ESPN

Few programs felt as good about themselves as Northwestern did prior to the season.

The Wildcats had reasons to be, too. They were coming off their third consecutive bowl appearance and third winning season. It had been five seasons since their last losing one. That was in their rear-view mirror.

Northwestern was consistently competing in the Big Ten and had become a true threat to the conference’s big boys. Gone appeared to be the days the Big Ten could worry about Northwestern only once in a while.

Coach Pat Fitzgerald also believed his last couple of recruiting classes were stacked with more talent than the program had ever seen. The future was thought to be even brighter.

To add to the bubbly feeling, Fitzgerald had signed a long-term contract, and the yearly concerns of another program swooping in and stealing him away were put to rest. His sideline attire would consist of purple through the 2020 season. The assumption was Northwestern had its man, and its man was only going to continue leading the program to higher ground.

The team’s confidence was certainly beaming heading into the 2011 season. With a proven quarterback, depth at wide receiver, an experienced offensive line, some talent returning on defense and optimism for a few newcomers, the Wildcats felt they could shock the country this season. They believed they were as good as anyone in the Big Ten and could realistically compete for the conference’s title.

Of course, that wasn’t to be.

In a season where Northwestern was expected to take that next step forward, which included -- more than anything -- winning its first bowl game since 1949, the Wildcats lost their footing and stumbled backward.

As a result of Saturday’s 33-22 loss to Texas A&M in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, the Wildcats dropped to 6-7 on the year, suffering their first losing season since 2006. The bowl loss was their ninth consecutive, and the toy monkey, which wore No. 63 to symbolize the program’s 63-year bowl drought and was going to be destroyed if Northwestern had won Saturday, lived to see another day, actually another year.

Sure, in the context of Northwestern’s history, the 2011 season was an accomplishment. The Wildcats put on a Heisman campaign for Dan Persa. They were competitive in every game. Only one of their seven losses was by more than two touchdowns. They pulled off one of the year’s bigger upsets by defeating Nebraska in Lincoln. In the end, they reached their fourth consecutive bowl game.

And, yes, Northwestern had opportunities to defeat everyone it lost to. The Wildcats were tied with Army Black KnightsArmy in the fourth quarter. They led Illinois by 18 points in the second half. They led Michigan by 10 points at halftime. They were tied with Iowa after three quarters. They led Penn State by three points in the third quarter. They cut Michigan State's lead to seven points early in the fourth quarter. They even trimmed what was once a 23-point, fourth-quarter lead by Texas A&M to eight points.

But talking about plays and games gone wrong, injuries (Persa’s most notably) and the overall idea of what could have been of the 2011 season if everything had fallen in place is what you hear out of desperate programs wanting recognition without achieving real results. Knowing Fitzgerald, that’s not what he’s after.

Fitzgerald doesn’t want Northwestern to be measured by past program standards. Competing for a Big Ten championship every 10 seasons doesn’t make up for having a handful of losing seasons in between. Fitzgerald’s goal has been to create a program which wins year after year and never has to worry about losing seasons.

There are still plenty of reasons to believe Northwestern is headed in that direction. Northwestern’s youthful talent was on display in the bowl game. Sophomore quarterback Kain Colter, redshirt freshman defensive back Ibraehim Campbell, sophomore wide receiver Rashad Lawrence and sophomore return specialist Venric Mark are among the potential future all-conference players. The upcoming recruiting class should also bring optimism.

But right now, hours after Northwestern’s season ended with more losses than wins, something that hasn’t happened since Fitzgerald’s first year as head coach, it’s difficult for the Wildcats and their fans to look past 2011. It was a year that began with as high of hopes as there’s been in Evanston, but ended with a 63-year-old monkey having the last laugh.

After a rough season that included the death of teammate Joey Villavisencio last week and the firing of coach Mike Sherman, the Aggies got a bowl win. It's been an emotional year at Texas A&M, but it will end in fine fashion with a good win over Northwestern.

The Aggies did it without top rusher Cyrus Gray, too. Gray missed his second consecutive game and the final game of his career with a stress fracture in his shoulder that he suffered early in a win over Kansas.

Here's some instant analysis.

How the game was won: Texas A&M was the better team and proved it for the first three quarters, but like we've seen all year, the team swooned in the second half. This time it came in the fourth quarter. The Aggies survived via two huge third-down catches from Uzoma Nwachukwu and Jeff Fuller to keep the ball out of Northwestern's hands in the final minutes. This season, the Aggies blew leads of 18 (Arkansas), 17 (Oklahoma State), 14 (Missouri), 13 (Texas) and 10 (Kansas State). They avoided a sixth loss in extravagant fashion this season with a clutch late drive to close out the Wildcats.

Turning point: Trailing 7-3, Texas A&M scored on its final three drives of the first half, highlighted by a vertical, 26-yard touchdown catch by Jeff Fuller from Ryan Tannehill. The Aggies took control and the Wildcats weren't able to get within realistic reach the rest of the game. The Aggies scored the first 10 points of the second half for a 30-7 lead.

Player of the game: A&M receiver Ryan Swope. Swope continued his tear this season with eight catches for 105 yards and broke a few tackles on a 37-yard catch-and-run to set up an early touchdown that put the Aggies ahead for good. Fuller had a huge catch late to seal the game, but Swope kept the A&M offense humming in the first half while it built the big lead.

Unsung hero: Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter. He spelled what looked like a gimpy Dan Persa and ran for 65 yards and a touchdown in a nice performance.

What it means: One epic bowl losing streak ended while another lives on. Northwestern had lost five bowl games going back to 1949 and made it a sixth. Texas A&M ended its eight-game bowl losing streak dating back to 2001. The Northwestern streak was represented on the sidelines by a monkey wearing a No. 63 jersey, the number of years since the Wildcats won a bowl.

Well wishes: Coryell Judie. The Aggies' kick returner and cornerback finally returned to full health against Texas on Thanksgiving after missing a handful of games with a hamstring injury. However, he suffered a fractured wrist during his final collegiate game. It's a rough break for a huge talent, but he'll hear his name called next April in the NFL draft.

Record performance: With his first field goal midway through the first quarter, kicker Randy Bullock broke Texas A&M's single-season scoring record set back in 1927. The Lou Groza Award winner surpassed Joel Hunt's record of 128 points and finished the season with 139 points after making three field goals and three extra points on Saturday.