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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1997)
Dec ty • December 5, 1997 i ■ S The Battalion ports TEXAS A&M NEB RAS KA GUT-CHECK iven little chance to upset Huskers, Aggies set to battle for Big 12 By Travis V. Dabney Staff writer irren Davis, Mike Lawrence, W iliams (Texas Tech), Ja- iFobbs and Ricky Wiliams as) These are some of the essive backs the Texas A&M : bail Team has faced on the mil field to date. While the es may not have completely ^Bown every one of the :s,[ in most cases they did t it took to win the game, aturday’s game against the raska Cornhuskers poses a le new dilemma for the Ag- , not only will the Aggies be posed with the challenge of stop ping the Cornhuskers and their rushing attack which leads the nation, averaging 397 yards per game. The Aggies will likely face the best running back quarter back tandem in the country. Scott Frost and Ahman Green form what has become a very po tent one-two punch as both have gone for over 1,000 yards rushing this season. The Aggies will also have to contend with what most feel is one of the best offensive line units in college football as the Huskers average an incredible 297 pounds up front. “Their offensive line is just in- esofayd voiiittiati I ihe tell list m kadeei K returr ru pers ill ■■ Sift RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion junior D’Andre Hardeman and the A&M backs will look to pound Nebraska. credible and they execute their scheme very well,” senior defen sive lineman Brad Crowley said. While the Aggies will have their hands full with the Nebras ka option attack, the Aggies seemed convinced that they will have plenty to offer the Huskers when Branndon Stewart is under center. “We are more comfortable with the offense right now than we have ever been,” junior tight end Dan Campbell said. “We know that if we have to pass the ball it will be there. If there is a weakness on their team it is the secondary, still they are an above average unit.” The Huskers defense has not been totally impenetrable this sea son as several teams have moved the ball on them. Central Florida, Missouri and Colorado all had suc cess with the combinations of their running game and passing. That being said, the Huskers still have the nations fourth-best defense while giving up a total of only 255 yards per game. “They are a very difficult team to go four yards and a cloud of dust on,” offensive coordinator Steve Marshall said. “We are going to have to be very balanced on game day.” The balance Marshall is refer ring to has really come to the fore front in the second half of the sea son with the emergence of junior quarterback Branndon Stewart. Stewart took over the quarterback position in the second half of the Aggies’ game with Texas Tech and has yet to look back. The Aggies, led by Stewart, have not lost a game since that heartbreaker to Tech and much of the team’s suc cess can be traced to Stewart. Stewart has accumulated some impressive numbers since that cold day in Lubbock as he has passed for five touchdowns, zero interceptions and a total of 800 431 ' 15« ^4§1§P ' —m I /I. ■ ■ s . WmKm DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion Junior Sirr Parker and the Aggie offense will face a tough task against the nation’s fourth-ranked defense. yards passing. There will be several keys for the Aggies in this game, one of which will be to maintain the excellent turnover ratio that the team has ac quired up to this point of the sea son. The Aggies were very generous in the ‘96 season with turnovers, giving away the ball 28 times in all while only taking it away 25. This season has been a reversal of for tune for the Aggies as they have handed the ball away a paltry 13 times compared to taking the ball away from the opponent 29 times. The Aggies also will have to continue their trend of not allow ing the big play. The Aggies have allowed only one play of over forty yards this season, and with the Nebraska offense and their ten dency to jump on a team with quick strikes this will be a neces sity for the Aggies. Maybe the most important fac tor of all is the confidence the A&M team will have when they walk onto that turf in the Alamod- ome in San Antonio. Nebraska, with their bright red and white uniforms strikes fear in many op ponents before the first snap is ever taken, but the Aggies don’t seem to be in awe of the Huskers. “When we go into the offsea son and get up 6 a.m. to lift weights and run, we don’t do all that to keep games close,” junior- running back Sirr Parker said. “We do that to win games, and that’s our main focus this week.We are not scared of Nebraska.” ^Nebraska takes lesson from last year into title game 'pi JNCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Ne braska Cornhuskers have changed i,he way they feel about the Big 12 [llfchampionship. ^Entering last year’s game in St. -ouis, Nebraska had proclaimed the :on test a nuisance—another poten- i«aal pitfall as the Huskers strived for llthnv straight national titles. ■Tom Osborne’s concerns were re- Ked when Texas won 37-27. MThe Huskers insist things are dif ferent now. The trip to San Antonio fol Saturday’s game between No. 2 Nebraska (11-0) and No. 14 Texas QfA&M (9-2) is no longer a necessary evil. It’s part of the schedule. ■ “This year, it’s something every body expects,” quarterback Scott Frost said. “We’re going to go down there and play, and we’re looking to gel some redemption from last year.” I Like last year, Nebraska is fa vored. Yet the Huskers maintained this week that a victory is no fore gone conclusion. Osborne and his players said last year erased any chance of that feeling. In 1996, a pressure-packed sea son bottomed out against Texas. All year long, the Cornhuskers had been shadowed — even haunted — by their two titles and the hunger for a third. A 19-0 loss at Arizona State in the second game made for a rocky start. Nebraska played the rest of the way knowing that another loss would mean no national title. “It seemed like it took all the fo cus we possibly had to just climb ourselves out a hole we dug and get back in contention for the national championship,” Osborne said. Nebraska cruised through its Big 12 schedule with little resistance. Then, in the regular season finale, the Huskers outlasted Colorado in a 17-12 slugfest on a rainy and cold day in Lincoln. “That was a very big win for us,” said defensive end Grant Wistrom. “Then it was like, ‘Wow, we’ve got to get back up for another game.’” Unfortunately for the Huskers, Osborne said they were drained emotionally and physically. About 35 players missed at least one day of Wistrom practice before the Texas game with the flu. “There was some flu bug, some emotional things,” Frost said. “The Colorado game was very emotional. Some of the problems we had through the year, with people changing positions, distracted us from the game. “Then there was all the talk around here about whether we should even be playing in this game,” Frost said. It ended with John Mackovic’s fourth-and-inches gamble from the Texas 28 with 2:38 left, as the Long horns nursed a 3-point lead. James Brown’s 61-yard pass to Derek Lewis set up the final touchdown on the next play. “We still talk about it,” said Nebras ka defensive tackle Jason Peter. “It was embarrassingwhat happened to us.... We haven’t forgotten it, and we don’t want to go through that again.” It was a low point for all the Huskers. “I don’t think we were overconfi dent,” Osborne said. “I think maybe we were a little fatigued going into the game last year. Our players knew they had to perform. Sometimes the well is dry.” This year, Nebraska’s players got their flu shots early. Although Col orado rallied for two late TDs last Fri day, the Huskers said it wasn’t as drain ing a game as the year before. And practice this week has been crisp. “The guys who played in that (Texas) game last year have taken it upon ourselves to make sure there isn’t that emotional letdown that usually follows the last game of the season,” Wistrom said. For the fifth straight year, Ne braska carries national title hopes into December. Osborne said the difference over last year is that this time his team is ready. “Just being around them, I don’t feel we’ve run out at this point, that we can’t go out and play a great game. ... I feel we’re in a better place now than we were a year ago,” he said. Game tickets still available (AP) — The Big 12 championship may officially be a sellout, but around 3,000 tickets for Saturday’s game be tween No. 2 Ne braska [ and No. 14 Texas A&M are for sale through the Ag gies’ ticket office. A&M announced Thurs day afternoon that the league had given it a batch of $60 tickets. The seats are located in the lower lev el of the Alamodome behind the A&M bench area. The Battalion's 1997 Staff Picks The Match-Ups Chris Ferrell Paul Mitchell Jeremy Furtick Kristina Buffin Jamie Burch Matt Stephen Travis Margaux Harris Len Jeff Jeff Webb Jason Consensus /vuicneii Douureau oauney c-aiiaway ^cnmiui Whitcomb #l|Te<as/ViMvs#2Nebtasl<a(-16)o Nebraska Nebraska Texas A&M Texas A&M Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Texas A&M Texas A&M Nebraska Texas A&M Texas A&M Nebraska: Ags need big fan turnout in SA ‘v#lj A. ixm w #3 Tennessee (-65) b Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Auburn Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Auburn Tennessee Tennessee Auburn Auburn Tennessee Tennessee: Manning finally wins big game ipDG t r ib St (-aSJw NavMexicDC Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St. Colorado St.: They have to play this one ■ Toledo @ Marshall (-11.5) d Marshall Marshall Toledo Marshall Marshall Marshall Marshall Toledo Marshall Marshall Marshall Marshall Toledo Marshall: The Randy Moss showcase Army vs. Navy (-12.5) e Army Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Navy Army Army Army Army Navy Army Navy: Classic battle moves from Philly Panthers @ Cowboys (NL) Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys Panthers Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys Panthers Cowboys Panthers Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys Cowboys: There is no tomorrow Vikings @ 49ers (-6.5) 49ers 49ers 49ers 49ers 49ers 49ers 49ers Vikings 49ers 49ers 49ers 49ers Vikings 49ers: Clinch home-field advantage ^Packers (-3) @ Buccaneers Buccaneers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Packers Buccaneers Packers: Battle ofthe Bays finally competitive Patriots @ jaguars (-3.5) Patriots Jaguars jaguars Patriots Jaguars Jaguars Jaguars Patriots Patriots Jaguars Jaguars Patriots Patriots Jaguars: AFC Championship rematch I (|ants @ Eagles (-5) Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Giants Eagles Eagles Eagles Giants Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles: Win crucial for Cowboys' hopes | Broncos @ Steelers (-1.5) Broncos Steelers Broncos Broncos Broncos Steelers Steelers Steelers Broncos Broncos Broncos Broncos Steelers Broncos: Kordell learns from the master Pons @ Dolphins (-3) Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins Lions Lions Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins Dolphins Lions Lions Dolphins: jimmy has Miami on a roll iLast Week 5-7 1-11 3-9 4-8 3-9 1-11 1-11 1-11 1-11 3-9 1-11 6-6 1-11 Last Week: 31-125: Bad, bad week Cumulative 83-70-3 72-81-3 83-70-3 78-75-3 73-80-3 75-78-3 75-78-3 69-84-3 73-80-3 49-45-2 52-66-2 75-78-3 75-78-3 Cumulative: 973-982-38: Bump in the road a. Big 12 Championship @ San Antonio; b. SEC Championship @ Atlanta; c. WAC Championship @ Las Vegas; d. MAC Championship; e. @ East Rutherford, N.J.