Jackson dominated Campbell, UT
From Associated Press
Coach Emory Bellard’s 1974
Texas A&M football team went to
Austin with the intention of defeat
ing the University of Texas and put
ting the lid on its Southwest Confer
ence title and Cotton Bowl berth
against Penn State.
But the Longhorns refused to co
operate, watching the Aggies stum
ble, fumble and generally make fools
of themselves while gladly accepting
a 32-3 victory.
But in 1975, all Texas had to do to
complete a spotless SWC record and
get a berth in the Cotton Bowl
against Georgia was to defeat the
then-unbeaten Aggies.
The battle took place at Kyle Field
on November 28 before 56,679 fre
netic fans from both universities.
Though A&M junior linebacker
Robert Jackson would make first-
team All-SWC and honorable men
tion All-America for his 1975 sea
son, one would never have known it
from the pre-game hype from Aus
tin.
For instance, Texas offensive
tackle George James said, “I think
our offense can run on them. The
way they’ve beaten everybody this
year is with two good defensive
tackles.”
The tackles were Edgar Fields and
Jimmy Dean, both All-SWC selec
tions, but not the heart of the Aggie
defense by any stretch of the imagi
nation.
As any rational person who saw
the Aggies play between 1973-76
would tell you, the strength of the
defense that led the SWC' four
straight years (and was No. 1 in the
country in 1975), the heart of that
defense beat among the three guys
at linebacker.
All-America outside linebackers
Garth TenNapel and Ed Simonini
joined 6-2, 228 pound middle line
backer Robert Jackson in forming a
wrecking crew that really lived up to
its name.
Certainly the outside LBs need no
introduction or praise here, but
what of Jackson — an junior-college
All-America himself in 1974?
“It’s like Bear Bryant used to say
at Alabama about Lee Roy Jordan,”
A&M Defensive Coordinator Melvin
Robertson said in 1976. “If he (the
ball carrier) stays in bounds, Lee Roy
will get him. Well, if he stays in
bounds, Jack will get him.
“He is the best linebacker I’ve
coached in 25 years. We had two All-
Americans last year in Simonini and
TenNapel. Jack is faster than Ed and
stronger than both Ed and Garth.”
How Jackson got to that point
from being ignored in pre-game sto
ries can be pinpointed to that sunny
afternoon when, with help from his
fanatical defensive friends, he held
Texas All-America fullback Earl
Campbell to a career-low 40 yards
rushing on 15 carries.
A&M defeated the Longhorns for
the first time in eight games (and
only the second time in 18 tries) 20-
10, sending the Longhorns to the
Bluebonnet Bowl against Colorado.
Jackson was voted ABC-TV De
fensive Player of the Game, having
made 14 tackles (The three LBs
combined for 37 tackles, not count
ing assists.) and generally being the
man responsible for containing the
“Tyler Rose.”
His heroics had to stun Longhorn
center Billy Gordon, who before the
game had pointed out that “I like to
think that Earl Campbell is the best
fullback in the nation. He hits the
hole so quick. I think we’ve got a
good offensive line and can run the
ball on them.”
Surprise, surprise. While Camp
bell was averaging 2.7 yards per
carry, the entire Texas team ram
bled for 113 yards rushing on 34
carries (a 3.3 average).
The swarming Maroon Maraud
ers smashed, bashed and crashed
any Longhorn who even looked like
he had the ball, including starting
quarterback Marty Akins.
Akins came into the game with an
injured knee, and A&M defensive
back Pat Thomas put him out of the
game for a while with a huge hit on
Texas’ first offensive play.
A&M quarterback Mike Jay would
also leave due to an injury.
Campbell and reserve quarterback
Ted Constanzo couldn’t dent the
Aggie defense, even though there
appeared to be cracks in it.
“On the inside reads, when I
handed the ball off to Earl, the holes
were there,” Constanzo said. “Then
they weren’t. And really, there was
no need to disregard the reads and
take it to the outside, because there
were just more of them out there.
They really have good pursuit.”
Even though A&M entered the
game with both the nation’s top
rushing defense (67.3 yards per
game) and total defense (175.1 yards
per game), that didn’t fully explain
how it was able to damp down on
Campbell (who entered the game av
eraging 107.8 yards and 7.8 points
per game).
The real reason was the special
defense Robertson had concocted
and the athletes he had to run it.
“We increased the space between
each of our four down lineman a
little bit,” Robertson said in 1981.
“Then we gave Simonini and Ten
Napel outside responsibilities with
their running game, and basically
used solo coverage on their receiv
ers.
“That left Jackson in the middle
of our defense, and his duty was to
handle anybody coming through
there, particularly Campbell. And
he did an outstanding job.”
More than once Campbell hit
what appeared to be an opening and
met Jackson head on. The two pow
erful men went head-to-head with
the Aggies’ man coming out on top.
“I just don’t know how you can
play any better,” Bellard said. “We
were about as solid as you can get.
One of the big things was the way
our defense tackled. They were
turning Earl Campbell plain around
rather than letting him fall forward
for two or three extra yards.”
In 1984, in the midst of an unsuc
cessful tryout with the Houston
Gamblers of the USFL, Jackson re
called what he said was his most
memorable game.
“That was the best game we
played while I was at A&M,” he said.
“Coach Robertson told me that I
would have to stop Earl for us to
win. I did — and we did.
“On one of the plays where he
and I got tangled up at the line of
scrimmage, we stayed on our feet
long enough for seven or eight of
the other defensive players to jump
on us. Sports Illustrated ran a pic
ture of that play, and I have a copy
framed and up on a wall at my
house.”
Texas Coach Darrell Royal, who
lost to A&M for only the second time
in 18 games, praised the Aggie de
fense, saying, “They are for sure the
most imprerssive defensive team I’ve
seen in the conference in some
time.”
Even Campbell admitted that he
had faced a great defensive unit,
noting, “They are tougher than any
body I’ve played. They deserve ev
erything they get.”
A&M would lose to Arkansas 31-G
a week later and drop the Liberty
Bowl to Southern California 20-0,
but would unbelievably place
EIGHT defensive players on the As
sociated Press All-America team
(first, second and honorable men
tion).
Simonini and Thomas each made
the first team, while Fields, TenNa
pel and defensive back Lester Hayes
were on the second team.
Jackson, Dean and defensive end
Blake Schwartz joined offensive tea
mmates guard Bruce Welch and
running back Bubba Bean on the
honorable-mention list.
Jackson and Hayes (and place
kicker Tony Franklin) made first-
team All-America in 1976, leading
A&M to another 10-2 season.
Jackson was the prime example of
what former Florida A&M Coach
Jake Gaither said were the three
things he liked in a football player:
ag-ILE, mo-BILE, and hos-TILE.
A&M vs. Texas
Texas A&M vs. Texas
Time: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Memorial Stadium, Aus
tin
Weather: Partly cloudy with tem
peratures in the upper 50s.
Tickets: Sold out.
Records: Texas A&M is 6-4, 5-1
in conference play. UT is 4-6 and
2-4.
Media: ESPN will televise the
game live. The 80-station Aggie
Radio Network will broadcast the
game with Dave South on play-
by-play and Jay Howard on com
mentary.
Series:The last time Texas beat
the Aggies was in 1983, when the
Longhorns won 45-13. The Ag
gies have a 4-game winning
streak over the Longhorns. Texas
leads the series 65-26-5.
Battalion
Football
Picks
Doug Walker
Assistant
Sports Editor
d.p.
Cartoonist
Jerry Bolz
Sports Writer
Cray Pixley
Assistant
Sports Editor
Hal L. Hammons
Sports Editor
Reveille
Mascot
Stan Golaboff
Sports Writer
Texas A&M at Texas
Aggies by 10
Aggies by 24
Aggies by 14
Aggies by 14
Aggies by 24
Aggies by 88
Aggies by 10
Arkansas at Miami
'Canes by 14
'Canes by 30
’Carnes by 10
'Canes by 17
'Canes by 24
'Canes by 30
'Canes by 14
Rice at Houston
Cougars by 17
Cougars by 14
Cougars by 24
Cougars by 7
Cougars by 13
Owls by 1
Cougars by 17
Auburn vs. Alabama
Tigers by 4
Tigers by 7
Tigers by 6
Tide by 3
Tigers by 11
Tide by 5
Tigers by 3
Georgia Tech at Georgia
Bulldogs by 17
Bulldogs by 7
Bulldogs by 18
Bulldogs by 10
Bulldogs by 30
Bulldogs by 7
Bulldogs by 7
Notre Dame at USC
Irish by 3
Trojans by 1
Trojans by 4
Irish by 1
Trojans by 3
Trojans by 3
Trojans by 3
Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Vols by 7
Vols by 14
Vols by 3
Vols by 6
Vols by 7
Vols by 14
Vols by 1
Tulane at LSI)
Tigers by 13
Tigers by 10
Tigers by 17
Tigers by 14
Tigers by 28
Green Wave by 6
Tigers by 10
Boston College at Temple
Owls by 4
Eagles by 7
Eagles by 21
Eagles by 4
Eagles by 13
Eagles by 12
Owls by 1
Florida at Florida State
Seminoles by 14
Seminoles by 7
Seminoles by 10
Seminoles by 10
Seminoles by 16
Gators by 3
Seminoles by 7
Oilers at Cowboys
Oilers by 17
Oilers by 7
Oilers by 10
Oilers by 20
Oilers by 14
Oilers by 21
Oilers by 7
Bills at Bengals
Bengals by 7
Bills by 7
Bengals by 7
Bengals by 7
Bills by 4
Bills by 10
Bills by 3
Record
10-2 (.833)
10-2 (.833)
10-2 (.833)
5-7 (.417)
9-3 (.750)
8-4 (.667)
10-2 (.833)
Overall
110-32-1 (.775)
107-35-1 (.753)
102-40-1 (.718)
96-46-1 (.676)
90-52-1 (.634)
78-64-1 (.549)
10-2 (.833)
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200
URINARY TRACT INFECTION STUDY
Do you experience frequent urination, burning, stinging, or
back pain when you urinate? Pauli Research will perform
FREE Urinary Tract Infection Testing for those willing to
participate in a 2 week study. $200 incentive for those
who qualify.
$200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200 $200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$200
$1.00 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME STUDY
Wanted: Symptomatic patients with physician diagnosed jjj 100
Irritable Bowel Syndrome to participate in a short study.
$100 incentive for those chosen to participate.
$100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100
$40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
Are you suffering from a
TENSION HEADACHE??
Call To see if you qualify for a medication survey. $40 finan
cial incentive for those chosen to participate
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40
$400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400
USS ASTHMA STUDY IK
$400 Individuals who have regular asthma to participate in $400
a n asthma study. $400 incentive for those chosen to
$400 .. . . J $400
$400 participate. $400
$400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400
$300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300
$300
$300
$300
$300
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY
Individuals with high blood pressure either on or off blood
pressure medication to particiapte in a high blood pres-
$300 sure study. $300 incentive for those chosen to participate.
$300
$300
$300
$300
$300
$300
$300
$300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300 $300
$100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100
$100
$100
$100
FREE STREP THROAT TESTING
For individuals 12 years and older with sore throat willing
$100 to participate in a study to treat strep throat. Diagnosed
$100 strep throat welcome. $100 incentive for those chosen to
$100 participate.
$100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40
SORE THROAT STUDY
Wanted: Individuals ages 18-70 with sore throat pain to par
ticipate in a 90 minute study to compare currently available
over-the- counter pain relief medication. $40 incentive to
those chosen to participate.
$40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40 $40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
$40
FREE CEDAR ALLERGY
SKIN TESTING
For individuals willing to participate in one of our win
ter cedar allergy studies. Known cedar allergic individu
als also welcome.
CALL PAULL RESEARCH
INTERNATIONAL
776-0400
Wednesdays Are Dollar Days
Ahnic iiihI V’C'K’ Rcni.i!
All videos $1°°
Including
new releases
$1
00
frozen
margaritas
Subject to
houserules
846-7312
Monday-F riday
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
All Day
Wednesday GasSW^
1 3bmas
846-5752
2 blocks north of University on Texas Ave.
MSC CAMERA COMMITTEE
BONFIRE
PHOTOGRAPH SALE
NOV 21-23 , NOV 28-DEC 1
AVAILABLE IN THE MSC
8X10...$5.00 11X14...$10.00
16X20...20.00
PAST YEARS ALSO $2.00
THANKSGIVING SERVICE — TONIGHT at 6:30 P.M.
University Lutheran Chapel - 315 N. College Main
Down the street from Loupots and Kinkos -Northgate
YOU ARE WELCOME 846-6687
WordPerfect
One-week classes
for students who want
to learn this important
word processing program \
Cost $35.00
Sterling C. Evans Library
Learning Resources Department
Room 604 845-2316
Nov. 28-Dec. 2
4-6 p.m.
$] & v a © & ei u
Hoy en Belen ha nacido el Nino Dios,
ven con nosotros a adorarlo
L* comunldad Latina de St. Mary'« estarA celebmndo la
llegada del Sefior el SAbado 3 de IMclembre a las 7:00 PM.
HabrA nna misa de Navi dad en la cual se tendrA una Pastorela
o representadAn del Evangelic por parte de lo> nidos de la Comunldad.
A1 final de la misa, se llevaxA a cabo una Posada, con villanclcos.
piflatas. etc.
TODOS ESTAN BtENVENIDOS. TE ESPERAMOS til!!!!
ctoummiDim ;umRA ds av. mulatto
Catholic Student Association
l .... gaapjl