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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1988)
Page 8 The Battalion Wednesday, October 19,1988 A&M not underestimating winless Rice Lady Aggies fall to UTA By Doug Walker Assistant Sports Editor The winless Rice Owls may ap pear harmless, but A&M Head Coach Jackie Sherrill said Tuesday he has several concerns about the Owls as Texas A&M prepares to host Rice Saturday afternoon at Kyle Field. Sherrill expressed his concern at his weekly press conference at Cain Hall. “Rice is a good football team,” Sherrill said. “People may look at that and laugh, but those are people that haven’t seen them play.” Rice, 0-5 on the season and hold ers of the nation’s longest losing streak in Division I college football, is winless in its last 12 games and is 0- 3 in Southwest Conference play this year. But in the last three weeks, begin ning with a 20-13 loss to Texas, the Owls have been competitive. Rice easily could have won each of the three conference games if not for costly turnovers in crucial situations. Sherrill said the turning point in Rice’s season was when Owl Head Coach Jerry Berndt shifted starting ? |uarterback Donald Hollas to de- ensive safety and inserted Quentis Roper as the starter at quarterback. The Aggie defense may be tested by an Owl offense that is coming off a school-record performance against Texas Tech. Rice gained 642 yards total offense and picked up 32 First downs with a balanced attack led by Roper. Roper rushed for a career-high 105 yards and passed for 277 more in gaining the fourth-highest yard age total in Rice history. A&M linebacker Dana Batiste said Tuesday that Rice provides a chal lenge to A&M in more ways than one. “It’s mentally challenging,” the se nior from Spring said. “Not only is this game a physical challenge, but it’s mentally challenging as well.” IRVING (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have come to a no-lose situation with a game against a bitter rival coming up, coach Tom Landry said Tuesday. “We’ll have to win our next three games (against NFC East opposition) to go anyplace this year,’’ Landry said. “Right now our season goal of 9-7 will be difficult to reach but it is still attaina ble.” The Cowboys have plunged to a 2-5 record, worst start since 1965. In the next three weeks, they travel to Philadelphia on Sunday, come home to host Phoenix, then go back on the road to meet the New York Giants. Landry hopes the revenge factor works against the Eagles. Last October, the Cowboys felt that Philadelphia ran the score up on them in Batiste said he is particularly con cerned with containing Roper and keeping the intensity of his team up in the coming three weeks. “Rice does a lot of things well of fensively,” he said. “That’s surpris ing (for a winless team). We’ve just got to go in and play our defense and they’ve got a good offensive line. “We’ve just got to contain (Roper) and keep him back in the pocket.” Roper is a challenge to the blitzing Aggie defense because he forces a 37-20 loss. Quarterback Randall Cun ningham faked dropping to one knee with time running out late in the game, then threw a long pass that led to a touch down with one second left. Eagles’ Coach Buddy Ryan said at the time he was trying to get even with Landry for playing some of his regular players in a strike game earlier in the sea son. “We’ll let our players look at films of the game last year,” Landry said. “They’ll remember it. We won't have to remind them much. ’ ’ Ryan said in a conference telephone call on Tuesday that “I never had any animosity toward Tom Landry. He was the Dallas coach when I was coaching high school football in Gainesville (Texas).” blitzing linebackers to stay in their positions longer. “With him you have to stay home longer,” Batiste said. A&M has a week off after hosting Rice and then hosts Louisiana Tech on November 5. A&M could be for given for looking ahead to Arkansas on November 12. “You can lose yourself in weeks like this,” Batiste said. “Arkansas is Arkansas and Rice is Rice. We can’t kid ourselves and say that Rice is bet Ryan said he had a few words “sent from my friends in Dallas” on the Ea gles’ bulletin board. “A lot of our fans are still upset from that first (strike) game last year,” Ryan said. “Of course, a lot of things upset me. I get upset easy.” Landry said he had a lot of respect for Ryan, but added “My memory is good enough to go back that far (the second game of last year). ’ ’ The Cowboys will have a new backup quarterback to face the Eagles with Danny White on the injured reserve list for four to six weeks with ligament dam age in his left knee. Kevin Sweeney moved into the second spot behind Steve Pelluer, who has re covered from the concussion he suffered underestimating someone you usually get caught.” Since Hollas made the switch to defense prior to the Texas game, the Rice defense has looked completely different. The Owls have shown vast im provement after allowing 4 1 points and 459.5 yards per game in the first two games. In their three SWC games they have allowed 20.5 points and 340.0 yards per contest. in Sunday’s 17-7 loss to the Chicago Bears. “It could be interesting if Sweeney gets in there and he might if our quar terback (Pelluer) doesn’t start learning how to slide,” Landry said. “It might be refreshing to sec Sweeney. The players like him. He did well last year in the re placement games.” Landry will put on another coaching hat this week. He will tutor placekicking specialist Roger Ruzek, who missed two field goal tries against Chicago and is four for 10 this year. “I’ll coach him myself.” Landry said. “He’s trying to guide the ball. It’s like a golf swing, you can’t do that and hit the ball. He’s got to bounce back.” ter than they are, but w'hen you start 2-5 Cowboys at critical stage of season in 3 games The Lady Aggie volleyball team|V 15-4, 15-10, 15-2 to the University, Texas-Arlington last night in Arlintijr A&M jumped out to a 6-0 Wink first game but quickly fell to be ion. nated for the night. The Lady Aggies briefly rejtimj composure in the second game,butUlj swept back in to control the final gam: “We were intimidated." Coaclu Givens said. "They were very good, is 1 don’t know who could have tar, them tonight.” UTA amassed 51 kills with Ilea® to A&M’s 28 kills and 14errors. “It was like running into the chaim massacre,” Givens said. Cheri Steensma chipped in II ijj with a .320 hitting percentage,and.t sia Gonzales hard 5 kills andaJOii; age. “Our passing broke down forcing our offense,” he said. ‘They ton quick offense that we were notprej* for.” Givens said the Lady Aggiesnesi regroup before facing their next a nent. “We have got a lot of work to don short time,” he said. “Wedidnot* pete well tonight.” He said that the way the Lady Aa played helped UTA look good. The Lady Aggies return to contra action Friday night at 7:30p.m.aai Rice in G Rollie White Coliseum 661 wasn’t rubbing it in-1 just wanted Eddie to know the score of last night’s game.” Go ahead and gloat. You can rub it in all the way to Chicago with AT&T Long Distance Service. Besides, your best friend Eddie was the one who said your team could never win three straight. So give him a call. It costs a lot less than you think to let him know who’s headed for the Playoffs. 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