Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1975)
Page 6 THE BATTALION FRIDAY, OCT. 24, 1975 Ags finally home again SWC hopefuls vs. SWC champs By DAVID WALKER Battalion Sports Writer Spurred on by painted buildings, painted statues and the fact that they just don’t like each other, the Texas Aggies and Baylor Bears tee it up for the 72nd time tomorrow be fore the largest Kyle Field crowd ever. Over 53,000 fans are expected to see if the defending Southwest Con ference champions can stay alive in their bid to defend their crown. The Bears have already lost one SWC game and no team has ever won the SWC championship with two los ses. Baylor started the season like a house on fire going undefeated in their first three games. The Bears opened with a 20-10 victory over Ole Miss. Then on two successive Commentary weekends they tied nationally ranked Auburn 10-10, and Michi gan 14-14. The Auburn game was in friendly Baylor Stadium but the Michigan game was played before the third largest crowd in college football his tory, 104,000, in Ann Arbor. Then with a 1-0-2 record and a top twenty ranking the Bears fumbled away their next two games. First came a 24-13 setback to South Carolina and then came the SWC loss at the hands of the Arkan sas Razorbacks, 41-3. Baylor had nine turnovers in the Arkansas game, seven of which came in the second half on their only seven possessions. The Aggies on the other hand have a perfect record after six games and are ranked number five in the nation. The two teams will both have re venge on their minds from last year. The Bears are mad because the Ag gies were the only team to beat them in SWC play and the Aggies are mad because they feel that the Bears played in their Cotton Bowl. It should be interesting. The Aggies beat the Bears last year before a record Baylor crowd 20-0, but the game was closer than the score indicates. The Aggies scored one of their touchdowns when Call Roaches caught a Bubba Bean fumble in the air and ran 56 yards for the TD while the other one came when Baylor quarterback Mark Jackson completed a pass to Aggie tackle Warren Trahan on the two yard line. Trahan fell into the endzone for the last Aggie TD. O’Donovan on football By DR. GERARD O’DONOVAN (Dr. O’Donovan besides being a Distin guished Professor in Biochemistry is also a working member of NATO, and a contribut ing writer for Sports Illustrated and the As sociated Press. As a great student of sport Dr. O’Donovan’s observations on the games played in various sports at A&M are looked upon very highly by coaches, players and scribes alike. In this commentary, he gives an overview of the TCU game nearly a week ago, and offers insight into tomorrow’s tussle with Baylor.) There was no rugby game last week so I had the pleasure of watch ing the Aggies win number six against classy Jim Shofner and his Horned Frogs. The season, now exactly half begun, finds the Aggies at 6-0 and No. 5 in the nation. I see no reason for matters to change when we play (and we must play) Baylor and SMU here followed by a short trip to Houston to play Rice. By then, I suspect, that Nebraska, USC and even the Sooners may have fallen. Indeed, 'Devine Provi dence may Color (ado) the polls this weekend and the No. 3 spot sounds nice! But forget the polls, let us play them as they come — one at a time — and anyone who lets reporters bother him should remember the words of a late fcllovy countryman of mine who said, “Writers are like eunuchs in a harem. They always know the score, but never get a piece of the action!” Thus, they write: “Up again down again,” of our 1975 team! During two games, the shutout of Ole Miss and again last week over winless TCU, I heard remarks that made me flash-back to 1968 when we won three games with a passing team and a defensive-minded coach. Old Maroons seem to think that we should be better than our 6-0 record, but we have played only six and they talk to me as if, in pristine days, (since 1950 say) we have “fre quently been 6-0 ”! The record book that I got from Jim Butler (Assist. SID) says otherwise, and even if our performance against TCU was lackluster last weekend, no credit at all is given to Shofner and to the fact that his 0-5 team was up for the game. I will take any kind of win (I love 4-3 scores) and if 14-6 gives the “Alabamy -bound Froggies some solace, they earned it. We scored on our first possession and had a 14-0 lead that was adequate. The defen sive unit overall did well against the pass, and hung in there, despite a few missed tackles against the run. Two titanic tackles by freshman Stacy Breihan were noted by me on the specialty teams and I enjoyed Simonini’s blocked PAT. While Bubba Bean was in, our offense looked sound. Stanley despite a 26-yarder, averaged 47-yards per punt and Skip Walker had his best game. There were a few poorly exe cuted pitchouts that were not in the game plan. As the score stood 14-0 TCU pas sed and passed as their backup quar terback, Elzner, found Parker a lonely figure in the end zone. The point after try failed with a seem ingly facile block by Simonini. One sad aspect that I noticed throughout was the total lack of sol idarity behind Shofner and his courageous TCU lads. The local Ft. Worth newspapers covered the World Series — it rained out — and they covered the TV game between Texas and Arkansas. After everyone picked A&M by 20-40 points, they apparently left town. The ‘partisan’ crowd were mostly A&M suppor ters and if they were disappointed that we did not run up the score, they might remember a game where Oklahoma beat Colorado 21-20 and lost little stature in so do ing. Neither did we. ‘Greed’ as the Wizard of Id recently pointed out, is ‘No. 1’. Coach Tom Wilson did not come to Aggieland to advertise shirts, though I like the ones he wears. He was hired by Coach Bellard to as similate a passing game into the wishbone. It has been slow in com ing but the record (6-0) could hardly be any better. I had expected 10 or 12 more passes to Richard Osborne by now, but Rome was not built in a day. It took a long time to get an option-type running game in full gear at Texas and Bellard knows it well. But the wishbone-gangs were and still are the top fumblers in the nation and blocking for optional running plays is different from that required for the pass. I see, with every game, more and more of the ‘eye’ (I) and I would like to pass out of the non-passing forma tions as well. I have seen our receivers run superior post patterns and little curl-ins that may well be Carlen’s, but possession football has had its way, and the short gainer has so far cannibalized clocks! As I see it now mild panic erupted after the local fans in thousands saw but one TD against Ole Miss. Since Fontana’s Instant Lunch $1.89 Choice of Mexican, Italian or Plate Lunch. All dinners served with salad. 11:30-2 Monday - Friday Across from A&M Aggie Owned | •Q. Pi £. § Q § & >n»: a* ‘Q Q. o V' -- \ ^7 T ~ I Shape // Roger Rozell APPOINTMENTS MADE 1-6 WEEKS IN ADVANCE FROM DAY OF HAIR CUT: SAVE $2.00 ON CUT & BLOW DRY. BAUBLES, BEADS & THINGS Come In & String Your Own MON.: 9:00-5:30 TUES. - FRI.: 9:00-9:00 SAT.: 8:00-5:30 331 UNIVERSITY DRIVE 846-7614 y many fans came late, they missed all the scoring and complained. Against Illinois the crowd were happy; against KSU, the Exxon voice was so bad that I turned on another station. Against LSU, I heard no complaints and I liked the radio men of Exxon. At Lubbock Tom Wilson had a happy homecom ing. Aren’t those defensive explanat ory blackboard plays beautiful, when succinctly described by ever- smiling yet intense Melvin Robertson? No wonder he smiles, he knows how it’s done and he has the horses. Most, even Harless Wade, regard him, as I do, the best defensive coordinator in the land. It seems to me that our game plan for the year was too quickly gal vanized into action by the shock of the margin of victory against Ole Miss. I do not think that Coach Bel lard is tied to the wishbone, but there are no plans to abandon it. The shirt man from the dustlands will have engineered a trial separa tion, from the wishbone by year’s end, when our attack will be truly multi-optional. Watch for the unex pected pass, give Shipman a chance and a second glance. A few standing ovations are in order. This is Home’. Beat Baylor for 7-0. The Batt is our campus news paper — support it by reading it — and The Eagle is the hometown newspaper where Jo Kammlah and Jerry Waggoner complement each other and will write it as it is. Happiness is a completed pass, an understanding press ... a head coach who listens to his staff and is ever-learning. Ours is all of that and more; he is totally involved and flex ible. In conclusion I will quote a dear friend, now retired, who taught me the game: “There is no thing wrong with Bellard as long as he is in synchrony with Wilson, and his quarterback. All he needs is a 30 yard play-action pass to win the Cot ton Bowl after playing close to the belt all day.’ THE PANTRY 3525 TEXAS AVENUE 846-6897 Natural Vitamins & Health Foods. o m :o: 0 g g § is; -«»? m What fun is a group trip if you can’t bea group 'til you get there? When you go Greyhound, the party starts as soon as you climb on board. Charter us. The Party Bus. GREYHOUND BUS STATION 1300 TEXAS AVE. 823-8071 Greyhounds * in touch * with America Randy Haddox added two extra points and a couple of field goals to round out the Aggie scoring. The Baptists are coming off an open week that wasn’t really open. Coach Grant Teaff had his Bears scrimmaging every day last week which is quite unusual for this time of the year. “We feel that we had some prob lems holding on to the ball and feel that this was the best way to deal with it,’’ Teaff said. The head Bear spoke of the Aggie game, “This is it . . . the defending SWC champs against the team the experts say will win it this year. Texas A&M has an awesome football team, offensively and defensively. We have not played well in our last two ball games, but we believe that this is all behind us now. Our young men have great pride in themselves and in our school, so I look for a total effort.” The Aggies will go with the same starting lineup that they have the past weeks with the exception that Ronnie Hubby may not start at fullback. Hubby is slightly injured. If he doesn’t start Bucky Sams will start with freshman George Wood ward seeing action for the first time since Illinois. The man to watch on the green and gold side is Cleveland Franklin. Franklin has 562 yards on 113 car ries for a 4.9 average and is ahead of Steve Beaird’s performance last year when he became Baylor’s first 1,000 yard man. The Aggies have been nabbed as 17 point favorites but when these two schools play you can throw out the predictions. Last year and this year have proven to be rather un usual A&M-Baylor contests in that there is more at stake than the championship of the Brazos. There is a championship that means a lot more, and both teams will be play ing like there is no tomorrow, for Baylor there isn’t. Harriers to host meet Coach Ted Nelson’s Cross Coun try squad will be seeking their sec ond straight meet victory as the Baylor Bears visit them Saturday in a dual meet starting at 10:00 a.m. The Aggies have already faced the Bears in one previous meet, defeat ing them by almost 100 points in a ten team meet. Baylor only had one man place in the top ten finishers while the Ags placed five in that select group. A&M is off one of their finest per formances last week taking top hon ors on the six-mile course at North Texas State. Nelson’s squad de feated one of the better cross coun try teams in the nation in Oklaho ma, a team which raced past the Ags in a prior meet. The Saturday meet will be only four miles, almost a sprint com pared to the last race. A&M plays the host this weekend as both teams will run on the Polo Field. A&M will be looking for a possi ble sweep in the top ten spots since only one Bear (walk-on Bill Adams) seems capable of staying with the Ags. This will be the first and last home meet for the Ag cross country team. “ 1 IE n The SILVER FAWN gift 6 §ti°p TURQUOISE & STERLING SILVER DO-IT-YOURSELF: Sterling Silver Beads Turquoise Nuggets Cones Hooks & Eyes Shell Heshei Liquid Silves Tiger Tail Cord FED MART SHOPPING CENTER - SUITE 404 COLLEGE STATION 846-7877 THE GREATEST SANDWICH The greatest sandwiches in the Southwest are served fror 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day Monday through Fridays floor 11M, Conference Tower. The greatness of these saw wiches is no accident. There are several types of meats ar: you can select your choice and mix or match any three piec« for your sandwich on the bread of your choice. Two of the several types of bread are sour dough and bake: fresh daily in our Duncan bakery. Further, these breads a* prepared without shortening for the diet conscious guest.Fj the greatest taste tempting delight just make your sandm exactly like you want it and pop it into one of the hanc micro-wave ovens. This wonderful sandwich and a bowk soup for only $1.50 plus tax will place you on cloud 11M We agree this is a bit of a long story, but it is difficult to sto talking about our tasty sandwiches. Open Sunday 11:00 A.M* - 1:30 P.M. for regular meal onlf “QUALITY FIRST” Gfaduafeing Engineers: If jour heart’s in San Francisco FRAN Mare Island is hiring! Live in the heart of Northern California—America’s most famous work and play land. Ideal, smog-free climate, short drive to the Golden Gate, the wine country, lots more! Work in a challenging environment at the West Coast’s oldest and best-known naval institution, with unmatched potential for professional growth, reward and recognition. Get the facts on civilian career opportunities. Contact your Placement Office. Campus interviews: October 28 Mare Island Naval Shipyard Vallejo, California <8/ An Equal Opportunity Employer U.S. Citizenship Required 1101 T«xas