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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1998)
Page 7 • Monday, October 5, 1998 r Battalion Mti 'J(AP) ployees than S ty ordir rbanm; emplo igingx supen; eredo ! le mf entlv Lake Aggies rock- . tfguyen’s numbers suffer because of lethargic offense L AWRENCE, Kan. — Lost in the talk of the faltering Texas A&M offense is the fact that senior linebacker Dat Nguyen is showing his mortality. It might be easy to overlook Nguyen’s ane- licliumber of tackles against the University [Kansas because of his intercepted pass and icolered fumble, but Nguyen posted only iven tackles Saturday and has not recorded a julle-digit tackle day since the Kickoff Clas- Bainst Florida State University. ^ Inside linebackers coach Alan Weddell sug- isted earlier in the week that Nguyen played omany snaps and that he might be tiring out. JEFF WEBB “If you look at his best ballgames, he [Nguyen] had 20 tack- as: s against UCLA when he had three weeks off, and he had 13 that: eklps against Florida State,” Weddell said. “We’re trying to 'ler<: Jtihim some rest this year by rotating in some other guys.” ng,G Junior running back Dante Hall said the defense has played •hoojf djnany minutes on the field in the last few games, and that ^ ~ e offense is partly to blame. have to help our defense out a little more,” Hall said. “We Bplaying a really great team this week, and we can’t afford to 1 Mav • R re ^ n § on our d e f ense every game. The offense has to put in ishare too.” A&M coach R.C. Slocum said the defense played too ucA against Kansas, putting too much pressure on the unit win the game. “The defense played real well, but then they played too long,” Bn said. “But then they went out there and did what they «<d to do to win the ball game. ” When the Aggie take on the University of Nebraska, they 1 ihave to use the same formula Oklahoma State University Jl/Hllpn the Cornhuskers: run the ball and win the time-of-pos- jlwl® on * 3at ^ e - less time Nebraska has the ball, the more * nethe defense has to rest. Riv. Nguyen’s candidacy for the Butkus Award, the award that .. jiiesto the nation’s top linebacker, is suffering because of the ^jllM 301 ' 8 Nguyen is putting up. A big reason for that is be- use Nguyen and the defense has to make up for offensive ijtt] ortcomings. On Saturday, Nguyen may be the only person that can sin- kCfS Andedly slow the progress of the methodical Nebraska op- mattack. Without him at full strength, A&M can put to rest ay ideas of being in the game at halftime. on rac;| egistraii i 4} '4 T cob Jeff Webb is a senior journalism major. Never underestimate the importance of people. Take any environment, from the most simplistic to the most advanced, and you’ll notice one common thread. People. They’re the key to success, discovery, to the future itself. At Hewitt, we’ve been putting people first for decades. Of course, that’s our business. We’re a global consulting firm specializing in human resource solutions. We’ve become an industry leader by creating a culture that encourages teamwork, innovative thinking and personal growth. What does it mean for you? Imagine reaching your potential. You can do it at Hewitt. Majors that have traditionally been successful in our organization: Accounting, Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Liberal Arts, Math, MIS or Statistics. For more information, including upcoming campus events, visit our website at www.hewitt.com or send your resume to: Hewitt Associates LLC, 100 Half Day Road, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Fax: 847-295-0679. E-mail: careers@hewitt.com. As a strategy for our continued success and our vision for continuing to foster an inclusive environment, we seek individuals who will provide a diverse range of talent, perspectives, experience, and backgrounds. Hewitt is an equal opportunity employer. Hewitt Improving Business Results Through People CHALK THE KU JAYHAWKS JEFF WEBB/The Battalion Junior running back Dante Hall runs the ball in A&M’s 24-21 victory over Kansas. Hall scored three touchdowns in the game. A&M mistakes need solving before NU game BY JEFF WEBB The Battalion LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Texas A&M Football Team opened its con ference season by limping to a 24-21 victory over the University of Kansas, but coaches and players said they are aware a similar performance on Oct. 10 against the University of Nebraska will not keep the Aggies close enough to put together another game-winning drive like they did against Kansas. “We can’t play like we played to day and stay on the.field with Ne braska,” A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. “I watched them play Washing ton, and it looked like another ver sion of the same song. They look like a very solid football team. We can’t play like we played in these games this year, particularly on offense, and have a chance to stay on the field with them.” With newly-named starting quar terback junior Randy McCown lead ing the charge, the offense continued to struggle. The Aggies were flagged for eight penalties, leading to a loss of 60 yards, which suggests the team is far from the point it wants to be when the Cornhuskers come calling. “We had all kinds of misfires,” Slocum said. “We had penalties at in opportune times, dropped passes at inopportune times and we had missed blocks. Generally, we were not very smooth. “It’s hard to execute when you get those penalties and miss passes and drop some balls. On third down, you get a guy open and hit him in the hands and he drops the ball. That re ally affects the drive.” The Aggies had numerous prob lems moving the ball once inside the Kansas 30-yard line. In the second quarter against Kansas, the Aggies had three posses sions that reached the 28-yard line or better. The results were two punts and one turnover on downs. In the third quarter, junior punter Shane Lechler placed a kick deep in the corner that the Aggies recovered after it hit a Kansas player. Two plays later, a run by junior run ning back Dante Hall moved the ball down to the Kansas 1-yard line. see Football on Page 9. ■ * J* XXX X kX X ooo^ RECAP • Junior running back Dante Hall rushed for 177 yards on a career- high 36 carries. It was the first time an Aggie has rushed for over 100 yards in a game this season. •The Aggies forced two turnovers — an interception and a fumble recovery by senior line backer Dat Nguyen — which direct ly led to 10 A&M points. For the sea son, A&M has forced 14 turnovers, while giving up only four. •The 58-yard touchdown pass given up by the Aggie defense was the longest by an A&M opponent since 1997 when Oklahoma State’s R. W. McQuarters pulled down a 62-yarder. SOUNa BITES “After those first two dri ves, a regular team would say, ‘Hey man, that’s the ballgame already,’ but they [Kansas] kept playing defense and kept putting new defenses on us and hung in there.” — Senior offensive guard Cameron Spikes “It was the confidence fac tor. We just had the confi dence. If we knew we were go ing to go down there and score, we would.” — Junior running back Dante Hall on A&M’s game-winning drive. “It is an ugly win, but it is a win and that is the bot tom line.” — Senior safety Rich Coady. © 1998 Hewitt Associates LLC
