The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 29, 1982, Image 15
Texas A&M October 29,1| Battalion Sports October 29, 1982 Page 15 t this year-2j 6 million rem! it Robecksaidht' lisagrees theturniitj high. *re were in 1978 when an in 1974 w it- said. "Theonlyj its won in 1978 >f a low turnout y voters thattrai Democratic." Democratic party js to increase he party is bank in whii i will telephone )ters, primarili’ The party expecti ) minority voters, to face ‘Pony Express’ Aggies, Mustangs set to clash in weekend's key SWC game md Time mam •arly this wees would win tank is successful, toll out a win. Its key for White turn out the lobeck said i. If he can't, be ?e how that Hoach Bobby Collins says iMU not overlooking A&M 10W e did with graduflj om Luster. Tint! about 2,500 women’s and ics from the see if they mirra: tiding thegrowinji working women, te 1940s and 195(8: ere shown ings such asworl from home," Km 1)80, we see morei._ king pretty, Hi unce Mcllhenny leading particularly the SWC’s No. 2 offensive unit n's magazines.’’ is an assistant proa lan developraraj tidies. He repor# indings at a the neeting in Wasl National Cound delations, i and Luster magazines the least and ons, the most. ebacker Gary Moten top tackier on Mustang defense by Joe Tindel Jr. Battalion Staff weren’t for injuries, Saturday’s game between Texas A&M and the undefeated SMU Mustangs might have been the first major Southwest Confer ence showdown of the season. But the Ponies stayed healthy and the Aggies didn’t. No big deal. Fans can bet that this weekend’s matchup will be played with just as much intensi ty as if the Aggies were 7-0 and the Cotton Bowl were at stake. SMU Coach Bobby Collins says his Mustangs should be emotionally ready for the battle in Texas Stadium at 11:35 a.m., despite the fact that they’re fresh from an emotionally draining victory over the Texas Longhorns. “I think that our football team won’t have any trouble getting up for Texas A&M,” the first- year coach said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Every year, it’s a big ballgame as far as we’re concerned and I think that this year, with us having the suc cess we’ve enjoyed so far, it cer tainly makes it a big ballgame.” Meanwhile, Aggie senior line backer Bobby Strogen says he’s ready to break the Mustangs’ two-game winning streak against Texas A&M. And Aggie linebacker Jerry Bullitt said the Aggies’ high emotional state during workouts this week was due to “knowing that we’ve got a good shot at going down there and beating SMU when they’re ranked as high as they are.” While the Aggies will set out to prove themselves, the Mus tangs have already proven they’re for real. Having ground up 2;015 yards rushing in seven games for an average of 288 yards a game, the Ponies are tops in the SWC and sixth in the nation in that category. Greatly feared is the duo re sponsible for 1,721 of those rushing yards. Known as the “Pony Express,” the tandem of Eric Dickerson and Craig James is the lifeblood of the SMU “I” formation attack. Dickerson, the 6-2, 217- pound senior from Sealy, aver ages 7.3 yards per carry, 160 yards a game and is a prime can didate for the Heisman Trophy. Despite the use of the word “tandem,” Dickerson and James aren’t usually in the backfield at the same time. But Collins said in some situations, the Aggies will see the two together. “We stated at the start of the season that we would use them in different ballgames in diffe rent formations at different times, and that we would prob ably expand on that as the sea son progressed,” Collins said. “I think we’ve done that. They played quite a bit in the Texas game in the same back- field. So Tm sure we’ll come up with some different formations where we’ll have them in the ball game at the same time, but also we’ll continue to alternate them.” Should Texas A&M put a stop to the “Pony Express,” SMU quarterback Lance Mcllhenny is perfectly capable of taking up the slack with his sprint-out pas sing ability. Mcllhenny passed for 108 crucial yards last year in SMU’s 27-7 victory over the Aggies, with most of those passes being the sprint-out type. That yar dage doesn’t sound impressive, but the passing attack cleared the way for Dickerson’s run- ning. While the Mustang running attack is feared most by the Aggies, a strong passing attack and a gradually improving run ning attack have Collins con cerned about the Aggies. He said his team must avoid over compensating for Aggie quar terback Gary Kubiak’s passing ability. “I think the minute you start doing that, then you’re going to be in trouble, now with Johnny Hector back and George Smith doing an outstanding job,” Col lins said. FREE KPARTMENT LOCATOR SERVICE Pleased V empting Fi 39 PlusTai M. to 7:00PI DNESDAY NG SPECIAL i Fried Steak ram Gravy 1 Potatoes and i of one other egetable i Bread and Butt® fee or Tea DS. Student Specials on BRIDAL GOWNS — BRIDAL VEILS BRIDESMAID DRESSES BRIDAL ACCESSORIES FORMALS — PARTY GOWNS For a limited time . Bride 'n Formal is offering a very special 10% OFF on all merchandise in our store when you present your validated student l.D. card. Flurry in now and see our new fall selections. BRID€*n FORmflL “They’ve won their last two games and they certainly have matured as a football team. I can understand some of the prob lems that Coach (Jackie) Sherrill had coming into the staff. They had some injuries that we’ve not had, and I think that’s been the difference.” Collins said the Aggies are the most balanced offensive team the Mustangs have faced. The Pony defense faces a challenge in trying to thwart Kubiak’s passing. The Aggie quarterback leads the confer ence in total offense, averaging 220 yards a game, and will likely be Dickerson’s and James’ top competitor for offensive supre macy in this weekend’s clash. But SMU’s defense is big and quick. Junior nose guard Michael Carter, at 6-2, 274 pounds, provides much of the meat up front, while more out standing play has come from linebacker Clarence McDade, the Mustangs’ leading tackier, and all-SWC linebacker Cary Moten. Much of the Ponies’ strength in the secondary comes from all- SWC cornerback Russell Carter. Collins said his team has been fortunate enough to remain healthy thus far. He said the only player who may miss this week’s game is tight end Rickey Bolden. On the other side of the coin, the Aggies are only now getting re-oriented after weath ering injuries at key positions. But intensity seems to be the key ingredient the Aggies will be taking to Irving. Strogen is a good example. He expressed what could be termed a “theory of limited respect” about Dicker- son and James. “I told this reporter the other day I have respect for them, but on the Field, for nobody,” when you get there’s respect Strogen said. If words turn into actions, the Aggies might have a shot at sur prising a team that could be looking too far ahead. But Col lins said he thinks his team won’t be looking ahead of this weekend’s game, despite the hoopla about a showdown be tween the Mustangs and Arkansas. “I think that it would he a big mistake on our part if we were to look past anyone, especially a team like Texas A&M dial’s a well-coat lied football team and has some talent,” Collins said. “I hope we’ve got a better hall- club that will realize that we’ve got to play them one at a time. Right now, the most important game on our schedule is Texas A&M.” AGGIE FACTS: Texas A&M Sports Information Director Ralph Carpenter has some parking tips for Texas A&M fans traveling to Texas Stadium for Saturday’s game. He said parking will not be available in any of the stadium’s blue areas, because no passes for these sec tions will be sold, and that fans must park in the gold or red parking areas. Carpenter said these areas are clearly marked ... SMU officials warn that traffic has been extremely heavy for past Texas A&M-SMU games and that spectators should stay away from traffic heading for the blue parking areas. Those already in the Irving area who are attending the game should leave about two hours in adv ance ... For anyone who’s in terested or doesn’t know, the Mustangs’ school colors are red and blue ... During his seven- plus years of coaching, Collins staff photo by David Fisher Jackie Sherrill and the Texas Aggies will be looking for this kind of effort in Saturday’s game against the fourth-ranked SMU Mustangs. Here, Aggie linebacker Bobby Strogen stops Rice running back Kevin Trigg after a short gain in last week’s Texas A&M victory. The Aggie-Mustang game will kick off at 11:35 a.m. has compiled a 55-30-2 record, while Sherrill’s record now stands at 57-20-1 during six-plus seasons. Texas A&M leads the series between the two teams 32- 26-6, but the last Aggie victory came in 1979byascoreof 47-14. In Dallas, Texas A&M holds a 16-14-2 edge over the Mustangs. Saturday’s game will mark the 56th homecoming game in SMU history. The Mustangs have won their last three homecomings, defeating Texas Tech 35-10 in 1979, Texas A&M 27-0 in 1980 and Rice 33-12 in 1981. The Aggies were the last team to de feat SMU during a homecoming game — 20-17 in 1978. Texas A&M’s record during Mustang homecoming games is 9-6-2 ... SMU’s homecoming this year is entitled the “Mane Event.” Mod el Cheryl Tiegs will serve as grand marshall of the event and will crown the 1982 SMU home coming queen at halftime ... SMU enters Saturday’s game with an 11-game winning streak, the longest in NCAA Division I and the Mustangs’ longest since 1946-47. That streak ended in the 12th game, when TCU tied the Mustangs, 19-19. SMU’s longest Winning streak was 14 games in 1934-35. 1609 Texas Avenue/College Station call 693 6900 BOWLEY & WILSON BANNED in College Station THE BAND IN DALLAS TRADITIONALLY, PART OF THE A&M-SMU DALLAS WEEKEND SINCE 1970 BOWLEY & WILSON’S GREENVILLE AT UNIVERSITY — NEAR SMU 692-6470 (Please check swords at door)