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The Battalion
| Section Three |
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1969
Green’ Aggies Look Ahead To LSU
NEW AGGIE QUARTERBACK
Jimmie Sheffield, a 6-0, 180-pounder from Houston Wal-
trip, will carry a large part of the Aggies’ load on the
gridiron in 1969. The junior letterman will take over for
departed Edd Hargett at the crucial man-under slot as the
Aggies prime themselves for the season opener Sept. 20
with the Louisiana State University Tigers in Baton
Rouge.
BY RICHARD CAMPBELL
Battalion Sports Editor
What can you say about a 3-7
season?
With high hopes the 1968 Ag
gies went into combat only to
emerge with a crippled and frus
trated crew. Untimely injuries
and costly fumbles led to the
downfall of the 1967 Southwest
Conference champs.
The 1969-70 squad may not go
into the first encounter with
Louisiana State with the same
experience and poise that last
year’s team did but they are a
collection of some of the best
sophomores around. Fortunately,
there will be a fine nucleus of
seniors to provide the leadership
in those tough games ahead.
It is a known fact that a soph
omore-laden football team usual
ly does not win a conference
championship because they lack
the unseen qualities that make a
champ, mainly, poise and cool
ness under pressure. But this
year’s Aggie fortunes ride on
sophomore shoulders that are
very strong physically and could
carry the load just far enough
to bypass the unseen qualities.
Coach Gene Stallings, now be
ginning his fifth season at the
Cadet helm, will have to regroup
his forces quickly because the
Aggies face no breathers on their
schedule which features but three
home contests.
The major hurdle ahead for the
Aggies seems to loom at the all-
important quarterback slot where
there are no proven hands.
The top candidate following
the spring game was junior let
terman Jimmy Sheffield, a 6-0,
180-pounder from Houston Wal-
trip. He has all the necessary
tools to become a great quarter
back and Stallings says that “we
think he can do the job for us.”
Stallings feels the Aggies will
have more depth on this club
than on any previous team since
he took over. He qualifies it by
adding, “It will be young, untest
ed depth but at least we don’t
have anyone who is second team
at four or five different positions
this year.”
The backfield seems to be the
biggest plus of the offensive at
tack in 1969. With Larry Ste-
gent, a senior tailback with two
letters, the ball carrying will
definitely be in good hands.
Should the 6-1, 195-pounder find
the going a little rough, then the
chore would fall into the able
hands of sophomore Steve Burks,
a runner of whom Stallings has
said, “We won’t lose much by
putting Burks in there.”
The fullback will be Marc
Black, a red-shirt soph from New
Mexico Military Institute where
he gained All-America fame. The
6-2, 207 pounder was the leading
ground gainer in the spring game
and runs with authority. He will
be backed up by sophomores
Doug Robbins and Doug Neill.
The wingback slot will also be
in good hands as senior Barney
Harris returns after a fine 1968
showing. He finished the season
second only to All-American
Jerry Levias of Southern Meth
odist in receiving.
He caught 49 passes last year
for 745 yards and had the best
single day in the conference with
13 receptions against SMU. Back
ing Harris will be sophomore Billy
Joe Polasek and senior letterman
Billy Seely.
This year’s offensive line will
be younger, quicker and bigger
than previous ones with senior
Jack Kovar at center to anchor
it. Tight end convert Roos Brup-
bacher, split end Jimmy Adams
and weak tackle Carl Gough also
bring experience to the trenches.
The latter two missed spring
drills and will have a tough time
winning back their positions from
senior Tom Sooy and junior
Allan Hanson.
At the end of the spring game
the starters were: Sooy, split
end; Hanson, weak tackle; junior
Jim Parker, weak guard; Kovar,
center; soph Robin Davis, strong
guard; soph Andy Philley, strong
tackle; and Brupbacher, tight
end.
Jimmy Adams, Phil Adams,
Joey Herr, and David Odom will
battle Sooy for the split end post.
Gough, Randy Maddox, Ted
Smith, and Jim Bates offer Han
son stiff competition for the weak
tackle slot. Leonard Forey, Rusty
Stallings, and Rae Albertini will
fight for Parker’s job. Mike
Stinson, Benny DeWitt, and Mike
Park back up Kovar.
Mike Fields, Tommy Eilers, and
Tommy Deaton will challenge
Davis. Joe Shaw, John Cunning
ham, and Charles Crain are com
petitors behind Philley. Roy
Kirkpatrick, Billy Bob Burnett,
and Mitch Robertson are behind
Brupbacher.
The kicking game for the Ag
gies seems to be in good hands
now that sophomore transfer
Mike Bellar is eligible for the
fall. He will handle the place
ment kicking and has boomed
field as far as 50-60 yards in
practice.
Robertson, a 6-2, 217 pounder,
will take care of the punting
chores for the Aggies. He will be
backed by quarterback Sheffield.
Both punted for a 39-yard aver
age in the spring game.
The defensive unit will also be
sprinkled freely with sophomores
but is expected to be salty with
four starters returning. Mike
DeNiro, all-SWC as a soph, re-
(See ‘Green,’ Page 3)
igpifs, p
• I
TALENT TO SPARE
Larry Stegent, a senior tailback from Houston St. Thomas,
will be a prime All-American candidate when the fall grid
wars begin. He was selected as the Sophomore-of-the-
Year in 1967 and in two seasons with A&M has compiled
1742 total offense.
stay with the winners!
C3 APnIT
i—i i nr m k
Nine Flags
Catalina Martin
Countrp
Squire
, LTD
LORD
JEFF
TOWNSHIRE—BRYAN, TEXAS 823-5051