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Page 7
Friday • October 18, 1996
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By Tom Day
The Battalion
Three weeks ago, many people
onsidered the Texas A&M Football
Team to be dead and buried. Hav-
won just a single game out of
r first four and already saddled
a Big 12 Conference loss, the
gies were yesterday’s news.
Critics were calling for Head
bach R.C. Slocum’s head, crying
the glory days were gone and
the team needed a new coach
irthe new era.
But after two consecutive wins
an Oklahoma upset of Texas
weekend, the Aggies are right
in the middle of things in the
lig 12 South.
A win over No. 21 Kansas State
is weekend would not only en-
lear Slocum in the eyes of fans
mce again, but would serve no
ice to A&M’s Big 12 foes that they
re for real. The Aggies take on
e Wildcats at 6 p.m. Saturday at
[yle Field.
Sophomore cornerback Shun
lorn said an A&M win and a trip to
letop of the standings would give
teteam a boost of confidence.
Tt would mean a lot,” Horn
“A lot of people got down on
us. I look at [Saturday’s matchup]
as a chance to show we are the
team everyone expected us to be
and that we can come out and beat
big teams like this. To beat K-State
would be a great victory for us, and
hopefully it will get us on the right
track to go on and not lose any
more games.”
Last weekend, the Aggies strug
gled offensively against an Iowa
State defense that ranked No. 104
in the nation in total defense. A&M
will have its work cut out for it this
weekend against a Wildcat defense
that ranks 16th nationally in total
defense (250.8 yards per game).
Kansas State fields a talented
secondary highlighted by All-
American and Jim Thorpe Award
candidate Chris Canty. The junior
cornerback leads a unit that ranks
second in the nation in pass effi
ciency defense at 69.8.
“I doubt if anyone in the league
has a better secondary than them,”
Slocum said. '“They lined up
against Nebraska with the corners
out man to man and put the
safeties about four yards deep and
played the whole game like that.
Not many people in the country
can do that.”
A&M senior wideout Albert Con
nell is confident the A&M passing
game can produce against the tout
ed Wildcat defense.
“They have two great corners in
(senior Joe) Gordon and Canty,”
Connell said. “ (But) if they go man-
to-man, it is a mistake. I don’t think
anybody can stop [the A&M re
ceivers], especially with Branndon
Stewart (at quarterback). It’s going
to be a good matchup.”
Slocum said the Aggies are try
ing to establish a more consistent
offensive attack.
“We have made progress on of
fense, but we’re not as smooth or
oiled-up as I’d like to be,” Slocum
said. “We’ve broken off some 70-
yard runs and you execute a 70-
yard screen pass, but at other
times we look out of sync.”
After playing passing-oriented
teams their first five games and
then rush-happy Iowa State last
week, the Aggies will face a well-
balanced offensive attack from
Kansas State.
The Wildcats’ biggest weapon is
the one-two combination of senior
quarterback Brian Kavanagh and
senior wideout Kevin Lockett. Ka
vanagh ranks third in the Big 12
with a 130.8 pass efficiency rating,
while Lockett has caught 26 passes
for 350 yards and two touch-
downs this season.
“Lockett is a good receiv
er,” Horn said. “He’s fast,
quick, and explosive, and
we’re going to have to work
real hard this weekend to
make the plays against him.”
Wildcat sophomore run
ning back Marlon Charles
and junior running back
Mike Lawrence have rushed
for 409 and 365 yards re
spectively this season.
Senior outside linebacker
Keith Mitchell said Saturday’s
matchup has December im
plications.
“This is a big game for
us,” Mitchell said. “This is
the one that is going to
count for the St. Louis trip. It
looks like we’ve been chas
ing Texas. But if we take care
of these two teams, they’ll be
chasing us.
“We have to make a
statement. [Kansas State]
is a top-ranked team and
they have the ability to
beat us. We have to go out and
dominate and play good on both
sides of the ball.”
Slocum said an A&M win
Stew Milne, The Battalion
Senior outside linebacker Keith Mitchell (#23) and senior defensive end
Pat Williams apply pressure against Louisiana Tech at Kyle Field.
would further point the team in
the right direction.
“I think last week we needed to
put two wins together back to
back,” Slocum said. “Now if we
come back and beat Kansas State,
which is a highly regarded team,
we will get something out of beat
ing them ... more than we would
from beating some other teams.”
Aggies bolster front line with small-town connection
hange in size meant change in position for Eddie Troup’ Jasper
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
n the movie All the Right Moves, Tom
Cruise uses his God-given ability to
e must changed play football as his ticket out of a small
ve investors infti ^shial town. Substitute senior nose-
in small busilit iar d Edward Jasper into Cruise’s role and
ge the banki J “P' T™, 8 ; as rl the s™ 3 ]) to '™ i a n d the
I ovie could be filmed at Texas A&M.
jasper came to A&M in 1992 as a
ighly touted 246-pound linebacker
om a small 2-A high school in Troup,
nd has developed into one of the pre
fer defensive linemen in the country.
Named to the state’s major top 100 re-
miting lists, Jasper was expected to add
epth to A&M’s Wrecking Crew defense,
isper, who was red-shirted his first year at
, spent his time working with the
ut team defense as a linebacker.
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Pat James, The Battalion
enior noseguard Eddie Jasper has
corded 23 tackles this season.
his Weekend
in Sports
Friday
i&M Volleyball at Nebraska,
:30 p.m.
I&M Soccer vs. Duke at Adidas
lhallenge Cup, 2 p.m.
I&M Swimming and Diving will
lompete at the Big 12 Invitational
iSt. Louis, Mo., all weekend.
Saturday
I&M Football will host Kansas
Rate at Kyle Field at 6 p.m.
I&M Cross Country will compete
itthe University of Texas-Arlington
luadrangular all day.
I&M Volleyball at the Universi-
yof Colorado, Boulder, Co., TBA.
Sunday
M Soccer vs. North Carolina at
|ie Adidas Challenge Cup, 12 p.m.
When he joined the squad as a fresh
man, Jasper said none of his teammates
knew his name.
“They all remembered where I was from
because they had never heard of the town,”
Jasper said. “They used to make a lot of
jokes about it. And after the jokes, they just
stuck me with the name Troup. Now some
of the coaches even call me Troup.”
Adding 30 pounds during the offseason,
the coaches moved Jasper to the defensive
front during the 1993 season. Hampered
by back problems, Jasper saw limited play
ing action at defensive end. He posted just
four tackles, one tackle for a loss of
yardage, and one quarterback pressure.
Jasper said his change in positions was
not as difficult as the transition from a
small high school to a large university.
“The transition from linebacker to
defensive lineman wasn’t that bad,”
Jasper said. “The transition that was re
ally hard was from Troup to A&M. Com
ing from a small school, where you can
easily be one of the heroes on the team,
to A&M where there’s nothing but All-
Americans, is difficult. When I first came
here, everyone was an All-American ex
cept me. I didn’t know if I would ever be
able to play at this level.”
Jasper accelerated his play during his
sophomore season. Starting all 11 games at
noseguard, Jasper compiled 31 tackles,
three quarterback sacks, and four tackles
behind the line of scrimmage. Jasper’s ef
forts also resulted in one forced fumble
and three quarterback pressures.
As a junior, Jasper amassed 53 tack
les, including an A&M record 14 tackles
for loss of yardage, four sacks and was
voted a consensus second-team All-
Southwest Conference selection.
Jasper attributes his improvement to
the vast amount of knowledge he has
gained at A&M about the game of football.
“(A&M Defensive Line) Coach (Bill)
Johnson does such a good job of teacWng
us what to do,” Jasper said. “My knowledge
now is far and beyond what I ever thought
I would know. Actually, I didn’t thunk there
was that much to playing football until I
came here and started learning.”
Johnson said Jasper’s consistency
has helped him develop into the play
er he is today.
“He never has one great game fol
lowed by several bad games,” Johnson
said. “He shows up every Saturday and
plays up to his ability. He’s also an over
achiever. He’s a talented player, but he
plays with a little bit more than he has.”
Jasper has established tumself as one of
the cornerstones on the defensive front,
which was ranked the top defensive line in
the nation by The Sporting News. The
Sporting News also rated Jasper the 10th-
best noseguard in the country.
While Jasper said he takes pride in
such accolades, Jasper said that he just
wants to be remembered at A&M.
“I don’t want to be just an average
player,” Jasper said. “I want to be a dif
ference-maker. More importantly, I want
to be remembered at A&M. It doesn’t
even need to be on the football field. I
want to be remembered as a guy who
was respected by his teammates and
who was seen as a friend.”
Listening to praise from his team
mates and coaches, Jasper may have al
ready accomplished that feat. Senior de
fensive end Pat Williams said the team
feeds off his style of play and emotion.
“It’s very exciting to play with Troup,”
Williams said. “He’s real good at tech
nique. He’s very emotional. He helps to
motivate us and keep us hyped up.”
The noseguard is close not only to his
teammates, but his coaches as well.
“There’s several people that you get
close to in college for the simple fact that
your family is so far away,” Jasper said. “My
family doesn’t even have a phone back in
Troup, so I don’t have anyone to talk to. I
look to Dr. Carl Mooney (A&M associate
athletic director for academics), Coach
Johnson and Coach Slocum as my three fa
thers. Those are three guys that I turn to
during my time of need.”
At season’s end, Jasper may hear phones
ringing from NFL scouts. Jasper said al
though there are an unbelievable amount of
pro scouts at practice every day, he has not
sat down to talk with anyone one-on-one.
“I would love to play in the NFL,”
Jasper said. “But if it’s not there, then I
can be happy just working. I try not to
pay attention to all that because I don’t
want to get distracted. My purpose is not
to have a standout season, but to get our
football team back on a roll so that we
can be the A&M of the past.”
Soft-spoken Williams carrying big stick
By Ross Hecox
The Battalion
A thletic ability alone does not guar
antee a football scholarship at
Texas A&M. Senior defensive line
man Pat Williams did not qualify academ
ically to play for A&M out of high school,
so he immediately began to work on his
classroom performance.
Williams enrolled at Navarro Junior
College, where he could play football and
improve his grades.
“He had to overcome a lot of adversity to
come to A&M,” A&M Defensive Line Coach
Bill Johnson said. “He made the decision
that he wanted to go to A&M, and he started
doing things to get here. He had to go to ju
nior college and graduate junior college to
be able to come to A&M.”
He was blessed with plenty of size and
strength out of Wossman High School in
Pat James, The Battalion
Senior defensive end Pat Williams has
recorded 22 tackles this season.
Monroe, La., and displayed his football
talents playing for the small junior college
in Corsicana. There he was twice named a
Junior College All-American, totaling 132
tackles, 24 sacks, and 27 quarterback
pressures in two seasons. As a sopho
more, Williams earned conference defen
sive player of the year.
But after making an impression on the
field, the 6-foot-4-inch, 275-pound lineman
still had to take yet another route before
playing for the Wrecking Crew. He trans
ferred to Northeast Oklahoma Junior Col
lege to complete his associate of arts degree.
After graduating from Northeast in the
spring of 1995, Williams transferred to A&M.
He said A&M’s large student body and ex
pansive campus was a big change for him.
“I was kind of nervous because it’s so
big here,” Williams said. “You have 500
people in a class and only 35 in junior col
lege. It was a big change for me, and it
was hard to adjust.”
Williams worked hard in practice at A&M
until he gained a starting position on the
line in the final six games of the 1995 season.
Last year, he recorded 43 tackles with seven
for losses, earning second team All-South
west Conference honors.
Senior noseguard Edward Jasper said
his teammate has had success because of
his strength.
“He’s one of those guys that has unbeliev
able strength,” Jasper said. “He’s still learn
ing all the teciiniques, and what he lacks in
technique he makes up in strength.
“We all mess with him a little bit about
being a bull rusher. I’ve seen him grab the
biggest of offensive linemen and throw them
out of the way. The center from Iowa State
(Pat Augufa) weighs 340 pounds, and on one
of the plays Pat peeked around him and saw
the running back coming, threw him aside,
and made the tackle.”
This season, Williams has made 22
stops, with five of them going for losses.
Against Iowa State last weekend, Williams
posted six tackles.
Williams said he tries to have a silent
and focused approach to his game.
See Williams, Page 10
The Battalion’s 1996 Staff Picks
The Match-Ups
Tom
Day
Kristina
Buffin
Jamie
Burch
Sara
Duesing
Jeremy
Furtick
Colby
Gaines
Ross
Hecox
Matt
Mitchell
Dennis
Ramirez
Nicki
Smith
Consensus
#21 Kansas State at A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
Kansas St.
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M
A&M: Aggies make "statement"
Oklahoma at Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Baylor: Oklahoma one-hit wonder
#9 Colorado at Kansas
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado: KU couldn't beat Tech at home
Iowa State at Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Iowa State
Oklahoma St.
Iowa State: Cyclones sweep down plain
#5 Nebraska at Texas Tech
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska: Raiders kiss first place goodbye
#16 Auburn at #1 Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida
Florida: Tigers sink in "The Swamp"
#14 Northwestern at Wisconsin
Northwestern
Northwestern
Northwestern
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Northwestern
Northwestern
Northwestern: Wildcats do the badgering
USC at #4 Arizona State
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Arizona St.: Devil defense too much
#19 California at Washington State
California
California
California
California
California
California
Washington St.
California
Washington St
California
California: Don't Jack the Bear
Pittsburgh at Oilers
Oilers
Oilers
Pittsburgh
Oilers
Pittsburgh
Oilers
Pittsburgh
Oilers
Pittsburgh
Oilers
Oilers: Actions speak louder than words
Atlanta at Cowboys
Cowboys
Atlanta
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys
Cowboys: Georgeless Falcons jacked
Miami at Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Miami
Miami
Miami
Miami
Miami
Philadelphia
Miami
Miami
Miami
Miami: Battle of the backups
Last Week
10-2
9-3
9-3
11-1
11-1
11-1
11-1
11-1
10-2
11-1
104-16: Best week in Battalion history
Cumulative
52-20
44-28
42-30
50-22
46-26
45-27
47-25
45-27
47-25
46-26
464-256: Duesing nipping at Day's heels