Wednesday, September 28, 1988/The Battalion/Page 11
Sports
09
Tolliver presents challenge
to struggling Aggie defense
By Doug Walker
Assistant Sports Editor
The Texas A&M defense faces
another stiff test Saturday against
the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
At his weekly press conference
Tuesday Sherrill heaped praise
on the Raiders and said he was
wary of senior quarterback Billy
Joe Tolliver, w ho passed for 272
yards against the Aggies in last
year’s upset Tech win in Lub
bock.
“He’s a legitimate quar
terback,” Sherrill said. “He’ll go
on to the next level (pro football).
He’s got a gun on him.”
Tolliver is the leader of an of
fense that is tenth in the current
NCAA statistics in passing of
fense, averaging 283 yards per
game.
Tolliver has completed slightly
over 50 percent of his passes this
season for 845 yards and seven
touchdowns while tossing only
two interceptions.
He ranks seventh in the nation
in passing and has led the Tech
offense to an average of 412
yards per game while utilizing
several gifted performers at the
skill positions.
The ability of the Raiders to
use the draw play effectively
while using the screen pass to
neutralize the pass rush played a
large role in last year’s upset and
has Sherrill concerned.
“They have the style of offense
that gives us problems,” Sherrill
said. “A team that does both (pass
and run) will give any team prob
lems.
“We need the offense and the
kicking team to keep us in the
game so we can be reckless on de
fense.”
Like Oklahoma State last week,
the Raiders have outstanding re
ceivers and versatile running
backs.
The receiving corps, rated the
best in the country by 77ie Sport
ing News, is led by senior wing-
back Wayne Walker and senior
Moon steroid suspension
questionable, says Sherrill
Sports Editor
Texas A&M Head Coach
Jackie Sherrill defended offen
sive lineman L.B. Moon Tuesday,
who tested positive in a Southwest
Conference test for steroids and
has been suspended for the next
three Aggie games.
“He’s never tested positive for
us,” Sherrill said.
“He was tested two weeks be
fore by us, and he turned up neg
ative,” Sherrill said.
Moon said he did not plan on
appealing the decision, although
he did say he thought he had a
good case.
“After finding out I had tested
positive I tested again, and it
turned up negative,” Moon said.
Moon said the team’s situation
is the main reason he is not con
sidering an appeal.
“We’re 0-3,” he said. “We’re
not going to go to the Cotton
Bowl. With all these problems,
I’m not going to fight it.
“We don’t need more distrac
tions. We’re trying to bring things
together as a team.”
Moon said he harbored no
grudges against the conference.
“The Southwest Conference
has been fair with me,” he said.
“They listened to me. I think they
bend over backward to help play
ers.”
Sherrill said players are tested
for drugs by the team four times
per year, and have been for the
past two years. Before that they
were tested two or three times a
year.
The 6-6, 270-pound senior has
started all season at left offensive
tackle. He was named the A&M
Offensive Player of the Game by
the Aggie coaches after the Kick
off Classic loss to Nebraska.
split end Eddy Anderson. Walker
opened the game against North
Texas by turning a screen pass
into a 73-yard touchdown.
“It looks they’re a better screen
team than they were last year,”
Sherrill said. “Tech has a lot of
speed and a lot of offensive weap
ons.”
Reserve senior wingback Ty
rone Thurman is a threat to score
to score any time he touches the
football. Thurman opened the
scoring with a 74-yard punt re
turn in last year’s game with the
Aggies.
The performance of Ervin Far
ris, the Raiders’ senior fullback,
could be a good gauge of the ef
fectiveness of the Aggie defense
in stopping the Tech offense.
Farris earned Southwest Con
ference player of the week hon
ors after last year’s game by catch
ing six passes for 98 yards against
A&M.
His effectiveness kept the blitz
ing Aggies on their heels and cre
ated opportunities for the Tech
offense.
The A&M defense ranks
fourth in the SWC in total de
fense allowing 338.3 yards per
game and is second in pass de
fense.
He also hopes the home crowd
will help the Aggies rebound
from a tough opening three
games.
“It will mean a lot to our play
ers to play in front of our home
crowd for a change,” Sherrill
said. “Our season really starts
now. There are different stages
of the season and this is an impor
tant stage right now.”
Still made of stone
Matson recalls ’64, ’68 Olympics
By Jerry Bolz
Sports Writer
Meeting Randy Matson at his of
fice in the new Association of For
mer Students building is like run
ning in to one of the giant marble
pillars out front.
Like a pillar, Matson is steady.
At 6-6 and 240 pounds, he looks
like he could have pitched the 16-
pound shot in Seoul as well as he did
in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.
Since the 1968 games in Mexico
City — where Matson won a gold
medal — politics, violence and drugs
have drastically taken away from the
pure Olympic spirit of competition.
There is so much drug use today, it’s
hard to tell if one athlete is better
than another or just on drugs, Mat-
son says.
As the executive director of
A&M’s Association of Former Stu
dents, Matson doesn’t spend much
Profile of the Week
Randy Matson
time tuning in to the world of sports
anymore. But the former shot put
world-record holder had his share
and then some in the 1960s.
Coming in to Aggieland as a
rather big fish at about 6-6 and 215
pounds in 1963, the thought of
going to Tokyo to represent the U.S.
was only a thought in the back of
Matson’s mind. But as he added 50
pounds his chances and hope grew
too.
At A&M, Matson was known for
his steadfast training. Many weeks,
he would be out all seven days,
whether anyone else was or not.
“I enjoyed being out by myself,”
he said. “I’d put a towel out and try
to throw over it. If I made it, I would
be excited, even if it was just me the
re.”
His work paid off. It and the ex
perience of an Eastern European
tournament prior to the games
opened the door for the 19-year-old
Matson to take the silver medal in
the shot at Tokyo.
Matson’s relationships with Olym
pic teammates was friendly, but not
overly. Friendships were put lower
than the quest for gold. Competition
against teammates was just as vigor
ous as against a guy from some
where else, he said.
Both U.S. teams Matson was on
were out for precious metal more
than to see their country reign.
“We all wanted the Americans to
do well, but we would have rather
finished first than third in a 1-2-3
U.S. win,” he said.
Being best in the world wasn’t too_
See Matson, page 13
The cream of Texas football
appears non-SWC in nature
Now that the NCAA has
scooped the dross of the top of
Texas football, the pure
substance left looks kind of
orange and green.
Don’t shudder yet, the
Longhorns and Bears are
already showing their
inconsistencies.
The orange of the future is
Texas-El Paso and the green is
University of North Texas.
Not-so-gradually these two
teams have shedded their
mediocre to abhorable ways
and risen to the top of an
otherwise stale market.
True, there are glimpses of possible quality play in
the SWC with TCU, Arkansas and Houston, but time
will show if they are for real. Otherwise, the SWC is a
model of inconsistency — that is, with the exceptions of
Rice and the Aggies.
Although some would say that UTEP is in New
Mexico or even south of the border, we better claim
them for Texas while we can. The Miners were 7-4 last
year, their first winning season in years, and could have
whipped many bowl teams.
This year UTEP is off to a running 3-1 start. Their
only loss was by a few points to Brigham Young on the
same field the old orange Longhorns were beat 47-6 a
week before.
Saturday, the Miners edged out Tulsa in Oklahoma.
Who’s Tulsa, right? They’re the team that nearly
handed Arkansas a loss a few weeks ago.
The Miners are definitely not taking it easy by
belonging to the Western Athletic Conference, either.
Today’s WAC is not the BYU-dominated league it was
five years ago. Teams like Air Force, Wyoming and San
Diego State are making a race out of the WAC every
year, as well as giving the rest of the country fits — SWC
included.
Truthfully, I think if El Paso was offered a spot in the
SWC, they would stick in the WAC. Pastures are
definitely getting greener out in the desert.
Turning to green, recently renamed University of
North Texas Eagles — or Mean Green, as they like to
See Bolz, page 13
Jerry
Bolz
Sports viewpoint
*
*
*
*
*
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
Your Vote
r our Voice
REGISTER TO VOTE:
• if you are 18 years old, or will be by November 8, and a U.S. citizen, then you are eligible
to vote Nov. 8; ^
if you do not have a WHITE registration certificate with your current address, you are not*^
> registered to vote;
when filling out your voter registration application, put your LOCAL RESIDENCE
-^(ADDRESS (your dorm room or street address) in order to vote locally on Nov. 8;
• the voter registration application must be postmarked no later than October 9.
*
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
under the Republicans more people are working today than ever before; 16.8 million new ^
k inh.q havp hppn nrppfprl Qinrp Mn\ypmhpr 1QR9* ^
t
¥
¥
THEN VOTE REPUBLICAN:
8.22 percent (in 1987),
^jobs have been created since November 1982;
under the Republicans interest rates are down from 21.5 percent to
^and inflation is down from 13.5 percent to 3.7 percent (in 1987);
under the Republicans strong defense policies have kept America at peace and brought
"nthe Soviets back to the bargaining table.
I
¥
l
l
| Texas A&M Victory ’88 Committee
For More Information On Registering
To Vote & Voting Republican Contact:
¥
¥
¥
¥
Greg Gorman
846-4005
Connie Coleman
696-6441
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
i
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
¥
iHMH^AMMMMHHHMMM^*****-****-*-*-**--*-**
Introducing nn Unique
JPurcliasing Opportunity
for Everex Macintosh
Peripherals
Get a free T-Shirt: Be one of the first 100 customers to
come in preview the EMAC line of Mac compatible
peripherals and you'll receive an Everex T-shirt FREE!
• • • EMAC 20D • • •
An entry level SCSI device containing a 20 MB
hard disk. Cable, disk utility, and terminator
included.
• • • EMAC 40D • • •
An entry level SCSI device containing a 40 MB
hard disk. Cable, disk utility, and terminator
included.
• • • EMAC 40SE • • •
An internal SCSI device for the Macintosh SE.
The device is a 40 MB hard disk and includes a
disk utility.
Micro Center
Regular Price
Sale Price
Ext 20 MB HD
$483.00
$455.00
Ext 40 MB HD
694.00
630.00
Int 40 MB HD (SE)
750.00
679.00
• • • Everex Days • • •
Texas A&M Micro Computer Fair '88
Tueday Sept 27 and Wednesday Sept 28
Rooms 212 - 231 Memorial Student Center
M icrqComput erC F.NTFR
CompiiterScdes and Supplies
In the Memorial Student Center
At the entrance to the Texas A&M Bookstore
Monday - Friday 7:45 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
(409) 845-4081