Page 7
Friday • September 1 3, 1 996
ggies looking for
Stew Milne, The Battalion
Jphomore wide receiver Donte Hawkins cuts
d against BYU in the Pigskin Classic.
By Tom Day
The Battalion
Bring it on.
After waiting patiently for three long
weeks since its embarrassment at
Brigham Young University, the Texas
A&M Football Team is ready to redeem
itself Saturday in Lafayette, La., against
an explosive University of Southwestern
Louisiana squad.
Like BYU, the Ragin’ Cajuns are a
pass-oriented team, but the well-rest
ed Aggies have no fears. They are just
anxious to show the rest of the college
football world that the Wrecking Crew
is far from dead.
A&M Head Coach R.C. Slocum said
the team could benefit from playing and
shutting down USL’s touted air attack.
“I think it’s positive that we’re [play
ing] another team that their plan of
attack is to pass,” Slocum said. “They
may try to run a little bit more than
BYU, but if I had to guess, I would say
they are going to take some shots at
our secondary and try to test us.
“I think we’ve made some progress
(in practice), but we’ll know how much
after the game.”
Since BYU torched the Aggies for
536 passing yards and six touchdowns
in their Pigskin Classic match up Aug.
24, the A&M defense has had a lot of
time to pick up the pieces — maybe
too much time.
After three weeks of practicing, the
redemption in Lafayette
team is ready to get into a groove of play
ing every week and develop a rhythm.
A&M outside linebacker Keith
Mitchell said he is ready to silence
the critics who have berated the
team recently.
“People have been asking what’s
wrong with the team,” Mitchell said.
“That wasn’t the real Wrecking Crew
(against BYU) and that’s not how we
play. It’s been a rough three weeks, and
I’m ready to play.”
A&M senior cornerback Andre
Williams said the Aggie secondary is
prepared to bounce back from its per
formance in Provo.
“We’re just going to look at [the game]
as a motivational thing,” Williams said.
“We’ve been working real hard and we’re
hungry. The tradition of the Wrecking
Crew is going to live on, and that’s what
we’re anxious to show.”
The A&M defense will have its work
cut out for it against the potent USL
offense. The Cajuns ranked No. 20
nationally last year in total offense and
the team managed to rack up 213 pass
ing yards in its 55-21 loss to the
University of Florida two weeks ago.
USL quarterback Jake Delhomme
leads the Cajun attack. The senior
has 6,315 career passing yards and 44
touchdowns.
“He is a good competitor,” A&M
Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett said.
“His freshman year, they weren’t doing
much on offense. So they started him and
they went on to win the Big West.”
Delhomme’s favorite targets are wide
outs Donald Richard and Brandon
Stokely. Richard caught 38 passes for 777
yards and five touchdowns last season,
while Stokely’s 75 receptions for 1,121
yards and nine touchdowns in 1995
made him the most prolific freshman
receiver in NCAA history.
A&M also cannot forget USL tail
back Kenyon Cotton. The senior ran for
82 yards against the Gators.
“Their scheme is similar to a lot of
teams we’ll play in that they run multi
ple formations with a lot of one-back
sets,” Slocum said. “They know what
they’re doing. They’ll be calling the
right plays and doing the right things
for their personnel.”
With the focus being placed on the
A&M defense recently, Aggie quarter
back Branndon Stewart and the
offensive unit have been lost in the
shuffle. Stewart passed for 232 yards
and two touchdowns in Provo as the
Aggies racked up 489 total yards
against the Cougars.
“It felt good that I had a pretty
strong performance (against BYU),”
Stewart said. “But I had a fumble at the
end of the game and I had a couple of
bad passes that could have been key
first downs that may have turned into
points. You look at the positives and
learn from the negatives and go on.
“I was anxious to play. I had waited
for so long, and it felt good to get out
there and get the game under my belt.
I felt pretty comfortable after a couple
of plays.”
Despite putting 37 points on the
board against the Cougars, Stewart
said the Aggie offense is capable of a
lot more.
“We had a couple of opportunities in
the BYU game where we stopped our
selves,” Stewart said. “If we could have
taken advantage of those things and
executed well enough, we could have
put at least 14 more points on the board.
Hopefully we’ve worked through those
things in practice and we’ll be able to
perform better against USL.”
A&M wide receiver Aaron Oliver is
probable to play after recovering from a
hamstring injury suffered at BYU.
However, center Koby Hackradt is still
questionable with a preseason knee injury.
Saturday’s 7 p.m. game marks a
homecoming of sorts for a pair of
Aggies. Senior defensive end Brandon
Mitchell was raised in Abbeville, La.,
just a few miles from Lafayette.
Slocum was born in Oakdale, La.,
and played football at McNeese State
from 1964-67, facing USL all four
years he was there.
“I’ve got a lot of friends coming out of
the bayous for the game,” Slocum said.
“Before the game we reminisce about
our friendship, but just before they leave
they invariably say, ‘By da way, I’m
pulling for the Cajuns.’ They’re pretty
honest about their true loyalties."
UNDER FIR]
espite losing starting role, Williams ready
ohelp Aggie secondary get back on track
By Matt Mitchell
The Battalion
&M senior cornerback
Andre Williams knows a
.little something about
Itessure playing for the Texas
l&M Football Team. Pressure for
}illiams is having the expecta
tions of his coaches, family and
teammates following him day
and night.
That pressure comes from
knowing that a position and the
responsibilities it entails is a key
to the team’s success. Standing 10
feet off the line of scrimmage, a
few yards away from a man who
Rachel Redington, The Battalion
nior cornerback Andre Williams is looking to regain the form he
owed in last December's Alamo Bowl victory over Michigan.
knows exactly where he is going,
which is straight to the end zone
unless Williams can stop him —
that is pressure.
All this happens while a legion
of football-crazed fans roars in the
stands while playing in front of a
nationwide television audience.
Following the worst perfor
mance of an Aggie defense in
school history against BYU three
weeks ago, times have been tough
for the Wrecking Crew, the sec
ondary in particular.
The inexperienced A&M defen
sive backfield has taken the heat
lately, and Williams has been right
in the middle of it. It has been a
bumpy road for the senior since
last season.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 178-pound
Sherman native battled a nagging
knee injury for much of the 1995
season, which for a cornerback
can make a huge difference in
coverage ability, something
Williams considers one of his
greatest strengths.
Off-season knee surgery
helped him regain the athleticism
that he lost to the injury.
“I’m better than last year as far
as mobility,” Williams said. “I was
limited a lot last year with all the
tape on my knee, but the surgery
really helped and I’m back to 100
percent. I don’t have any worries
going into a game about my knee.”
Despite the injury in 1995,
Williams was responsible for per
haps the most exciting play in the
Aggies’ Alamo Bowl victory over
Michigan. With time running down
in the fourth quarter and the
Wolverines driving for a potential
game-winning score, Williams
See Williams, Page 10
A former walk-on, Coady has assumed a
major role on the reeling Aggie defense
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
R ichard Coady III was ending an eight-year NFL
playing career with the Chicago Bears just a
year before his son Rich Coady IV was born. So
it comes as no surprise that Coady, born with foot
ball in his blood, has followed in his father's footsteps
as a defensive back on the Texas A&M Football Team.
Coady’s ascent to the starting strong safety role for
the Aggies can be described as a Cinderella story.
After graduating from J.J. Pearce High School in
Dallas, Coady came to Aggieland without a football
scholarship and little chance to play the game he
loved to play. But the determined safety refused to
end his football career at the high school level.
Coady made the A&M team his freshman year as a
walk-on in 1994, but spent the season learning the
Aggie defense as a redshirt. While Coady waited in
the wings, he was able to observe a talented sec
ondary which boasted such players as current NFL
cornerback Ray Mickens.
“Ray was confident in his abilities and skills as a
player,” Coady said. “I've tried to copy his style by
just being confident in my abilities any time I step
out onto the field.”
Coady also had the chance to observe former
standout free safety Dennis Allen.
“I took a lot from Allen,” Coady said. “I saw the
way he studied the films and his smart play on the
field. I’m just trying to do the same.”
After a year of observing the Aggies’ defensive
scheme, Coady made an immediate impact during
his first year of eligibility last season. He posted 23
tackles in 11 games, including 12 solo stops. He post
ed a season-high 10 tackles against the University of
Colorado.
After an impressive freshman season, A&M Head
Coach R.C. Slocum awarded Coady a scholarship. But
the accolades didn’t stop there. During the offseason
and spring drills, Coady earned a starting role at safety.
“It’s something you think about coming in,”
Coady said. “It’s a goal you set to someday be able to
play, and eventually start.”
Coady continued to showcase his abilities in the
season opener against Brigham Young University. After
a long string of completions by Cougar quarterback
Steve Sarkisian, Coady intercepted a pass and returned
Tim Moog, The Batealion
Sophomore strong safety Rich Coady is looking
to justify his elevation into the starting lineup.
it 64 yards, which set up an A&M touchdown. In addi
tion to the pick, Coady also tallied six tackles.
Aside from the interception and one recovered
fumble, the Wrecking Crew had little else to boast
about. The secondary was picked apart by a strong
BYU passing attack. The front seven was unable to
catch the scrambling Sarkisian, whose scampering
bought time for his receivers to break free.
Slocum said the team knows it will face a formidable
passing attack from quarterback Jake Delhomme and
the University of Southwestern Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
See Coady, Page 10
*ph
i Cent*
ucks. 1
THE BATTALION’S 1996 STAFF PICKS
he Match-ups
5 Iexas A&M at USL
^Michigan at ^Colorado
incinnati at # * 7 Kansas State
State at #21 | owa
4 Kansas at TCU
lylor at Louisville
temphis at Missouri
ulsa at Oklahoma State
14 BYU at Washington
’altimore at Oilers
^ianapolis at Cowboys
uffalo at Pittsburgh
3st Week
iimulative
Tom
Day
Kristina
Buffin
Jamie
Burch
Sara
Duesing
Jeremy
Furtick
Colby
Gaines
Ross
Hecox
Matt
Mitchell
Dennis
Ramirez
Nicole
Smith
CONSENSUS
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M: Aggies come out of hibernation.
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Michigan
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
CL): Buffaloes won't need a Hail Mary this time.
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State
Kansas State: KSU wins Cat fight.
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa
Iowa: Hawkeyes ride out Cyclones.
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas
TCU
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas: Horned Frogs get WAC'ed
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Louisville
Baylor
Baylor
Louisville
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor: Bears clip Cardinals' wings"
Memphis
Missouri
Missouri
Missouri
Missouri
Memphis
Memphis
Memphis
Missouri
Missouri
Missouri: Tigers go walking on Memphis.
OSU
OSU
OSU
OSU
Tulsa
OSU
OSU
OSU
OSU
OSU
OSU: Tulsa downgraded to tropical depression.
BYU
BYU
BYU
Washington
BYU
BYU
BYU
BYU
BYU
BYU
BYU: Cougars gunning for undefeated season.
Oilers
Oilers
Baltimore
Oilers
Baltimore
Oilers
Baltimore
Oilers
Oilers
Baltimore
Oilers: Ravens, Browns, what's the difference?
Cowboys
Indianapolis
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys: Pokes break Colts.
Buffalo
Buffalo
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Buffalo: Bills claim AFC supremacy.
12-0
9-3
7-5
11-1
9-3
9-3
9-3
8-4
9-3
8-4
91-29 Sports Desk knows its football!
12-0
9-3
7-5
11-1
9-3
9-3
9-3
8-4
9-3
8-4
Day goes undefeated, quest for repeat off to good start