Page 10
THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19, 1975
Sportfolio
By paul McGrath
From high above in an eerie
chamber, the ghosts of seasons past,
of seasons present and of seasons yet
to come peer downward. The mys
terious trio casts an interested
glance at a group of 11 figures clad
ir) Maroon and in White. As they
w;atch the action on the playing
field, the three concur among them
selves, “They are good, these Ag
gies.”
Yes, indeed they are. The defense
of Texas A&M, perhaps the finest
group of defenders to grace the
Southwest Conference, is currently
ranked No. 1 in the nation, a posi
tion they have maintained a firm
^rip on throughout the year. You
(jan’t get much higher than that.
‘ The Aggies hold down the top
spots in overall defense, allowing
175.1 yards a game, and in rushing
defense with an average allotment of
07.3 yards per contest. The two Rice
Ijpuchdowns caused a temporary fall
in scoring defense, erasing the de
fensive triple crown possibility for
dhe moment.
!*: One soon becomes hard put for
adjectives for the human stone wall
erected by defensive co-ordinator
Melvin Robertson. Take your choice
between impregnable, tenacious,
hungry, experienced and downright
nasty.
* In this day and age of super pro-
type offenses. Wishbone monstrosi-
ilies and ground-burning running
tjacks, the A&M defensive statistics
^re almost incredible.
£ The nine Farmer opponents have
managed 138 possessions. Of these
Opportunities, the average gain has
l^een 12 yards.
v On 89 possessions the opposing
team has failed to make even one
first down. That means 65 per cent
Of the time the other team has not
gained 10 yards.
'* On 106 possessions, the Aggie foe
nas failed to reach midfield and
cross into friendly territory. Only
seven touchdowns have been scored
against Robertson’s crew, and of
those seven just two on sustained
drives. The others came on long
passes, long runs or mistakes.
Last year, A&M was second in
the nation in the defensive
categories, permitting an average of
206.5 steps a game. Subtract 30
from that to see the improvement.
Notre Dame was the defensive
leader last season, but it was also the
Irish who came to A&M earlier in
the year to learn Robertson’s
technique.
Was the No. 1 spot on the Aggies’
minds? “Yeah, it was one of our
goals.” said Ed Simonini, the All-
American Methuselah in the A&M
defense.
Simonini has starred since his
freshman year in 1972, the same
year Emory Bellard and Robertson
came to town.
When one thinks of A&M, de
fense automatically comes to mind
and Simonini has become synonym
ous with A&M defense. The Las
Battalion Sports Editor
Vegas product has been the heart
and fire in what transfers from 1
Robertson’s blackboard to the play
ing field.
Simonini says his presence in the
limelight has not put any pressure
on him. “The only pressure I feel is
from inside to win. It comes from
within myself,” he said.
“That’s a great group,” Robertson
said, referring the entire A&M
linebacking corps. “They are as
good as you”ll find anywhere.”
Of the 802 primary tackles and as
sists by A&M, 350 have been by the
linebacking crew. Three of the top
four Aggie tacklers are linebackers.
“Anytime you’re in the top you’ve
got a hell of a defense, ” Robertson
continued. But, he said, “You’ve got
to be lucky. Everything has got to
fall in place.”
This is a factor that comes with
experience. It compares with the
aging of wine, the more the better.
This is one reason Robertson feels
that bowl games are an advantage:
“You get in all that extra practice
time. The more the kids practice,
the more chance they have of get
ting into a game. Practice makes
perfect,” said the author of the
press-hot book, “Winning With the
Aggie 4-3 Defense.”
While big plays and individual ef
forts are still a vital part of defensive
play, teamwork has become the key
phrase. “If we break down it’s not
going to be just because of me, ” said
Simonini. “I’m not worried about
making mistakes, because I know
the other guys will make up for me.
I still make mistakes now, but I’m
able to get away with them,” he
said.
Robertson has a list of goals for
each game, goals that have been
met with amazing frequency. “All of
our goals right now we have
achieved in nearly every game, and
that’s phenomonal I think,”
Robertson said.
The desired items include:
—No touchdown passes over 25
yards. Only Illinois, Baylor and Rice
have done so.
—Recover fumbles. That has
been accomplished in five games.
—Intercept two passes. Six times
(See ‘defense’ page 12)
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Jay picks his way
Stafl'Photo by Glen Johnson
Texas A&M quarterback Mike Jay per
forms one of the key options to the Wishbone
attack — the keeper. The ex-Marine dashed
for 83 yards against the Owls in his first start
in two years. Jay was replacing the injured
David Shipman, out with a hyperextended
knee. Shipman, as well as the other Aggie
walking wounded, will be suited up and
ready for the upcoming showdown with
Texas.
The number three ranked team nationally;
A&M is an early 11 point favorite over the
number five ranked Longhorns. A&M will
OPEN DAILY
9:30-9:30
CLOSED
SUNDAYS
host the Horns November 28 with a seven
game losing streak to Texas hanging over
their heads.
The game will determine the Southwest
Conference representative to the Astro-
Bluebonnet Bowl and possibly the SWC
champion.
The opponent in the Bluebonnet will be
Colorado from the Big Eight and the Cotton
Bowl choice went to Georgia representing
the Southeastern Conference. Both schools
have two losses on the year.
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