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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1993)
X 9,1993 ‘at 8:15 steps, arci at ouse at theran o, call "V to at t. For ter for ent at ure the istmas >.m. in ellow- guest 7 p.m. e info, 83. ?llow- lichael k Rer an the in 156 nation, 1-1477. /il En- g with' io Ro- 0 Civil udent eeting i from adder. II Huy n: To us. T- aken. ■ Tow- n, call eeting ;. For [Tisha >ocia- t 7:30 Place. 1 Eliz- 137. n ser- t stu- 5 and Id be three ssired Jead- not un in ? any l the i >n Sports day, November 9,1993 llame school, Ians for frenzy it Wisconsin 'it football, especially [college foot- ill, rushing * field after [important inis not un- jmmon and isome cases s expected. Itspite the id that Ag es don't run ito Kyle ield after tat games, it a sort of tra- ition around enation. Last year, Texas Christian students uonto the field after beating Texas (the first time in 25 years. Old wsreels show fans running onto icfield after the conclusion of a tegame between rivals like South- uCalifornia and Notre Dame. And isyear there were more incidents. On Halloween weekend Kansas ate and Wisconsin played football ider remarkably similar circum- inces. Both teams played highly inked conference opponents, both id home field advantage, Kansas ite and Wisconsin both upset their jponents, and both student bodies shed the field. This is where the similarities end- 1 Kansas State fans left in euphoria ter celebrating on the field as the Meats beat the Sooners of Okla- ma for the first time in over twenty are. Wisconsin students, too, tried to shthe field after a 13-10 victory ;er Michigan - the first time they id beat the Wolverines in 12 years, itthere was no happy ending at sconsin. As fences and unyielding security ards tried to block the students' I, people in the front of the mob See Clay/Page 8 ROY L. CLAY Sportswriter The Battalion Page 7 Thomas keeps spirit despite low showings Kyle Bumett/THE Battalion A&M junior running back Rodney Thomas dodges a Houston Cougar on his way to help set up for a touchdown. Thomas rushed for 82 yards on 21 carries as he shared playing time with freshman running back Iceland McElroy and junior Greg Hill. Aggie running back sacrifices for team success By Andrew J.A. Tomczeszyn The Battalion As one of the nation's leading rushers, junior Rodney Thomas carries a large load in Texas A&M's top-ranked ground game. That load, however, has become significantly reduced in recent weeks due to the return of junior running back Greg Hill from a five-game suspension and the emergence of talented freshman Leeland McElroy. But Thomas insists he doesn't mind his diminished role. "You have to look at the big picture," Thomas said. "While my carries may have been reduced and my playing time had been reduced, the team is doing well, and we're winning...that's the big pic ture." The "big picture" is that after averag ing over 130 yards in the first four games, Thomas' yards and carries have dropped dramatically averaging less than 61 yards per game, with a season-low 40 yards on 12 carries against Rice University on Oc tober 23. Despite the loss in playing time, Thomas has maintained his "team first" attitude throughout the season. "My role has changed since the begin ning of the season," Thomas said. "I don't get the ball as much, but I'm not the only back in the offense. We're a win ning team no matter who gets the car ries." Offensive coordinator Bob Toledo said Thomas' positive attitude is an admirable quality, but his serene personality can be a disadvantage at times. "He's such a nice kid, we (the coaches) just tell him to hang in there and keep go ing," Toledo said. "He won't say any thing (negative) and we, as coaches, for get about him because he's so quiet. "Sometimes I wish he'd get mad about it." At the start of the season, Thomas was listed among the Heisman Trophy hope fuls. But now, after beginning the season with a 201-yard performance against Louisiana State University and being amongst the nation's leading rushers for the first four games, Thomas currently ranks 20th among the nation's running backs. "If we didn't have such a good back- field, maybe it would be a problem," Thomas said. "But my role has changed, and we have to mix it up to be successful. "I'm still part of the team and all I can do is make the best of what carries I do get, but everyone on this team does what we need to do to be successful - to be a .. . I.v;, .• . .mow 10;. V national championship caliber team." Thomas Aaid he is firm in his belief that the Aggies are still a national cham pionship caliber team. "With other people, like writers and See Thomas/Page 8 TIAA-CREF on SOUND RETIREMENT INVESTING HERE’S WHY THE SMART MONEY IN TEXAS IS GOING WITH TIAA-CREF AS IF THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. 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