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The Battalion
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Page 7
Monday • October 21, 1996
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Generous Aggies give away another one, 23-20
sTS
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Iggies must figure out way to beat their toughest opponent — themselves
cr
he stale refrain has be
come all too familiar to
the Texas A&M Football
am. The Aggies and their
ms have uttered the words so
lany times this season, they
mid probably write their own
lues melody by now.
The final verse reads some-
ling like this — “A big play
re, a catch there ... a little luck
ere, one more yard there ...
ndthey had that game won.”
It was the same sad song for
&M Saturday at Kyle Field. The Aggies
ught valiantly and should have beaten
Ist-ranked Kansas State, but they
rouldn’t let themselves do it.
For some strange reason, they can’t
lop beating themselves. Kansas State did-
't beat A&M — the Aggies’ five turnovers
nd inability to make the big plays did.
That’s nothing new this season — in fact,
)u could call it the Aggie theme. There’s no
ling how good the Aggies could be if they
tuld get the turnovers out of their system,
utthe giveaways continue to plague them,
inceling out would should end up being a
/
Blakley
Stew Milne, The Battalion
quarterback Branndon Stewart gets thumped just as he te
ases the football in the first quarter of KSLTs 23-20 defeat of A&M.
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
Fighting to climb above the
.500 mark, the Texas A&M Foot
ball Team returned home in
hopes that Kyle Field and the 12th
Man was the formula for success.
But the 2Ist-ranked Kansas State
Wildcats marched into College
Station and defeated the Aggies in
a tough-fought battle, 23-20.
Perched on the KSU 40-yard
line with 1:38 left in the game,
A&M needed a touchdown to win
or a field goal to send the game
into overtime. On third and five
from the KSU 35-yard line, wide re
ceiver Albert Connell caught an 18-
yard pass from quarterback Bran
ndon Stewart, but fumbled at the
KSU 17-yard line to end A&M’s
last-ditch effort to win the game.
Connell, who had eight catch
es for 127 yards and one touch
down, said his knee was on the
ground when the referees award
ed KSU with a fumble recovery at
the end of the game.
“All I know is that I was down,”
Connell said. “I was trying to catch
the football and next thing I knew I
was hit from behind. That’s the
ref’s call. I couldn’t do anything
about it after he made the call. But
I should have know better. Even
when I’m down I have to protect
the football because you never
know how it’s going to turn out.”
The Aggies began the fourth
quarter trailing 23-10. After a 40-
yard punt and a 15-yard pass in
terference penalty against the
Wildcats, the Aggies took over at
the KSU 45-yard line. The Aggies
took off on a 10-play, 33-yard dri
ve that culminated in a 30-yard
field goal by junior placekicker
Kyle Bryant with 10:51 remaining
in the game, cutting the Aggies’
deficit to 10.
A&M special teams player
Trent Driver then blocked a KSU
punt with 3:29 left in the game
and recovered the ball at the KSU
29-yard line. Stewart connected
with Connell on a 15-yard touch
down pass to bring A&M within
three points, giving the raucous
crowd of 64,155 hope for an Aggie
miracle comeback.
The boisterous gathering
made a huge impact throughout
the game, disrupting on-field
communication between Kansas
State players in several instances.
Slocum said he was impressed
and thankful for the fan support.
“I thought our fans did a great
job,” Slocum said. “It was a great
atmosphere and that makes the
loss hurt even more. I’m totally
embarrassed for them that they
didn’t get a better performance
out of us.”
That embarrassment stemmed
from five A&M turnovers, two of
which set up Wildcats scoring dri
ves in the early-going.
Trailing by 17 points at the half,
A&M received the opening kickoff
of the third quarter and started
chipping away at the lead with a
10-play, 68-yard touchdown drive.
Tailbacks Sirr Parker, Eric Bernard
and D’Andre Hardeman combined
for 20 yards on the drive, while
Stewart connected with Connell
for 48 yards on two passes. Harde
man scampered in from a yard out
for the touchdown and cut the
deficit to 20-10 with 10:59 remain
ing in the third.
Kansas State later answered
with a 33-yard field goal to stretch
the lead to 23-10.
i f
* ;
itSlI
Ryan Rogers, The Battalion
Sophomore tailback D'Andre Hardeman dives for a touchdown in
the third quarter of Saturday's game at Kyle Field.
Freshman Dante Hall re
turned the ensuing kickoff 46
yards to set the A&M offense up
in good field position.
Starting at its own 46-yard
line, A&M advanced the ball to
the KSU 15. However, the drive
stalled after a two-yard loss on a
run by Parker and two incom
plete passes by Stewart. Bryant
set up for a 37-yard field goal at
tempt on the right hash mark,
but could not convert as the ball
sailed wide right.
Similar to the final minutes of
the game, the first half also end
ed in a missed scoring opportu
nity for the Aggies.
See Aggies, Page 8
Kansas St. 23, Texas A&M 20
KSU 13
A&M 3
7 3 0
0 7 10
— 23
— 20
A&M
Kansas St.
First Downs
16
15
Rushes-yards
44-135
39-39
Passing yards
151
147
Comp-att-int
11-28-2
18-29-0
Return yards
46
30
Punts-avg.
6-46
8-37
Fumbles-lost
4-3
2-2
Penalties-yards 11-76
8-63
Time of possession 28:20
31:40
Sports Editor
Tom Day
Senior journalism major
stellar season from a statistical
standpoint.
The amazing efforts made
by Albert Connell, Keith
Mitchell and several others
this year don’t mean squat if
the Aggies aren’t winning.
So who can we blame for
the Aggies’ inability to hold on
to the ball? The players for not
remembering fundamentals
like tucking away and protect-
ing the ball? Or the coaches for
not teaching or demanding the
players do the same?
No one is immune from the team’s
baffling case of “fumble-itis” — not even
Connell, who made a spectacular play at
the end of Saturday’s contest breaking
past All-American Chris Canty to make a
thrilling catch and run to the Wildcat 17-
yard line before fumbling away the Ag
gies’ last shot at glory. The play was a fit
ting end to another A&M effort spoiled
by untimely and costly turnovers.
It’s not fair to pick on Connell though,
considering he spearheaded the Aggies’
comeback effort in the second half.
It was A&M’s inability to make a play
— particularly in the first half — that sig
nificantly hindered their cause.
The Aggies’ failure to put the ball in
the end zone after Dat Nguyen recovered
a Kansas State fumble on the Wildcat 11-
yard line less than four minutes into the
contest hurt. But what was even harder
to swallow was the Wildcats’ ensuing 15-
play, 74-yard scoring drive. The Aggies
were unable to stop KSU on five key
third-down plays, including a third-and-
19 situation where they surrendered a
36-yard pass play to Kevin Lockett.
A Branndon Stewart interception on the
next series set up the Wildcats at the A&M
36, and before the Aggies knew it, they were
down 10 points after one quarter.
The Aggies’ self-destruction continued
on the next series as Stewart fumbled and
Kansas State recovered at the A&M 31, set
ting up another Wildcat touchdown.
As if that turn of events weren’t
enough, things got uglier.
In a fluke play indicative of how the
entire season has gone for the Aggies,
A&M special teams player Jason Webster
was hit in the back on the run by a KSU
punt. The Wildcats recovered the live ball
and regained possession.
It was that kind of evening — one when
a wide open Dante Hall lets a sure-touch-
down pass hit him in the shoulder pads and
fall incomplete. It was an evening when Al
bert Connell catches eight passes for 127
yards, but gets overthrown on two big-gain
opportunities when he had his man beat.
But the play that hurt the most was
Stewart’s decision to try a sneak into the
end zone on the Wildcat goal line with 12
seconds remaining in the first half. Al
though the play called for a D’Andre
Hardeman sweep, Stewart made a split-
second decision to try for the end zone
himself. He didn’t make it, the Aggies had
no timeouts remaining, and the clock ran
out with A&M coming up empty.
The Aggies did fight back in the sec
ond half, basically shutting down the
Wildcats and putting themselves into a
position to win, but they couldn’t come
up with the big finishing play to pull out
the game. And the heartache continues.
There is no finger pointing on the team,
only a burning curiosity as to why it can’t do
what it knows it is capable of — winning.
The Aggies weren’t any less talented
than Kansas State. Hell, they outgained
the Wildcats by 100 total yards in the
game, and completely outplayed them in
the second half. But the Aggies took
themselves out of the game early.
A&M has gone way beyond shooting
themselves in the foot, as their season has
been ruled by nagging miscues. At some
point soon, they are going to have to turn
the comer and eliminate the mistakes and
make the big plays. If they can’t get out of
their rut, they’ll keep losing in the same ag
onizing fashion they did Saturday.
After winning 31 consecutive home
games, dating back to the 1989 season,
the Aggies have dropped three of their
last five at Kyle Field.
Now with a 3-4 record, it’s sobering to
think the team must win four of its last
five games to be eligible for a bowl bid.
However, the Aggies can’t lose faith like
many of their fans have. They are con
vinced they can win, they just have to prove
it by executing like they are capable of.
The Aggies may be singing the blues
right now, but they’ve yet to hear a peep out
of the fat lady.
Hatchell discusses the Big 12,
Aggies at Bogey With Barone Dinner
By Ross Hecox
The Battalion
Big 12 Conference Commissioner Steve
Hatchell was the guest speaker at the Fifth Annu
al Bogey With Barone Golf Tournament and Din
ner at Pebble Creek Country Club Friday night.
He answered questions from the media concern
ing the Big 12 and specifically Texas A&M’s role
in the new superconference.
On the struggles Big 12 football teams have had
Ms season against non-confer
ence opponents:
“Everyone thought (the Big
|2) would be the second com
ing of the NFL. We certainly
Wanted all the teams to be un
defeated in non-conference
play. I still think an awful lot of
the conference. I’m glad we
Played those games, and now
We have some more meaningful
games now. We have different
dynamics than we did before. There is a chance
some people can move back into the top 25. It
takes two to three years to get all the spurs out of
the way. This is clearly one of the best football op
erations in the entire country.”
On the possible rivalry between the North and
South Divisions:
"We’ve tried to stay away from North-South
conversations. We like to say we have one confer
ence, not a North and South Division.”
Hatchell
•On the performance of other sports in the Big 12:
“We have great programs. Basketball will start
off on a higher level than people think. We are hav
ing a good year for soccer, volleyball is terrific, and
frankly you can’t overlook cross country. Looking
at the conference, we have a history and a pres
ence in every sport.”
•On Texas A&M improving facilities, including
renovations (past and future) to Kyle Field, the
building of Reed Arena and the tennis complex, the
state-of-the-art natatorium in the A&M Student
Recreation Center and the Soccer Complex:
“If you’re going to be a top program in the
country you have to make a commitment. I think
Texas A&M is clearly at the forefront of [improving
facilities]. (Athletic Director) Wally Groff and Dr.
Ray Bowen (Texas A&M President) make a won
derful combination. They not only settle current
problems, but look ahead. That is why A&M is
ahead — because it is willing to look ahead.”
•On the current situation with football bowl games:
“The bowl business right now is different. I think
records are less important. Now they want names.
But look at the A&M-Michigan game (in the Alamo
Bowl). The [TV ratings] were off the charts.”
•On the location of the 1997Big 12 Championship:
“It would be ill-advised to announce a new city at
this point so soon, when we haven’t even been to
(1996 Championship Game city) St. Louis yet. We are
going to invite all the (possible) cities to come to St.
Louis (for the Championship game). But realistically,
we’ll probably be coming to Texas (in 1997).”
adidas
College Classic, 1-1
Stew Milne, The Battalion
A&M defender Ashley Fendley
battles UNC forward Debbie
Keller in UNC's 3-0 win.
Staff and Wire Reports
KLEIN, Texas — The seventh-
ranked Texas A&M Soccer Team
split its matches at the adidas
College Classic in Klein, Texas,
this weekend by blanking Duke
University 3-0 Friday and losing
to the second-ranked University
of North Carolina 3-0 Sunday.
After 27 scoreless minutes
against the Blue Devils, junior
midfielder Diana Rowe broke the
scoring silence by scoring on a re
bound off a blocked attempt by
senior forward Kristen Koop.
Seven minutes into the second
half, junior forward Bryn Blalack
dished the ball to Rowe, who
passed it to Koop, who scored
from 15-feet out against Duke
goalkeeper Dana Piper. Six min
utes later, Koop passed the ball to
senior forward Yvette Older, who
passed the ball to senior forward
Yvette Okler who scored the in
surance goal for the Aggies.
Although Duke is only 6-8-1 on
the season after being ranked as
high as sixth this season, A&M
Head Coach G. Guerrieri said it
was a good win for the team.
The Aggies had to play the Tar
Heels yesterday without their third
leading scorer Okler who was
ejected in the final minutes of the
Duke contest for tripping a Duke
player. The red card means an au
tomatic one-game suspension.
“It’s disappointing that be
cause of a poor decision by the
referee, we lose one of our most
important players for a very im
portant match,” Guerrieri said.
The last time the Aggies faced
North Carolina, they lost 4-0 in
the first round of the SMU Puma
Classic in the two team’s sole
meeting in history. UNC extended
that streak Sunday by shutting
out the Aggies 3-0.
Braves blitz
Yankees 12-1
NEW YORK (AP) — The At
lanta Braves showed the New
York Yankees that what they
saw on TV was no fluke.
Nineteen-year-old Andruw
Jones homered twice and
drove in five runs as John
Smoltz and the Braves sent
the Yankees to their worst
World Series loss ever, 12-1
Sunday night in Game 1.
The Braves brutalized New
York the same way they hum
bled St. Louis in winning the
NL playoffs. The Yankees had a
week off to watch Atlanta
outscore the Cardinals 32-1 in
the last three games.
And now they know the de
fending champions are just as po
tent in person — despite a one-
day rain delay, a three-hour traffic
jam and jeering Yankees fans.
Jones hit a two-run homer off
Andy Pettitte in the second in
ning, then lined a three-run shot
off Brian Boehringer in the third
that made it 8-0. By then Yankees
fans, who had waited 15 hits for
the Series, were already silent.
Game 2 will be Monday night.
Greg Maddux, moved up a day
because of the rain, will start for
Atlanta against Jimmy Key.
^mm