Sports
THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1981
Page 7
Aggies finish up-and-down season as winners
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By RITCHIE PRIDDY
Battalion Staff
The Texas Aggies wrapped up
ie 1981 football season Saturday
1 light in style. Not only did they
i hish on a winning note a season
pt some people termed
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mediocre, ’ but they also set a
lid foundation for the future.
The Aggies, under the leader-
ip of Head Coach Tom Wilson,
ished at 7-5, much better than
host people predicted.
Last summer, nobody picked
|e Aggies to finish better than
. Now that the season is over,
fonder what the forecasters are
jinking.
But I also had doubts about the
leason when the team started
■ring training. Coming off a 4-7
jason, which saw everything
pm a drug investigation to a ben-
icd quarterback, I couldn’t see
ipe for the 1981 season.
But during spring training,
iry Kubiak began to emerge as a
gitimate quarterback, some-
ing the Aggies lacked. Other
yers began to show the talent
t brought them into a major
iversity athletic program.
Team leadership, a crucial fac-
r in any winning team’s prog-
m, finally started to surface.
jThe seniors who were here over
summer took charge and the
ers began to listen. The team
s tired of losing and the seniors
re determined to do something
out it.
By summer’s end the leader-
p and character of the team
rted taking shape.
JThe team’s goal at the start of
season was to go to a bowl
game. And the Cotton Bowl was
Htliin the Aggies’ grasp during
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much of the season.
Texas A&M first took the field
Sept. 5 against the Golden Bears
in Berkeley, Calif., where the Ags
fell behind 28-16 at halftime. The
run-and-shoot offense of Califor
nia accounted for 337 yards, 280 of
it coming in the first half.
After halftime, the Aggies be
gan to assert themselves, rallying
for a 29-28 win and limiting the
Bears to five first downs and 56
total yards during the second half.
The Aggies traveled Sept. 19 to
meet the Boston College War
Eagles and lost 13-12. Once again,
Texas A&M outplayed the opposi
tion, but the smaller BC squad
came out on top.
On Sept. 24, Athletic Director
Marvin Tate was asked by several
members of the Texas A&M Sys
tem Board of Regents to resign. It
appeared Wilson’s job was next in
the line of fire.
Wilson turnfed his offense loose
Sept. 26 on the Louisiana Tech
Bulldogs, and the result was a 43-7
win.
Kubiak completed several key
passes, including a 92-yard, SWC
record touchdown pass to Don
Jones. Although the defense gave
up 286 passing yards, it yielded
only three yards on the ground.
On Oct. 3, the Aggies played
the Texas Tech Red Raiders in
Lubbock and won 24-23. This was
their third one-point game of the
season.
Johnny Hector’s 80-yard scor
ing run following an early Tech
touchdown was awesome. But
what really showed the team’s
character was the fact that the Ags
rallied for the win after trailing
23-10 at the start of the fourth
quarter.
The Aggies played their best
game of the year Oct. 10 when
they held off a late Houston surge
for a 7-6 win over the Cougars.
Kubiak accounted for the Aggie
touchdown on a 43-yard run late in
the third quarter. Despite being
outgained 333 to 265 yards, the
Ags were 2-0 in conference play
and had a legitimate shot at the
Cotton Bowl.
However, on Oct. 17, Baylor
beat the Aggies 19-17 with a last-
minute field goal. Aided by ques
tionable officiating, the Bears
handed the Ags their first SWC
loss.
They bounced back the follow
ing week with a 51-26 win over the
Rice Owls in Houston. Kubiak was
again the hero of the game with six
touchdown passes and one 42-
yard touchdown run. Kubiak’s six
TDs set another SWC record.
With the win the Ags were
again were back in contention for
the Cotton Bowl.
The next two weeks, however,
destroyed that dream.
The SMU Mustangs whipped
Texas A&M 27-7 on Oct. 31, de
spite being outgained offensively
by the Aggies 371 to 362.
Two weeks later, the Ags lost to
Arkansas 10-7. Kubiak was again
the hero, hitting 19 of 21 passes for
233 yards, another SWC record.
This loss eliminated the Aggies
from the Cotton Bowl race.
TCU was next and the Aggies
needed a win to secure a bid to the
Independence Bowl in Shreve
port, La.
During the 37-7 win over the
Frogs, fullback Earnest Jackson
rushed for 219 yards on 19 carries.
The team produced its finest
offensive performance of the sea
son, gaining 512 yards. The win
was dampened by the loss of safety
Chris Brown and flanker Burnis
Simon. Kubiak also went down
with a severely bruised right
shoulder and was questionable for
the Texas game.
The pressure was off everyone
but Wilson. As the team prepared
to meet Texas on Thanksgiving,
rumors again surfaced about the
stability of his job.
Texas defeated the Aggies 21-
13.
Kubiak started, but left the
game in the second quarter after
reinjuring his right shoulder. Be
fore he left the game, Texas was
penalized twice for roughing the
passer. Backup quarterback John
Elkins replaced Kubiak and threw
a TD pass in the third quarter.
The Aggies defeated the Okla
homa State University Cowboys
33-16 in the Independence Bowl
Saturday in Shreveport, despite
falling behind early in the game.
By the middle of the second
period, Texas A&M was dominat
ing the line of scrimmage. The
OSU defense, ranked ninth na
tionally, gave up 438 yards.
Kubiak accounted for most of that,
hitting 15 of 20 passes for 225
yards and two touchdowns. He
was named the game’s MVP.
Place kicker David Hardy kick
ed four field goals and three extra
points to take scoring honors.
The Aggies finished the season
with a 7-5 record. The team
finished as the second best offen
sive team in the league behind
Arkansas and Kubiak emerged as
one of the nation’s top quarter
backs. The defense upheld its
reputation as one of the hardest-
hitting units in the SWC.
Texas A&M Johnny Hector keeps his eyes on
University of Houston defenders Kelly McDo
nald (41) and Calvin Eason in the Aggies’ 7-6
win over the Cougars earlier in the season.
Defensive end McDonald and free safety
Photo by Greg Gammon
Eason are set to meet the Aggie tailback after^
he receives a pitchout from quarterback Gary*>
Kubiak. Texas A&M finished the season with £(<> ,
7-5 record after Saturday’s 33-16 Independ-^ '
ence Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. >
(( CLASSIFIED MS sure tq act nsuiiO)
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Rams overcome adversity
to slip past Falcons, 21-16
United Press International
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The once-
eared defense of the Los Angeles
an : Rams had turned to pudding.
Opposing ball carriers who
Ice feared broken bones against
fe Rams’ defensive line were now
[ncerned with developing sto-
x'diWalti S^h cramps from running long
r Brain distances.
, j ^ 1 Receivers who used to stay
i; js .awake at night fretting over
s onhisr Pshing blind-side bits from the
urtc( ]| v Rams’ All-Pro secondary now wor-
£ 0 v C nw' about developing blisters on
istmtorsi their hands from having a football
] e !| ie f ( slapping into their palms so often,
landclw I ^ nc i quarterbacks who once
lemonstr, |f e(1 if they could carry guns to
protect themselves from the
1 - -i Jims’ vicious pass rush now took
" up hobbies to pass all that free
hey sanj time while waiting for their re-
them ! ceivers to get open.
I From the 1979 Super Bowl to
edabout: j| e [ggp Stupor Bowl. That was
Js and the two-year story of the Los
e wit! Angeles Rams,
ntity, a* y
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Pomostft
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ye week' 1
So Monday night against the
Atlanta Falcons, the 5-9 Rams —
out of the playoff picture for the
first time in nine years, mired in
their worst season since 1965,
embroiled in controversy with
team management, dragging a
five-game losing skid behind them
and just playing out the final two
dreary weeks ofthe miserable sea
son — were expected to go belly-
up before a national television au
dience.
Instead, they summoned spirit
and emotion that didn’t seem to
exist anymore, throttling a power
ful Atlanta offense en route to a
21-16 victory.
Wendell Tyler rushed for two
touchdowns and went over the
1,000-yard mark to pace the Ram
attack while Dan Pastorini com
pleted 11 of 22 passes for 111 yards
and was intercepted twice.
Atlanta quarterback Steve Bart-
kowski hit 14 of 36 passes for 160
yards and was intercepted twice,
while William Andrews rushed for
115 yards on 23 carries to become
Atlanta’s all-time leading career
rusher.
Atlanta took a 7-0 lead late in
the first period on Lynn Cain’s 2-
yard TD burst, but the Rams tied
the score in the second period on
Tyler’s 6-yard touchdown run.
Pastorini completed a 46-yard
pass to Billy Waddy during the
drive.
The Rams scored the game-
winner on Tyler’s 7-yard TD run,
which was set up by pass interfer
ence penalties of 25 and 49 yards
against Atlanta’s Bobby Butler and
Kenny Johnson.
Merry
Christmas
from the staff of
■ .t.-.
A Christmas Wish
We sincerely wish all our generous patrons a
wonderful Christmas! May it be filled with
friends, family, love and joy. Thanks for al
ways being there.
(We will be closed Dec. 20-29).
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