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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1989)
4 11 I The Battalion : SPORTS l Thursday, September 21,1989 andGt i spofe gation, . jhentln Lopatt; an ant ancle >lf of ms ca| rn Dei ne of,| e Isle We was it a say •xchaiii ik Oli We k Olt reshf in P® - Islat crt sc Mb e ofil milit sitee IGnii: drops: licoptt: ight, no» )ra N1 httol cont conn: s aftei: rew S me K ay by Bucking the odds Richardson on the road back from knee injury By Richard Tijerina Of The Battalion Staff PART 1 OF A 2 PART SERIES Bucky Richardson found himself an unknown recruit in 1987. Going into that season, he wasn’t even listed on Texas A&M’s two-deep depth chart and he knew he’d have to grasp for playing time behind starter Craig Stump and heralded freshman Lance Pavlas. Then came the Southern Missis sippi game. With eight minutes left in the game and A&M ahead 17-7, Coach Jackie Sherrill put Richardson in. Six plays later, Richardson faded back to pass, then scrambled 82 yards for the touchdown that made Aggie fans everywhere ask the ques tion: Bucky who? “It's really too early to tell,” Rich ardson told The Battalion after that game. ‘Tve been in one time. The next time I go in, I might do horrible — throw three interceptions and fumble twice and not move the team at all. . .1 have to come in and prove myself. I’m not a proven quar terback.” That was the third game of the 1987 season. All he did for the rest of that year was start five games, lead the Aggies to their third consec utive Southwest Conference championship and a Cotton Bowl victory over Notre Dame. Not bad for a true freshman that no one expected to make much of an impact. By the end of the year, Rich ardson had done more than simply “prove himself.” It was the Southern Mississippi game that started it all, and it’s one of the two games he said he remembers most of his collegiate career. “It was the first game I ever played in,” Richardson said Wednes day. “I immediately got real ner vous, but just went in. It was a good break for me. I just went in and tried to do the best I could and make the most out of it. Things worked out for me.” Richardson seemed to have the magical touch at quarterback. He amazed Aggie fans with his style of play — preferring to run rather than throw and often going through or “I It was a good break for me. I just went in and tried to do the best I could and make the most out of it. — Bucky Richardson, Aggie quarterback over a defender rather than around him. „ That same season, A&M found it self in a position for a Cotton Bowl berth. All the Aggies needed was a victory over Texas. Stump started, but Richardson was called in to play late in the fourth quarter. What resulted was Richardson’s See Bucky/Page 13 photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack Bucky Richardson finds he’s the last man out during two-a-day practices in August. While A&M is away, the SWC will piay-Here are the picks 11 n Brs stop: it at I :cess ienget restrio With A&M football on hiatus for a weekend many oportunities present themselves to the 12th Man. One of the best of these will be to check out what the rest of the conference is up to. And if you’re able to get the TCU game you’ll be able to kill the two proverbial birds with the one proverbial stone. That’s because the Horned Road Kill is playing host to the Aggies’ next opponent, the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi. Without a snap being taken you have to like the prospects for the next game at Kyle Field. Why? Well, if you can think back to last weekend you might recall a particular thrashing that was dealt in Fort Worth to the tune of 44-7. Yes, very good, it was the Road Kill that was on the receiving end of that thrashing. And why should you be encouraged about next weekend? Well, the Eagles, those giant killers who knocked off Florida State in Tampa to open their season, are a whopping flve-and-a- half point favorite for their game in Cowtown. Yes, five-and-a-half whole points. What’s going on? The Eagles were a Top 25 team just two weeks ago and now they should only beat TCU by no more than six points? Something is amiss on the delta. So tune in to that one if you can, and see who’s fudging the truth, the AP and their poll or Guido and the boys making the odds. If not, check out Houston as they take on Arizona State in the valley of the really hot sun. The Coogs’ Run and Shoot and Score and Score Some More offense was in overdrive against UNLV and QB Andre Ware looked like the second coming of Randall Cunningham. But, whoa, ASU is coming off big wins over San Jose St. and Kansas St. Despite defeating two powerhouses like that, the Sun Devils are seven-point underdogs. Just seven? If you’re doing the office pool, give the points and take UH. If Texas Tech and Oklahoma State show up in the pool you’re faced with a tougher decision. It all depends which Tech team shows up. The Red Raiders upset Arizona to open the season but did all they could to give away last week’s game to New Mexico. Running back James Gray was hot, hot, hot against Arizona, and if he does it again the crowd in Stillwater may really feel lonesome for Barry Sanders. The Cowboys are five-and-a-half point favorites. This is the one you’ll have to pick for yourself. But a sure-fire gimme is Arkansas at Ole Miss. Although the Hogs are favored by just over a touchdown, Razorback fans would be calling more than just hogs if Ken Hatfield lost this one. Somehow, as the line indicates, this game is billed as some sort of significant matchup. Right. Give the seven-and-a-half, give seven more if you’re feeling generous, and prepare yourself for the Rebel’s first blemish on their present 3-0 record. Another gimme, and a pick against the line, is Rice vs. Southwestern Louisiana. You should clip this for your scrapbook. It’s probably going to be a long time before Rice is favored twice in the same season. It’s billed as a battle of QB’s. USE quarterback Brian Mitchell was one of two signal callers in Division I-A to run for 200 yards and pass for 200 yards in the same game last year. Rice’s Donald Hollas is averaging 272 yards in total offense this year. So what? One of his two games was against SMU. Look for the Rajin’ Cajuns to outquick the Owls. And finally, we conclude with the surest thing since an inebriated S.B. — Texas at SMU. Okay, stop it with the snide commentary. We all know what’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of how bad it will happen. And don’t even suggest a repeat of last week. The line is 39 points. How can you predict how bad a rout will be, though? What the heck, give the points. That way it’ll hold your interest for at least three quarters. mO Speat isom, t trea: ^ an: HC.I lublit :rs ait tiont :ntli! place, mdii reals Is will :nt c Molt id tli lyspe .ey ns tt| micf stmt ve (■ sod irf ,prf boil wit: dc* bn r ever choi :e»‘' ider lit' vd Hi! les; 0i MS nafc idft id al* ess wN )r? r. c \m What’s New ► ►►►►►►►►►►► ON-CAMPUS ? AshtonTate® Software is Now Available at Educational Prices, This year you’ll want to do three things — achieve, achieve, achieve! And now AshtonTate can help you with its powerful line of DOS and Macintosh products. As a full-time student, faculty member or administrator you can purchase AshtonTate software on your campus, through the AshtonTate Campus Program, at low educational prices. 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