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Friday, October 27,1989
The Battalion
Page 11
Kevin Smith drives Aggie defense
Sophomore defensive back
eyes A&M interception record
By Richard Tijerina
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M sophomore cor-
nerback Kevin Smith Figures he’d
look pretty good behind the wheel of
a Porsche.
Smith remembered the day when
he was a skinny freshman, talking to
former A&M graduate assistant Tim
Lewis. Lewis told him it almost was
impossible to have 20 interceptions
in four years.
Lewis said he’d give his Porsche to
Smith if he did. That was one year
and eight interceptions ago.
Smith looked the other day at the
wall in the Aggie locker room that
lists career school records, and saw
he was only six interceptions short of
Lester Hayes’ all-time mark. Then
he realized he still has almost two-
and-a-half years left at A&M.
“If I get it, it’ll be a great accom
plishment, but right now I’m just
trying to help us win,” Smith said.
“If I do those things, the records will
come.”
If he keeps on going the way he
has been playing. Smith just might
be All-Everything by the time he
graduates. He leads the team in in
terceptions and has posted 24
tackles, 17 of those unassisted.
Not too bad, considering Smith
never thought he’d play this early in
his career. But the sophomore had a
large amount of playing time in
1988 as a true freshman, and Coach
R.C. Slocum, then A&M’s defensive
coordinator, credited Smith’s confi
dence for the amount of games he
played in.
But starting a game and playing as
much as he did was too much for
even Smith to have hoped for. He
had two interceptions in 1988.
“I didn’t expect to play at all,”
Smith said. “Physically, I didn’t think
Iwas able. I was maybe 150 pounds
at the most. A&M was coming off a
Cotton Bowl year and they had a lot
of talent, but I wanted to go to a
team that was a winner.
“I knew during recruiting that
going to a team that was a winner
would make it harder for me to play.
But playing as a freshman was really
more than I expected”
It’s a wonder that Smith is even
playing here at all. He led his West
Orange-Stark team to consecutive
state championships in 1986-87, and
other schools that wanted him, in
cluding Louisiana State and Okla
homa, started talking to him during
hisjunior year.
A£'M didn’t bother sending him a
letter until halfway through his se
nior year.
“I really wasn’t recruited by A&M
until late,” he said. “They didn’t start
recruiting me until after the state
championship game (in mid-Decem
ber, 1987). After that, I scheduled a
visit. I’d always wanted to go to
A&M. I was in love with the Kevin
Murray era there.”
What Smith probably fell more in
love with was the Aggies’ style of de
fense, which allowed defensive backs
to cover wide receivers in man-to
man coverage. All the other schools
Smith visited wanted him as a wide
receiver, but Smith said playing
man-to-man is where his heart is.
“I liked the style of play that A&M
uses on defense — man-to-man cov
erage with the blitz up front,” he
said. “That’s what I love —just me
and the guy I’m covering. I figure he
can’t beat me, and if he does he’s
right there in front of me.”
Receivers haven’t had many
chances to beat Smith, though. Ever
since Bobby Jack Goforth caught a
touchdown pass over him in 1988,
Smith hasn’t given up a passing
touchdown.
That streak seemed unlikely to
continue in 1989, as A&M played
Houston and its high-scoring, long-
throwing Run-and-Shoot offense.
The Aggies shut UH Heisman Tro
phy candidate Andre Ware down
and won 17-13. Smith said it was his
most fun game of the year.
“We played man the whole game,”
Smith said. “Some people don’t like
to play it because you get tired of
playing it every down, but I love it.
You have to be fearless.
“Eventually, I’ll get beat, but
there’s a difference between getting
beat and getting burned.”
Getting beat’s been something the
Aggie secondary have spent too
much time doing this season, much
to Slocum’s chagrin. Going into the
season, Slocum said this year’s sec
ondary, with Smith and Mickey
Washington at cornerbacks and
Gary Jones and Larry Horton at
safeties, would be one of the strong
est A&M’s ever had.
But so far, the Aggies have been
burned by the long play. A&M is
ranked seventh in pass defense in
the Southwest Conference, giving
up 205.1 yards a game. The only
SWC team to have given up more
passing touchdowns than A&M is
Southern Methodist.
“We have to stick to the funda
mentals,” Smith said. “We’re making
the big plays and we’re catching peo
ples’ eyes, but when you look at the
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
Just as Kevin Smith pressured Jamie Gill in the Texas Tech
game, he hopes to put the heat on Donald Hollas Saturday.
statistics, they threw lor 250 yards
passing. We’ve had injuries. But
we’ve got some great guys back there
with a lot of athletic ability.
“We’re 5-2 and on our way to the
Cotton Bowl if we win the rest of our
games, so at the end we can start
asking questions (about our perfor
mance). It’s not where you start, it’s
where you finish.”
The Aggies are on their way to a
better finish than 1988’s 7-5 record.
In a turbulent season that saw
NCAA probation and the resigna
tion of their head coach, the Aggies
were hurt in the recruiting season.
But when Smith was recruited, the
Aggies reigned supreme in the
SWC. They were the three-time con
ference champions, and Smith was
attracted to A&M’s winning tradi
tion.
“I wanted to be able to win eight
or nine games a year. I’m not saying
I’m spoiled, but in reality I am. I
wanted to go to a winning program
with a bunch of great athletes. It
really helped me compete more.
“At A&M, another guy might
come in next year and will make me
work harder.”
Slocum said his sophomore cor-
nerback’s pride is the motivating fac
tor in his play.
“Kevin has great personal pride.
That might be the single most im
portant quality in a player. He’s sin
cerely concerned about being able to
say, ‘It’s not going to be my guy who
beats us.’ He thinks he’s good, but he
also takes pride in his work.
“He can’t stand to not to do it
right. He will be a great player for us
if he stays healthy.”
It’s a long road ahead for Smith
before his career at A&M is over. If
he does avoid injury, he’ll be remem
bered as one of the best cornerbacks
the Aggies have had. Smith’s got the
drive. Now all that’s missing is the
Porsche.
Giants lose Reuschel as Series resumes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — World Series game
3 is tonight and already the San Francisco Giants,
down 2-0 to Oakland, are in more trouble. Rick
Reuschel will not be able to start the fourth game
because of a sore shoulder.
"Wejust have to wait and see. It’s a day-to-day
thing,” Giants manager Roger Craig said.
Reuschel, hit hard in losing Game 2, was
tagged in the right shoulder by a line drive in bat
ting practice Tuesday.
Don Robinson, one of several San Francisco
pitchers hurt this season, will take Reuschel’s
place. Robinson has not started since Sept. 25 be
cause of a bad knee and has pitched just 13 1-3
innings since Sept. 3.
“If things keep going on like this, Dave Dra-
vecky and Mike Krukow will be our starters,”
Robinson said.
Scott Garrelts will oppose Oakland ace Dave
Stewart on Friday in a rematch of Game 1 start
ers, ending the series-record 11-day layoff
caused by an earthquake. Mike Moore, a winner
in Game 2, will start for the Athletics on Saturday-
evening.
Clear skies, light winds and temperatures in
the low 60s are forecast for the Games 3 and 4.
There is a chance of rain for Game 5, if one is
played. If the series goes back to Oakland, the
weather might be a problem. The Rolling Stones,
however, will not be.
The Athletics, the Oakland Coliseum and the
rock group worked out a compromise that will al
low the World Series to continue as planned de
spite a schedule conflict.
The Rolling Stones have sold 120,000 tickets
for concerts at the Coliseum on Nov. 4-5, and
their contract allows them to move into the sta
dium five days earlier to set up their massive
stage. Should the World Series go back to Oak
land, that would’ve been a problem.
■ pi , , .
that the Rolling Stones agreed to move back their
concerts a day if the World Series needs Game 7
on Nov. 1. If so, the group, the Athletics and the
Coliseum will together absorb the overtime con
struction costs.
fu k-
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TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
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IS HAVING AN
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