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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 25, 1982)
The" Battalion Sports August 25, 1982 Page 17 MU’s plans include championship epeat nbury, Coi, ireter said slii ! Ives becauselc people by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor DALLAS — Craig James and ric Dickerson can’t help joking about their situation. It’s just at the two SMU tailbacks are getting tired of fielding the same question every day. Ir Since James and Dickerson Ijirst set foot on the SMU campus phree years ago, they’ve easily | been among the most promin- 1 ent players ever to wear Mus- glang uniforms, Over the past Hwo seasons, the two seniors have alternated at the starting ftilback position for the I- Bormation-oriented Mustangs. ■ It’s not often they’re seen on i jshe field at the same time, but i that awesome possibility still y, a matterof| prompts similar questions be- the Cilitnre each football season. 1/ “Will there be many times that ;ht to China Sou two will be on the field at the lining a Oj feme time this season?” a repor- “The Internif ter asked during an interview or World Pfipession at the second stop on the 'illiam Zinn,;? Southwest Conference press International if tour in Dallas Tuesday, odd Peace, fi: James, in a serious manner, Jjrid: “From what we’ve been mnese there’ll be times when we’ll great inter? j j,, i n there together.” his song, DtB But moments later, James sed another of his teammates sophomore quarterback ance Mcllhenny — in adding J) his reply, e, I shall com | “Lance wants to break in at aese gave me Bje I-back,” James laughed, gthissonganthve’ll have a trio back there.” ■dstotheaudif-- ]\' 0 t likely, considering Mcllhenny’s duties as the Mus- ngs’ talented option quarter- jack. But this year, as usual, it Won’t be often that the two tail- lacks will line up in the SMU ackfield simultaneously. With the Mustangs’ success Am !i«S ur ‘ n S t * ie ^ ast two y ears - first- _ l fear coach Bobby Collins will be 0 r Ifontent in alternating James and Georee at the tail § a J ck slot _ In ^ followed j ing by looi eet and gavel appplause. Fa I was told till ve there is no 1 Is this true?I I never hold ai >ut how to ta.” ler Chinese 1981, during SMU’s 10-1 SWC championship season, the tan dem piled up 2,575 yards, with Dickerson’s 1,428 total winning the conference rushing title. Appropriately touted as the “Pony Express,” James and Dickerson have combined for a mere 5,637 yards in three years. The 6-3, 215-pound Dickerson leads James 2,833 to 2,804 in the career rushing category. “You can coach for a lifetime and not have one Dickerson or/ James,” Collins said. “We’re for tunate to have both. They are very dominant at their position, and the thing that I like is that they’re complete ballplayers.” And, he said: “If a coach is worth his salt, he’ll try to find some way to util ize their talent.” Collins, who finished seven years at the University of South ern Mississippi with a 48-30-2 record, said there’s little differ ence between the styles of the Mustangs and his former team. “We’re going to put the pas sing game a little more into our attack,” he said. “We’ve worked hard on it ... and we’d like to complement our running game with a high percentage passing attack. “I believe we have the finest option quarterback in the coun try. We will utilize that and the option play will be a big part of our offense.” Even though the Mustangs committed only 11 turnovers in 1980 and 15 in 1981, Collins said he’d like to improve on that sta tistic. “I think we still have a long way to go before we’re the offen sive team We hope to be,” Collins said. Much more involved in the offensive scheme will be the tight ends, Collins said. Senior Norm Revis and junior Ricky Bolden are the top two players at that position. The SMU coach said one of his main concerns about the offense is the line, which lost three players from last year’s squad. Starting left guard Joe Beard, 6-3, 227 pounds, has in jured a knee during two-a-days and is still in the process of re habilitating it back to full strength. Collins said: “We need Beard back. He’ll be a key to the line.” The Mustang defense, which allowed 12 points and 281 yards a game in 1981, will again fea ture a 5-2 alignment. However, Collins has had to replace the leadership and talent of gradu ated tackle Harvey Armstrong and linebacker Eric Ferguson. Collins and his staff believe they have assembled a unit that “may bend and bleed, but not break.” In an unusual move, the coaches switched starting full back Jerry Kovar to defensive end during the spring. “Kovar moved in and almost seemed a natural from day one,” Collins said. “He’s one of those who seems like his motor’s run ning at all times and we’re real pleased with him.” Collins said: “The only way we can be a good, consistent football team is to be a consistent defensive team. Our defense probably doesn’t get the public ity that our offense gets, but it certainly gets our attention.” The 48-year-old SMU coach cited right end Russell Washing ton, linebacker Gary Moten and left cornerback Russell Carter as keys to the Mustang defense. In addition, senior strong safety Wes Hopkins, who made the squad as a walk-on during his freshman year, will help make the Mustangs’ secondary one of See MUSTANGS page 18 Craig James, SMU tailback Eric Dickerson, SMU tailback Chaney set for injury-free year by Frank L. Christlieb Sports Editor DALLAS — Most college football players are able to weather through their careers with a limited number of in juries. There’s always a sprain here, a bruise there, but nothing too serious. Such is not the case with Kevin Chaney. Entering the 1982 season as the SMU Mustangs’ starting left defensive tackle, Chaney has withstood several injuries which have slowed his progress and have detracted from his efforts to contribute to the team. But the 6-3, 266-pound Conroe High School graduate, now a senior, has left injury worries be hind. “The first year here was really hard on me,” Chaney said Tues day before his team’s afternoon workout. “Everything had really gone my way in high school, with all the awards and the recruit ing. All of a sudden, here came adversity, and I really had to fight it. But after a while, it all worked out.” After playing defensive end at Conroe, being recruited as a linebacker and moving to defen sive tackle during two-a-day workouts of his freshman year, the injury bug bit Chaney. Dur ing his freshman season, he had a broken thumb, and didn’t play at all. A severe ankle sprain slowed Chaney in 1980, when Coach Ron Meyer switched him to nose guard, but he still managed to total 21 tackles. Although he hurt his right shoulder in the Mustangs’ 38-22 victory over Houston in 1981, Chaney was able to play in all 11 SMU games. Chaney, putting his first three years of college in the past, said he only hopes that the 1982 sea son brings his team the success it enjoyed last year. The Mustangs won the Southwest Conference championship with a 10-1 regu lar-season record. “I’d love to play in the Cotton Bowl, especially since this is my last year,” Chaney said. “I’m pretty confident about this sea son. Not too many things have changed, because we still have most of the same players and a lot of the same leadership.” Speaking of leadership, SMU coach Bobby Collins considers Chaney a prime source of that guidance. “I’m sure we’ll keep him working at both (tackle and nose guard) positions,” Collins said. “He came back this year a little overweight, so he’s having to work his way back into shape. He’s a proven veteran and gives us stability at the tackle posi tion.” Chaney, a health education major, will probably graduate on time in May. But unlike many of his classmates, Chaney doesn’t plan to pursue a career in professional football. “I’d like to play some more,” Chaney said, “but I’m looking at it realistically. There aren’t too many people that make it up there, and I’ve got a good career ahead of me anyway.” (s I sang s eras of Aim ■aid, some ol eved there ications com sed ofspeaki igan," she reason for goi > bring Amet Chinese and' c back to the itlhadahardi em I was not U.S. govern® S A. ■MSP-TOW presents A WELCOME BACK ROCK N ROLL CONCERT with Have Appeared with Christopher Cross Rickie Nelson B.B. King and others 8:00 p.m. SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 THE GROVE Admission $ 1 00 at the gate