s always good to win by
a large margin of victory,
but it’s apparent there is
still a lot of work
to be done.”
v
— R.C. Slocum
the team’s overall performance
Our goal was to get a
touchdown, and we
were able to get more
than that.”
— Chris Valletta
on the team’s offensive goals
> the Piii
inch ofG|
nvn Rar;l
a freshirj
>n majot
bit partiu|
e manyi
the exi|
i of GrarJ
;ee pictis]
hive past
vas pariil
“We are happy to come
ie and get a win in front
|of the fans at Kyle Field.”
— Randy McCown
ion returning home after a loss
|The intensity in practice
owed up and that’s what
changed the outcome.”
— Ja’Mar Toombs
on the team’s progress
“We were confident the
whole game. We moved
ie ball but hurt ourselves
in the red zone.”
fBU quarterback Jermaine Alfred
on Baylor’s performance
The Battalion
Top 25 Poll
haeologlTeam Record
s and(fejt Florida State (6-0)
5, colie;: 2. Penn State (6-0)
rout tiieif, Nebraska (6-0)
with M 4. Virginia Tech (5-0)
fUc/j/gan State (6-0)
1 Tennessee (4-1)
■Rorida (5-1)
Georgia Tech (4-1)
Michigan (5-1)
.Kansas State (5-0)
.Alabama (4-1)
Texas A&M (4-1)
.Marshall (5-0)
__ .Mississippi State (6-0)
.Georgia (4-1)
Syracuse (5-1)
.Ohio State (4-2)
.Purdue (4-2)
.Texas (5-2)
.Mississippi (5-1)
.Wisconsin (4-2)
.East Carolina (5-1)
.Air Force (4-1)
.So. Mississippi (3-2)
j. Notre Dame (3-3)
tssociated Press
Top 25 Poll
[ Team
Record
|. Florida State
(6-0)
|Penn State
(6-0)
1 Nebraska
(6-0)
|. Virginia Tech
(5-0)
iMichigan State
(6-0)
llennessee
(4-1)
I Florida
(5-1)
[Georgia Tech
(3-1)
'Kansas State
(5-0)
). Michigan
(5-1)
L Alabama
(4-1)
2. Miss State
(6-0)
3. Texas A&M
(4-1)
1 Georgia
(4-1)
5. Marshall
(5-0)
i. Syracuse
(5-1)
'.Wisconsin
(4-2)
i. Ohio State
(4-2)
), Texas
(5-2)
). Purdue
(4-2)
L BYU
(4-1)
1. Mississippi
(5-1)
i East Carolina
(5-1)
1, Miami Fla
(2-3)
6. So. Miss.
1
(3-2)
Big 12 Standings
North
W
L
PF PA
ebraska 6
0
234 58
Kansas St. 5
0
200 61
Vlorado 3
2
198 163
Uva St. 3
2
116 101
lissouri 3
2
155 165
ansas 2
4
150 213
South
fexas 5
2
262 137
fexas A&M 4
1
186 70
lahoma 3
2
190 103
^a.St. 3
2
136 104
^ exas Tech 2
3
107 129
tylor 1
5
99 215
Sports
Page 7 • Monday, October 11, 1999
Answered Prayers
Aggie 5 bounce back
after loss to Texas Tech,
defeat Baylor, 45-13
BY AL LAZARUS
The Battalion
For the third consecutive game,
the Texas A&M Football Team’s
defense scored the first touch
down for the Aggies.
But unlike the first two games
of this unlikely streak — in which
A&M scored no offensive touch
downs — the Aggie offense de
cided to join in the action Satur
day at Kyle Field, contributing
five touchdowns in A&M’s 45-13
victory over Baylor University in
front of 75,476 fans.
Senior quarterback Randy Mc
Cown completed 9 of 17 passes
for 187 yards, but the most satis
fying part of the game for him and
the rest of the Aggies may have
come on a running play.
'We took a step to
get better today,
but its just a small
step”
— Ja’Mar Toombs
A&M fullback
Running back Joe Weber took
a McCown pitch in the second
quarter and ran it seven yards for
a touchdown — the A&M of
fense’s first in almost 10 quarters
of play.
“We came out today and got
the pressure off of us,” McCown
said. “We finally got the monkey
off our back.”
The Aggies finished the game
with 195 rushing yards, an im
provement from the previous
weeks’ totals, but still not accept
able, offensive lineman Chris Val
letta said.
“There was definitely some im
provement in the offense,” Vallet
ta said. “We’re happy right now,
but this offensive line is never go
ing to be satisfied.”
“Coach had more confidence
in us running the ball this week,”
sophomore running back Ja’Mar
Toombs said. “We took a step to
get better today, but it’s just a
small step.”
A&M coach R.C. Slocum said
he was pleased with the improved
Aggie ground attack, but he is still
looking for more.
“I thought we ran the ball bet
ter today,” Slocum said. “But I’m
still not totally pleased with our
performance.”
Another stalled A&M drive
ended with a Terence Kitchens
field goal in the second quarter,
but as the sun finally broke
through the clouds later in the
quarter, the Aggies’ offensive
drought ended on Weber’s run.
The A&M offense looked profi
cient inside the 20-yard line for
the first time since the Aggies’ vic
tory over the University of Tulsa.
In addition to Weber’s run,
A&M got red-zone touchdowns
from wide receiver Leroy Hodge
on a 12-yard catch and from run
ning back Eric Bernard on a two-
yard run.
“We’ve got things we’ve got to
get ironed out to be a good team,”
Slocum said. “Today we did bet
ter in that area [inside the 20].”
The Aggies’ defensive touch
down came when safety Michael
Jameson picked off a Baylor pass
and returned it 20 yards to the
Baylor end zone, giving the Ag
gies a 7-3 lead after BU kicker
Kyle Atteberry booted a 52-yard
field goal on the Bears’ opening
drive.
The Wrecking Crew allowed
Baylor 275 total yards but repeat
edly clamped down on the Bears
inside the 20-yard line, forcing BU
to settle for field goal attempts.
“When they get down there
close to the end zone, we may
bend, but we’re not going to
break,” Jameson said.
After Baylor’s defense contin
ued to stack defenders near the
line to stop the Aggies’ running
attack in the second half, A&M
decided to take to the air.
Toombs took a short pass from
McCown and rumbled 26 yards
for a touchdown.
“I thought we got better to
day,” A&M offensive coordinator
Steve Kragthorpe said. “In the
second half, we were able to
come out and take advantage of
some of the structures they pre
sented us and throw the ball
down the field.”
Late in the third quarter, Mc
Cown rolled out and hit freshman
wide receiver Bethel Johnson in
stride for a 74-yard touchdown
pass.
“Our big-play capability is bet
ter than what it’s been,” Slocum
said.
BRADLEY ATCHISON/The Battalion
Senior quarterback Randy McCown celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter against
Baylor University Saturday at Kyle Field.
McCown attempts a pass against Baylor University Saturday at Kyle Field. McCown finished the game 9-of-17
passing for 187 yards and three touchdowns.
Offense receives boost
from play of McCown
BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
Before the Texas A&M-Baylor
football game Saturday, Aggie senior
offensive lineman Chris Valletta re
ferred to senior quarterback Randy
McCown as the type of guy that hits
receivers.
The A&M of
fense proved him
right this week
end, compiling
222 yards passing
as McCown threw
for three touch
downs in the sec
ond half — a 26-
yard pass to
sophomore run
ning back Ja’Mar
Toombs, a 12-yard pass to senior
wide receiver Leroy Hodge and a 74-
yard pass to sophomore wide re
ceiver Bethel Johnson, all in the
third quarter.
McCown said he had complete
confidence in the 74-yard pass to
Johnson.
“I knew it would be there be
cause of the way we were playing, ”
he said. “The offensive line did a
good job blocking and gave me a lit
tle extra time, and I threw it out there
and he was there. ”
The Aggies’ passing game ex
ploded after having two games with
no offensive touchdowns.
The irony of the passing game
improvement is that the team’s mis
sion against Baylor was to focus on
the running game.
“We went into the game with that
mindset, that we
were going to run
the football,” A&M
football coach R.C.
Slocum said.
“Games are strange
in the way they
work out.”
McCown said the
Aggie offense per
formed better this
weekend because of
the effort players put
in during practice. He said the team
practiced as if it was playing the
game.
Although the emphasis this season
has been comparing the Aggies’ run
ning and passing games, McCown
said they complement each other,
rather than compete with each other.
“We got our running game going
[in the first quarter], and it helped
the passing game,” McCown said.
“ When you get your running and
passing games going, they improve
each other. ”
“Games are
strange in the
way they work
out”
— R.C. Slocum
A&M coach