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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1982)
ill Hinj sports Battalion/Page 13A September 16, 1982 Gl^ " XM.M 'lUCVGO! WWW Lightning Lance Mcllhenny one of keys to Mustangs’ fortunes m ck s would retain ed selling ammit ot ices, Tho ady to mi we could 're," he he wasn’t g here pay Cald rs wouldl n — 1983-84 amount iOO.OOO, ve saved g season <3-84. it and gent for as said. United Press International DALLAS — Lance Mcllhen ny had a good reason to break down and cry on that October afternoon in Austin two years ago. He was, after all, about to be fed to the Longhorns. Texas was unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the country. Longhorn fans were getting frothed up about a possible na tional championship. And here was Mcllhenny, a mere fresh man, starting his first game. He had done nothing to deserve the fate that was seemingly awaiting him on the floor of Memorial Stadium. But Mcllhenny was not crying because of fright. It was the sheer emotion of the mo ment that had finally overcome him. I stood there listening to our alma mater,” he recalls, “and the next thing I knew there were tears rolling down my cheeks.” I he rest, as they say, is lore. Mcllhenny and the SMU Mus tangs barbequed the Longhorns that day, 20-(), starting them on a slide in which they lost four of their last six games. Quite a few SMU touchdowns have been recorded since those tears welled up in Mcllhenny’s eyes. He has gone from anxious freshman to seasoned junior, he kets migl hout Mashas quarterbacked a conference lehampionship club and he has been a key factor in the splendid careers of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. w any icemen!! sed he claims : to an :kets cou SMU quarterback Lance Mcllhenny leads Mustangs And Saturday night when the Mustangs defeated Tulane, he began what might turn out to be the most distinguished season in the history of SMU football. The Mustangs are picked to win the league title again and could bat tle, for the national champion ship. But if Mcllhenny has been lying awake at night thinking ab out all sorts of post-season hon ors, he won’t admit it. “Tve always been taught that it is important to worry about the next game you are playing and nothing else,” said Mcllhen ny, looking directly into the eyes of the questioner. “We can’t think about playing in the Cot ton Bowl or playing somebody for the national championship.” Dickerson and James com bined for almost 2,600 rushing yards from the tailback position last year and that total would have been far less had it not been for the smooth option quarter- backing of Mcllhenny. “He is,” new SMU coach Bob by Collins says, “the best option quarterback in the country.” His ability soon became evi dent in Mcllhenny’s first start. The critical play of the Texas game was a 53-yard touchdown run by James, who took a pitch from Mcllhenny just as the quarterback was being leveled by a Texas lineman. “I guess that (pitching the ball at just the critical moment) is what I do best,” said Mcllhenny. “You can’t be shy when you pitch it. We’ve got great running backs and my job is to get them the ball. “I’ve always been one to just do the best I can. I don’t have the great statistics. But you do what the situation calls for. With re petition you get better and bet ter at something. When there is trouble in front of you the idea is to get the ball to the running back and that’s what I try to do.” Mcllhenny has started 16 games for the Mustangs and his team has won 14 of them. And despite his vulnerable position he has yet to miss a minute of playing time. “I have seen some stars,” he said. “And after one hit I re member throwing up a little blood. But I have learned to get out of the way now. When you pitch that ball you get upheld, you don’t stand around waiting for somebody to tee off on you. “The question is not whether you can stand a lick, but whether you can get up afterwards.” And as Mcllhenny has con tinued to get up, respect for him has grown around the league. “You know that freshmen don’t carry much clout in college football,” he said. “And when I came in as a freshman I had to prove to the team what I could do. Now I’ve been here for three years and I need to show some of the leadership qualities that some of the older players have shown to me. “A quarterback has to be a leader.” Mcllhenny has proven his leadership abilities over the past two seasons. He has absorbed the changes brought on by the new coaching staff and he has entered the 1982 season with the proper amount of confidence in his own abilities. He began his career as a col lege quarterback with tears in his eyes. But ever since, it has been the opposition who’s been crying. STARSHIP When You Care Enough Get ready for: Halloween, Thanksgiving Sr Christmas! ♦ ♦ ♦ t i t ♦ fvA Fall Posters 10-9 Mon.-Nat. « Manor East Mail 822-2092 Wedding Albums a ' ab y4ib 0 e.cP^ Th a Mew Cards 9-7 Mon.-Nat. Culpepper 1*1 693-3002 >ion, not auto dti what took that vet say t do. 1 to get Astros add to Atlanta’s misery with series sweep THE VEST OF WARPED Classic strips from the past 2 years of “Warped” by Scott McCullar $3.95 Available at: BOBBIE’S BOOKS Loupot’s Whole Earth, Hast ing's, & 216 Reed McDonald Bldg. United Press International ATLANTA — Most of the the Rod|Houston Astros say they are pulling for Atlanta to win the National League West, but they’ve dealt a severe blow to the Braves’ chances. “I think a lot of teams are pulling for the Braves because they are a young team and this is their first real shot at being in of a prol contention,” Astros’ pitcher "Nolan Ryan said after stopping the Braves 5-4 Wednesday night to complete a three-game series sweep. “But we’re going to play fee hard,” Ryan said. “We want to be a factor in the pennant race.” The loss dropped the Braves 2'/a games behind Los Angeles as the Dodgers completed a sweep over San Diego with a 5-0 victory for their sixth straight win. The Braves, who open a weekend series in Cincinnati Friday night, can only hope the Astros can help even things up C* n page nee facto feel like for imprt ive two ;ames. i get a son, and convinced Ryan he was ready to come out. “I didn’t have real good stuff tonight and basically struggled,” Ryan said. “I felt like after the eighth inning that if I stayed out there in the ninth I might jeopardize the outcome of the game.” Smith, who set the Braves down in order in the ninth, said he was “looking forward to going out to LA and trying to sweep those guys. That would really make the season for us. I would rather see the Braves in there. I don’t care for the Dod gers too much.” A Houston sweep in Los Angeles would be fine for Atlan ta manager Joe Torre, who shut his door after the game and had nothing to say to reporters for the first time this season. “There’s not much to say, really,” Atlanta’s Jerry Royster said. “You can talk until you are blue in the face and that doesn’t get any hits or runs up on the board.” ixk: =x>c MSC Cepheid Variable presents TIME BASTOITS • • . they didn’t make history, they stole it! Thursday, September 16 Rudder Theatre 7:30 & 9:45 TOO EARLY 81.50 PG| PARENTAL 6UDANCE SUGGESTED TO THINK ABOUT KMC MATENML MAY NOT K MTMNJE FOR CHUMCM ed, quick •ting ' s felt that ‘ t'gh' gie offens ually ref te tight sorry ppened, aid we pti w hen they travel to Los Angeles elf and we all Paine twasg us i as it ich a serif AeorgePui this weekend. j “We were very disappointed we got swept by the Dodgers at home last weekend,” Ryan said. “We wanted to play the spoiler role against them at home. Now, i ; we want to go to Los Angeles and play that role.” With the game tied 2-2, short- sneed Lc st0 P Dickie Thon blooped a two- n itinhus 9 u t, opposite-field double over d Paine J hyst base with the bases loaded ied thetk ? ' n ^ sevent b inning to drive in three unearned runs and give the Astros the victory. Ryan, 15-11, allowed seven hits and four runs in eight in nings and Dave Smith finished up for his 11th save. Tommy oggs, 2-2, was charged with all five Houston runs in 6% in nings. The Braves made it close in the eighth on Bob Horner’s two- fun homer, his 32nd of the sea- Offehng You The Best in Hair Care Valerie Martin’s Gallery of Dance Arts Now Offering Baton Twirling Lessons taught by Theresa Fritz Certified Instructor & Judge of United States Twirling Association. 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