••
Page 14 THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1980
Freshman:
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information come by the
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tember 6th, at 6:30 p.m., 2nd
floor MSC.
Ag football changes span the years
By MIKE BURRICHTER
Battalion Staff
Back in the fall of 1977, Texas
A&M football fans shifted their
attention from the almighty defense
of years past to the potentially explo
sive offensive backfxeld.
Defensive coordinator Melvin
Robertson’s band of marauders had
all faded away; many, such as Pat
Thomas, Tim Gray, Lester Hayes,
Edgar Fields, Brad Dusek and
Robert Jackson, are currently play
ing in the National Football League.
Dave Elmendorf, John McCrumbly,
Tank Marshall, Ed Simonini and
Garth Ten Napel all played in the
pros. The Aggies of’77 were depend
ing on a young defense.
Any hopes of winning the South
west Conference were dependent on
the performance of a young, inex
perienced defense and a potentially
volatile offense.
When I first got to A&M, I was a
naive 17-year-old kid from out of
state who knew nothing about the
state of Texas, much less Texas A&M
traditions or football. While the tra
ditions still baffle me, I’ve since
Analysis
come to take a keen interest in the
football program here.
I noticed immediately that all Tex
ans, especially Aggies, took their
football seriously. I remember an
adviser saying, “I can’t wait for the
season to start, you’ve simply got to
see George Woodard play football. ”
That year Emory Bellard’s wish
bone backfield consisted of senior
quarterback David Walker, junior
fullback Woodard, sophomore tail-
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backs David Brothers and Curtis
Dickey and junior tailback Adger
Armstrong. Armstrong and Brothers
alternated.
Walker was coming to the end of
an impressive career. Many feel his
talents were wasted with Bellard’s
wishbone. Walkerwas a classic drop-
back passer in high school, and
though he ran the bone effectively,
he always looked uncomfortable with
it. Had he gone to another school, he
may have at least been drafted by the
pros.
Behind Walker, there were a cou
ple of freshmen named Beal and
Mosley. Bellard was never quite
clear on who was the actual second-
teamer, saying they were both cap
able of doing the job.
The Aggies averaged nearly 30
points-per-game that season, but
gave up 25.5 per outing, and towards
the end of the season, when Bellard
knew his team had no chance to go to
Dallas, he began using younger play
ers. Mike Mosley saw quite a bit of
action, leading the team to an im
pressive victory over Houston, after
he was inserted in place of a dejected
David Walker. Mosley looked equal
ly great in a losing cause against USC
in the Bluebonnet Bowl. David Beal
saw little action, but Mike Mosley
was clearly Bellard’s quarterback of
the future.
Bellard had to look forward to the
next season. He’d finally landed him
self a legitimate wishbone quarter
back. For years, the Aggie quarter
back had been a converted high
school passer, such as Walker. Mos
ley ran the bone at Humble High
School, where he was all-America.
At 6-2, 177, Mosley had the speed
to run the offense Bellard invented.
He could run the 100-yard dash in a
little under ten seconds. The wish
bone is an offense analagous to a
juggernaut; it is a ball control of
fense that is most effectively run by
a mobile quarterback, a sturdy full
back, at least one fleet halfback and
a big offensive line. Bellard had all
of this, and looked towards the 1978
season with high hopes of ending up
in the Cotton Bowl.
Woodard sat out the season with a
broken leg, and he never regained
his old form.
David Beal served as Mosley’s
back up. Beal had been more of a
passer at Russelville High School
than Mosley. Roughly the same
weight, two inches shorter and a
couple of steps slower in the 100,
Beal was a more than adequate
reserve.
Over the next two seasons, Mosley
was the man at quarterback. He en
ters this season as the best quarter
back in the conference, though a re-
turned-to-form Mike Ford could
wrest that title from him. David Beal
enters the season as the league’s best
reserve quarterback. There is no
Mike Mosley
question in my mind that he’d be a
starter on at least four other confer
ence teams — even Arkansas. Dur
ing the past two seasons, he’s made
the most of his brief appearances at
the offensive helm.
There’d been talk of red-shirting
him. There’d been reports he’d leave
if that happened. He wanted to play
baseball hut newly-crowned head
coach Tom Wilson said no dice. Beal
really has never openly complained,
but I know he must wonder what
would have happened had he gone
elsewhere, or just entered the scene
a little earlier or later.
If all goes according to plan, Mike
Mosley will graduate from college
ball with first team conference
laurels on his record. He may even
have a chance to play in the pros.
And, barring an injury to Mosley,
one of the conference’s better quar
terbacks, David Beal, will graduate
in relative obscurity.
The start oi last season was similar
to the start of the 1977 season; but
the position in question shifted to
tailback, where Curtis Dickey was
being mentioned in the same breath
as Billy Sims and Charles White.
However, the world class sprinter
was plagued with little injuries that
kept him away from a serious chance
at winning a Heismann trophy.
Many Aggie football die-hards, in
cluding this writer, muttered rueful
ly to themselves that the big Bryan
runner was a malingerer, an under
achiever. And when it became appa
rent early on that the Ags were going
nowhere last season, the attention
focused on Curtis’ replacement.
Who could replace a Texas A&M
legend?
Johnny Hector was most people’s
answer. The New Iberia, La. native
had been getting headlines six
months before he even got to Texas
A&M. He was the guy we snatched
away from LSU. In the summer of
’79, The mere thought of Hector
going somewhere besides LSU en
raged some cajuns.
A Baton Rouge dentist even
Dr. Jill Hobbs announces
the opening of
PARK CENTRAL ANIMAL CLINIC
for the practice of small animal medicine and surgery.
4405A S. Texas Ave.
(Just South of Luby’s)
846-8716
Business Hours: Mon., lues., Fri. 7:30-12:30, 2:00-6:00
Wed. & Sat. 7:30-12:30 Th. 7:30-12:30, 2:00-8:00
Emergency Phone 696-0443
threatened to keep Hett!|
in prison if he didn't
Bayou Bengals. Bulat
nute, Hector signedwitln
At the time, Heetorwaso
savior. The Aggies had
the bitter loss of EricDidj
best high school back in
pulled a Hector and
SMU after saying he'di
Aggies. Hell, if we could:
best running backinlai
we got Louisiana’s best
The heir to the thrss
flashes of brilliance last«
not as big or as fast as B
certainly had more raov«
up 378 yards on 99 cants
yard per carry average
break for the big yardager
hut couldn’t run up the
well as Dickey, whom
track meets looking mon
than the shotputters
+0]
Another freshman ta be he
turned kicks. EarnestJa
little Needville, came
camp last year to do battle
tor for the reserve tailbad
tor won. Jackson saw
end of the season, and be
with 140 yards on 29 m naybe b
lived or
nd had
ard to ci
Jackson didn’t have tk
but he sure had the tales
This spring, Wilson
starting tailback a toss-ii; -fed poi
the two. Hector was both udif he wa
juries during the springi'er ainly w
Jackson played su]
an
United 1
FRA IN
than sj
life, a pi
love—
ist a ho
n morn
got up e
Crooke
ied flie
Id pooh
iof Nels
are listed at being tbeaingston, \
■K X-
-k Texas A&M Interfraternity Council ^
•k Sunday, Sept. 7 if
at the Alamo @7:00
IFC RUSH BEGINS
^ All are welcome! ^
T* Come meet the Fraternities 7^
FREE BEER FREE ADMISSION ^
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
11, 190, but Jackson is ie
bigger and stronger. Hti
ter. Their running styles
rent: Hector is a si
lar to Joe Washingtoi
Payton or Tony Dorsett' a
son is more of slashing
lar to Lawrence McCi
Lydell Mitchell.
For a while during
when a succession
with injuries, Wilson ei
with a split backfield oil
cess.
Earlier this week,
asked who would st
against Mississippi. He
alternate the two,
dicate who’d start. He's)!
he’d start off with the !
which means David Hill
ing up directly behind M
hind Hill is your guess,!
that it’ll be Hector.
I like the split backfiel:
inexperienced line the l!
(one senior starter, fourii
sophomore), runners
ability to choose their a
With Mosley, Hector an!'
the backfield, the
scoring threat every timel
the ball.
I just hope Earnest|
doesn’t end up beingtb
Beal.
nverse
ver cai
standii
4k and I sa
insect
bile he
of time
it drifi
Is went
•ut he
farted
my, th
:t of ir
lilii
HEAR YE HEAR YE
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