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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1997)
londay • September 29, 1997 S The Battalion ports Strong second half leads to Aggie win Kicking game provides spark in 38-10 victory By Matt Mi tchell Staff writer Ihe Texas A&M Football Team w doing its best Red Raider im- ision Saturday looking like they !dbe the second consecutive Big I 1 conquest for the North Texas wan Green. Luckily, freshman JeffWilson did Ibest Quentin Coryatt impression. Ihe Aggies used an inspired mid-half effort by the Wrecking Ijivand dominant special teams lyto squash pesky North Texas lObefore 42,224 at Texas Stadi- •pin Irving. ‘After watching (North Texas) play liweekas well as they played, 1 did- pnkwe’d go out and knock them ilin the first quarter,” A&M Head Lch R.C. Slocum said. “I felt like it ||d be a competitive ballgame.” After jumping out to a quick 10- mt-quarter lead behind the re- ■tless attack of running backs IjnteHall and Sirr Parker, and the Je-footed accuracy of place kick- fjle Bryant, the Aggie attack fell disarray. The North Texas linebackers ed havoc in the Aggie backfield entire second quarter, repeated- leating their offensive line coun parts off the snap, and collected first-half sacks, including three end Scott Blanks. Meanwhile, North Texas man- to tie the game on a field goal a touchdown pass right before ftime.The Mean Green was aid- bya roughing the passer penal- and a sloppy tackling as the ecking Crew gave up its first ichdown of the season. Things got no better on the Ag- {ports Briefs Staff and Wire Reports illeyball Team beats mers in three games l^ie 14th-ranked Texas A&M Volleyball Team back on the winning track Saturday night by ieating the University of Oklahoma in three nes, 15-12,15-2,15-5 at G. Rollie White Col- tim. Oklahoma jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in te 1 before the Aggies battled back. Senior Kristie Smedsrud and sophomore Am- Woolsey had back to back spikes which gave Man 11-10 lead. After the Sooners tied the game at 12, senior by Lothspeich put down one of her game-high kills to give A&M a 13-12 lead. The Aggies nev- |looked back from that point on. ‘Early in the match we were tight and uncer- coach Laurie Corbelli said in a press release, mour service receive to our setting attack, we [every shaky and tentative. But once we saw could handle them, we came back with a point eand there. ‘We had some key blocks to close the gap. The iches told the players during the timeout that blocking is critical and that the digging would ie together. After that our blocking and pass- got on a roll.” The Aggies dominated the next two games. The win was helped by an entire team effort. Along with Lothspeich’s 18 kills, A&M also got fromjunior Stacy Sykora, 12 from Woolsey, and from Smedsrud. Sykora also had a match high 19 digs in addi- ntol4 by Smedsrud. omen Golfers claim xth at McGuire Invt. The 12th-ranked Texas A&M Woman’s Golf im placed sixth Saturday at the Dick McGuire itational played at the university of New Mexi co’s Championship Golf Course. Leading the Aggies was se nior Jamie Hullett and' sopho more Anna Becker, both with a three round total of 225, to place them in a five way tie for twelfth place. Senior Isabelle Rosberg, Amanda Rayford, Au rora Kirchner, and Mimi Epps finished 23rd, 64th, and 73rd and 87 respectively. A&M shot a three day total ^16, which was 40 over par and sixteen shots frid first-place Texas Christian University. ater Polo Team takes iird at Colorado State Texas A&M Water Polo Team finished third feirtournament in Fort Collins, Colorado on the fe of Colorado State University this weekend, ffieteam capped off the weekend by beating the f'ersity of Texas 22-19 in the consolation game, fbeyalso beat the University of Wisconsin in the lament and lost to the University of Arizona, ^izona is the No. 1 ranked water polo team in %ntry. Steams competed in the tournament. Along f'ttie Aggies, Texas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Host Col- 0 State, and The University of Colorado were hand. gies’ first possession of the second half, as they went three and out and punted from deep in their own terri tory. It was looking as though it was going to be a long afternoon for the maroon and white. Salvation arrived in the form of defensive back Jeff Wilson, who beat his man down the field and leveled UNT return man Tubby Coleman a split-second after Cole man fielded the punt. Coleman fumbled the football and freshman Michael Jameson returned it to the UNT 18. It took 3 plays for the Ag gies to score and establish a lead they would never relinquish. For Wilson, who should set his VCR to catch his hit on the plays of the week, it was the second tackle of his career. “I beat my man down the field and I could feel it coming,” Wilson said. “I think it was a big momen tum change.” The Aggies’ success Saturday was more a result of timely big plays than offensive consistency. Despite the disturbing first-half performance by the offensive line, supposedly the strongest area on the team, the Ag gies rushed for 336 yards, including 156 yards on 19 carries for Hall and 124 yards on 17 carries for Parker. “I was really pleased with our backs—1 thought they gave great ef forts,” Slocum said. “They really ran hard and made some big plays for us. Whichever one is on the field, I feel like we’ve got a good back out there.” The Aggie quarterbacks were less proficient, with junior Branndon Stewart and sophomore Randy Mc- Cown combining to complete just 7 of 18 passes for 76 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. “They did a lot of different things DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion Texas A&M freshman defensive back Jeff Wilson causes North Texas punt returner Tubby Coleman to fumble the football Saturday afternoon at Texas Stadium. The fumble was recovered by A&M freshman Michael Jameson. as far as defensive structure and the way they moved their line and their linebackers around,” Stewart said. “They did a good job of disguising it, but we were able to correct some of those things at halftime.” If they corrected anything, it was not readily apparent in the third quarter, as the Aggies continued to struggle offensively. North Texas hung around and kept the outcome in doubt until the fourth quarter when the Aggies pulled away with Bryant’s third field goal of the day, a 51 -yarder that put the Aggies up 23- 10. Touchdown runs by McCown (lyard) and junior running back D’Andre Hardeman (9 yards) round ed out the scoring. Senior defensive end Brad Crow ley said the tough win will help the Aggies down the road. “I think it builds character for our team,” Crowley said. “We need to learn how to play with a little adver sity. We regrouped at halftime and made some adjustments, and they worked well for us.” By Paul Mitchell Staff writer Deadlocked at 10 entering the second half against North Texas and forced to punt after a quick three- and-out possession, the Texas A&M Aggies were looking for a spark. Luckily, Jeff Wilson brought a flame thrower. The little- used cornerback from Temple outraced the UNT defense on a booming Shane Lechler punt to lay a bone-jarring, de-cleating hit on return man Tubby Coleman that nearly knocked the Mean Green back to Division 1-AA. Coleman’s fumble and the ensu ing return to the UNT 19 took the Mean out of the the Green and spurred the sluggish Aggie offense to a 26-point second half in what would become a 36-10 victory. “I think it changed the whole momentum of the game,” said se nior Brad Crowley. “It was pretty much a constant struggle for both teams, and I think that was the breaking point.” Wilson’s vicious hit highlighted a special teams effort that limited the UNT return men to a total of 4 yards Bryant on the day. Punter Shane Lechler was equally brilliant, averaging nearly 49 yards on seven punts, in cluding a 56-yarder. Placekicker Kyle Biyant dialed long distance, connecting on field goals of 48, 27 and 51 yards. In a performance reminiscent of his freshman season, Bryant’s long-dis tance heroics repeatedly rescued the Aggie offense when drives stalled outside the red zone. “I felt really good today,” Biyant said. “I checked my distance in pre game, and it was 55 yards. I told coach I could make a 51 -yarder if he would just let me try.” After pushing a 50-yarder wide right in the second quarter for his first miss of the season, Bryant re bounded to nail two field goals in the second half, including the 51- ♦yarder that gave the Aggies some breathing room. “You can’t stumble over things that are behind you,” Bryant said. “I’ve kicked a thousand field goals. You just have to go with what’s working for you.” A&M coach R.C. Slocum thought the special teams’ effort was pivotal in the Aggies’ victory. “In most games, you go back and analyze plays that are signifi cant, and a lot of them occur in the kicking game,” Slocum said. “You work hard and good things hap pen to you.” Hullett The Running Man Lengefeld brings Kenyan spirit to cross country team By Kristina Buffin Staff writer E ver since the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ga., long dis tance running has been epito mized by the Kenyans. Men who grew up in poverty and ran just to pass the day. But Texas A&M cross country hairi er Scott Lengefeld did not grow up in poverty but his teammates have be stowed a certain honor on him. “The guys have given him the hon orary Kenyan status, with the upside down exclamation point after his name,” coach Greg Hinze said. “I think that shows the kind of respect his has from the guys.” Respect is something that Lenge- feldj has earned and deserves. The junior earned NCAA All-District VI “I’m sick and tired of being average and I want to have my name mentioned. But I know I have to work for it.” SCOTT LENGEFELD CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER honors after an 11th place finish last season and was the Aggies’ top fin isher in all seven meets. This season Lengefeld hasn’t let up and is on a tear. He took first at the Rice Invitational last weekend in the 4.1 mile race and is the Aggies No. 1 guy. His per formance earned him Big 12 Runner of the Week honors. “I am really pleased, I couldn’t of scripted this season better,” Lenge feld said. “We have won all of our meets and individually I have done what I wanted to do.” Success was not automatic for Lengefeld. Like any other athlete, Lengefeld had to put a lot of time into his sport and most of all, pound the pavement. This summer, Lengefeld was a hu man treadmill. He would work from 6 a.m. to 4:30 in the afternoon and then begin training. “I got up to about 100 miles a week and it Was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it,” he said. “In Texas it is so hot that you have to go run before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.” One hundred miles may seem like torture to some but it something that Lengefeld had to work up to. He did not just jump out of bed and decide, ‘Hey, I think I’ll run 100 miles this week.’ “We increased his mileage incre mentally each summer because his biggest flaw when he first came here, was that he wanted to do too much too soon,” Hinze said. “He learned that he had to do it slowly.” But Lengefeld was anything but slow. He finished third at the Iowa State Invitational and is on pace to earn a berth at the NCAAs. “We’re kind of in the stretch right now and we have three real tough meets coming up,” Lengefeld said. “We need to go out and impress our enemies.” By enemies, Lengefeld speaks of his training partners from this summer and conference opponents. “I trained with a guy from SFA [Stephen F. Austin) and Lamar [Univer sity] this summer and it is fun to beat them this season,” Lengefeld said. In addition, to being an honorary Kenyan, Lengefeld has been blessed with another nickname. “My roommates and I had this re cruit and he was having a little too much fun,” Lengefeld said with a laugh. “So then at yell practice, he’s making all of this noise and just started yelling ‘Scooter,’ over and over.” Well, Scooter has his goals set for this season, both individual and team-oriented. “I want to win NCAAs both as a team COURTESY SPORTS INFORMATION Junior Scott Lengefeld has estab lished himself as a top cross country runner for the Aggies. and an individual,” he said. “I’m sick and tired of being average and I want to have my name mentioned. But I know I have to work hard for it.” Individually, Lengefeld aims to be in the top seven of the district and for the team, he wants only the best. “He is very dedicated and has goals for himself and the team,” Hinze said. And dedication is what will get him the recognition, he has worked so hard for. “I’m now in the best physical and mental shape, which is just as impor tant as physical,” Lengefeld said. “If I get my work done and taper before the big races, I can do it.” :t .;. Soccer falls to No. 1 Carolina STl DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion Texas A&M’s Sonia Ibanez drives the ball up the field against North Carolina. The Aggies fell to the top- ranked Tarheels 2-1 in Houston. Staff and Wire The third-ranked Texas A&M Soccer Team lost to the to-ranked North Car olina Tarheels 2-1 in Hous ton Sunday, “I was real proud of our effort,” A&M coach G. Guerrieri said in a press re lease. “We had a ‘never say die’ attitude and when you get behind the No. 1 ranked team on a controversial goal, a lot of teams would have pulled up the tent and gone home.” The controversial goal occurred 14 minutes into the game when a North Carolina and a Texas A&M player got tangled up. The Tarheel fell to the ground and was awarded a penal ty kick. “It was a 50-50 call,” Guerrieri said. (Carolina’s Cindy) Parlow was smart enough to fall, and the ref gave her a gift. I didn’t think it was a foul.” Nel Fettig converted the kick and Carolina took a 1-0 lead. Senior Bryn Blalack tied the game when she kicked a ball out of UNC goal keeper Siri Mullinix’s hands into the goal. Carolina took the lead for good when UNC’s Raven McDonald scored from 13 yards out. “There are two schools of thought when you play North Carolina,” Guerrieri said. “One, you can lay back and absorb the pres sure and take a re spectable loss; the other side is to play their game, put on the pressure, take chances and open up op portunities.” South shines over weekend DALLAS (AP) — Big 12 South historians, put a big red circle around Sept. 27,1997. On that miraculous Saturday, four teams from the beleaguered division took the field and all walked away winners. But beware too much celebration. Further re search shows that the four losers are a combined 6- 13 and none have winning records. The victory parade was led by No. 21 Texas A&M, which pasted North Texas 36-10, restoring a bit of the conference pride tarnished when the Eagles knocked off Texas Tech last weekend. Both Oklahoma schools won easily as the Soon ers drubbed Louisville 35-14 and OSU took down Northeastern Louisiana 38-7. The only nail-biter was Texas’ 38-31 victory over Rice. The game wasn’t settled until the Longhorns stopped the Owls at the UT 12 as time ran out. Texas Tech and Baylor were idle. They meet in Waco on Saturday. The Aggies (3-0) once again showed off their deep backfield, getting 156 yards from Dante Hall and 124 yards and a touchdown from Sirr Parker. A&M finished its non-conference schedule, mockingly referred to as their exhibition season, having outscoring foes 161-16. A better test of the Aggies’ talent will come Saturday against No. 16 Colorado in Boulder. “This is the type of game we were expecting and it was the type of game we needed,” Hall said. “It was good to play a tough game like this before we play Colorado.” North Texas (2-3) proved to be tougher than pre vious foe Southwestern Louisiana, a 66-0 loser, and Sam Houston State, which fell 59-6. The Eagles fought back from a 10-0 deficit to tie the game at halftime be fore the Aggies struck for 26 second-half points. “Our offense didn’t make things happen and turnovers killed us,” UNT coach Matt Simon. “We kind of let them off the hook after playing a good first half.” Oklahoma State improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1988, when they went finished 10-2 and Barry Sanders won the Heisman Trophy, by scoring four first-half touchdowns against Northeastern Louisiana (1 -4). The lead grew to 38-0 before the In dians threw a long touchdown pass with 2:56 to play. “You’ve got to be happy any time you win and that’s what I am,” OSU coach Bob Simmons said. “I didn’t think we came back out in the second half and were as sharp as we need to be. But we’ll take this victory and look forward to the future.” The Cowboys, who ran for 274 yards, must be looking forward to Saturday when they host Texas (2- 1), which allowed Rice (2-2) to rush for 452 yards in UT’s first game since its colossal 66-3 loss to UCLA. The Longhorns were able to overcome the Owls’ running attack because Ricky Williams had 249 and a school-record five touchdowns. “I knew I had to pick up my game if we were going to win. I was determined, really deter mined,” he said. Oklahoma continued the running theme as De’- Mond Parker ran for 191 yards and Jermaine Fazande had a career-high 151, marking just the third time in school history two backs broke 150 yards. The Sooners (2-2) took full advantage of a weak defense forthe Cardinals (1-4), gaining411 oftheir 551 yards on the ground despite five turnovers. “Oklahoma completely dominated the game,” Louisville coach Ron Cooper said. “We tried every thing to stop them. It’s that type of offensive foot ball team that we’re not able to stop.” OU, which plays Kansas next week, may be starting to make the type of turnaround coach John Blake has been promising. “We could be awfully good,” quarterback Justin Fuente said. “I think we’re close. If we can just con tinue to eliminate some mistakes, then we’ll be an awfully good ball team on both sides of the ball.”