the game had the appearance once again of a potential reversal of roles from the previous two (2) meetings, as momentum seemed to be shifting, only this time with the Eagles perhaps about to mount the comeback.

Mike Carletti’s ensuing 55-yard punt, however, was the beginning of the end of that idea, as Ashley Watters downed the punt at the Eagle 1-yard line, where shortly thereafter a Les Brown hit forced a fumble that Watters recovered, and from where Bruce Johnson scored on the next play with 88 seconds gone in the 2nd Quarter. The PAT, however, failed. Later in the 2nd Quarter, the Eagles were at their own 22-yardt line and attempted a reverse that was mishandled, and the ball bounced back to the 4-yard line as people attempted to get a hand on it before Adam Carter recovered. On the next play the now-patented Anderson-to-Carrier connection hooked up for a 4-yard score, the pass for two (2) points failed, but with 4:19 to go in the Half, the Rockets had a 26-7 lead that would hold up for the intermission. The key play that guaranteed this came with 36 seconds remaining, when Adam Carter got a stop for a one-yard loss on 4th-and-2 at the Rocket 19-yard line.

Coming out of the break Fidel Huerta recovered a fumble to set up a 40-yard FG by Rudy Bagnato to increase the Rocket advantage to 29-7. The Eagles then answered with a 71-yard run to the Rocket 9-yard line, from where Untorio Jones scored with 4:36 to go in the 3rd period. The pass for two (2) points failed. The Rockets recovered the previous advantage with a 47-yard drive, culminating in a 4-yard run by Hare, but it was then the Rockets' turn to fail on the two-point play. Nevertheless, the Rockets were now up 35-12 with 68 seconds remaining in the 3rd Quarter. The clock then continued bleeding away as the 4th Quarter proceeded, and it was becoming apparent that the Rockets would indeed have another opportunity to make a lunar landing. There were, however, some final DTO’s to pass before receiving a final "GO" for powered descent, coming in the way of two (2) final scoring runs: A 16-yarder by Matt Hare with 6:21 left, and a Brushaud Callis 10-yarder with 5:24 to go, both of which were followed up with successful PAT’s. The Eagles punched the ball in on a 1-yard run with the clock indicating "four zeros."

The Panthers' Jeremy Marin returned the kickoff to the Mojo 26-yard line, and on First Down QB Jason Prann completed a pass to Marin for a 9-yard pick-up. On 2nd Down, however, Prann was dropped for a loss at the Rocket 30-yard line, on the next play Prann's pass was incomplete, and the Panthers punted. It was obviously a good start for the Rocket Defense. The Panthers, however, received new life when Teddy Carrier dropped the punt and Permian recovered at the Rocket 41. On the first play Ja'Quay Wilburn got a 9-yard pickup on a sweep, and then on 3rd-and-2 he picked up a 1st Down by taking the ball to the 26. Later, however, a 3rd-and-5 situation became a 3rd-and-10 scenario on an illegal procedure call, the Rockets' Kevin Schuler sacked LC Ward back to the 33, and Adam Carter aborted the Mojo drive on 4th and 12 by dropping Prann back to the 37. The first two-(2) offensive plays for the Rockets were unproductive----a pass that was caught out of bounds and a Matt Hare carry that netted zero (0). On 3rd Down Daryl Hill caught a pass for two (2) yards, and the Rockets had to punt.

An illegal motion penalty negated a 1st-Down pickup to close the 1st Quarter, Wilburn compensated for that setback by advancing to the Rockets' 20-yard line, and on the next play he pushed things to the Rockets' 9-yard line, with Ashley Watters saving a possible TD. On 1st Down Ward got stuffed for no gain, on 2nd Down Les Brown sacked Prann back to the 15-yard line, and on 3rd Down Prann made it back to the 9-yard line. Jeremy White's FG at the 9:27 mark of the 2nd Quarter was wide left, and this stop was enough to fire the Flight Crew up and allow the Rockets to throttle up on offense. The Rockets initiated a 15-play, 80-yard drive that saw Guy Anderson complete 3-of-4 passes for 50 yards. Anderson completed the drive by taking the ball in from two (2) yards out on 3rd Down after appearing to attempt a rollout pass and instead making a run for the corner of the endzone. Colwell was good on the PAT, and the score was knotted at 7 with 3:44 remaining in the Half. On the kickoff, the Rockets appeared to have been flagged when belatedly one of the zebras ruled that the ball went out of bounds just outside the the endzone and the pylon, but then waved off the flag and ruled that the ball went into the endzone just inside the pylon. They don't say this is a game of inches for nothing, do they?

The Rockets, however, were in no mood whatever to be waved off from picking up another score before intermission, and the Defense came through on the ensuing Permian series. Wilburn got only four (4) yards, Ward got two (2), Les Brown nailed Ward for only a 3-yard pickup to bring up 4th Down, and the concomitant punt went to the Rocket 37-yard line. Bruce Johnson took it to the Rocket 42 on the first play, Wilmer Wade caught a pass at the Judson 46 and went out of bounds to conserve the clock, and Anderson converted at midfield to keep the drive alive. Johnson carried to the Permian 47 on 1st Down, and on the next play Anderson scrambled to the 30-yard line when he saw that no one was home to welcome his prospective pass. Carrier barely missed hauling in a pass on the next play when the officials ruled that he trapped the ball, although a replay suggests that he perhaps actually did cradle the ball appropriately. Undeterred, the Rockets advanced to the Permian 10-yard line on a hookup between Anderson and Dan Morgan. On the next play, Wade hauled in Anderson's pass for the score, and following the Colwell PAT the Rockets had their first lead of the day at 14-7 with seventeen (17) seconds left in the Half. The Rockets sent a high squib kick that LC Ward took for the Panthers at the 26-yard line, a pass intended for Wilburn was just overthrown, and after a Delay-of-Game penalty, the Half expired on a short Mojo running play.

The words of Apollo 16 LM pilot Charlie Duke as he and John Young approached the Descartes landing site on the Cayley Plains. PDI (ie Powered Descent Initiation) had been delayed for six (6) hours due to a major problem with the Command Module (Casper) that was finally resolved. By the time the landing began, the Lunar Module (Orion) had to steer out 16000 feet of additional altitude that had accumulated due to the constantly changing position of the orbit with each revolution w/r the landing site and the uprange point at which PDI had begun. The Judson Rockets were likewise slow in getting started when their version of "PDI" began, but finally were able to get going and grab a 14-7 lead by intermission. Coming out of the break, Daryl Hill took the kickoff for the Rockets and returned it to the Judson 47-yard line. On 1st Down Matt Hare took the ball to the 50-yard line, the 2nd play was an incomplete pass that was almost intercepted, but Bruce Johnson advanced things to the Permian 40-yard line on the next play to move the chains. On 1st Down Wilmer Wade could not hold onto a pass reception at the 20-yard line, but a reverse to Teddy Carrier advanced things to the 35. Carrier then hauled in Guy Anderson's pass at the 13, but on the next play no one was open and Anderson was dropped by Keith Moody after picking up only one (1) yard. After a Matt Hare pickup to the 7-yard line and Johnson's pickup to the 5, Colwell came in and nailed a 21-yard FG at the 8:37 mark of the 3rd Quarter. The Rockets indeed appeared to be "right back on profile."

Jeremy Marin took the Rocket kickoff at the 3-yard line and returned it to the 49, with Carrier making the stop on Marin. Jason Prann's 1st-Down pass was dropped by Duncan Woods, but a toss sweep to Ja'Quay Wilburn got a pickup to the Rocket 27-yard line, and on the following play Wilburn advanced things to the 20. Offsetting penalties----holding on Permian and a facemask on Judson----interrupted Mojo's flow, but Wilburn more than made up for this by zipping in for the score on the next play. Jeremy White drilled the PAT, and Mojo had narrowed the gap to 17-14 at the 7:30 mark. Just as the Flight Crew in the real rocket program, in tandem with instructions from the real FOD in Mission Control would constantly update the Lunar Module computer so that it could correct any perturbations or errors in the descent profile, the Judson Rockets' Flight Crew, in tandem with instructions from their FOD on the sidelines, got back to work to correct the "perturbation" in the score caused by the Permian score. Hence, Teddy Carrier took the kickoff at the 8-yard line and returned it to the Rockets 23-yard line. Anderson connected with Matt Hare on a pass play that advanced things up to the 41, but an illegal participation call negated a 3-yard Bruce Johnson pickup. Mike Carletti's reception at the 30 compensated somewhat, but Johnson got nailed on the subsequent play, Anderson's pass on 3rd-and-20 went incomplete, and the Rockets punted.

Permian took the punt at the 37-yard line, but the Rockets were penalized five (5) yards on a neutral-zone violation. On 1st Down Wilburn got a 3-yard pickup, but the Rocket Defense quickly stiffened by nailing Marin after a pitchout on the subsequent play, and on 3rd Down Dan Morgan pulled Prann down by the jersey sleeve---somewhat like a single hyena can occasionally pull down a single wildebeest----for a 5-yard loss back to the 35. The Permian punt was fielded by Carrier and returned to the 33-yard line. The first two (2) Rocket plays essentially went nowhere, but on 3rd-and-8 Daryl Hill got a screen pass and advanced it to the 46. A second consecutive screen pass---this one to Matt Hare---advanced the ball to the Permian 29, but the Mojo Defense stiffened, however, and the drive stalled at that point, bringing up 4th Down. Not having much to lose at that point------or so it seemed-----the Rockets "went for it" on 4th Down. Anderson put the pass up and Jason Prann stepped in front of the pass, returning it 81 yards for the score. White's PAT was good, and the cats were back on top at 21-17 with 25 seconds left in the penultimate period.

Spaceflight in the real rocket program operated by NASA has been characterized as hours upon hours of shear boredom punctuated by occasional moments of stark terror. It can be quite unforgiving, as when the Apollo 13 crew was instructed to do a "cryo stir" near the end of a quiet evening, only to have the mission radically transformed moments later. Fortunately in that situation, the Flight Crew, the FOD and Support Team successfully "worked the problem," and it became one of NASA's finest moments. A certain amount of terror struck the hearts of the Judson Rockets when Prann did his work with the INT, but the Rockets----their Flight Crew, their FOD and their Support Team of several thousand on-hand at Texas Stadium---got to work after the debacle. In spite of all that, however, the recovery operation had a somewhat inauspicious start. The kickoff went out of bounds, which precluded a prospective Rocket return, and Bruce Johnson slipped down for a 2-yard loss on the first play. On 2nd Down, Anderson was dropped back at the 10-yard line by David Wada. In the 1st Half and with Permian threatening to put the Rockets into a 14-0 hole, Kevin Eschenfelder of Prime Sports (the network responsible for the live television) was interviewing Jerod Douglas on the sideline. Immediately thereafter the Rockets held, Mojo's attempted FG was no good, and the Rockets proceeded to grab a 14-7 lead in the waning moments of the 1st Half. Now, at the beginning of the 4th Quarter and with the Rockets on the ropes once more, Eschenfelder was once more on the sidelines, this time to interview Clint Rutledge, likewise from the Back-2-Back era. Eschenfelder should interview more Flight Crew members from previous missions when the Rockets are in trouble, because immediately following the interview Guy Anderson stepped back and delivered a pass to Wilmer Wade, who caught it at the Rocket 35-yard line and then broke some nearby tackles to get away for a 90-yard TD. Wade, fast but not really known for lightning speed, was nevertheless unimpeded once he broke the tackles, and everyone dressed in red was able to essentially enjoy the 65-yard countdown to the endzone. Colwell toed the PAT, and the Rockets were back on top at 24-21 with 55 seconds gone in the final period.

The Panthers fielded the ensuing kickoff and returned it to the Permian 27-yard line. Wilburn got a 4-yard pickup, Ward got two (2) yards, and the 3rd-Down pass attempt went incomplete. The cats punted to the Rocket 20-yard line, and the Rockets continued to "bring her on down" for the landing. Following a 3-yard pickup by Matt Hare on 1st Down, Bruce Johnson carried to the 32-yard line to move the chains, and on 2nd-and-7 Guy Anderson advanced to the Permian 48 on a QB draw. On 3rd-and-8 a reverse to Teddy Carrier advanced things to the Panthers' 34-yard line, and on the subsequent play Johnson took the ball to the 9-yard line. Carrier took it in on the next play for the score, and following the Colwell PAT the Rockets were up 31-21 with 6:09 remaining. Even then, nothing was certain. After all, Apollo's 12 and 14 had nowhere near the problems the Apollo 11 crew had in finding a decent place to land when time (ie fuel) was running out; nevertheless, those two (2) subsequent flights likewise landed with less than 60 seconds remaining---and that's with being on target as opposed to Apollo 11's 4-mile overshoot. Similarly, the Rockets appeared to be on target as well now that they were in their 4th-Quarter approach phase to their Division I lunar target, but the Panthers quickly served notice that the Rockets weren't going to land just because they're Rockets and that's what rockets are supposed to do near the "moon." They would have to earn it.

Jeremy Marin, seemingly well recovered after being dinged in the 1st Half, took the kickoff at the 6-yard line and returned it to the Permian 44, breaking tackles along the sideline. Nevertheless, Prann's 1st-down pass intended for a wide-open Ja'Quay Wilburn was overthrown, and on 2nd Down Wilburn was dropped for a 2-yard loss. On the next play, however, Keith Moody took the handoff for an attempted Halfback pass, but when no one was open he took off for a gainer to the Rockets' 43-yard line and a First Down. On the 1st-Down play Wilburn carried the ball to the 38, but on the next play Prann faked a handoff for a supposed reverse, and instead got stuffed for a two-yard loss. On the next play, however, Prann got a pass away that Jonathan Armendarez juggled with and finally got possession of as he somersault-rolled into the endzone. White nailed the PAT, and with 3:25 remaining the Panthers had pulled to within 31-28.

For the first time since the Rockets' first successful landing in 1983, a "low level" callout came and the landing was in jeopardy if the Rockets didn't try and finish things off here and fast. To make matters worse, the Panther kickoff was bobbled initially by two (2) prospective return men, but Daryl Hill did get it, fortunately, and returned it to the Rocket 27-yard line. On the first play, Johnson picked up ten (10) yards and a First Down. Matt Hare advanced the ball to the Rocket 40, and on 2nd Down took it to the 43. On 3rd Down, however, Anderson got nailed for a loss back to the 35-yard line, and the Rockets had to punt. Marin fielded the punt at the Permian 28 with 97 seconds remaining, and the Rockets and Panthers were apparently headed for some kind of white-knuckle defining moment. Ward took the ball up to the 33 on First Down, but the 2nd-Down pass attempt went incomplete. On 3rd Down and under heavy pressure, however, Prann got loose for a pickup up to the 41, and they were well within range. The Rockets were fast approaching what NASA terms the deadman's altitude---they were too close to the surface for an abort. Hence, they were either going to land----or crash.

Just like Al Bean did when he knew what to do with CapCom Jerry Carr's cryptic "SCE to AUX" call after Apollo 12 got struck by lightning moments after launch, with 59 seconds remaining the Rockets' Levon Wilson knew what to do on Permian's resultant First Down and he saved the day for the Rockets when he picked off Prann's pass. A replay, however, suggested that there may have been defensive pass interference on the play. Whether it was one of those borderline non-fouls or the zebras simply missed it, the Rockets were nevertheless awarded possession of the ball, and they weren't about to question it any more than Al Bean, CapCom Jerry Carr, or Flight Director Jerry Griffin were ready to question EECOM John Aaron's lightning strike solution; hence, they were finally set to land. As LM Pilot Al Bean said of Pete Conrad as the LM Intrepid finally headed down with time running out, "he's got it made." Anderson took a knee on successive plays, similarly the Judson Rockets had it made, and once more they got to plant their Diamond J flag on the Division I lunar surface.