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Battle-savvy Cajuns prepare
Page 15
Thursday • September 12, 1996
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By Ross Hecox
The Battalion
Facing nationally prominent football
)grams is nothing new for the
iversity of Southwestern Louisiana
dHead Coach Nelson Stokely.
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with the heavily-favored Texas A&M
otball Team on Saturday night in
fayette, La.
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ocation: Lafayette, La.
ounded: 1898
hrollment: 17,000
Coach: Nelson Stokley
Colors: Red and White
Stadium: Cajun Field, Seats
1,000 natural turf
1995 record: 6-5
Lettermen returning: 45
ettermen lost: 23
Returning starters: 14
Titles won: Two Big West
Conference titles
Photo Courtesy Of The USL Sports Information Department
Cajun senior quarterback Jake Delhomme has passed for 6,315 yards and 44
touchdowns in his career.
Auburns, the Tennessees and the
A&Ms,” Stokely said. “So it’s nothing
new for us. Any time you play that kind
of competition, it’s good for your pro
gram and your players. It gives you a
certain amount of exposure.”
The Ragin’ Cajun’s first game of the 1996
season was a 55-21 loss Aug. 31 at the
hands of the University of Florida. Stokely
said A&M will be no less of a challenge.
"|A&M] is much more physical than
Florida,” he said. “They’re very physical
defensively. They’ve got great talent on
the defensive side of the football.”
Senior quarterback Jake Delhomme
said the Wrecking Crew defense will be
difficult to overcome.
"I don’t see any weaknesses in their
defense, especially in their front seven,”
Delhomme said. “Naturally 1 would like a
lot of protection. [The offensive linemen!
know they're going against a great task, and
we want them to just do their own job, you
know, mow their own grass.”
Stokely said he does not think the
A&M secondary, after its poor showing
against Brigham Young University, will
be a weakness.
“They have some inexperience in the
secondary,” he said. “But I think over the
last three weeks since BYU, they’ve
improved in that area.
“I don’t expect us to just go into the
game and move the football, so when
we get the opportunity, we’ve got to put
points on the board. We need to execute
much better offensively and take care of
the football.”
Delhomme, who threw for 213 yards,
two touchdowns and four interceptions
against the Gators, said the team is trying
to minimize its turnovers, something that
proved to be its demise two weeks ago.
The Gators’ defense scored four touch
downs off of USL’s six giveaways.
“The score could have been much
closer [without the turnovers],”
Delhomme said. “Cutting down on
turnovers has been our focal point. We
need to really play error-free ball, then
we feel like we can go in there and play
good football.”
USL will no doubt rely on Delhomme
to lead the team against the Aggies. His
6,315 career passing yards and 44
touchdowns have already found their
place in the Cajun record books.
USL will also feature senior tailback
Kenyon Cotton and sophomore wide
receiver Brandon Stokely, who is the son
of head coach Stokely. Cotton, who is
one of the largest tailbacks in the nation
at 6 feet and 259 pounds, rumbled for 82
yards on 20 carries against Florida.
Stokely motored to 122 yards on eight
receptions against the Gators. Last sea
son, he caught 75 passes for 1,121 yards
and nine touchdowns, making him the
most prolific freshman receiver in col
lege football history.
The Cajuns are not only concerned
about what A&M can do defensively, but
senior strong safety Damon Mason said
USL must be prepared for the Aggie’s
multi-dimensional offensive attack.
“They have strong running backs, so
we can’t miss any tackles,” Mason said.
“All their running backs are capable of
making long plays. [A&M] is also a good
passing team, so we have to be prepared
for the pass as well.”
“They have a balanced mix of the run
and the pass,” Stokely said. “When you
can rush for 250-plus yards and throw for
230, it makes it very difficult to hone in on
any particular area and stop it. WeTl tiy to
use our speed and quickness.”
Stokely said Aggie junior quarterback
Branndon Stewart will be tough to stop.
“He’s an outstanding player,” he said.
“There was a lot of pressure on him to
perform in the first game. Now he’s
going to be much more relaxed through
the rest of the season.”
USL should not be totally helpless
against the Aggie offense. Seven
starters return to a defense that ranked
19th in the nation last year [18th in
pass defense, 20th against the run]. The
three linebackers, all returning
starters, are considered to be the
strength of the defense.
Senior Pat Brennan plays the middle
position, senior Kelcy Dotson is in the
weak slot, and sophomore Chucky
Woodall patrols the strong-side. Mason
started every game last season and
recorded a total of 88 tackles.
Mason said A&M will probably be
looking to dominate after its loss to BYU.
“They’re going to come out here and
play smash-mouth football,” Mason
said. “[After the BYU game] they’re
going to have something to prove.”
Delhomme said the game is attract
ing much attention and will benefit the
Ragin’ Cajuns.
“It will probably be the biggest crowd
ever here at USL,” he said. “I’m a firm
believer that the tougher the competi
tion, the better you’re going to play.
We’re doing that by playing A&M.”
Cajun Field, which has a capacity of
31,000, is expecting the largest crowd in
its history, but Stokely said USL will be
ready to play.
“We’re not going to be intimidated,”
Stokely said. “It doesn’t do us any good
just to play [big programs], we have to
play well against them.”
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5 homore Amy Stanberry trains by running
^ys a week at 6 a.m.
By Colby Gaines
The Battalion
F or many A&M students, the morning consists
of a quick breakfast before darting off to class.
But for Amy Stanberry, a sophomore cross
country runner, sunrise starts in a rather unortho
dox fashion — to a fartlek and the sound of “Hurts
So Good” ringing in her mind.
Six days a week, Stanberry begins at 6 a.m. with
practices including tempo runs (sustaining a race
pace for four to six miles), long runs (around ten
miles), and fartleks (alternating hard runs with rest
periods over increasing intervals of time). In her
weekly trek, she completes nearly 50 miles.
Stanberry said running at the crack of dawn is
an unusual experience.
“Getting up is hard,” Stanberry said. “I mean,
we’re out there running with the stars. It’s so
strange that sometimes it feels like something is
wrong. But it really gets the day going.”
Stanberry said that although she may not live a
normal lifestyle, she has grown accustomed to it.
“I like challenges — anything that is put before
me that I don’t think I can do, I like to prove that I can
handle it,” Stanberry said. “I feel like I have purpose
when I run. And I think the reason I’ve been able to
do well is because I’ve stayed so focused.
“When the year begins, I don’t take naps or
watch TV. Some people tell me they live off naps
and they watch TV all day. But for me, (this way) is
all I’ve ever known.”
After being forced to redshirt last season
because of a stress fracture in her foot, Stanberry is
set to lead the women on the Texas A&M Cross
Country Team in 1996. The sophomore was the
Lady Aggies’ No. 2 runner last season behind two-
time All-Southwest Conference runner Shannon
Etchberger before the injury. She also placed in the
top 11 at all three meets in which she competed.
Considering she runs 3.1 miles at each cross
country meet, it is not surprising Stanberry says
the sport is physically demanding.
“There are some workouts that I’ll be thinking,
‘Why am I doing this?,”’ Stanberry said. “My body
cannot do this. But that is the cool thing about run
ning — when you’re done, you think, Wow! It’s kind
of like that song ‘Hurts So Good.’ You’re body hurts,
but it’s kind of a natural high.”
At Stratford High School in Houston, Stanberry
began running four miles a day on her own to
complement her basketball and volleyball work
outs. She said upon hearing of her routine, the
head track coach asked her to run in the next
junior varsity track meet.
“I never thought I’d run cross country, but I always
thought I could do it,” Stanberry said. “Well, (at the
first meet) I won first place.”
See Stanberry, Page 17
Senior netter’s leadership, experience
has teammates looking up to her
By Sara Duesing
The Battalion
W hen defining the word
leader, the image of an
outgoing, daring and
vocal individual may come to
mind. However, members of the
1996-1997 Texas A&M Women’s
Tennis Team use a different
description of the word.
The team’s perception of a
leader falls into the character of
its team captain, senior Nancy
Dingwall. If the team’s description
of her as a laid back, easy going
and responsible person does not
convince people of her leadership
ability, witnessing Dingwall in
action on the court just might.
The senior finished the 1995-
1996 season ranked No. 85 nation
ally, and was named All-SWC in
singles with a 5-2 record in the
conference’s final season.
Dingwall also had tremendous
success last season competing
with recently graduated doubles
partner Wilson Pate. The duo fin
ished the season ranked No. 28
nationally and also was named
All-SWC in doubles, finishing 6-1
in conference play.
Dingwall said being a leader
has not always been something
she has pursued.
“I’ve never been one to step
ahead of the group and lead
everyone,” Dingwall said. “I did
my own thing, and found that
people were going along with it.”
Women’s Tennis Head Coach
Bobby Kleinecke said Dingwall is
a leader by example.
“She is the quiet type of
leader,” Kleinecke said. “She does
her job and encourages others to
do theirs. She sparks this team
and really strives to achieve the
goals she sets.”
A key component to
Dingwall’s success is her intense
mental and physical preparation
for a competition.
“I have to clear everything out
of my mind before a match,” she
said. “I try to focus on my oppo
nent, how they play and then
form a strategy.
Photo Courtesy of TAMU Sports Information Department
Senior Nancy Dingwall and her partner last season Wilson Pate
lost to the University of Florida in the NCAA Finals.
“I have to start out with a
strong mentality or I’ve already
lost. It’s really hard to come back
with the right attitude in the mid
dle of a game.”
Kleinecke said Dingwall is an
easy player to coach.
“Nancy has a great focus,”
Kleinecke said. “She knows what
she needs to do and doesn’t need a
whole lot of coaching. When you
put her out there on the court, you
know just what you’re going to get.”
Naming Dingwall as the team’s
captain was not a difficult deci
sion for Kleinecke.
“She is a great leader, on and
off the court,” Kleinecke said.
“Nancy is at the top of the lineup,
and in her fourth year of play, so
the others automatically look up
to her.”
Entering her final year of colle
giate play, Dingwall has again set the
same goal for herself and the team
— to make it to the NCAA finals.
See Dingwall, Page 17