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the Southwest Conference all-time
rushing mark held by Dickerson
(4,450 yards in 1979-82).
Ranked third in the nation in rush
ing yards and averaging 136.6 yards
per game, Lewis may just become
No. 1 this weekend against Rice.
But if he doesn’t get the record at
Kyle Field, Lewis figures to get it
next week at SMU’s Ownby Sta
dium.
Despite being from Dallas, Lewis
— known as “Tank” — said he’d
just as soon break the record while in
College Station.
“I don’t want to break it on the
road,” Lewis said. “I would prefer to
break it at home in Aggieland. To
have a guy that plays here and to
break the record, that makes Aggies
feel good, and the team feels good
and it makes me feel good.”
But Lewis said he is more con
cerned with winning the game aginst
(LEFT) A&M tailback Lewis
dp 1990 P
the Owls than with breaking the con
ference record. The Aggies must win
to keep their Cotton Bowl dreams a
reality.
“I’m going to be really focused on
us trying to win the game,” he said.
“That’s what we’ve got to do first.
The yards will come next.”
And if the Aggies execute well,
Lewis would give himself some
strength in the Heisman Trophy
watch.
The 6-0, 213-pound senior al
ready owns or shares 17 A&M and
SWC records and is on the verge of
breaking three more.
Being the offensive bulk for
A&M has put an imaginary bullseye
on Lewis’ chest — just the way he
likes it.
“I’ve been the target for the last
three years I’ve been here,” Lewis
said. “I don’t care if they focus on
me. Our offensive line is still going
to blow them off the line. That’s the
bottom line.”
In A&M’s Oct. 13 battle with
Houston, Lewis carried 21 times for
126 yards and four touchdowns —all
four of the Aggies’ scores — but the
Cougars won, 36-31.
It was A&M’s first SWC loss and
the Aggies failed to capitalize on a
17-7 first-quarter lead. When Baylor
ventured into Kyle Field the next
weekend, A&M managed a tie that
would have been a loss if not for a
59-yard field goal by Layne Talbot.
After the team’s performance in
those two games, A&M’s chances of
a conference championship and Cot
ton Bowl berth may be out of reach.
Lewis agreed that the team needs
to concentrate and play as a unit if it
wants to travel to Dallas Jan. 1.
“It’s frustrating because we know
we can do it,” Lewis said. “We play
good football for a half, and then we
come back out and start slow. Our
tempo has to pick up.
If the Aggies defeat Rice on Satur
day, they’d pull into the second half
of the SWC schedule with a 2-1-1 re
cord. If Lewis rushes for 174 yards,
he heads into the toughest part of the
schedule as the all-time leading
rusher in the conference.
“That’s the best thing anyone
could ask for — to get the record and
win the football game,” Lewis said.
Lewis began the season with
3,321 yards and needed 1,130 to be
come the SWC’s leading rusher. He
ran for 961 yards in 1989 and 668 in
1987, but had his best season in
1988. Lewis, then a sophomore,
rushed for 1,692 yards and was the
nation’s second leading rusher be
hind Oklahoma State’s Barry Sand
ers — the eventual winner of the
Heisman Trophy.
Lewis looked well on his way to
fame in his senior year, but 1989
was a problem.
A combination of weight, injuries
and a inconsistent offensive line kept
the star tailback in check — and out
of Heisman contention.
Lewis’ first step to a trophy sea
son this year was passing Curtis
Dickey, A&M’s all-time leading
rusher. Dickey posted 3,703 yards in
1976-79. Lewis shot out of last
year’s season with 117, 141 and 141
yards in the first three games.
That was just enough to push him
past Dickey during the University of
North Texas game Sept. 22 and be
gin the gradual climb to the top of
the SWC all-time rushing list.
“At the first of the year, I didn’t
realize the fact that I was that close
to breaking anybody’s record. I
didn’t know about passing Dickey
until I got up right on it,” Lewis
said. “It’s the same thing that’s
going on right now. I didn’t know I
needed this many yards to break
Dickerson’s record.”
Lewis said he never could have at
tained record-breaking yardage with
out the play of the offensive line. Se
niors Jason Rockhold, Mike Pappas,
Mike Arthur, Matt McCall and ju
nior Keith Alex block the way for
Lewis to eat up yardage.
“I need to give all the credit to the
offensive line,” Lewis said.
“They’re the ones who put me here
in the first place. They’re the ones
who are opening up the holes for me.
Once they open the holes, then I’m
on my own.”
Sharing the backfield with Lewis
is Robert Wilson. The junior full
back from Houston said he will cele
brate Lewis’ record-breaking career
as a part of it.
“Once he passes Dickerson, as far
as the record goes, everyone in the
country’s going to know that he has
a fullback and an offensive line
blocking for him,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he has confidence in
Lewis’ abilities and his determin
ation to re-establish himself in the
charge for the Heisman.
“Darren’s working hard everyday
in practice,” he said, “I think he’s
starting to see his picture in the Heis
man race.”
A&M head coach R.C. Slocum
said he believes Lewis has become
more serious about his play and Le
wis is becoming a better player every
week.
“He’s running hard,” Slocum
said. “In the last several weeks, he
has run with some authority.”
Lewis running with authority is
definitely a concern for opposing de
fenses. He’s not a player to run
around defenders, he’s a player that
runs through them.
“Darren’s 213 pounds now and
he’s a thick-hipped, thick-legged
type of guy that runs through a lot of
arm tackles,” Slocum said. “He’s
not one of those backs where people
can just reach out and tackle him.”
As a senior, Lewis has just five
games remaining on the A&M team.
Replacements are waiting in the
shadows, but not many can replace a
player who coaches count on when
the team gets in a bind. Not many
can replace a Heisman candidate.
“You miss those guys,” Slocum
said. “You become accustomed to
them just rolling out there, getting
those yards and making it look easy.
Darren gets out there and runs for 10
yards, and it looks like it’s nothing.
It’s his style.”
So the Tank will be let loose Sat
urday against Rice. If the offensive
line and Wilson continue paving the
way for Lewis’ commanding runs,
the road to the Heisman race may be
come a little clearer. And despite a
disappointing junior season, Lewis
may be dusting his mantle for a new
addition. But even if he doesn’t get
it, Lewis won’t mind.
“That’s life — you have a lot of
ups and downs,” Lewis said. “That’s
one of the things you have to go
through with football.
“It’s been a long road.”
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