Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1996)
The Battalion kup WEDNESDAY August 7, 1 996 Page 3 Ik A&M Football After enduring a stressful 1995 s Aggies are taking '96 one day at in Training vd Brandon Mitchell share All an aspirations and a desire to win Pat James, Tiitk are being in> don’t lookta but the air } t." will beco:.. ie beginr. ster. :o wii; the studyk of Georgi’ edicine sai:* ce that "cfri< similar to ( type of virefc 'or some tel' or risk of si studies likeri 5 different:.* ordinary" : least two,:'! mital warts. i“ 1 to HPVncf i said til Terent typ; specimens Stew Milne, The Battalion Freshman wide receiver Shannon Crenshaw pulls in a pass on Fri day morning. F ollowing four busy days of full-squad workouts, several |,lines Fowler, S : i' d & TaumaWif anor, James fW Hecox, Ray ?ly, Michael He David RedilSf Gwendolyn Slrt' Fom Day in the Division as- 2647 attalion. Forcaraf" i4)569. AdvdWtl* riday. Fax:84S-2l'i ogle copy d II* ^ o charge by VIW * ill and spring ss®; ty holidays and f'‘ i, TX 77840. A&M University. ;tch ollars! I FOR A INS E LION! players and coaches on the Texas A&M Football Team have reached a consensus — the pressure is off, but the ex citement is back. Unlike last season, the Ag gies do not have lofty predic tions and expectations to live up to. But, they do have a lot to look forward to. “Everyone is excited because we’re coming into a new confer ence,” senior comerback Donovan Greer said. “This year has a re laxed atmosphere. For the most part, [practice] has been great.” A&M defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said he has been pleased with his players’ performance dur ing summer two-a-days. “I’ve been very pleased with the effort and in tensity, and with the reten tion (of plays and forma tions) we’ve had,” Bennett said, “We’ve been able to get into our defen sive package early. The players are excited about the season and the expectations are to be the best we can be.” For several returning Aggie players, two-a-day experience has had its advantages. Aggie sophomore running back Sirr Parker and sophomore in side linebacker Dat Nguyen said they are more confident this year as opposed to last season, when they were both newcomers. ‘Tve got a year under my belt now,” Parker said. “I’m more confident now in my ability.” Defensive backs coach Larry Slade said the team is high-spir ited because most of the players have had a year of experience. The returners have not only gained confidence in themselves through that experience, but they have also gained confidence in their teammates. “We (running backs) look real good compared to last year,” Parker said. "Everyone is hun gry and ready to play. No matter who you put in the game, the job is going to get done.” Greer said the defensive backs are striving to be one of the top secondaries in the nation. “We will be one of the best secondaries whether we have young players or older players,” Greer said. Greer also said he is confident about his health after coming off major knee surgery in the spring and is excited to be playing foot ball this season. “Overall, it’s been feeling great,” Greer said. “It’s a lot better than I anticipated. All I have to do is continue strength ening it and wait for the sore ness to leave.” "Who doesn't want to win a national championship? That is still our ultimate goal, but (this year) we're just taking it one game at a time." — DONOVAN GREER A&M senior comerback The pressure is off this season for the Aggies. There are no dis tracting infatuations with Sun Devil Stadium or the media’s constant questions about a na tional championship. "Last year (during the presea son) we were ranked third, and a lot of pressure was on us,” Greer said. “Now we’re just focusing on BYU. Who doesn’t want to win a national championship? That is still our ultimate goal, but now we’re just taking it one game at a time.” By Ross Hecox By Colby Gaines The Battalion Stew Milne, The Battalion Junior quarterback Branndon Stewart inherits the job as the top signal caller for the 1996 Aggies. August Graduates: Don’t Miss The Action! From Bulldogs and Buffaloes To Red Raiders and Sooners By joining the 12th Man Foundation you won’t miss any action. With your 1st year’s complimentary membership, you will receive a subscription to the 12th Man Foundation’s new full-color sports magazine, 12th Man Magazine. With the subscription, you can catch the opening kick-off against BYU and follow the Aggies all the way to St. Louis for the Big 12 Championship game. Join the 12th Man Foundations “New Grad” Program * First year complimentary membership (a $100 value) Additional benefits include: * insulated mug or long-distance phone card V 12th Man lapel pin * personalized donor card ^ option for tickets at Aggie football games ^ 12th Man Window decal * subscription to 12th Man Magazine MAN! lul For more information, come by the 12th Man Foundation office in the Koldus Building, room 109 or call 846-8892 T hey come from vastly dif ferent backgrounds, but they share a few things in common — a winning desire, the will to be the best and the same last name. But this season, Brandon and Keith Mitchell could share some thing even bigger — All-Ameri can status. Brandon, a two-year starting defensive end for A&M and win ner of the 1995 Walter Camp All-American Award, is project ed to earn All-American honors again this season. Defensive line coach Bill John son said Brandon is an experi enced and spectacular player. "He is one of the best at A&M,” Johnson said. "He gained a starting position early on be cause he made big plays. Since then, he's been working very hard to get better.” Keith, a two-year starting outside linebacker and the De fensive Most Valuable Player of the 1995 Alamo Bowl, is expect ed to be the next A&M All-Amer ican at that position. A&M outside linebacker coach Shawn Slocum said Keith is al ready one of the greatest lineback ers ever to play for the Aggies. “He’ll rank with the best line backers we’ve ever had, includ ing Aaron Wallace, John Roper and (Marcus) Buckley," Slocum said. "He’s a productive guy, a playmaker and a force for offens es to deal with.” Last season, the Aggies were ranked No. 3 in the pre-season AP Poll and there was talk of a national championship. Howev er, it is a much different story this fall, as A&M begins the year with modest rankings and a new conference. Brandon said team unity is the key to avoiding the early-season letdowns that spoiled A&M’s championship hopes last year. “We have to play together — as a team,” Brandon said. “Last year, there was a lot of pres sure of trying to live up to ex pectations. Every week, we would be wondering what everyone was thinking. But this Stew Milne, The Battalion Freshman running back Dante Hall works on blocking drills with run ning backs coach Ken Rucker on Saturday morning. year, we just have to come out and prove ourselves.” Brandon said the Aggies’ lack of challenging competition in the past allowed for lackluster perfor- m a n c e ; however, he said there will be no room for error play ing in the new con ference. "Last year, we played down to opponents like TCU and SMU,” Brandon said. “This year, we’ll be playing top-ranked teams. So we’ll have to play well every game.” With the return of fellow line men Edward Jasper, Brad Crow ley and Pat Williams, Mitchell said the Aggie defensive front should be tough. “We should be really good,” Brandon said. "Last year, we did n’t take care of the little things like not jumping offsides. But in practice, the coaches have been stressing working on those.” "Last year, there was a lot of pressure of trying to live up to expectations. But this year, we just have to come out and prove ourselves." — BRANDON MITCHELL , senior defensive end Johnson said if his players stay healthy and play smart football, success is imminent. “They can be as good as they want to be,” Johnson said. “When you have a group of NFL con tenders who’ve played together for a couple of years, the results See Mitchells, Page 4 Messina Hof’s Harvest Futiun Starts This Weekend This could be the best party you’ll have all summer. Fuuun Saturdays & Sundays Your fuuun day could start with a stroll in the vineyards, grape picking and stomping (sign your T-shirt with your feet), a delicious European Harvest Luncheon feast and a Wine &Food Pairing Seminar. Plus fuuun free tours and wine tastings all day. Don’t miss the fuuun of Harvest. Reservations or more info, call the Harvest Hotline at 778-9463. Sunset Concerts: Just $7 This Saturday night, enjoy the polka music & the family fun of The Combinations... a big hit on the Austin music scene. Imagine the romance, the vineyard view, the sunset, the starry night. Music starts at 8 p.m. and you can get it all for only $7. ($8/Gate) $4 for kids under 12. More info or reservations, call Designer Events’ Harvest Hotline at 778-9463. Improvisational Comedy 4tctt Cove youi Saturday, Aug. 10 Dixie Theater in downtown Bryan 10 p.m. $5 at the door