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on A&M’s 51-14 win
over Missouri
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— Jason Glenn
n the defense’s performance in
\&M’s 51-14 win over missouri
DUZCE, TUrkey (AP)-
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I’m very
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on the team’s overall attitude
The Battalion
Top 25 Poll
Team
Exam Tomorroo Flonda st
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unri 2 Virginia Tech
tM NU1I3. Florida
Todsy! 4.| Nebraska
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Daily Notes
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H 202.500
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AT 105.500
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arshall
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1 Kansas St.
l| Michigan
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mgmt 363.50t 3j Penn St.
MKTG321.5034! Georgia Tech
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Georgia
Purdue
Arkansas
Minnesota
Mississippi
Texas A&M
Louisiana Tech
Boston College
Record
(10-0)
(9-0)
(9-1)
(9-1)
(9-2)
(9-2)
(lO-O)
(7-2)
(8-2)
(9-1)
(8-2)
(8-1)
(9-2)
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(7-3)
(8-2)
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(6-4)
(6-3)
(7-3)
(7-2)
(7-3)
(8-2)
(7-2)
and
Austin
Dlogy
Florida St. (10-0)
Virginia Tech (9-0)
Florida (9-1)
Nebraska (9-1)
Wisconsin (9-2)
Texas (9-2)
Tennessee (7-2)
1 Alabama (8-2)
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✓elopment trip toy Michigan (8-2)
U.S. Military. ..Marshall (10-0)
sitions will be madi Mississippi St. (8-1)
will be $3.50. We 5. Penn St. (9-2)
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263
326
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4
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219
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224
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9
2
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3
333
157
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7
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298
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380
Sports
Page 7 • Monday, November 15, 1999
Breakthrough
p dGERS/Vll| |{ V | 1 vl l()N
A&M sophomore running back Ja’Mar Toombs breaks away from a pile of University of Missouri defenders in the Aggies’ 51-14 win over the Tigers Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Unpredictable Aggies bounce back from Nebraska loss
BY AL LAZARUS
The Battalion
COLUMBIA, Mo. — After a week in
which the Texas A&M Football Team was
forced to recover from a 37-0 loss to Ne
braska while dealing with the dismissal from
the team of senior running back Dante Hall,
it was easy to assume the Aggies would
come out uninspired in their game Saturday
against Missouri.
But to make that assumption would be to
forget one of the major themes of A&M’s
1999 campaign. Good or bad, the Aggies
have been unpredictable — consistently in
consistent.
So when A&M reeled off a 17-play, 70-
yard opening drive for a touchdown, it
seemed difficult to be surprised — though it
was the Aggies’ first offensive touchdown in
a first quarter all season.
And when A&M was promptly shut down
by the Tiger defense for the rest of the half
— turning the ball over on a fumble and
punting five times — it was not a stretch to
assume the Aggies were headed for a war of
attrition with a Missouri team desperate to
salvage a disappointing season with a win in
its last home game.
In the end, though, the Aggies succeeded
at doing something they did not do nearly
enough in their three conference road loss
es this season. They put points on the score-
board. A&M (7 : 3, 4-3 Big 12) scored early
and (mostly) late in crushing Missouri (4-6,
1-6 Big 12), 51-14, in front of 57,472 fans at
Faurot Field.
For the first time this season, the Aggies
managed to establish a strong running game
against a conference opponent on the road.
With Hall suspended from the team for dis
ciplinary reasons and senior running back
Eric Bernard out with a shoulder injury,
A&M started the game featuring its “jumbo”
set — the imposing backfield tandem of se
nior D’Andre “Tiki” Hardeman and sopho
more Ja’Mar Toombs.
Although the Aggies’ final rushing-
yardage total of 254 was inflated due to 33-
and 77-yard runs from promising freshman
Joe Weber when the game was already in
hand, A&M’s success running the ball on the
first drive set the stage for its dominating af
ternoon.
Toombs pounded the ball up the middle
on the Aggies’ opening drive, gaining 24
yards and eventually capping the 7 minute,
16 second drive with the Aggie offense’s only
first-quarter touchdown of the season.
“We knew we could run the ball on
them,” Toombs said. “We wanted to come
out and show everyone that the running
game the last couple of weeks was not us.”
A&M coach R.C. Slocum said the Aggies
were aware of the importance of coming out
strong on the road.
“We knew that playing on the road
against a challenging opponent, we need
ed to get off to a good start,” Slocum said.
“I thought our offense came out and set
the tempo by getting points on the open
ing drive.”
Senior quarterback Randy McCown bal
anced out the Aggies’ running attack
throughout the game, completing 12 of 21
passes for 201 yards, his sixth 200-yard plus
passing day of the season. Chris Taylor
caught three passes for 35 yards, while John
son, Leroy Hodge and Matt Bumgardner
each caught a pair for the Aggies.
“We knew it was [Missouri’s] senior day,
and we wanted to match their intensity and
outplay them,” McCown said. “I thought Ja’
Mar and Tiki had a great week of practice,
and that reflected in the game.”
Leading only 7-0 at halftime, the Aggies
were once again faced with an opportunity
to implode in the second half and plummet
further in the conference standings. Instead,
they responded with their most impressive
half of the season, scoring 44 points against
a Missouri defense that steadily crumbled
throughout the half.
After the Tigers went three and out to be
gin the second half, the Aggies found them
selves at their 45-yard line. Three plays lat
er, McCown hit a streaking Bethel Johnson
on the right sideline for a-39-yard touchdown
pass, giving A&M a two-touchdown lead and
setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Toombs added two more touchdowns,
and punter/place-kicker Shane Lechler boot
ed a 32-yard field goal to cap a 24-point quar
ter for A&M.
Replacing the chronically low-kicking Ter
ence Kitchens, Lechler made his only field
goal attempt and four extra points in addi
tion to averaging 53.4 yards on seven punts
— the 10th 50-yard plus game of his career.
After missing an extra point in the fourth
quarter, though, Kitchens came on to kick
the Aggies’ final two extra points.
Included in A&M’s 20 fourth-quarter
points was safety Michael Jameson’s third
interception returned for a touchdown this
season, a school record.
GUY ROGERS/The Battalion
A&M freshman running back Joe Weber (right) eludes University
of Missouri safety Clarence Jones in the fourth quarter Saturday.
A&M running backs respond under pressure
C OLUMBIA,
Mo. — Last
week was
n’t exactly the
best week to be a
Texas A&M run
ning back.
The Aggies
were coming off
their worst rush
ing performance of the season,
rushing for two yards against the
University of Nebraska, and then
Monday, A&M coach R.C. Slocum
dismissed senior running back
Dante Hall from the team.
Heading into Saturday’s game
against the University of Missouri,
the Aggie running backs felt they
had something to prove.
The Aggies gained some of their
pride back as they hit the ground
running against the Tigers.
A&M rushed for a season-high
254 yards on 48 carries, and more
importantly, came out with the at
titude of establishing the running
game.
With Hall gone and senior run
ning back Eric Bernard still nurs
ing an injury, Slocum threw out a
new starting backfield.
Although they had played at the
same time in a game before, it was
the first time Ja’Mar Toombs and
D’Andre ‘Tiki’ Hardeman had start
ed a game together.
The dividends of the TNT back-
field payed off immediately.
Behind the punishing running of
Toombs and the blocking of Tiki,
A&M took the opening possession
of the ball game and methodically
marched 70 yards in 17 plays, end
ing with a 2-yard touchdown run
by Toombs.
It was the first offensive touch
down the Aggies had scored in the
first quarter all season.
That opening drive set the tone
for the rest of the day as the Mis
souri defense got a steady dose of
Toombs and Tiki all day.
Toombs finished with 76 yards
on 22 carries and three touch
downs, while Tiki ended with 48
yards on nine carries and a touch
down.
While having their best running
day of the season, Toombs said the
running backs came out to prove a
point against the Tigers.
“We wanted to come out and
show everyone that the running
game the last couple of weeks was
not us,” Toombs said. “We are bet
ter than that. I really came out
pumped, especially since Coach
Slocum put the load on me to run.
Our offensive line was good and
Tiki blocked great.”
After Tiki and Toombs softened
up the defense the first three quar
ters, freshman Joe Weber came
into the game in the fourth and
provided a glimpse at what the fu
ture holds for the Aggie running
game.
On his first carry from scrim
mage, Weber broke out over the
left side and rushed for 33 yards,
the Aggies’ longest rush from
scrimmage on the year. It was a
mark that stood for all of six min
utes.
On the Aggies’ third possession
of the fourth quarter, Weber took a
handoff at the A&M 20 and ran 77
yards to the Missouri 3 yard-line. It
was A&M’s longest rush since 1997
when Sirr Parker had an 80-yard
run against Iowa State University.
Weber finished with 121 yards
on eight carries, the first Aggie
back to eclipse the century mark
this season.
Doug Shilling is a junior
agricultural journalism major.
DOUG
SHILLING