The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 16, 1986, Image 7

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    Tuesday, December 16, 1986/The Battalion/Page 7
Sports
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IRVING (AP) — Two decades of
inning football are over for the
B)allas Cowboys. The “Cow Bags”
re out.
Professional sports’ longest active
t lane. I |eam winning streak ended Sunday
what Christa! when the Philadelphia Eagles heat
the Cowboys 23-21, eliminating Dal-
from the NFL playoffs for the
bird time in 20 years.
A relatively small crowd of 46,177
fans heavily booed quarterback Steve
Pelluer, punter Mike Saxon and the
Upallas defense. Some of the fans
slipped large grocery sacks over
their heads so they wouldn’t be rec-
■gnized. There were 17,172 no-
shows who couldn’t care less.
Dallas has a 7-8 record. The last
Bme the Cowboys had a losing sea
son was 1964 when they finished 5-
1-1. The Cowboys have to beat the
iChicago Bears in Texas Stadium on
Sunday to escape a losing season.
The Cowboys’ 20 consecutive win
ing seasons was the third-longest in
professional sports history, behind
the New York Yankees’ 39 straight
inning seasons and the Montreal
anadiens’ 32 consecutive winning
■ears.
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Over,” headlined the Dallas Times
Herald.
The Cowboys started the season
as NFC Eastern Division champions,
and won six of their first eight
games.
But injuries to quarterback Danny
White and running backs Herschel
Walker and Tony Dorsett helped
contribute to a slide that has seen the
Cowboys lose six of their last seven
games. It’s their worst second-half of
the season since 1962.
“We’re probably being laughed at
around the NFL,” Dorsett said. “A
lot of people are extremely happy
things have worked out the way they
have, but we’ll be back.
“We don’t have anything to be
proud of this year. But we’ve had a
great past and I’m sure we’ll have a
great future.
“It’s been a rough year for me
physically,” Dorsett added. “I’ve
been beat up all year. I’m looking
forward to getting myself healthy
and being ready next year.”
Close losses to the New York Gi
ants and the Los Angeles Raiders
with Pelluer at quarterback hurt the
Cowboys.
“It tore the heart out of this
team,” Coach Tom Landry said.
Defensive tackle Randy White
said there should be no excuses.
“I’ve never been in this situation
before,” White said. “What it boils
down to is we just haven’t been get
ting the job done. We lost that little
edge you need to win football games.
We need to show some pride against
Chicago.”
Walker said the Cowboys hadn’t
quit on Landry.
“You’re not a loser until you give
up, and this team works hard and
plays hard,” Walker said.
Pelluer said not making the play
offs hit Dallas “like a slap in the
face.”
But he didn’t blame the Dallas
fans for booing.
“I would have booed myself a cou
ple times Sunday,” Pelluer said.
Landry said that third-string quar
terback Reggie Collier would see
some action against the Bears.
“Reggie will play against the
Bears,” Landry said. “I don’t know if
he will start but he will play.”
Cowboys' woes trouble scalpers
IRVING (AP) — Even before
the Philadelphia Eagles snuffed
out the faint hopes of an NFL
playoff berth for the Dallas Cow
boys, ticket scalpers in the Texas
Stadium parking lot were feeling
the pinch of a poor season.
Rainy, cold weather, coupled
with Dallas’ dismal record, kept
fans away in droves Sunday, forc
ing some scalpers into the role of
reluctant Santas.
i “I’m just going to say ‘Merry
Christmas’ and give it away,” said
Jim Blackford, who had no offers
for his extra ticket.
The $19 tickets have been
known to go for astronomical
prices during a good year, but
there were 17,172 no-shows at
Sunday’s game, the second high
est number in the club’s history.
“Would you come out in this
kind of weather to see a team play
that’s going to lose?” said Mike
Davern, an advertising executive
who was planning to give away
four seats near the 40-yard line.
After a losing streak that saw
the Cowboys lose six of their last
seven games, even free tickets
weren’t moving.
“I’d almost be willing to trade
these for an umbrella,” said Phil
Leonard, who was trying to un
load several 50-yard line seats.
But Leonard remained some
what optimistic.
“It’s crummy weather and a
crummy team, but I think people
still want to see the Cowboy mys
tique,” said Leonard who was
holding out for $ 15 a ticket.
As game time approached, the
scalpers began acting like com
modities traders on the floor of
the stock market, challenging
their competition by shouting out
lower and lower prices.
Most eventually gave up and
handed their tickets over to any
one who wanted them.
Mike Kelly carried a fistful of
40-yard line seats around the sta
dium searching for what he called
“the neediest fans.”
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Study Special
fOU. ,|V
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Townshire Center
Bryan
A&M quarterback Kevin Murray attempts a
pass as Coach Jackie Sherrill looks on dur-
Photo by Tom Ownbey
ing a cold practice in preparation for the Ag
gies’ Cotton Bowl meeting with Ohio State.
Aggies will discover if Buckeyes
prove to be a tough nut to crack
By Homer Jacobs
Sports Editor
I guess the big question in the
minds of most Aggies as the 51 st an
nual Cotton Bowl Classic nears is not
how the Aggies
match up with Analysis
Ohio State, but ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
what the heck is a Buckeye anyway?
Well, to soothe the souls during
these trying times of finals week,
here’s Webster’s New Collegiate Dic
tionary’s definition of the Big Ten
school’s illustrious nickname:
buckeye — 1. a shrub or tree of
the horse-chestnut family; also: its
large nutlike seed. 2. a native or resi
dent of Ohio.
With that cleared up, back to the
game’s various matchups.
When A&M (9-2) and OSU (9-3)
clash on New Year’s Day, th6 Buck
eyes will field two All-Americans in
junior wide receiver Chris Carter
and junior linebacker Chris Spiel-
man.
Carter caught 65 passes this year
for 1,066 yards, while Spielman
racked up 194 tackles, including an
astounding 29 vs. Michigan.
The Buckeyes’ are solid at quar
terback as well with senior Jim Kar-
satos, who passed for 1,927 yards
and 13 touchdowns.
On the sidelines for OSU will be
Head Coach Earle Bruce, who has
guided the Buckeyes to 74 wins over
the last eight years.
A&M Coach Jackie Sherrill is well
aware of the pool of talent for the
Buckeyes. ' “ •
“They’ve got a great linebacker
and a great receiver,” Sherrill said.?
“Their quarterback is excellent, but!
also they’ve got players in every posK
tion. They don’t win that many foot
ball games without good football?
players.”
Last year’s 36-16 Cotton Bowl win;
over Auburn propelled A&M into*
the national limelight; and a victory^
over a traditional national power '?
house like the Buckeyes should lifC
the Aggies out of the semi-elite mold;
of football programs and into the-
elite.
A&M halfback Keith Woodside?
said the Southwest Conference!
should get more respect from the'
Big Ten.
“We are representing teams like?
See Cotton, page 8