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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1976)
THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1976 Page 9 [ppear tough as ever C! Linebackers key to Ag defense ■^1 By PAUL McGRATH Battalion Staff Writer last season, the Texas Aggie de le was the most formidable bas il in the land, as reluctant to sur- Jder yards as a woman is about Bing her age. Defensive Co-ordinator Melvin liertson masterminded the A&M Ifensive eleven that led the nation lotal defense and defense against I run, allowing 183.8 and 80.3 rds per game for both categories. Robertson’s 4-3 alignment has met i great success, so successful in Jthat many schools (such as Notre ■lejhave studied and copied his V The key and vital positions of the 3 are the linebackers, ucture-wise, the 4-3 is set up to three linebackers and four de fensive linemen trying to cover all the down offensive linemen,” Robertson said. “You have to have great linebackers, and because of the way it’s set up, they have a better chance of making tackles in the 4-3 than in odier defensive alignments. ” Texas A&M seems to have de veloped a habit of coming up with great linebackers. Names like Jack Pardee and Bill Hobbs come to mind, and in recent years, the likes of John Paul McCrumbley and Garth Ten Napel. And of course, the un forgettable and incomparable Ed Simonini. Again, Robertson has combined three unknowns to create a winning formula. Manning the battlements are Robert Jackson, 6-2, 228 lbs.; Grady Wilkerson, 6-2, 225 lbs.; Jesse Hunnicutt, 6-0, 210 lbs. and Kevin Monk, 6-0, 218 lbs. Jackson 'melser leaves Eagles ‘ impi ■ase lol Hi w Offensive guard Dennis Smelser, pierly of the Texas A&M Aggies, left the training camp of the Jladelphia Eagles. ftagles Coach Dick Vermeil called jlser “the best offensive prospect ■had in camp” after Smelser left Ip last Thursday with two other lies. (ermeil, who is just beginning his coaching career after leaving jA, said Smelser was having itional problems concerning ling his pregnant wife in Texas. Td like him to come back because las an awful lot of talent. But fe are a lot of people walking )nd with talent. Vermeil said. Yet another former Aggie gridder is finding some measure of success in the pro ranks. Glenn Bujnoch, a third round choice of the Cincinnati Bengals, has been given a starting assignment at offensive guard by Coach Bill Johnson. + ¥¥ Another Charlie Milstead seems to be rising from the ranks. Charles Milstead, Jr., son of the Aggie field general played during the late fifties, is a sophomore quar terback at Houston Lee High School. and Wilkerson split duties at middle linebacker last season. Hunnicutt and Monk, the only non-senior of the four, will play tbe outside spots. Adding depth are juniors Gary Tate and Jimmy Kocurek. Depth is one area that Robertson has expressed concern. A talented freshman crop which includes first team possibilities such as Dick Frazee (6-2, 220 lbs., Houston Westchester), Frank Lemons (6-2, 215 lbs., Pampa), James Zachary (6-2, 224 lbs.) and Kyle Colson (6-4, 225 lbs., Beaumont French) are ex pected to fill the ranks. “They’ve got to give us depth, you betcha,” Robertson said. “Some of them have better credentials than Ed (Simonini) and that bunch. We ll try to play ’em early.” The Gibralter of the defense, the man to be relied upon in the crucial moments has to be Jackson. He is the epitome of the linebacker credo: mobile, agile and hostile. Robertson purrs when he calls Jackson “the first natural middle linebacker we’ve ever had. He’s just flat natural talent with size. “Usually we have to take a guy and make him into a middle linebacker,” Robertson continued. “But Jackson’s got size, speed and quickness. And he’s got great feet, great range, and a natural instinct for playing off bloc kers and getting to the ball.” Jackson, a Henderson County Junior College transfer, certainly has the speed, being timed at 4.6 in the 40. He was in on 91 tackles last sea son, 42 unassisted. The Rice Owls and Texas Longhorns well re member his number 55, which also form his personalized license plates. ip eksofl letitk ; ace on mpu nother former Aggie gridder. Roaches, has made a good im- [ssion on the coaching staff of pa Bay Buccaneers, one of the ional Football League’s two ex- sion teams. 15-6 14, 165-pounds, Roaches is smallest of the 86 recruits in the eaneer camp, but has not di- 20-y e ftished his confidence in the least. ®ft“hey say that dynamite comes in packages, and everytime I out onto that field, I’m ready to lode,” he said. though a wide receiver and kick |m specialist, Roaches said he Id play anywhere for Coach John me, ibJCay. “I’d play guard if they asked eed ito” 'bviously, I know I can’t run these people, so I just run nd them. They can’t hit what can’t catch,” he said. “in thought I was too small to play all, I wouldn’t even have come n here. But I felt they drafted because they thought I could Roaches said. ssistant coach Dennis Fryzel is mistic about Roaches, compli- enting his quickness and good Khiwflds. “I’ve liked what I’ve seen of and® so far,” he said. Olyf r astei| nee I is year’s edition of Dave pbell’s Texas Football is out and hit the newsstands within the few days. e scribes have picked the Texas 'horns to end up Royal-ly this etof in, perhaps even with a national . Arkansas is picked a narrow nd over the Texas Aggies. Iso with Cotton possibilities are aylor Bears and the Texas Tech Raiders, says the annual grid e of the Lone Star State. First member Houston is cited as a horse. effie c lurq\ioise G §lipp MANOR EAST MALL PRICES FROM $6.00 — UP 10% AGGIE DISCOUNT WITH I.D. CARD OPEN 11:00 A.M. DAILY AGGIE RING DIAMOND SPECIAL 1/5 carat diamond mounted in your ring $110. Vs carat diamond mounted in your ring $60. Two-Day Setting Service Special good through July Carl Bussells fiAMOND Room 3732 E. 29th Town & Country Center 846-4708 in 8.! iis at V ¥¥¥ NOW OPEN in NEW LOCATION l : ¥¥¥ Jy^e ma azine has picked Texas s Edgar Fields, Robert son and Lester Hayes for King’s , the very select of Southwest ference gridders. re trio are also in the running for maerican status. All three are ,e ' r , hing up their careers at A&M. t SH 1 set and sf- TOM’S BARBECUE Formerly ARNOLD’S BARBECUE in College Station Catering Service Now Located at Orders to / 4613 S. TakeOut / \ Texas Ave. I'nTrrXftn™ 1 V2 Blocks 10am-8 pm North of (713) 846-4275 University Drive Slow Cooked Pit Barbecue Tom Belt rand, Prop. ; n CARS ARE COMING AUGUST 1 1:00 P.M. TWIN ISO’s TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY, COLLEGE STATION FOR TICKETS: *5 TO *20 TEXAS WORLD SPEEDWAY P. 0. BOX AJ COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 77840 713-693-2500 TWO 150 MILE RACES STOCK CARS INDY CARS INFIELD OVERNIGHT CAMPING AND FREE ENTERTAINMENT THE MOST EXCITING CAMPGROUNDS IN AMERICA Coach Melvin Robertson Texas A&M Defensive Co-ordinator Jackson was tabbed with 21 tackles against the Owls, but it was the Texas game that brought him na tional fame. Time and again, Jackson hurled back the Horns explosive running back Earl Campbell, one of the few men ever to do so singlehan- dedly. With the aid of all-America defen sive tackle prospects Edgar Fields and Jimmy Dean to shield away blockers, Jackson should again be able to roam freely from sideline to sideline, setting sights on anything that moves. “Linebackers have to have their heads in the game all of the time, and know where the ball is,” Jackson said. “You’ve also got to have some of that killer instinct.” Despite the losses of big name tal ent such as Simonini, Ten Napel, Pat Thomas and Jackie Williams, Jackson feels the defensive unit will be as stingy as ever. “I think we ll be the number one defense again. Everyone thinks we ll be bad because we lost a lot of guys off the defense,” he said. “Most of the seniors on the squad should fill the leadership role. But, I’ll have a big leadership role myself. ” Wilkerson, who has recently re covered from knee surgery, is another steady performer, one not to be taken lightly. His four quarter back sacks amongst 80 assisted and unassisted tackles was tops amongst the linebacking crew last year. Hunnicutt saw limited action and was accredited with being involved in 16 tackles. All in all, the A&M linebackers appear solid and very capable of handling any situation. Aggie oppos ition this fall will find that Robertson and Company will have quite a bicentennial welcome waiting for them. ^2 s This For ^ Spirit of ’76 Peniston Cafeteria Open Monday-Friday Beginning May 31 For Cash Operation This Summer Breakfast 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Lunch 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. FREE With Every $5.00 Purchase or More — One Old-Fashioned Milk Bottle FREE With Every $25.00 Purchase or More — One Old-Fashioned Milk Rack DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SERVICES TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY “Quality First” Tlve Slap* Tilings Hairshaping Emporium For Men & Women And Boutique Featuring turquoise & silver, Fashion World blouses, India import blouses & dresses, Redken & Jhirmack products. 331 University, Northgate (upstairs) 846-7614 MIDNIGHT MADNESS SALE Drastic Reductions on Summer Styles and Sneak Preview of Fall Fashions Thursday, July 15th 10:00 A.M. - 12 MIDNIGHT Refreshments to be Served and Modeling a o' & 1403 UNIVERSITY DR. Above McLaughlin’s INVENTORY There are still a few demonstrator and current models left at fantastic prices! WE WILL BE MOVING SOON TO 3822 TEXAS AVENUE (Across from Burger King) WHICH WARRANTY WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ON YOUR STEREO COMPONENTS? un< IMPgr 3806-A OLD COLLEGE ROAD (Next to Triangle Bowl) 846-3517 Mon., Tues., Wed., Sat. 10-5 Thurs. & Fri. 11-7 THE SOUND CENTER WARRANTY 1) All receivers., tuners, and amplifiers have a warranty of three years labor and ten years parts. 2) All tape decks and turntables have a warranty of fiteen months parts and labor 3) All speakers have a warranty of five years parts and labor 4) All speakers may be exchanged for a period of 120 days from the date of purchase Only the difference in price will be paid 5) All receivers, tuners, and amplifiers may be exchanged for a period of 60 days from the date of purchase Only the difference in price will be paid S iH 6) If a customer finds the same products sold for less at any other audio retailer in the State of Texas. Sound Center will refund the difference This offer stands for a period JSJh of 30 days from the date of purchase 7) A full refund of the purchase price will be made should decide to return the products see... x wish !V»y RECEIVE!? had a sound center warrant/; Q O CDD 1-f I J|