'inday • November 3, 1997
S The Battalion
ports
iggies run past OSU in overtime
mart leads fourth quarter comeback Cowboys victimized
in extra session again
dg By Chris Ferrell
th Sports editor
in ii
( les ;the past two weeks, the
: c t 0 A&M Football Team has
rk. away to lose. Saturday
looney found a way to win,
:risi< inga 15 point fourth-quar-
lead cit to defeat the Oklahoma
Surf^boys28-25 in overtime,
ess.^llbe forefront was Bran-
Stewart, the junior quarter-
Sad'bo shined in his finest
der >n an
at’aniform.
ius^e years
ard e ' va rten-
ade^ 6 A&M
rati : ^ pro-
)us with
the-pressure
U b expecta-
ihan any
t ap in
;1 history,
umlre could
lire e up to the billing, he was
|e lefithe player most responsi-
pecfthe6-6 collapse in 1996.
?ntfrom being a full- time
no a platooning quarter-
ind eventually to a backup
eek against Texas Tech.
iSaturday night as the Aggies
iated the first overtime victo-
school history after a 6-yard
rn down run by junior D’Andre
man, it was Stewart, playing
.Scomplete game of the sea-
T^iio stood as the hero every-
■avisioned he would be.
told him after the game,”
e ’AR.C. Slocum said. “I called
j
121
Stewart
e,
him up in the locker room and told
him after all the flack he’s taken, that
he was certainly deserving of some
recognition and 1 gave him a game
ball which I don’t know if I’ve ever
done that to a player.
“I’ve said many times the one
thing that’s stood out about
Branndon is that through all his
trials, and I’ve said many times
that the expectations were very
high for him and a lot of times the
reason why things didn’t turn out
weren’t his fault, but the one
thing he never did was never
pointed fingers, never tried to de
flect any of the things that went
his way. He took it all very square
ly; he took it like a team player
and I couldn’t be happier for a
player than I am for Branndon
Stewart tonight.”
After putting up mediocre
numbers for the first three quar
ters, Stewart caught fire with the
game on the line, completing 10 of
his last 14 passes including a 25-
yard touchdown pass to sopho
more receiver Chris Cole with 43
seconds left in the game and the
subsequent two point conversion
to junior tailback Sirr Parker.
He finished the evening com
pleting 18 of his 33 passes for 226
yards and a touchdown.
For OSU, the game marked
the second consecutive week
that the Cowboys, the Big 12’s
•Cinderella story this season, have
fallen in overtime. They lost to
Missouri 51-50 last week.
Oklahoma State had jumped out
to the 22-7 lead on the legs of fresh
&M rolls over
esky Missouri
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ipro
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IvTravis V. Dabney
!mar Staffwriter
i-ag<
ire t( Missouri Tigers, if nothing
jnau raved that they were a re-
id a* team on Sunday after-
|e wil After falling behind early
three games of the match,
te bikers proved that no lead
[ion/fbigforthem to give it their
he :| hey fought off up to seven
[hbo ; points throughout the
beer 1 As it would turn out
yoni the Aggies proved too
•too strong for the Tigers, as
'von the match in three
it games.
ft knew this would be an
punity for us to step up
ime today and I think we
hat,” A&M coach Laurie
ili said.
same one the Aggies jumped
'strong 6-1 lead with some
entdefensive play by the left
Mphomore Amber Woolsey
off the bench midway
|h the first game to provide
spark off the bench with
«roffensive and defensive
J sthe Aggies stretched their
11 10-1. Senior Cindy Loth-
] pushed the Tigers to the
ofagame one loss with a
fmonster kills and after the
' fought off three game
' Then senior Kristie Smed-
M the Tigers away for good
le tkillto make the final score
None 15-3.
% two took on a very dif-
lookfor the Aggies as they
%d 4-1 early. Missouri
^ to catch the Aggies off
with an awkward serve,
ftteam adjusted and took
'ad 6-4 later in the game,
then on it was all Aggies as
they went on to defeat the Tigers
15-5 behind some dominating
play by Cindy Lothspeich.
“Every person on this team is
very confident in all of our
teammates,” Lothspeich said.
“We have been taking a busi
nesslike approach to our games
and it has worked.”
Game three would turn out to
be the best for the Aggie faithful
as they were promised free ham
burgers from McDonald’s if the
Aggies held the Tigers under 10
points. The Aggies would not
disappoint as they jumped out to
a 7-1 lead and began to freely use
the team reserves. Junior out
side hitter Stacy Sykora then ed
ucated the Tigers on what most
of the Big 12 already knows, she
hits hard. She reigned down sev
eral kills on the Tigers and they
found themselves down 11-2.
The Tigers fought back to put up
five points and fight off three
consecutive match points. You
could feel the tension in the Ag
gie fans, as the hamburgers were
not a done deal yet. The Aggies
finally sent their fans away hap
py as sophomore Summer
Strickland served an ace and the
Aggies wrapped up their second
win this weekend, 15-5.
“We had a balanced attack to
day and the left front did a won
derful job today; overall I was
pleased with the way we played,”
coach Corbelli said.
The Aggies also beat Iowa
State in three games on Friday
night as they continue their
march towards the NCAA tour
nament. The Aggies will be
home again next weekend to
play Texas Tech on Friday and
Baylor Saturday night.
DEREK DEMERE/The Battalion
Junior receiver Aaron Oliver makes a crucial catch late in the fourth
quarter of A&M’s 28-25 overtime victory over Oklahoma State.
man quarterback Tony Lindsay (86
yards rushing) and running back Ja-
maal Fobbs (101 yards rushing).
Then in the fourth quarter,
much like the A&M offense, the
Wrecking Crew picked up their
level of play as well.
“I think we had some bad
breaks early in the ball game,” ju
nior safety Rich Coady said. “It
seems like we had things covered
and we had things like we want
ed and he (Lindsay) scrambled
and made big plays.”
Lindsay and the OSU offense
was held to 60 yards in the fourth
quarter after racking up 339 yards
in the first three.
With both the offense and de
fense clicking in the fourth quar
ter, senior guard Steve McKinney
said the team was very confident.
“This team going into the
fourth quarter sincerely, truly felt
we were going to win the football
game,” McKinney said. “Nobody
on the sideline gave up, we
wouldn’t let them give up.”
Please see Overtime on Page 8.
By Jamie Burch
Staffwriter
The thrill of victory and the
agony of defeat. As a frenzied crowd
of 60,776 piled onto Kyle Field fol
lowing the Aggies’ 28-25 overtime
win over Oklahoma State, the Cow
boys had to find a way to deal with
the pain of a second straight over
time loss. And even more potent
and devastating then the two-game
skid is the fact that OSU has twice
been victimized by the two-point
conversion.
Last week against the University
of Missouri, the Cowboys erased a
30-7 halftime lead only to fall in dou
ble overtime. Trailing 51-50, coach
Bob Simmons opted to go for two,
rather than send the game into a
third overtime. Freshman quarter
back Tony Lindsay tried to run the
ball in from three yards out, but was
stopped well short of the goal line.
After the game, Simmons said his
team did not get the job done when it
mattered most.
“I really like the way we responded
in the second half,” Simmons said.
“Down the stretch, they made some
critical plays that eventually led them
to victory. We had a chance to salt that
game away. In the past we’ve done
that, but today we didn’t get it done.”
And against Texas A&M, Sim
mons received a dose of deja vu.
Trailing 22-14 with 2:34 and one
time out remaining, Branndon Stew
art led a spirited comeback. Starting
from the A&M 25-yard line, Stewart
moved the offense to the Cowboy
25-yard line on three completions
for 47 yards. On second down and
10, Stewart found Chris Cole wide
open and isolated on the left side of
the field. Cole ran the rest of the way
for a dramatic touchdown.
The Aggies were then forced to go
for two points to tie. Stewart rolled
out to the right side and lofted a
short pass to running back Sirr Park
er. Parker grabbed the low throw for
the conversion.
Again, Simmons could say nothing
but that his team failed to come
through when it counted most.
“Two overtime games and we
came up short,” Simmons said. “I re
ally thought we had the game under
control. We did not play well down the
stretch at all. It was a tough loss, but
we have to bounce back.”
The same stingy Cowboy defense
that held the Aggies to just seven
points through three quarters seem
ingly disappeared late in the fourth.
On its final two drives of regulation,
A&M covered 146 yards on 19 plays in
under eight minutes. During the
same two drives, OSU surrendered
five plays of 15-plus yards.
Please see Conversion on Page 8.
All Shook Up
Sophomore Nicole Shook returns from injury to help team
By Stephen Boudreau
Staffwriter
W ith four seniors graduating
at the conclusion of this
season, the Texas A&M
Soccer Team will be looking for lead
ers to fill the void left behind.
Nicole Shook, a redshirt sopho
more, boasts the impressive statistics
and positive attitude that give the fu
ture of Texas A&M Soccer a founda
tion to build championships upon.
, “I see my role as a goal scorer. I am
a forward and that’s what I’m sup
posed to do,” Shook said. “In high-
school I was the person who kind
of had to step up and lead, so
leadership is not something I
would back away from.”
Her freshman year, Shook’s
10 goals were good enough to
place her third on the
team’s scoring list. She
tied two Aggie Soccer
Complex
records for
most individual
goals and as
sists in a single
match after registering
three assists in addition to her
first career hat trick against
Stephen F. Austin.
“Nicole is a very hard
worker. She leads by exam
ple as far as her work rate,”
senior Bryn Blalack said.
“She’s really dedicated and
basically just a fun person
to be around.”
Last August on the teams’
tour of Canada, Nicole shook up ^
opponents with six goals in three
games. Shook’s season came to a
screeching halt last year when
she was redshirted following a
season-ending injury to her knee in
the second game of the season.
“Nicole’s best assist is her positive
attitude and demeanor. She had a
really big obstacle put in her way last
year when she blew her knee out
and lost an entire year from the
game,” coach G. Guerrieri said.
“She’s been working tirelessly at try
ing to get back to not only get herself
back physically, but to get her confi
dence back. And we’re starting to get
that back from her.”
In 13 games this season, Shook
has three goals on 17 shots.
Couple that with two as-
v sists and incredi
ble speed.
“She’s unbeliev-
ably fast. She’s got
w*
%W.
lllillfc
wheels like no one else. She’s a great
one-on-one player and a great scorer.
Those are three things we really need
when we go into post-season play,”
Guerrieri said.
Shook does not mind being
called upon to use her speed for the
betterment of the team.
“I’m one of those players that
people send long and I’m expected
to run. Everyone calls me a runner,
so that’s one of my roles,” Shook
said. “It’s something that I enjoy
doing because I love playing.”
A kinesiology sports man
agement major, Shook had
many choices when she was
being recruited out of high-
school.
“I came on my re
cruiting trip and
everything was re
ally cool. I liked
the players that
were already here
and the coaches
were real profes
sional in the
way they re
cruited,” said
Shook. “I
I knew this
^ would be a
I, good pro
gram, but
my par
ents
also
! liked
' * it be-
cause it was close to home. So every
one was happy.”
The Wichita Falls native soon as
sumed her role among the Aggie
Soccer Team and, like her team
mates, sees a bond among the play
ers that few teams possess.
“I came from a highschool team
that was not really that close. There
were groups here and groups there.
And usually in a group there is always
somebody who doesn’t like each oth
er,” she said. “What I really like about
this team is that everyone gets along
so well and everyone likes to hang
out. This team is really incredible and
I am proud to be a part of it.”
As for her future outside of the ma
roon and white jersey, Nicole Shook
plans to remain involved in athletics.
“One of the reasons I decided to be
a kinesology major was because there
is nothing I know more about and
there is nothing else I have been
around all my life like athletics,”
Shook said. “I am sure I want my ca
reer to be sports oriented, but I am
not sure in what area. Maybe eventu
ally I’ll become an athletic director or
something like that. There are so
many different opportunities.”
With a healthy knee and the mind
set of a champion, Nicole Shook has
what it takes to help fortify the Aggies
offense and lead the team to many
more championships.
“It’s been a long road back for
her. I know for her it’s frustrating
since she’s not getting nearly as
much playing time as she did before
the injury, but we’ve got to make
sure she comes back the right way,”
Guerrieri said. “But Nicole has got
what it takes to play at this level and
she proves that every time she steps
on the field. We see improvement
with every passing game.”
imual alumni baseball game reunites former teammates
8y Jason Whitcomb
Staffwriter
'time when player strikes, free
l and astronomical salaries are
3 lyruining professional base-
ftrything that makes the great
"hat it is, in its purest form,
%e on Saturday afternoon at
field. More than 80 former
baseball players came to-
|to bring back old memories
Mdships in the Aggie Baseball
"Game or, as some players
"the“Old-Timers” game,
event featured players from
’different eras in history,
Shorn the days before Olsen
ftseven built to current ma
kers. The two participating
tee managed by the two
winningest coaches in Aggie base
ball history, Tom Chambers and
current head coach Mark Johnson.
“It’s fantastic to see these guys,”
said Dr. John Hoyle, Class of ‘56
“This event displays every'
thing that is special about
baseball here at A&M/’
SCOTT LIVINGSTONE
ST. LOUIS THIRD BASEMAN
and a current professor in the Ed
ucation Administration Depart
ment. “Some of these players go
back to the late ‘40s and early ‘50s,
so us old-timers are here to show
these young guys how the game is
played. The 12th Man Foundation
and the Athletic Department did a
really great thing in organizing
this game.”
The tradition of Aggie baseball is
filled with wins and players who
went on to future success, but for
the players, the best memories
come from the camaraderie shared
with their teammates and coaches.
“There is nothing like the feeling
you get when you see these guys to
gether again,” said Scott Living
stone, Class of‘88 and a third base-
man for the St. Louis Cardinals.
“Being on a major league team is
great, but playing here at A&M was
something special. You never forget
the good times shared with your
teammates and you never want to
lose touch with them. This event
displays everything that is special
about baseball here at A&M. That is
why I stayed here for four years.”
Livingstone is also proud of the
fact that although some players
leave A&M early to play profession
al ball, most of them actually come
back to school and get their degree.
Livingstone was joined by Rich
Robertson of the Minnesota Twins
and Trey Moore of the Montreal
Expos as the only current major
leaguers to participate. Chuck
Knoblauch of the Twins and Jeff
Granger of the Pittsburgh Pirates
could not make it due to prior
obligations.
Overall, the event was a success in
fulfilling its purpose, bringing back
memories and having a good time.
“This game brings together a
great family of people,” said Dr.
Hoyle. “There is nothing like baseball
players. They got more stories than
any other athletes. Baseball has that
extra something special that makes it
the greatest sport in the world.”
Hoyle was one of those players
who could not stop telling old sto
ries. With a huge grin on his face,
he told of the ‘55 Southwest Con
ference championship team that
went to Austin and beat the Texas
Longhorns 7-4 in a crucial game.
He said that the University Presi
dent cancelled school that day so
that every student could go to the
game in Austin.
“By the time all the t-sips got to
the game, they couldn’t get a seat
because all the Aggies had taken
them all,” said Hoyle. “There were
several fights all game long in the
stands, but all that mattered was
that we won on the field and had a
great ride home.”
As for the game, just about
everybody got to play and have a
good time. Age definitely played a
role in playing time.
“This is the third ‘Old-Timers’
game I’ve played in, and the older
you get the less you play,” said
Hoyle. “I played about four innings
in the first one, got to bat once in the
second and in this one I am just go
ing to coach and watch. If they force
me to hit I might do it.”
In this game, there were no win
ners or losers, just oldTriends rem
iniscing and showing off the skills
they still posessed.