p« September 1J Tuesday Page 9 September 1 7, 1996 )othl^inl®ss Aggies not in worst of shape LONDON $225 11 is not lost. 1TY, Mo. (AP)- \ Sure, I know his 3,000th can xmost Aggies are ht, becomingli I throwing away er to reach tlit d Kleenexes while todoitwithat ting their hair to er the bare spots left rthree-and-a-half js of hair-pulling irday night — but gs aren’t as bad as seem. orit laugh now, I'm Sportswriter Matt Mitchell Junior journalism major [ous. As hard as it is to even look at the box from A&M s 29-22 bellyflop in the big bowl mho known as Cajun lium, that’s where the silver ngfrom this particular dark id can be found, tfter scanning past the statistics of penalties turnovers, one finds the ensive statistics, which are isiderably more tolerable, n encouraging. The Wrecking Crew jrned to its usual domi- itself against the iversity of Southwestern lisiana after reflecting three weeks on the , reached thepllrld-class carving it ajor league-la lured against Brigham the season, an: ing University. \pparendy, the back-to-the- ics approach during the ond round of Aggie two-a- 'swoke both the Aggies’ mbering pass rush and mright dormant secondary. The Aggie defense limited Cajuns' offense to 248 total rushing yards to USL for an average of 3.1 yards per carry, including only 60 yards by starting running back Kenyon Cotton. In addition to stuffing the run, the defensive line repeatedly penetrated the Cajuns’ backfield to stop plays while they were still in their infancy. The Aggies’ speed and quickness off the line had a great deal to do with their 16 tack les for losses or no gain, for a total of minus 37 yards. Controlling the line of scrimmage allowed the Aggies to force the Cajuns to change their offensive scheme a bit with more running plays being strung out to the sideline. This is where the quick Aggie defenders, led by Dat Nguyen, Warrick e milestone, .ingled in t x 2,999 and ft nit in the fifth, te-field fly ba isas City roote er fielder Rod ier Ion Nunnalt down but slow together, andtii behind them. f a career that Milwaukee. He r with the Twins eammates ran ingratuiate Twins manage ely leaves thedt lions. are plateau in a re got more de up his o is also the first ds, including only 128 pass- yards by highly touted arterback Jake Delhomme. The Cajun signal caller entmore time scrambling than he did in e said. “Therespi E pocket. The defensive line applied con- intpressure, forcing an interception on the st play from scrimmage which Donovan eerreturned to the Cajun 12-yard line to up A&M’s first score. Delhomme was also eked three times for minus 17 yards. TheWrecking Crew surrendered just 120 and the calls that e crowd yesterda not enjoy somei > it at home v# would have beat irio. icrsonal note, I ! ke away from« /ery special mo3 It didn’t hap)* till going to b# g to happen $ iw, and l’m^ini does.” DX from Page i started the itches against Illinois ad Sam Hoas y last weekend d her in SHSU match remainder started in Ai ainst the UnivB while Polak me game. Holdman and Larry Walker II, snuffed them like a bad cigar. While more takeaways would certainly have been welcome, other positives abound. The secondary improved, providing tight coverage and good closure on the ball — something that was sorely missing against BYU. Safety Toya Jones and first-time starting cor- nerback Shun Horn proved themselves by breaking up several passes. Andre Williams also saw significant playing time and made some good plays, which says a great deal about the man’s character after the BYU debacle. A&M Defensive Backs Coach Larry Slade should be commended for reinforcing the fundamentals and improving the communi cation among his defensive backs. If that wasn’t enough good news, the special teams showed more promise than any other time this season. Coverage teams were impres sive, if not spectacular. By preventing long returns on kickoffs and swarming to the ball, the Aggies often left the Cajuns a long way from the A&M end zone. The Aggie kickoff and punt return teams provided several excit ing moments, and it is only a matter of time before Donte Hawkins picks up right where ‘Lectric Leeland left off. Finally, Kip Amedeo, the Aggies’ 12th Man kickoff player Saturday night, made a tackle in the second half. If that doesn’t bode well, then I don’t know what does. Now I know what you’re thinking — the Aggies should have won; it’s USL for crying out loud. But consider that while USL’s talent level was certainly down a notch or two from BYU’s, the two team’s offensive sys tems were quite simi lar, and the Wrecking Crew responded with a solid effort, signaling a return to excellence. The offense plays well one week, the defense the next. If and when we ever get the two to play well in the same game, we’ve got a Top 20 team again. So keep your head up, things are going to get better. Besides, if the Aggies play any more games like the last one, many fans will see the A.R Beutel Health Center in a new light. Paris Frankfurt Madrid Amsterdam Rome $225 $265 $275 $275 $295 Faku am each' wav faom Houston saseo on a koutoiiop aw- chase. Fakes oo not kiudc eeoekac taxes o« PfCs totaling BETWEEN $3-$4S, DEPENDING ON DESTINATION OK 0EPAJ