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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1973)
THE BATTALION Tuesday, September 4, 1973 College Station, Texas Page 3 Pre-season Favorite Texas To Face Stiff Competition By TED BORISKIE ; The Southwest Conference has a reputation for being an incredi bly tough conference. Upsets are almost the rule rather than the exception. This year looks to be no differ ent. Texas has won the conference for the last five years, ever since shifting to the wishbone forma tion. This year they are back with one of their strongest teams in recent years, so they are naturally favored to win the conference title once again. Pre-season favorites in the SWC, however, have a strange habit of not being on top when the shouting is over. This will un doubtedly be an exciting year with Texas having a powerhouse and Rice, A&M and SMU featur ing explosive teams capable of surprise. Here’s how the teams stack up. ARKANSAS Arkansas was pictured for big things last year but had a disap pointing 6-5 season with an even more frustrating 3-4 record in the SWC. It is all in the past now with most of the team grad uated. Arkansas is returning only six starters (two offensive, four defensive) with big guns QB Joe Ferguson and SE Mike Reppond gone to the pros. However, one of their biggest guns, Dickey Mor ton, is back and with a runner like Morton on the squad, the problems may not be so big after all. Morton was a consensus all- SWC last year picking up 1188 yards in 242 carries for a 4.9 av erage. This was accomplished in an offense that featured mainly the aerial antics of Ferguson. This year, the offense will be geared a bit more toward Morton and if some of the young players give class performances, Arkansas could be awesome indeed. The Razorbacks do have their problems at quarterback with Saturday’s knee injury to Scott Bull which will put him out for the season. Bull was the hero of las tyear’s win over Texas Tech and was heavily counted on for this season. Sophomore Mike Kirkland will have to carry the load as there is just nobody else around to even consider. Arkansas is also looking to line backer Danny Rhodes and full back Marsh White to re-instill the winning tradition in the Razorback squad. BAYLOR Baylor is returning 14 starters from last year’s 5-6 team. Eight A&M Trainer Pickard Receives Top Honors at State Meeting Billy Pickard, in his ninth sea son as athletic trainer of the Texas Aggies, recently received the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association’s top award at its 19th annual state meeting in Waco. Pickard received the Eddie Wojecki award as the trainer doing the most for the SWAT A. A native of San Antonio and a 1966 A&M graduate, Pickard is the only member who has not missed a state meeting in the SWATA’s 19-year histtory. Exhibits chairman of the group for several years now, Pickard is a past president of the organiza tion. Following his graduation from A&M, Pickard served as athletic trainer at Port Arthur Jefferson High one year and then was at Brazosport High in Freeport for seven and a half years before joining the A&M staff in January of 1965. One SWATA officiaal said: “Billy Pickard is the hardest working member of our organiza tion and is very deserving of our top award.” Pickard now is in his second season of handling the dual role of trainer and aquipment man ager at A&M. returning starters are on the of fensive squad so Baylor needs only to fill a couple of holes to have a killer of an offense. They have more speed and more depth in the backfield than almost any one else in the conference in re turning players and to add to that the Bears recruited high school stars SE Alcy Jackson and RB- LB Mike Ebow. Baylor may not have room for them with such class players as quarterback Neal Jeffrey and running backs God frey White, Brian Kilgore, Pat McNeil and Gary Lacy already occupying the backfield and top receivers Charles Dancer and Ken Hownsherd at the ends. Even though the Bears lost most heavily to graduation on the defensive squad, Head coach Grant Teaff said “Despite losing all-America Roger Goree, I think we will be as good or better de fensively.” Baylor is probably still a year away but their back- field could run them to a fine season. RICE Rice lost all-star quarterback Bruce Gadd and nine other start ers to graduation but they return their three starting running backs and all-America candidate safety Bruce Henley. Henley has thirteen interceptions in two years and needs only six more for a new conference record. Running Backs John Coleman, Billy Pickard Gary Ferguson, and Ron Arce- neaux and ends Edwin Collins and Carl Swierc could provide all the offensive punch anyone could need if the Owls can just find a quarterback. Coach A1 Conover expects to improve on last year's 5-5-1 rec ord because his youth laden team of last year is one year older and wiser. SMU Southern Methodist returns 33 lettermen, along with Rice the most in the conference. Their of fensive strength is almost fright ening returning eight starters. Alvin Maxson is a definite all- America candidate as he could become only the second collegian in history to rush for more than 1,000 yards three years in a row. He has 2,017 yards for the last two years and made all-SWC both times. He led SMU in scor ing with 77 points. Halfback Wayne Morris was the leading freshman rusher in the nation last year with 884 yards and a 5.1 average. He was named most outstanding offensive newcomer in the SWC last year. End Kenny Harrison became the first freshman to make all- SWC since Doak Walker in 1945. He didn’t start until the fifth game when he caught eight passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He runs the 100 in 9.6. DT Louie Kelcher made all- SWC last year and has been pick ed to several pre-season all-Amer ica teams this year. As a sopho more last year he made the De troit Sports Extra all-America team. All SMU has to do is fill the six holes left by graduation in the defense. If they can accom plish that, the Ponies could be smiling for the rest of the year. TEXAS It is easy to see why Texas is so heavily favored. The Long horns return 13 starters from last year’s 10-1 team. They return the entire defensive line that gave up only seven touchdowns, just three by rushing, in 11 games last year. Standing behind them is lineback er Glenn Gaspard, all-American selection on several pre-season lists. If Texas has a problem, it would have to be the offensive line where four members of last year’s line are gone. With Texas’ depth, however, the problem would have to be a small one. With running backs Tommy Landry and Roosevelt Leaks, an offensive line seems only incidental. Leaks is a crushing fullback who de lights in running over defenders. He ran over them for 1,099 yards with six games of more than 100 yards. Marty Akins should fit into the quarterback spot quite nicely. Texas is going to play tough football for the entire season and it will take a super effort to un seat them. TCU Texas Christian will return 13 starters with eight coming back on offense. The Horned Frogs could have trouble on offense as they will have to almost complete ly rebuild the offensive line. They have plenty of stars, the bright est being DT Charlie Davis. Davis made the AP third-team all-Amer ica team last year and was picked on the Football Writer’s pre-sea son first team this year. QB Kent Marshall was off to a great start last year before he broke his collar bone and missed the last seven games. He ran for 115 yards in the opening game victory over Indiana last year and was completing 599J of his passes when injury took him out. Mike Luttrell was the fourth leading rusher in the SWC last year and if the Frogs can build a good line, he could better his out put this year. It will be hard to score on the Frogs this year, so to beat them, it will take a good defensive stand. With Marshall and Lut trell banging against it, a good defensive stand will be hard to come by. TEXAS TECH Tech is returning 13 starters but has a serious problem of re building both lines. The backfields will have relatively the same faces as last year. QB Joe Barnes is a big play artist and master of the option. He ran for 510 yards and four touchdowns while passing for 1,148 yards and another four TD’s. His two favorite targets, Calvin Jones and Andre Tillman, are both returning. Also returning will be tailback George Smith who ran for 740 yards and an incredible 6.7 aver age. He had 174 yards and three touchdowns against North Caro lina in last year’s Sun Bowl. In rebuilding the defensive line, the Red Raiders are looking to Ecomet Burley for help. Used primarily in reserve, he still was the only Tech freshman to earn a varsity letter last year. He was voted the outstanding lineman in the Sun Bowl. Both lines will be young but Tech could develop into a powcu*- house toward the end of the sea son. 1873 SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE^ PLAYIN6 DATE ARKANSAS BAYLOR HOUSTON* RICE S.M.U. TEXAS TEXAS A&M T.C.U. TEXAS TECH SepteMber 15 So. California Los Angeles-N Oklahoma Baylor-N Rice Houston-N Houston Houston-N Santa Clara Dallas-N Wichita St. College Station-N Utah Lubbock-N September 21 South Carolina Houston-N Miami Miami-N September 22 Oklahoma St. Little Rock Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Montana Houston-N Oregon St. Corvallis LSU Baton Rouge-N UTA Ft. Worth-N New Mexico Lubbock September 29 Iowa St. Fayetteville Colorado Boulder Memphis St. Memphis-N LSU Baton Rouge-N Virginia Tech Dallas Texas Tech Austin-N Boston College College Station-N Ohio St. Columbus Texas Austio-N October 6 TCU little Bocfc-N Florida St. Waco-N San Diego St. San Oiego-N Missouri Dallas Wake Forest Austin-N Clemson Clemson. S.C. Arkansas Little Rock-N bklahoma it. Stillwater October 12 Virginia Tech Houston-N October 13 Baylor Waco-N Arkansas Waco-N Notre Dame Houston-N Oklahoma Dallas Texas Tech Lubbock-N Idaho Ft. Worth-N A&M Lubbock-N October 19 Miami Miami-N October 20 Texas Fayetteville §MU Houston-N Rice Houston-N Arkansas Fayetteville TCU Ft. Worth SIS Ft. Worth Arizona Tucson-N October 27 Tulsa Little Rock-N Texas A&M College Station Auburn Auburn Texas Austin-N Texas Tech Lubbock ftice Austin-N Baylor College Station Tennessee Knoxville 5HU Lubbock November 3 Texas A&M Fayetteville TCU Waco Florida St. Houston-N Texas Tech Lubbock Texas Dallas SMU Dallas Arkansas Fayetteville Baylor Waco Rice Lubbock November 10 RTca Houaton Texas Austin Colorado St. Fort Collins Arkansas Houston S&M College Station Baylor Austin SHU College Station Texas Tech Ft. Worth TCU Ft Worth November 17 SMU Dallas Taxes Tech Lubbock Texas A&M Houston Arkansas Dallas TCU Austin Rice Houston Texas Austin Baylor Lubbock November 22 (TkMks(Wt*i Day) A&M College Station Texas College Station November 24 .'SKiSS 5MU wpco Wyoming Houston-N TCU Ft. Worth Baylor Waco Rice Ft. Worth Arkansas Little Rock December 1 Rice Houaton Tulsa Houston-N Baylor Houston TCU Dallas THE UNIVERSITY CENTER BOX OFFICE IS OPEN! ORDER YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW FOR TOWN HALL, ROTARY COMMUNITY SERIES, AND OP AS Welcome Back, Aggies Hours: 9 A.M. - 4 P.M., Monday through Friday The Box Office is located on the street level of the Conference Tower. Look for “right at the door” parking, just one block from G. Rollie White Coliseum. L Telephone 845-2916 ANDRE S BICYCLE SHOP INC. Authorized Dealer Of CDI • JEUNET • LAMBERT • ASTRA 305 University Drive College Station 846-0951 STUDENT OWNED & OPERATED Good Luck COME BY AND SEE THE NEW MODELS WE SERVICE ALL MAKES ALLEN OLDSMOBILE - CADILLAC INC. 2401 Texas Avenue Telephone 823-8002 “Where Satisfaction is Standard Equipment” /