The Battalion
1 ; 1997
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oady has moved up ranks from walk-on to stafftef
By Jeff Schmidt
Staff writer
t'seasy to overlook Rich Coady.
When someone first thinks of the
Wrecking Crew, images of blitzing line-
ckers, smothering cornerbacks, and
rd-charging defensive linemen come to
ad. About the last person you think
out is Rich Coady.
He’s not the biggest, he’s not the fastest,
knot the prettiest, but he’s always around
j [ball. Despite the odds, the junioir safety
melycom- jbecome a starter on one of the most
ted defenses in college football.
He began his high school playing ca-
tciueiiius. | ras a linebacker but moved to safety
^“isenior year. Despite being named
tn MVP at Pearce High School in
hardson, Coady was overlooked by
my big-time programs. Texas A&M-
igsville and Air Force were some of the
she said 100 * s t * lat showed interest in him. TCU,
ibecausel ^ and Rice wanted him to walk-on.
y” pwever, when Rich came to visit Texas
ank coffee,
ar an hour,
id get to do
lly enjoyed
A&M, he fell in love with the atmosphere
and decided to accept an invitation to
walk-on. “I wasn’t an Aggie fan growing
up,” Coady said. “But when I came down
here, I fell in love with the school and I de
cided that this is where I wanted to be.”
Coady admits that walking-on was diffi
cult because not much is expected out of
these players.
“When you walk-on at a school you’re
at the bottom of the pile. You have to work
as hard, if not harder, than everyone on
the team just to get noticed. Then once
you get noticed, you have to make the
most of the few opportunities that you
have,” Coady said.
In his time here he has prospered, work
ing his way up from anonymity to a starter.
Coady tied junior linebacker Dat Nguyen
for the team lead in interceptions last sea
son with three and finished fourth on the
team in tackles. This season he ranks third
in tackles.
Accomplishments like these have drawn
Coady comparisons to Kip Corrington and
Dennis Allen, two overachieving Aggies
known for their toughness.
Football is in the Coady family bloodlines.
His father, Rich Coady III, was an offensive
lineman for the Chicago Bears from 1967-
1975. Despite this, the younger Coady never
felt pressure to follow in his footsteps.
“He’s never put any pressure on me to
play football. He never gives me advice. He
lets the coaches coach me,” Coady said.
“Football’s always been around my house ,
and I’ve always enjoyed playing it. I’ve seen
what it’s done for my father.”
Head Football Coach R.C. Slocum feels
that Coady is one of the team’s leaders.
“He lines up every week, works hard and
does a good job for us. He’s the kind of guy that’s
the backbone of our team,” Slocum said.
Coady has had to fight off a strong chal
lenge from true freshman Jason Glenn. The
competition has risen Rich’s level of play.
“Anytime you have a guy that comes in
and competes for your job it’s going to push
you to play harder. He’s a good player, he’s
been pushing me all year long, making me
better,”
Coady said.
Defensive
Coordinator
Mike Han-
kwitz agrees
with Coady’s
assess
ment.
Hankwitz
believes
that Coady’s
experience
helps the de
fense.
“Rich is a veteran. He has
confidence in everything we are
doing, and he knows where every
body is supposed to be. Jason
Glenn is not at the same stage
mentally, but he does some good
things and that sometimes brings out the
best in the other guy,” Hankwitz said.
This Saturday Coady returns to the place
where he made his first start, Folsom Field,
home of the Colorado Buffaloes. Coady had
a career high 10 tackles in that game. He’s ex
cited about going back to the place where his
career started.
“It seems like a long time ago, but I re
member the excitement and being nervous in
my first college game, especially a game of
that magnitude,” Coady said. “I’m excited to
go back up there and play them again.”
Coady says this team is different than the
one that lost in Colorado two years ago.
“This team is different than the past
two,” Coady said. “The
chemistry on this team is
a lot better, we’re jelling
better. Everyone on this
team is playing for the
team and for team goals. I
think in the past that it was
n’t quite that way.”
ig 12 opening weekend marks start of big time football season
Your
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adquarters
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Jamie
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Staff writer
nough with the lame duck, give us
H enough money and we’ll come play
Jsad non-conference match-ups.
leonly thing more ridiculous is the
mhusker faithful who still hold out
pe, while grasping at straws, that Os-
me can lead the dilapidated squad to
liird national title.
But fear not. What the Swami wants,
Swami gets. After four weeks of
iocre scrimmages on the college
idiron, conference showdowns are just
is away. On Saturday, I will declare the
97 college football season duly open.
12 teams and conferences alike will
If
begin the race for conference supremacy
and aspirations of national recognition.
I Am Earl Campbell
Two weeks after being held to 36 yards
on 13 carries against UCLA (Sept. 13), Long
horn running back Ricky Williams ran for a
career-high 249 yards and five touchdowns
as Texas rallied to defeat Rice, 38-31.
Williams broke two school records in
the victory — most touchdowns and
most rushing touchdowns. The previous
record of four touchdowns in a game was
shared by six players, including Texas’
all-time leading rusher Earl Campbell,
who did it twice in 1977. Williams moved
into fifth-place on the Longhorns’ all-
time rushing list with 2,702 yards.
“I knew I had to pick up my game if we
were going to win,” Williams said. “I knew
we were going to run the ball, but I had no
idea I would get this many yards.”
Williams’ infantry performance earned
him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
Bowling For Dollars
Kansas State received a lot criticism
for using long passes to set up the last
two touchdowns in a 58-0 rout of Bowl
ing Green. With the Wildcats up 44-0,
Kansas State backup quarterback Jon
Beasley connected on a 43-yard pass
play to set up KSU’s fifth touchdown.
Then on the ’Cats next drive, Beasley’s
19-yard pass play set up the final touch
down adding insult to injury.
Bowling Green coach Gary Blackney said
he found the final two scores insulting.
“They (Kansas State) will find out how
good they are next week,” Blackney said.
Blackney couldn’t have said it better.
Next week, No. 17 Kansas State plays No. 3
Nebraska in Lincoln.
KSU amassed a school record 638 total
yards, including 429 on the ground. The
’Cats held Bowling Green to minus nine
yards rushing and 56 total yards, outscoring
them 7-0 in the first quarter, 13-0 in the sec
ond, 17-0 in the third and 21-0 in the fourth.
007 — Golden Foot
The Colorado Buffaloes outlasted
Wyoming, 20-19, on the strength of a last-
second field goal by kicker Jeremy Aldrich
and a little luck. After having cut the
deficit to one on a 99-yard kickoff return
by Ben Kelly, Aldrich booted an 18-yard
field goal with three ticks left on the clock.
“Sometimes you get lucky,” Colorado
coach Rick Neuheisel said.
Lucky is an understatement. Trailing the
Cowboys for much of the game, Colorado’s
failed onside kick following Kelly’s dramatic
return gave Wyoming the ball at their own
44-yard line, with less than three minutes
remaining. All the Cowboys needed to seal
the victory was to keep the ball on the
ground and pick up a first down.
But a minute later, Colorado’s Mike
Phillips hit Wyoming tailback Marques
Brigham on a play up the middle. Col
orado’s Ron Merkerson recovered the ball
in the air and returned it to the Wyoming
25 to set up the game winning kick.
Merkerson and Kelly’s heroic efforts
garnered the tandem Player of the Week
honors — Merkerson on defense and
Kelly on special teams.
Games of the Week
#17 Kansas State (3-0) at #3 Nebraska
(3-0) — Memorial Stadium
■ The Cornhqskers have a 31-game
conference winning streak in the regular
season and 28 consecutive wins against
the Wildcats. Even though Nebraska
trailed for much of the contest against for
mer Division II opponents Akron (Aug. 30)
and Central Florida (Sept. 13), don’t expect
the Cornhuskers to come out shaky
against Kansas State. In last weeks win
over Washington, the Cornhuskers held
the Huskies to 43 net yards rushing.
But don’t mistake the Wildcats for
pushovers. The team has three consecu
tive wins, all over Mid-American Confer
ence opponents, including last week’s 58-
0 shutout of Bowling Green.
Defense (clap, clap)... defense (clap,
clap)... defense (clap, clap).
#18 Texas A&M (3-0) at #16 Colorado
(2-1) — Folsom Field
■ Can the Aggies finally beat the Buf
faloes?... In the teams’ two meetings, the
Aggies have been outscored 53-31, de
spite a close 29-21 loss in 1995. Colorado
coach Rick Neuheisel has lost five games
in his tenure and is a near-perfect 7-1 in
Big 12 play.
The Aggies will have to defend against a
blitzing defense led by defensive end Ryan
Olson (14.5 career sacks) and linebacker
Ron Merkerson (12 tackles).
Dante Hall and Sirr Parker beware. The
Buffaloes have allowed just 118.3 yards
rushing per game.
WITHOUT BASF
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# MSC Film Society presents Breakfast at Tiffany’S Fri, Sept 26.
9:30 p.m. in Rudder.
4N MSC opas presents Marvin Hamlisch with the Austin
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# MSC Town Hall presents Clay Walker Thu, Oct 2, 7 p.m. in
G. Rollie White Coliseum.
MSC OPAS Jr. presents Little Red Riding Hood Sat, Oct 4,
3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Rudder Theater.
# Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra presents All Time Favorites
Sun, Oct 5, 4 p.m. in Rudder Theater.
# Order Graduation Announcements at http://graduation.tamu.edu/
and pay before deadline of Fri, Oct 3.
4r Season Tickets available for MSC OPAS and MSC Film Society.
The Box Office also accepts Aggieliucks. (L- Call to arrange for special needs.
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