3
My ll fmday • July 27,1998
The Battalion
PORTS
ig 12 Conference Media Day
Photos and Stories
by Jeff Webb
fk
«
’ies face tough test in
-ranked Florida State
ALLAS — The last time the Texas A&M football
earn played in a preseason classic, the result was a
| our-point loss in the Pigskin Classic to Brigham
^To (oung University two years ago.
coach R-C. Slocum said that loss was not re-
Risible for the 6-6 season that followed the loss.
-^Rl don't think that game had a lot to do with our
v ° r ' Y/ "V|ason," he said. "There were a lot of other factors that
rlC/5 vere more important that year."
J R)nce again, the Aggies find themselves in a similar
ShCUQn- litlation, the Kickoff Classic, against a top-ranked
v® jRn in Florida State.
Rln this particular game, we had an open date the
- irst week," he said. "Had we not played in this game,
■would have started practice late and then had an
date the next week.
(R'l didn't think it was a game we could pass up.
There were clearly arguments about not doing it, but
els go play. It was hard for me to say we had a
prince to go play Florida State in the Kickoff Classic
pd I turned it down. I thought it would send bad
Signals to our football team."
Rn a season that has many questions surrounding
defensive line depth, the kicking game and offen
sive line experience, the strong schedule that show-
ises five bowl participants from a year ago is the
one sure thing.
The opening game against the high-ranked Semi-
noles is a proper beginning for a lineup that has the
Aggies traveling to top-25 Southern Mississippi and
Oklahoma State, hosting Louisiana Tech (9-2 last sea
son) and taking on national champion Nebraska in
the confines of the 58,000-capacity Kyle Field.
"We won't play any team more talented than the
one in our opening ball game," Slocum said. "We'll
have a good measure early. This is about as strong a
schedule as we've played. We're going back to mur
derer's row next year."
The Aggie players said they know this schedule
will be the toughest that any of them have played,
but players, like senior linebacker Dat Nguyen, said
they feel it will be good preparation for tough games
down the line.
"Playing against Florida State will be a great op
portunity as far as the Big 12 games," he said. "The
speed that Florida State has will be a good prepara
tion for the Big 12 schools."
For the seniors on the squad, playing in the Kick
off Classic means one more game for their careers.
"It's going to be good for us and the senior class.
We're down to a certain amount of games in our col
legiate career, so it's nice to play as many as possible."
Texas A&M senior linebacker Dat Nguyen took Media Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. The
Aggies are the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 South title and face Nebraska in the conference championship
for the second year in a row. A&M punter Shane Lechler also was named to the All-Big 12 preseason team.
Aggie
ell on Fh'ii papsi ^ ■ ■
th her daii. j 11 ^ NOtCS
teller, Mar:® «■ I
, said sheer®:
nerostonR4 Aggie fullback Marc Broyles
anyonewiRl not play this season because
of j amyasthenia gravis, an au-
MartinezRmmune illness that affects the
m throughRelid muscles. His status beyond
orn San «ne.\t.season is unknown.
ith Dalixw
had bec-# 3 ^ The Texas A&rM game
dance 1 gainst Southern Mississippi on
^e. Saturday, September 19 has been
, is servi fttoved to a 5 p.m. kickoff time
iforherr |from the original 2 p.m. sched-
nottestif’Rd start. Fox Sport Net will
televise the game.
JO
on Editor
o Editor
hoto Edtf
d Producer
ditor
News E#
| ♦ Senior offensive lineman
Brandon Houston will miss
the 1998 season because of
back injuries.
f ♦ Aggie running back Sirr
Parker was used as a wide re
ceiver in practice a few times
during spring drills, according
to R.C. Slocum.
pDon't be surprised to see
Parker line up as a wideout
during the football season.
^ ay WHAT?
Peter,
nes.
oer, SteFW uotes fr om g{p 22 Media Day
RuenesSffr Certainly there are
some teams that every year
are good. Then there are
other teams sort of like
Avis Car Rental — number
iavez&c ;t wo an d always trying
hard to get there.”
1
— Spike Dykes
Texas Tech University
lUndnaM*'*
cehouisaffS //
I The last thing (I learned)
Is that if you find Rogaine
In any of your players’ lock
ers, make sure you check
is eligibility.”
— Rick Neuheisel
University of Colorado
3,
j Byers,
Elrod,
nt Publican®:
.3; Fat
ondayta#
ess
verage
:es via
I did not rebuild Kansas
[State.”
— Bill Synder
Kansas State University
I In the 38 years directly before
iynder’s arrival at KSU, the school
lad exactly four winning seasons.
mdaiKl# Since 1989, Synder’s first year,
ewstots has six winning seasons in
line years and five consecutive
nUi e(lD Masons of nine-plus wins.
I Define rebuild.
University of Texas running back Ricky Williams is the Media Preseason Big 12 Offensive Player
of the Year in addition to being a favorite to win the coveted Heisman Trophy. Williams rushed
for a school-record 1,893 yards last season and scored 25 touchdowns in Texas’ 1997 campaign.
Williams prepared for
Longhorn comeback
DALLAS — Senior running back Ricky
Williams and senior linebacker Dusty Ren
fro have come a long way since they both
showed up on the University of Texas cam
pus four years ago.
"When I first saw him, I didn't like him
much," Renfro said. "I didn't like his dread
locks. Now, I'd die for this man any day of
the week."
Williams said he had a similar opinion
about his defensive counterpart.
"I thought he looked a little bit too mean
and ugly," Williams said. "I thought these
Texas corn-fed boys are kind of big."
Now, Renfro and every member of the
Longhorn football team have come to ap
preciate what Ricky Williams brings to the
field. Texas Coach Mack Brown said he is
glad Williams, who considered declaring
for the NFL draft, decided to return for one
final year.
"A lot of people said I did a great job of
talking Ricky into staying," Brown said. "1
should have begged him. I didn't really
know how good he was."
Williams' play has fans buzzing about
the Heisman Trophy for the running back,
but Brown and Williams said they know
personal achievement alone will not be
good enough to win the award.
"You never see a player win the trophy
on a team who doesn't perform on the
highest level," Brown said. "If we're not
moving the ball and scoring, it will not be
an issue.
"Each year, the best player doesn't win
the Heisman, it's the best player on the
best team."
When asked about the possibility of tak
ing home the trophy, Williams deflects the
attention to the team.
"It's all about ballgames," Williams
said. "If we can go out there and play well
in the games, the individual stuff will
come to me later."
At 235 pounds, Williams stayed in Austin
for the summer instead of playing minor
league basebal I to work on getting in shape
for football.
see WillifiMs on Page 4.
NCAA questions plague
Tech football program
DALLAS — It was not the num
ber of losses that mattered for the
Texas Tech football team last season.
It was the opponents.
A loss to Ten
nessee was expected,
especially with
Tech's top corner-
back Tony Darden
suspended for the
showdown with the
Peyton Manning-led
Volunteers.
But a loss to
North Texas and a season-ending
11-point defeat to the struggling
Oklahoma Sooners ended regular-
season Big 12 South title hopes for
coach Spike Dykes and his squad.
Even though the Red Raiders suf
fered through what players and
coaches called a disappointing cam
paign, Dykes said most fans were too
busy keeping up with
the daily soap opera of
the NCAA investiga
tions to notice.
"Last year we had a
little bit of a roller
coaster season," Dykes
said. "We won a few
games that we felt like
we played well in, but
we went the whole
year with turmoil. Nobody ever
asked about our players. Nobody
ever asked about winning or losing.
They all asked about the NCAA."
see Texas Tech on Page 4.
Nebraska faces changes
DALLAS — Although the Corn-
huskers have enjoyed unparalleled
success in the
1990s with
three national
titles in the last
four years, this
season could
be different.
For the first
time in 25 years,
someone be
sides Tom Os
borne will pa
trol the sideline
for the Buskers. Frank Solich takes over
the reigns of the most-feared offense in
the nation minus quarterback Scott
Frost, running back Ahman Green and
offensive lineman Aaron Taylor.
Solich coached the Nebraska
freshman team from 1979-82 before
being promoted to running backs as
sistant coach in 1983.
"I have had many more inter
views, and the media attention is
much greater on me than in previous
years," Solich said. "With Tom (Os
borne) stepping down and getting a
new coach attributed to that, but I
had amazing support from the peo
ple of Lincoln."
see Hcjskers on Page 4.
‘Cats playing for title chance
DALLAS — If Kansas State wants its shot at a national
title, the Wildcats do not buy into the philosophy of teams
that say you have to have a tough non-conference
schedule to do it.
Division I-AA Indiana State (3-8), Division
1-A Northern Illinois (0-11) and Northeast
Louisiana (5-7) serve as the sacrificial sched
ule for the Wildcats this season. Wildcats
coach Bill Synder said the weak non-con
ference schedule is a product of the small
stadium in which Kansas State plays.
"We want to play at home as much as pos
sible," Synder said. "We want a level playing
field, and we have the smallest stadium in
the Big 12. We can't get people to Manhat
tan because of the small stadium."
Non-conference scheduling prob
lems aside, Kansas State went 11-1 last
year with the traditional record blemish
of a Nebraska loss to show. Wildcats
players and coaches know that a run at
the national title only can be achieved by
beating their dominant northern rivals.
"It's nice to see the respect," senior line
backer Travis Ochs said. "It's something
we've been fighting for. We'll find out on
November 14 (if we can beat Nebraska). If
we have one loss when we get there, it
won't be very big. But we've always got a
chance against everybody."
Even if the Wildcats run the table, their
non-conference schedule that has a com
bined 1997 record of 8-26 might hurt a chance
at an Alliance bowl berth.
"I'm a traditionalist," Synder said. "Tradition
al bowl systems is something everybody looked
forward to. I don't have the answers, so I'm not
against anything because I don't have a better way.
"I don't think we are there today, but I don't know
if 'good' is enough to win one (a national title). It takes
far more than talent. It just takes a lot of things, and
good luck is part of it."
Senior lineman Ryan Young said he is not think
ing about Nebraska, or any team in particular.
"If a national championship goes with going
undefeated and winning a conference title," he
said, "so be it."