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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1997)
S The Battalion PORTS Monday • October 13, Aggies romp Cyclones, improve to 5 By Chris Ferrell Sports editor Jimmy Johnson often stresses the importance of “play makers”. They are guys capable of making a big play at anytime which can turn the tide of a game. They cause opposing coaches to hold their breath every time they touch the ball and leave every body in the stadium shaking their heads in disbelief. The Texas A&M Football Team proved they had some playmakers in their 56-17 vic tory over the Iowa State Cy clones, Saturday at Kyle Field. “It seemed like last year, we didn’t have any big plays and that was definitely frustrating,” junior tight end Daniel Camp bell said. “I think at the same time, you’ve got a team this year that makes their big plays too and we didn’t have that last year. That’s why this is a whole different ball club.” First and foremost, there was tail back Sirr Parker. The ju nior from Las Angeles touched the ball only nine times on the afternoon, but made the most of each one, finishing the day with 195 total yard and two touchdowns. Parker began his day with an 80 yard touchdown run the first time he touched the ball. “As I cut back, I got a great block from (junior tight end) Der rick Spiller,” Parker said. “That gave me the opportunity to get outside. I got a great block of (sophomore wide receiver) Leroy Hodge. I think he was blocking 40, 50 yards down the field. It allowed me to g6t to the end zone. It was a great offensive play.” However, he still had a few more fireworks in his pocket in the third quarter when he re turned Iowa State kicker Jamie Kohl’s low knuckle ball kickoff 78 yards for a touch down. It was the second of his career, the first came last season when he returned one 100 yards against the University of Texas. “He’s an excellent runner whose getting better and better every week,” offensive coordina tor Steve Marshall said. “We’ve got to work to get him the ball. He’s a guy that can take it the distance on every shot.” Spiller also made big plays for the Aggies. When he wasn’t spring Aggie running backs with big blocks, he was collecting one of team high four catches and two touchdowns. He and Campbell combined to catch six balls for 70 yards on the afternoon. “We had an idea that we prob ably going to be throwing the ball a lot,” Campbell said. “It makes it a lot better to know that they’re going to have to worry about the tight ends and not just the re ceivers and the backs.” And of course no big play filled game would be complete without a stellar performance by sophomore Dante Hall who ran for a 42 yard touchdown on Bar ry Sandersesque scamper. Hall took the ball down the left side line and then cut back to the middle of the field just before stepping out of bounds and left P mm ik mm DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion Junior quarterback Branndon Stewart dives to set up A&M’s first touchdown in the Aggies’ 56-17 victory. He found junior tight end Derrick Spiller two plays later for the touchdown. A&M scores quick, gii defense little time to n ROBERT MCKAY/The Battalion Members of the Wrecking Crew gang tackle Iowa State’s Darren Davis in Saturday’s game at Kyle Field. the ISU defense in disarray as he dove head first in the end zone. Their play helped A&M’s of fense turn its most balanced at tack of the season. The Aggies ran for 268 yards and threw for 226. Sophomore Randy McCown was 11 of 14 for 141 yards and a touchdown and junior quarter back Branndon Stewart com pleted eight of his 12 passes for 85 yards and two scores. “Every week we have a cer tain plan going in,” Marshall said. “I think our backs, re ceivers, line, quarterbacks exe cuted the passing game better. We had a lot of that same stuff all along and some days its for nothing, some days it isn’t. “When we’re executing, it eas ier to call the plays. It wasn’t de signed that we were going to go in and throw the ball all the time be cause that’s not us. We’re going to run the football. We’ve got to run the ball to win.” Defensively, junior linebacker Dat Nguyen showed once again why he is the Wrecking Crew’s perennial play maker, stepping in front of a pass fiom Cyclone quar terback Todd Bandhaur’s and re turned it 32 yards for the A&M touchdown. The Aggie defense sacked Bandhaur eight times, but gave up 307 yards of total offense. “We knew going into the game that they had a danger ous offense and the didn’t have a lot of defense,” senior defen sive end Brad Crowley said. “During the week we had a lot of rain and it was hard to keep our motivation up because it was such an emotional win last week. We still came out and had a good game so we’re pleased with our effort.” With the victory the Aggies improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1994 when they finished the season 10-0-1. “It feels real good,” senior guard Steve McKinney said. “My freshman year we were 10-0-1, it’s been a long time since then.” By Jamie Burch Staff writer Time of possession can win football games. Most coaches will tell you, includ ing A&M coach R.C. Slocum, the best de fense is a good offense, an offense drat eats up so much clock that the opponent has lit tle time to score. A good offense helps wear down the opponents defense, while keep ing your defense fresh. But against Iowa State, the Aggies pre scribed to a different method — the quick strike. The A&M offense was like a time bomb waiting to explode. The big play was looming all afternoon, just waiting to hap pen. Every time the Aggies touched the ball, the threat of scoring was a reality. In the Aggies 56-17 victory over the Cy clones, A&M had possession of the ball 13 fewer minutes than Iowa State. Near the end of the third quarter, the time of possession margin read Iowa State 28 :54, A&M 14:24. The lopsided time of possession is the result of A&M’s big plays on both sides of the belli. Tick, tick, tick, BOOM! On the Aggies second possession of the game, leading 7- 3, junior tailback Sirr Parker broke free and scampered 80 yards for the touchdown. The drive to the end zone lasted 16 sec onds. Aggies lead 14-3. Like the fans in the stands and the media in die press box, senior left guard Steve McK inney said he was in awe of Parker’s run. “Sirr played great,” a jovial McKinney said. “The 80-yard run was nice. It kept the offensive line rested. You don’t get winded, except for running down the field to celebrate.” Tick, tick, tick, BOOM! After a missed 46- yard field goal by senior kicker Kyle Bryant, the Cyclones took over on their own 29 yard line. Cyclone quarterbackTodd Bandhauer stepped back in the pocket and threw for tight end Damian Gibson. Aggie linebacker Dat Nguyen cut in between Bandhauer and Gibson and picked off the pass. Nguyen re turned the interception 32 yards for the score. Time of possession, zero seconds. Aggies lead 21-3. A humble Nguyen said he was in the right place at the right time. “The tight end made a little five yard out,” Nguyen. “I read the quarterback the whole way. 1 was fortunate where I was at.” Tick, tick, tick, BOOMi Threeu into the second quarter, A&Ms drive at its own 19 yard line and! to the Iowa State 42yard lineij plays. On third-and-two, sopi tailback Dante Hall ran aroundi end and down the sideline, 42ya the touchdown. Time of thedriij Aggies lead 28-3. Sophomore quarterback Rand Gown said the quick strikeisafcl come. “We love to score,” McCownsri time we can have a big drive andlk defense off the field, that’s good.:| can’t complain when yougetabj You’ll take ’em anytime.” But anytime you have a quidj drive, the defense is sent back owe field. The longer the defense is one the greater the chance a tired: unit will surrender unansweredp In the third quarter, the’ Crew spent nearly 12 minutesj field, resulting from longsusta ves by the Cyclones. Aftergoinjl and-out to start the second half! clones mounted a 17 play, SOyarj that consumed 8 minutes. lowil kept the drive going with twoo sions on third-and-long andt versions on fourth down. Slocum said he was not pleasedtl defensive efforts in the third quartej “There were times I felt likewesi the field too long ourselves," Slo “The defense let them make sou Our third down performance tod good. 1 was not pleased with that’ Tick, tick, tick, BOOM! Follow eight minute drive, Iowa State kid to Parker. Parker received thekiclil A&M 22 yard line and ran78yai the Aggies lone touchdown oftlie| quarter. Time of possessions onds. Aggies lead 49-17. Parker ended the day with99 seven carries and two touchdp “The game is never over untildie minutes is up,” Parker said. “Ouin is to run right at ’em and to throw ’em. We score and we break thein Texas A&M vs. Iowa State Game Notes Injury Report Sophomore linebacker Chris Thierry was taken off the field in an ambulance late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game. The injury was diagnosed as a stinger and x-rays showed no damage. Due to the fact that Thierry felt some numbness, extreme medical care was given. Thierry is listed as probable for next week’s game at Kansas State. Junior tackle Cameron Spikes left the game in the first half af ter being poked in the eye and sophomore running back Dante Hall left the game in the third quarter with a deep thigh bruise. Both players will be ready for next weeks game. Going the wrong way Of ISlTs 78 offensive plays, 15 went for losses. Freshman defensive end Rocky Bernard, sophomore cornerback Sedrick Curry and senior line backer Phillip Meyers all recorded two tackles for a loss. The Wreck ing Crew also recorded eights] on the day. Kansas State next 1 A&M will be on the roatfj week to battle the No. 20M State in Manhattan, Kansas l Last season K ansasStasB feated the Aggies 23-20» Field. 1939 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Gathering reunites '39 national championship team By Jeff Schmidt Staff writer T exas A&M’s only national championship team had its 58 year reunion this weekend. The 1939 Aggies went 11-0 that year with a 14-13 victory overTulane in the Sugar Bowl. Most of the players on that team were reemited in 1937. The depression had just ended and Texas A&M needed money. They knew a winning football team would bring that money. With the help of athletic booster Bert Pfaff, the scholarships were raised and the Aggies signed 37 players. This nu cleus helped the Aggies win consec utive Southwest Conference championships in 1939 and 1940. The team was coached by the legendary Homer Nor ton. Norton has the school record for career wins with 82 and is in the College Foot ball Hall of Fame. The 1939 team featured three first team All-Americans: guard Marshall Robnett, running back John Kim brough and tackle Joe Boyd. When the Ag gies played UCLA in 1940, Robnett manhandled a young player named Jackie Robin son. Legend has it that Robinson would decide to concentrate on baseball after the beating he suffered. Kimbrough is one of the most well- known players A&M history. He fin ished fifth in Heis- man voting in 1939 and second to Michi gan’s Tom Harmon in 1940. In the 1940 Sugar Bowl, Kim brough single- handedly led the Ag gies to victory after be ing down 13-7 in the fourth quarter. Kimbrough fin ished the day with 159 yards rushing and scored A&M’s only two touchdowns. Boyd was a co-captain on the national champi onship team and was drafted by the Washing ton Redskins. Other notables on the team were quarterback Marion Pugh, receiver Herb Smith and running back Kim Thomason. Despite the pletho ra of stars on this team, A&M’s student manager Jimmie Parker believes it was the team’s cohesive ness that made it a champion. “We lived like a team should live, as brothers. Everybody was good to each other and we played as a team, which is why we did so well,” Parker said. Bubba Reeves agrees with Parker’s assessment. “We didn’t have a team, we had a fami ly,” Reeves said. Part of the reason to the success of the team was to a group of men called the Blue Boys. This group was composed of third stringers, hold outs and ineligibles. It was the Blue Boys job to prepare the first team for their next foe. Af ter the Aggies beat Villanova in 1939, newspapers reported on the beating that Villanova took from the Aggies. After reading this, Bub ba Reeves, the captain of the Blue Boys, sent a telegram to the Wild cat coach asking, “What are you beefing about? We play those buz zards five days a week. You only did it once.” In these days, college football didn’t command the money that it does today. Jimmie Parker says the player’s played for something more. “We played cause we were loy al to A&M. Now, players go to whoever will pay them the most money. But back then, there was n’t any money,” Parker said. RYAN ROGERS/TheE' Members of the 1939 team, A.W. Buchanan (Class of ’42), Cowley Harold (Class of ’42), and Hugh Boyd (Class of ’40) talk at the team’s reunion Friday at the Hilton. The Aggie defense, as it is today, was one of the most dominant units in the country. The Aggies led the county in total defense, scoring defense and rush defense. The scoring and rush defense yardage allowed are still NCAA records. They compiled a whopping six shutouts, including a 20-0 drub bing of the Texas Longhorns. Harold Cowley is proud of their accomplishments but hope that future teams can bring home a championship. “It’s horrible to be the only na tional championship team. I thought we were going to have an other two years ago but we hyped everyone out of it,” Cowley said. Jimmie Parker, who became the first business manager of the! las Cowboys and proudly disp his 1972 Super Bowl Champ ring, remains upbeat. “It’s a great feeling comings to Aggieland and seeing the tional Championship sign lull Field. It’s like going back home seeing something you haven't* ' in a long time,” Parker said.