Page 2B
SPORTS
THE BATTALION
The lion’s den awaits
B eing No. 1 has its
advantages: the
throng of media at
tention week in and week
out, massive amounts of
exposure for the program
and the confidence that
comes with being consid
ered the best.
But there are disad-
Blaine
DIONNE
; vantages to being the best, and the Okla
homa Sooners will learn one of them the
' hard way this weekend.
When the Sooners travel to College Sta
tion to face the No. 24 Aggies in a game that
could decide the Big 12 South championship,
they will face one of the most hostile environ
ments in college football history, Kyle Field.
Since 1989, the Aggies are 64-6-1 on their
- home turf, 23-1 since 1996. In recent years,
the Texas A&M football team has turned
around its reputation of folding under pres-
. sure when the big boys come to town by go
ing 5-2 against teams ranked in the Top 10.
The most recent big victory was two
. weeks ago when then-No. 10 Kansas State
came to town.
The Wildcats flaunted the nation's third
best scoring offense with the swagger of a
team that planned to embarrass its adver
saries in their home stadium.
The Wildcats would later tuck tail for
home after a thorough 26-10 defeat, thanks
in no small part to the Aggies’ famous
cheering section, the Twelfth Man.
K-State suffered five pre-snap penalties
that could be directly attributed to the
crowd’s noise level.
A&M is known throughout the nation
for its fans and their dedication to their
team. It is a well-deserved reputation that
has been earned over the years through tra
ditions of standing during a game and never
giving up on their team.
Time and again, the Aggie faithful have
proved their mettle by confusing opponents
and working A&M players into a frenzy.
Senior linebacker Jason Glenn said that
the noise against Kansas State played a
huge role in the Aggies’ victory, and it
should play an even bigger role against OU.
“1 thought the Kansas State game was
loud,” Glenn said. “Every time I waved my
arms up in the air, it seemed like a hundred
million lions were just roaring. I mean, it
was so loud and I love that.
“It brings something to me and to the
whole team saying that, win or lose, we had
a crowd, the Twelfth
Man behind us.”
A&M coach R.C.
Slocum said he looks
at the Twelfth Man
not only as a point of
pride for his pro
gram, but also as a
recruiting tool.
“The crowd here is
an inspiration to our
players, and I suspect
is a distraction for our
opponents,” Slocum
said. “I’ve been in a
lot of stadiums, but for
games like this, no
body is better than us.
“We’re selling to
these (recruits) this year that, since
they’ve been in the first grade, we’ve only
lost six games on this field. That usually
impresses them.”
It may impress recruits, but according to
an article that appeared in the Foh Worth
Star-Telegram Wednesday, the Sooners
said they will not be affected by the crowd,
even though 11 of their starters will be
making their first start at Kyle Field.
Kyle Field has developed into one of the most intimidating facilities in all of college sports for op
A&M linebacker Jason Glenn said when the stadium is full it sounds like "a hundred million lionsro
“Once you get to the point you can't
hear, it doesn't matter if there’s 50,(XX) or
80,0(X) people screaming,” Oklahoma quar
terback Josh Heupel told the Star-Telegram.
“It’s just more noise. We have to be mental
ly focused and sharp to combat it.”
Sounds like famous last words. The
Sooners have not had a difficult road sched
ule this year. The only environment even
remotely close to what they will face here
i IRVINt
lack Troy
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Holler House
Continued from Page IB
It’s how they do so much with so little. Programs
like Nebraska, which A&M defeated at home in both
1998 and 1999, and No. 2 Hawaii, which A&M upset
on its home floor last season to get into the Elite Eight,
sell out their gyms every night. Meanwhile A&M con
siders a big crowd to be just 2,000 fans, less than 25
percent of G. Rollie’s capacity. Even with much small
er numbers, A&M is able to perform on par with the
powerhouses.
“Their team feeds off that crowd,” said Nebraska
coach John Cook. “We play in front of big crowds
everywhere we go, so we’re used to the noise, but the
atmosphere here is different for volleyball because of
how they cheer and the organization of it.”
For A&M, feeding off the crowd becomes so natur
al, the team is forced to take a reality check to make
sure it is playing at its best level without the crowd’s
energy.
“You do sometimes tend to rely on the energy and
the feel on the court,” said A&M.middle blocker
Heather Marshall. “But we have to rely on our volley
ball and can’t always rely on that energy. It's us, not ex
ternal factors, that win games.”
But the external factors always help, and A&M is
sure to start on its next home winning streak right away.
“Nebraska must just be envious of what Aggieland
has,” Corbelli said. “They have winning tradition in
volleyball, and they have sell-out crowds every match,
but they don't have anywhere near what we have.”
About the only thing better than what the “Holler
House” provides A&M right now might be the energy
of the Twelfth Man and a sell-out crowd.
If that were ever to happen, no program in the
country could claim to compare to the Aggies’ home-
court edge.
“If we fill G. Rollie, I don't think we could play,”
tan, Kan. But the capacity thereisa» ns t Ja
50,000. Efeeli.
Come Saturday, there will be | ie w;
plus rabid Aggies raining down thii |^ t:r ti m e
the Sooners, and no matter whattbeBng s i a
they know about crowd noise, theirM c \ ens
tion of it will soon be redefined. 1; Aikm;
— Bek's H
Blaine Dionne is a senior• journal I-' wah [
)ut pract
B Honan
Corbelli said. “I was there when Texas played fj rM t ean
Rollie and its 8.0(X) screaming fans. I don'tl pi n t Sto
what 1 would do if I saw that for a volleyball™“He 1
think I would break down and cry. Just toseeliBmiitt
group, with 2,1(X) — they are present. They thought I
there to watch; they aw iluae u> |urticipate.ar,:(eall\ gi
makes all the difference.” assumin
If A&M continues its success, and the Aggie;> j
continue to grow, chances are Corbelli willge;
chance to break down and cry someday. The ora
tion is when.
Jason Lincoln is a junior journalist
FOK
swered
ed seas*
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