Wednesday, November 25,1987/The Battalion/Page 15
Ag kicker Hardy big factor
n 1979 win over Longhorns
necocks
ith 7
to 13th.
isconsin
o ninth
UCLA,
Georgia,
uuthem
By Tim Stanfield
Sports Writer
Redshirt freshman place-kicker
avid Hardy had already had his
hare of ups and downs during the
1979 season before the Aggies took
the Texas Longhorns at Kyle
Field on December 1.
Hardy, who had spent the 1978
ieason watching Tony Franklin set
kinds of place-kicking records,
lad something thrust upon him in
lis very first game that Franklin
lever had in the 48 games he played
'orthe Aggies: having a field goal at-
etnpton the last play of a game that
leaded the winner.
Yes, Hardy tried and missed a
ong field goal against Brigham
Ifoung that left the Aggies an 18-17
oser in a game that saw the Aggies
Iowa 14-3 lead.
It was played at Rice Stadium
ince Kyle Field was still in the final
iiages of expansion.
The season continued to be one of
ige highs and lows, but one of the
lighs came against SMU, when
lardy’s then career-best 51-yard
goal ignited the Aggies to a
mashing 47-14 win over the Ponies.
, L la y
aced the Longhorns, few’ expected
hat the Aggies had a chance to win
ind keep Texas from its appointed
utional title game in the Sugar Bowl
igainst Alabama.
‘We thought we had a good
:hance to beat them, because if you
inly could chance about seven
joints in three different games, we
Kouid have been 8-2 going into the
;ame and not 5-5,” Hardy recalled.
Texas was sixth in the nation, plus
obody expected that Curtis Dickey
would play, but he did and ended up
[coring our only touchdown.”
Hardy noted that several cars
tere seen with stickers on them that
read “Alabama-Texas, National
Hhampions”.
Before a record crowd that ex-
eeded 69,000, Hardy drew the
honor of opening the game by kick
ing off to Texas’ Herkie Walls.
“I almost had to pinch myself in
order to believe that it was really
happening,” Hardy said. “All of my
life I had wanted to go to Texas
A&M and kick in a big game against
Texas, and there I was, doing just
that,” he continued. “It was a thrill
that I will never forget.”
Things got even more exciting for
Hardy and the Aggies when he
kicked a 23-yard field goal on the
fourth play of the second period,
giving the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
Texas struck for its only touch
down of the game after recovering
Johnny Hector’s fumble deep inside
A&M territory.
A&M then drove deep inside
Texas territory, and came away with
yet another 23-yard Hardy field
goaf
Walls’ fumbled the ensuing kick
off at the Texas 21.
Two plays later from the 20,
Dickey took a handoff from quar
terback Mike Mosley, intending to
pass back to the fleet youngster, but
saw that somehow the other 21 play
ers on the field had gotten them
selves outside the hash marks on ei
ther side of the field, leaving a
gaping hole up the middle.
Dickey streaked into the end zone
for the winning touchdown.
Hardy kicked the extra-point, and
though nobody knew it at the time,
that was it for the scoring this day.
“No, of course not, none of us felt
that the 13-7 lead would stand up,”
Hardy said. “In fact, Walls fumbled
the next kickoff, but they got the ball
back after an official blew an inad
vertent whistle.”
Hardy suffered the indignity of
having a 40-yard field goal attempt
blocked in the fourth period, but
later found out that it wasn’t his
fault.
“When I came off the field, I was
pretty upset,” he recalled. “I had
never had a field goal blocked in my
life, and to have it under those cir
cumstances made me mad,”
But the Aggies held on, and bed
lam broke out after quarterback Rick
Mclvor’s final pass hit the Astro-
Turf.
“You remember that Mosely
danced around in circles after taking
the final snap,” Hardy said. “It was
so loud that we couldn’t hear our
selves think, but boy were we
happy!”
The 1980 season was a sour one
for A&M and Hardy, but it, too,
ended on a good note, as the Aggies
shocked Texas 24-14 in Memorial
Stadium, where A&M had pnly won
twice previously.
“There was something different
about the atmosphere on the bus on
the way to Austin that day,” Hardy
said. “Even though we were 3-7,
none of us felt like Texas was that
much of a better team than we were.
“They took a 7-0 lead on us, but I
kicked a field goal early in the sec
ond half, which seemed to ignite the
entire team. We scored touchdowns
on our next three possessions, and
that was it.”
Hardy set some NCAA kicking re
cords in 1981 and 1982, booting
four field goals in the 1981 Indepen
dence Bowl to tie that record, while
setting a record since tied of 15 kick
ing points in the game.
One year later he joined Franklin
as the only A&M kickers at that time
to kick at least four field goals in two
different games, as well as tying
Franklin’s NCAA record of four in
one quarter.
Both Hardy achievements came
against Texas-Arlington at Kyle
Field, and the final two field goals in
the second period came only six sec
onds apart.
But Hardy likes to remember the
bumper sticker he saw after the
A&M win in 1979. It read: “From
Gumbo to Tacos”. You see, Texas
had to play in the Sun Bowl, where
Washington beat them.
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From the Associated Press
Darren Lewis has been one of the
ijgest 1987 surprises for the de
ending Southwest Conference foot-
champion Texas A&M Univer-
Lewis was a star in high school at
lallas Carter last year but was ex
acted to be overshadowed by McK-
nney’s Randy Simmons, the most
leralded running back in the state.
However, Simmons hurt a knee at
he Texas High School Coaches As-
ociadon All-Star Game in July and
ewis has emerged as one of the Ag
ues’ top offensive threats.
He earned the Associated Press
iWC Offensive Player of the Week
lonors this week for a spectacular
terformance in A&M’s 42-24 victory
iver Texas Christian.
Lewis had 194 yards rushing
against the Horned Frogs, including
scoring runs of 35 and 80 yards. He
also had a 70-yarder called back.
He already is in second place on
the A&M freshman rushing charts,
passing George Woodard’s 604
yards. Lewis has 655 yards rushing.
The 194 yards rushing was the
most since Earnest Jackson had 219
yards against TCU in 1981.
“Darren Lewis is a tough kid,”
said A&M Coach Jackie Sherrill. “He
has played hurt all year. He has a
sore shoulder but you have to play
hurt.”
Lewis big day came while his par
ents were watching from the stands
in Amon Carter Stadium.
“It felt good to have a good day in
front of my parents,” Lewis said. “It
was as clbse as we could come to Dal
las during the regular season. Maybe
we’ll be back for the Cotton Bowl.”
Texas Tech defensive end James
Mosley, a junior, earned the AP’s
Defensive Player of the Week award
with his contributions in the Red
Raiders’ 10-10 tie with Houston.
Mosley had 4 V2 sacks and made
six unassisted tackles and one as
sisted tackle.
“James started the season slow but
he has come on the last few weeks,”
Texas Tech Coach Spike Dykes said.
“This game shows just what we can
expect from him in his senior sea
son.”
A&M linebacker Adam Bob, who
had two interceptions in the Aggies’
victory over TCU, also was strongly
considered for the weekly award.
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