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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1978)
THE BATTALION Page 15 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1978 Mark Patterson ' they are noli yet but it 4 they stand, 19 Aggie trad even stronj s long as tl y, they may norable we Aggies' season ad fitting finish s they go y nasi nee champio! It is only fitting that the 1978 Texas A&M football season ended in saster, a 22-7 loss to The University of Texas on national television riday night. The nation saw the remains of what was a typical Aggie otball season. For 11 years in a row the Texas Aggies have finished as an also-ran the quest for the right to be the Southwest Conference’s Cotton iowl representative. This season the ending to the story was the me but the middle chapters were different. The Aggies did not hold their fans in suspense by waiting until one ftheir final games before blowing the season. The team did it early, Iropping a 33-0 decision to the Houston Cougars in the fifth game of le year. From then on it was just a matter of where Texas A&M 'ould finish behind the power teams of the Southwest Conference. Now that the 84th season of Texas A&M football has come to an |nd Aggies around the world will look back at 1978 as one of the most nusual, if not disappointing seasons the Cadets have endured. NOT DISAPPOINTING IN terms of their final record — 7-4 [mild be welcomed at schools from Oregon to Mississippi. But four bsses for a Texas A&M football team is unacceptable in the eyes of Lggie fans. Not since the 1973 season have the Aggies lost more than nree games in a season. And this year’s setbacks came in a season [hen many were picking the Aggies to finally make it back to the Jotton Bowl. In their first four games the Aggies played like their fans had hoped would, running up scores of 37-10, 37-2, 58-0 and 38-9. The ores of those four games may be why this season has turned out to i so disappointing for Aggie fans. As a result of the first four games a false sense of optimism was pstilled in Texas A&M fans. After all, the team was rolling over its pponents with ease. Texas A&M was unstoppable, or so it seemed. BUT THEN CAME the trip to the Astrodome, where the Aggie’s 978 bubble was burst by the Cougars. It was an embarrassing loss, qne that would have serious repercussions two weeks later. The loss hung with the Aggies through the next week, when the [adets were shocked by the Baylor Bears 24-6 in Kyle Field. The |umni began talking and the students began complaining. It proved much for Coach Emory Bellard. In a move as shocking as the Bck-to-back losses Bellard resigned as head coach and athletic direc- r. The season had begun to crumble and now the team as well began splinter. Offensive Coordinator Tom Wilson was named as Bel- rd’s successor in hopes of salvaging what was left of the season. Working with what he had, Wilson did as well as he could in the ual five games. He lead the Aggies to three wins, and more impor- intly, the team received a bowl bid for the fourth time in as many ears. To have a 7-4 team get an invitation to a bowl is a feat in itself. THE AGGIES HAD a chance to salvage the season, at least in the ft’es of Texas A&M fans around the country, with a victory over Texas [riday night. But that dream was shattered, as was the dream for a lerth in the Cotton Bowl this season. The Aggies were outclassed by Longhorns. The Cotton Bowl berth went to Houston. The year asn’t one for dreams. But Texas A&M has one game left, against Iowa State in the Hall of ame Bowl Dec. 20. There is a chance that the team could end 1978 Jolding a 8-4 record, equal to their final figure last season. No matter what the final won-lost record this season Aggie fans will |ill utter the saying that has become synonymous with their team. Wait until next year.” And those people who try to explain that next ear might be a repeat of years past will live through another barrage if Highway 6 attacks and “two-percenter” accusations. And both will be welcomed. Without them it wouldn’t be football ason at Texas A&M University. Aggie notes Volleyball team ends season Texas A&M’s men’s volleyball team wrapped up an almost perfect season at Southwest Texas last Saturday. Going into the league cham pionship tournament, the Aggies had won the University of Texas tourney, placed third at the Univer sity of Texas at Arlington, second in the University of Houston tourney and first at the Southwest Texas State tournament. The Aggies had a season record of 25-2 going into the league championship. The 1978 all-league team was selected by the players. A&M was represented by center blocker and spiker Bob Bardsby and center blocker and spiker Mike Malley. Other selections were Texas’ Ron Hermes, strong side spiker and Keith Cassell, setter and spiker; SWTSU’s Bruce Whittley, center blocker and spiker; and UTA’s Andy Hallford, setter and spiker. Texas A&M was seeded No. 1 for the tourney but fell to Texas by scores of 15-13, 8-15 and 15-7 in the finals. The outcome of the pool play (two games with all opponents) left A&M and Texas tied with 8-2 records, but A&M was 15 points behind Texas on a point differential. That placed Texas first in pool play with a bye to the finals while A&M (second) was pitted against third place SWTSU. Although the match was won by A&M in two games by scores of 15-5 and 15-10, the games were ex tremely intense, with the second game lasting thirty-five minutes and four full team rotations. In the finals with Texas, the Ag gies were definitely tired but spir ited. The fresh Texas squad proved too much for the Aggies however, as the Longhorns won the cham pionship in three games. The Texas A&M men’s bowling team finished their fall season this past weekend in Houston. Compet ing for A&M were Dave Il lingworth, Jay Chester, Mark Myrick, Paul Merriman, and Steve Wright. A&M’s first three-game match of the day was against Lamar Univer sity. The Aggies won 20 and one- half points out of 24 with Myrick having high series of 584 and high game of 240. Illingworth had second high series of 577. The second match was against Rice University where each team won 12 points. High series for A&M was Merriman with a 601 and Il lingworth had high game of 218. Merriman also had high games of 210 and 202. The final match of the day was against TSU where the men’s team performed excellently. For the sec ond game the team had a total series of 1038, an average of 207 fory five men. High series was Chester with a 653 while Myrick had a 598, Il lingworth had a 571, and Merriman had a 570. High games were Ches ter with a 232 and Myrick with a 229. High average for the day was Chester with a 197. Merriman was high point winner with six and one-half out of nine and Chester and Myrick each won six points. The men and women’s bowling teams final TIBC match will be at Lamar on Jan. 27. Both teams are currently far ahead of the other schools for first place and will repre sent the division at the state cham pionship in February. once. The defensive effort was led by goalie Jay Cooke. Texas A&M is now 3-0 this sea son. The Aggies have also defeated SMU and Houston. They travel to Waco Saturday to play Baylor. A win there will assure Texas A&M of the pre-season pick as league cham pions of the Southwest Conference. The Texas A&M lacrosse team avenged the football team’s loss by defeating the Texas Longhorns Saturday in Austin. The Aggies won the hard-fought contest 7-4. The A&M offense was led by Chris Desadier and Dave McDer mott who each scored two goals and Ben Neal, Guy Grosgebauer and Brian McDermott each scoring Landry to rest key players United Press International DALLAS — With the division title neatly wrapped up for Christ mas, Dallas coach Tom Landry said Tuesday he would be resting some of his front-line players during the final two regular season games. But, Landry said, not at the ex pense of winning. Winning is something the Cow boys have gotten used to again dur ing the past month and Landry does not want it to stop before the playoffs. “ We re a contender now, ” Landry said Tuesday. “Four or five weeks we didn’t act like one. But we are in a position to make a run for it now. I think it is important over the next two games to maintain the momentum.” There are not many clouds on the current Dallas horizon. Fullback Robert Newhouse, who has missed two games with a hairline leg frac ture, will be held out of next Sun day’s game against Philadelphia but should be ready to meet the New York Jets in the regular season finale. If there is any hint of a problem, it has to do with a sore finger on the throwing hand of quarterback Roger Staubach. “Roger is still having a little trou ble with his finger,” Landry said. “We will curtail a little of his passing in practice this week. But he will be ready to start Sunday.” Just how concerned is Landry over Staubach s ailing digit? “It really doesn’t overconcern me,” he said. “It’s something that gets sore. If he hits it on a helmet or on a wrong spot it could be bad. Now it’s just a matter of having some swelling after a game. It usu ally subsides during the week and he is ready to go on Sunday. “How much it affects his throwing I couldn’t say and, of course, he wouldn’t say himself. I don’t think it bothers him a whole lot. “It’s not a chronic thing. It hasn’t been really severe. It’s just the swel ling in one joint that makes it sore and keeps it sore. Just the throwing of the ball doesn’t bother him, but it is hard to pass the ball that many times without hitting somebody witb your hand. That’s what kind of triggers it.” Landry, however, does not plan to hold Staubach out of action, al though his quarterback might wind up on the sidelines earlier during a game than he normally would. “I might be quicker to subsitute players than I have in the past,” said Landry, whose team wrapped up the NFC East title with a 17-10 win over New England last Sunday. “We will probably work our bac kup people more like (running back) Alois Blackwell, who hasn’t played a whole lot. “But I wouldn’t jeopardize our chance to win. I think it’s important to win.” If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned . . . We call It “Mexican Food Supreme.” Dallas location: 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 ^ FRESHMEN and SOPHOMORES m YEARBOOK PICTURES A-T MUST BE TAKEN THIS WEEK (DEC. 4-DEC. 8) bgrker . photography 846-5766 NORTHGATE Santa hasn’t loaded his yet, so there is still time for you to visit our “workshop” and choose your supplies and decoratives from the large selection TOTAL NEEDS FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELFERS ★ Miles of Ribbon * Picks of all kinds * Straw Wreaths oncrief is only ‘triplet’ remaining ■^V' , V \,v v ’.- SANTA'S FLOWEH SHOP " lute Cofc tip off at :30. rei )an Pas*® : - cra^ [ 1th ribs ■ d. Howe' out this’ United Press International is the fourth in a series of \es profiling Texas A&M’s 1979 fthwest Conference basketball nents. Fayetteville, Ark. — [nigs may not be quite as exciting asketball season as they were a ago around the University of .nsas. it’s not all that often that a team | the chance to be one of the final I teams playing for the NCAA the Nffl anc ^ what Arkansas did nkJdiii«i year ~ eventually capturing r hardi’L P* ace * n t ^ le Southwest Con- ' a ^ e( | r jfcce’s most historic year of com- ' " Two of the three men who ght basketball success to the rbacks have moved on to other ;s, leaving Sidney M oncrief be ta try to act as the glue that will a young team together, put Sidney Moncrief is pretty E gl ue - iVith Moncrief — if he stays |thy — we are not going to be a team,” said Arkansas coach lie Sutton. t just how good can Arkansas ith the loss of Ron Brewer and in Delph? That’s what Sutton ing to find out these days, tmay not be as fun to coach this Sutton said. “But we have e a lot of progress. The trouble that we have already been ued by injuries.” ihris Bennett, a junior who fig- to be a starter for Arkansas this is now questionable with a injury. But returning center e Schall, although perhaps not percent following an operation [ing the off-season, is making ress and probably will be in the up. |We have more question marks at any time since I’ve been at nsas,” said Sutton. “We’ve had 0 a lot of teaching during our ‘kouts. It’s been boring to Sidney the older players. We are work- them harder and longer than at time since the first year we were B.” loncrief, whose spectacular slam rreen i>ks and leaping rebounds were a in Arkansas’ 32-4 season last r, admits workouts have been a e slow. Hie coach is having to stop prac- a lot of times to tell people how fo things,” Moncrief said. “Last year things just flowed smoothly. But I don’t see myself as having to carry the load. We have a lot of guys who can score on this team. “Last year everybody expected us to be a good team and to go to the final four. Now, if we can do it again when people are not expecting it, it would really be something.” Sutton is counting on his school’s recently acquired winning tradition to help the Razorbacks this year. “We are not a good ball handling ball club right now,” he said. “But we can be competitive. We are going to have to mature, we are going to have to have two or three newcomers come in and play consis tently well and we have to have Schall healthy.” “Because of the rennovation in Barnhill Fieldhouse (which will hold 9,000 this year) we are having to travel to other gyms to practice. “But that is what we did two years ago and we won 26 games. Maybe that is what we need to give us men tal toughness.” The Razorbacks presently have a 1-0 season record, having defeated Oklahoma 80-74 earlier in the week. Aggie Gifts & Novelties for Christmas! LOUPOT’S BOOKSTORE NORTHGATE - Across from the Post Office ★ Grapevine Wreaths Styrofoam Wreaths * Pine Needle Wreaths plus many other items CUSTOM ARRANGEMENTS ALSO AVAILABLE Plus we have a large selection of gift items. Also Gift Certificates for that hard to please one Poinsettias, Christmas Cactus, Azealeas, Kaianchoes, Mums HARDY GARDENS] 1727 Villa Maria — Bryan i