Monday • November 21, 1994
Senior class:
four years of
dominance
KIM
MCGUIRE
Guest Columnist
S aturday’s game was a memo
rable one for me, like many of
the other football fans who
watched the Aggies trounce the
Homed Frogs 34-17. But it wasn’t
the win or the No. 8 ranking that
the team finished with that left me
with goosebumps and chills racing
down my spine. It was the introduc
tion of the senior class who finished
their season with the most wins of
any class in Southwest Conference
history and trail only Miami and
Florida State for the most wins
among Division I-A schools.
As the seniors stepped on to the
field shortly before the game to a
thunderous round of applause, I
felt this incredible swell of pride for
the team and the accomplishments
they have made since their arrival
at Aggieland four years ago. Since
many of seniors were redshirted
their freshmen year, some of them
are members of the Class of ‘94 like
myself. I remember my senior year
in high school, reading about the
all-stars who were headed to A&M
just as I would be the next fall. I
even remember seeing some of the
them at Fish Camp, scared fresh
men just like me.
So there they were, all the se
niors who have never lost a game
they played on Kyle Field doing
the Aggie War Hymn for the last
time as football players. But as
my heart soared for these 23 out
standing athletes, I couldn’t help
but feel a little disappointed.
It’s disappointing that the Class
of ‘95 would play the last game of
their collegiate careers on Kyle
Field and not in the Cotton Bowl
like every senior class before them.
It’s disappointing that the seniors
had to end their senior careers on
probation with no television expo
sure, no SWC championship and es
pecially no bowl appearance.
It’s even more disappointing that
one of the big names involved in the
Warren Gilbert “I’ll pay you for
sleeping” fiasco has gone on to an il
lustrious career in the NFL. Greg
Hill, who plays for the Kansas City
Chiefs, is sharing time with Marcus
Allen, while his teammates must
suffer the wrath of the NCAA. Hill
jumped boat early only to leave
players like Rodney Thomas and
Antonio Armstrong to pay the price
of his and three others’ actions.
No one deserves more than the
seniors to get a chance to prove
themselves in a bowl. It’s pretty
much a known fact that Rodney
Thomas is one of the nicest guys
you’ll ever meet and I can’t help but
root for the good guys. Michael
Hendricks, Reggie Graham, Cliff
Groce, Ryan Matthews, and Arm
strong have been impressive players
during their stint at A&M, and it’s
just natural to want them to suc
ceed even more than they already
have. I just can’t help to think a
Cotton Bowl victory would be the
perfect end for a perfect season.
While the University has taken
steps to prevent future Gilbert dis
asters from happening again, what’s
See McGuire/Pg 6
The Battalion • Page 5
Aggie* complete season undefeated
Thomas reaches
3000 career
rushing yards
By Nick Georgandis
The Battalion
The situation almost demanded an
upset.
Texas A&M was coming off two
straight emotional road victories at
Louisville and Texas, and seemed ab
solutely assured of continuing its per
fect record at Kyle Field for its graduat
ing seniors. Texas Christian Universi
ty, on the other hand, still harbored an
outside shot at the Cotton Bowl and had
the one man, Andre Davis, who had
been able to thwart the Aggies’ vaunted
run defense in over a season.
The result? Business as usual as the
Aggies methodically overran the
Horned Frogs 34-17 Saturday, finishing
the season 10-0-1, their first undefeated
season since 1956.
The game ended with TCU driving to
a score and the Aggie defense stopping
the Frogs three times from the two-yard
line Senior linebacker Antonio Arm
strong said the final drive was a fitting
ending to the Aggies’ 1994 campaign.
“Stopping them at the goal line, it kind
of summed up our whole season, “ Arm
strong said. “A stop on fourth down would
have been better(the clock expired while
TCU tried to get off one last play), but we
went out just the way we wanted.”
The Frogs, who needed to defeat
both A&M and Tech on the road to go
to the Cotton Bowl for the first time in
35 years, looked like world-beaters on
the opening drive of the game when
they marched 80 yards in 11 plays to
take a 7-0 lead on a one-yard run by
quarterback Max Knake. But A&M’s
offense answered the Frogs’ challenge,
using up almost six minutes of the
clock on their opening drive and tied
the score on senior Rodney Thomas’
dive into the end zone.
“Our offense did a great job on the first
drive and throughout the game, “ A&M
head coach R.C. Slocum said. “I thought it
was the turning point of the game. I really
don’t care how we move the ball, as long as
we outscore their offense.”
With the touchdown, Thomas tied
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Robyn Calloway/THH BATrAUON
Junior cornerback Ray Mickens dodges a TCU player after intercepting a pass. The Aggies finished the season undefeated.
Darren Lewis’ school record for most
scores in a career with 45. Also during
the drive, Thomas reached 3,000 career
yards exactly on a 15-yard scramble
through the right side.
Although Davis ran for 119 yards,
the most against A&M since Davis ac
cumulated 138 last year, the Aggie de
fense clamped down on the Frogs’ abili
ty to score, limiting them to just three
points in the next two quarters. Arm
strong led the way for the “Wrecking
Crew” in his final collegiate game, ac
counting for seven tackles, including
four for a combined loss of 28 yards, and
the only sack of Knake that the TCU of
fensive line^allowed all afteimoon.
A&M took the lead for good on a 36-
yard Kyle Bryant field goal in the sec
ond quarter, and extended the lead into
double digits when sophomore tailback
Leeland McElroy slashed through the
right side of the Horned Frog defense
for eight yards and a 17-7 lead. During
the 13-play, 80-yard drive, McElroy
rushed six times for 43 yards, en route
to an 83-yard game. McElroy would
add another touchdown on a 27-yard
scamper early in the fourth quarter to
give the Aggies a 31-10 lead.
Although focused on the game at
hand from the opening gun, Slocum
gave the crowd an opportunity to cele
brate the graduating class with just
2:45 left in the game and the Aggies as-
'■ sured of a victory with a 17-point lead.
Slocum called a timedtit and all 23 se
niors stormed on the field as the Kyle
Field scoreboard flashed their truly mo
mentous career marks.
The senior class ended their careers
with 42 wins, tied for the best four-year
total ever. They never lost a game
against an Southwest Conference foe,
finishing with a 29-0-1 mark. They
never lost a game at Kyle Field in four
years, going 24-0-0, and were the first
class at A&M with four 10-win seasons.
“It’s kind of like winning has become
a tradition at A&M, “ senior linebacker
Reggie Graham said. “Our careers are
finished but the younger guys will con
tinue it on. If they play like we know
they can, they’ll continue our accom
plishments and the tradition.”
Pullig s leadership key factor in victory
Robyn Calloway/THE Battalion
Junior quarterback Cory Pullig looks for
a pass during the TCU game, Saturday.
Stewart Doreen
The Battalion
Corey Fhallig did not pick a bad time
to have a really good day.
Texas A&M’s junior quarterback
completed 16 of 28 attempts passing for
224 yards and one touchdown, but his
ability to make the big plays against a
fired-up Texas Christian University de
fense produced scores and the final win
in the undefeated 10-0-1 season.
Down 7-0, Pullig led the Aggies’ of
fense to tie the game. Pullig was in
strumental in keeping the drive alive,
hitting senior Ryan Mathews and se
nior James Mckeehan on third-and-long
situations. Rushing for the other first
down, Pullig went three for three on the
drive that turned into seven points
when Rodney Thomas capped the drive
with a three-yard touchdown run.
“The turning point in the game was
our offense coming back and scoring to
tie the game,” said head coach R.C.
Slocum.
Up 10-7, Pullig hit junior wide receiv
er Chris Sanders for 21 yards on a third
and 12 from the TCU 29-yard line.
Sophomore Leeland McElroy would
score a play later to make the score 17-7.
Up 17-10, Pullig drove the Aggies
down the field on the first series of the
second half. Pullig hit Sanders for 51
yards and for a 25-yard touchdown pass
on successive third and elevens. The
touchdown made the score 24-10 but
more importantly took away any mo
mentum that was left over from the
Frogs’ field goal to end the first half.
Pullig said the improved production
in the passing game is showing off the
capable receiving corps.
“They’ve shown what they could do
this year,” Pullig said. “This offense has
grown into an effective passing game.”
Up 24-10, Fkdlig hit Mathews for 13
yards on a third and 12. To that point
in the game, A&M was seven of 12 in
third-down conversions.
The Aggies would finish the game 10
of 17 on third-down conversions. The
offense would not rack up any more
huge plays. They did, however, run
time off the clock and keep the ball
away from the TCU offense.
“We knew that we’d have to take ad
vantage of every opportunity we’d
have,” Pullig said. “ Their offense is re-
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These lucky students got their pictures taken for the
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ally stingy with the ball.”
What was more impressive about
Pullig’s effort was the ability to make
up for the lull in the ground attack.
Saturday, the Thomas and McElroy
combination rushed for 117 yards (40
yards below their season’s average).
The two were outgained by the Homed
Frogs’ Andre Davis.
“People have overplayed the run,”
Slocum said. “Corey stepped up and
took advantage of that.”
The performance on Saturday might
have settled arguments about the
league’s top signal caller. Fkillig’s play
against the Homed Frogs’ junior quar
terback Max Knake, the conference
leader in most statistical categories, has
people looking for Pullig to get his de
served recognition.
“I’d say Fkdlig is a strong candidate
for the all-conference quarterback,”
Slocum said. The number one ingredi
ent with a quarterback is how he leads
his team to a win. If you measure
Corey on that criteria, he has quarter-
backed his team to undefeated sea
sons. He has made key plays to keep
key drives going.”