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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2001)
L 'ctober 16,11 uesday, October 16, 2001 THE BATTALION Page 7 r Aggies look Ags melt down in third quarter iv ersity of ublication sity of Texas per. The Dt jctured simil. and the ne« circulation million bi awrence, direo :nt Publicatioi ■oss the coum i pinch ofdecli ig and a slii] revenues coif ■rrorist attacf /sts say. sea nningham is itic candidate on Kirk also y committee mer Govs, id Preston Si Pete Laney. sible Democri Texas Attorn id former Seifi success. t is only October, but it is portion of stii(ll a | rea( jy of its status as crunch time press, said Id i of students, ver intended of their ova was suppoa ental for the Texas A&M foot- 1 team. Saturday's 3(-2f loss to the University of Colorado destroyed any shot the Aggies had at a Cinderella-like national championship run and put a major damper on A&M’s chances of advancing to the Big 12 championship game. While the Aggies i ri-1. 2-1 in Big 12) control their destiny, so does Oklahoma, the South division’s first-place team. The Aggies will need a lit tle help, or five straight wins, to close out their season. Already out of the South er becauseofi|(livision title hunt are Baylor and Oklahoma State — both have yet to win a conference game. Texas Tech, with two loss es, also is probably out of the picture. It is just as well, because the Red Raiders still have games against Nebraska, Oklahoma and A&M. While winning the remain ing conference games would Aa clinch the South division for the Aggies, it is not very like ly. Away games against Kansas State. Tech and Oklahoma all w ill present stiff challenges for A&M. Home side, Attorne ivks vmma our help contests against Iowa State and Texas will be no easy deal, as the two teams have a combined record of 9-2. If the Aggies lose one more game, they will have to rely on two North division teams for a chance of advancing to their first Big 12 title game since 1998. The first team A&M will need help from, ironically, is Colorado. The Buffaloes travel to Austin Saturday to play Texas. The game, that a few weeks ago was considered average, is now the game of the week in the Big 12 and will have a major impact on the conference picture. A Colorado win would place the Longhorns in jeop ardy of contending with the Sooners for the Big 12 South division, and it would add steam to the Buffaloes’ already-hot engine. A Texas win will keep the Horns’ title hopes alive. Aside from Colorado, Nebraska could be A&M’s best friend if they find a way to knock off Oklahoma in two weeks. That may be the only con test of the season that will have the No. 2 Sooners as under dogs. The game will be played in Lincoln, Neb., where No. 3 Nebraska has lost only once in its last 61 home contests. See H KLP on page 9. A&M’s second half spelled disaster By Brian Ruff THE BATTALION When the teams come back onto the field after halftime, they are expected to play bet ter and compensate for the problems the opposing team was handing them. However, for the No. 25 Texas A&M football team, the second half, particularly the third quarter of the Aggies’ 31-21 loss to the No. 20 Colorado Buffaloes, was a total disaster. The Colorado defense recovered a fum ble and returned it for a touchdown to secure the Buffalo win, and that carried the Colorado team. The defensive play, with the momentum gained by the Buffaloes before the end of the first half, had a lot to do with the Aggies’ disappointing loss. “The play we ran had enough coverage for the blitz; we just missed the block, and it turned out to be fatal,” said A&M football head coach R.C. Slocum. “We had Colorado on their heels the last two drives, and we wish we could have played that way the whole game.” A&M was in control in the second quar ter, and scored on two consecutive Jamaar Taylor touchdown catches to take a 14-6 lead. The Aggie defense shut down the Colorado offense for the third straight time, and the offensive squad took over at their own 8-yard line, looking to extend the lead or simply run the remaining 2:29 off of the clock and go into the locke room with the momentum and a 14-6 lead. Three Aggie penalties and two dropped passes later, the Aggies found themselves fac ing fourth-and-seventeen on their own 1-yard line, and only 42 seconds had run off the clock. Sophomore punter Cody Scates, who had a career day in the thin, Boulder air, booted the ball out of his own end zone, and the ball GUY ROGERS • THE BATTALION Sophomore wide receiver Jamaar Taylor brings down a Mark Farris pass during the second quar ter of the Aggies’ 31-21 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday in Boulder. was taken by Colorado senior punt returner Roman Hollowell at the A&M 46-yard line, with 1:47 left on the clock. The Buffaloes connected on a third-and- ten pass for seven yards, setting up a fourth- and-three play that easily could have been the backbreaker for the Aggies despite being just halfway through the matchup. Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs found runningback Cortlen Johnson over the mid dle for five yards, keeping the drive alive and eventually leading to the game-tying score 43 seconds later. Colorado had all the momentum they needed, and it carried into the second half. The Aggie offense mustered only 46 yards of total offense for the entire third quarter and had possession of the ball for only six minutes. It also tallied just three first downs and did not move past its own 40-yard line. The Aggies are not the only ones who had trouble with the Buffaloes this season in the third quarter. Colorado has outgained its opponents 633-217 in the third quarter, and the Buffs outscored the Aggies 3-0 in the third, increasing Colorado’s scoring in the third quarter to a perfect 38-0 against the six opponents this season. The A&M offense did not threaten to score until only 5:30 was left on the game clock. Freshman wide receiver Terrence Murphy made two catches on the A&M scoring drive, coming from 22 yards and 36 yards out. Murphy set an A&M freshman receiving record, hauling in 10 catches for 146 yards against the Buffaloes. The Aggies had a chance to make up for See M ELT DOWN on page 9. cil, ights ice. Try The NEW West Side Entrance! •Easy Access!—The Rec Center is open as usual, please exer cise caution around the construction site in front of the Rec Center. On-campus students are encouraged to use the bus system to get to the Rec Center. Rec Members may enter the Rec Center through the Backyard West Side Entrance (facing Reed Arena) Monday-Friday from 11:30am-11:00pm. For the most up-to-date campus parking information you can call PTTS at 862-PARK. Get Involved With Intramurals Fall Days With Golf •NEW!!! Get Competitive With Our All-U-Leagues—Groups that can compete under our All-U-Leagues include, the Corps of Cadets, Fraternities, Sororities, on campus Residence Halls, and Off-Campus Aggies. •HURRY! Track Meet—Register through Tuesday, October 1 6 for this awesome intramural. Prelims will be held on Monday, October 22nd and Finals on Monday, October 29th. Program Registration Cost Putt Putt Golf Oct. 8-Oct. 16 Greens Charge Football Bowl Challenge Dec. 3-Dec. 11 FREE Cheer On Your Sport Clubs •Cheer your Sport Club teams on to victory! Oct. 1 9-20 Judo Matches ® the Rec Center Oct. 19-21 Archery Meet / ' y @ the Rec Center Oct. 20 Men's & Women's Lacrosse @ Penberthy Intramural Fields Oct. 20 Men's & Women's Rugby @ East Campus Fields •Discover Us On Campus—Pro shop hours are from dawn till dusk, seven days a week. Tee times are taken one week in advance^Friday's and weekend tee times fill up fast, so call early to reserve your time. Golf carts, pull carts and rental dubs are available for nine or eighteen holes. The TAMU Golf Course also has handicapping service available through the USGA. •Golf Lessons—Single and group lessons available for beginners to those looking to improve skills. Rates are a very competitive $30.00 per individual lesson or $50.00 per group lesson. Discounts are available for 3 lessons or more. Contact Rick Kahlich at 845-1 723 for more information. Open to the public! We are located on the southside of the A&M campus. Call the Pro Shop at 845-1723 & visit us online. Make a Splash With Aquatics • NEW-MASTERS Swim Program—Workouts are tailored to meet the individual's goals, whether you seek to increase your fitness, improve your stroke or have a desire to compete. Morning and evening practice times are ottered as well as a Saturday workout. $50 for 25 workout passes. Program has just started, get involved now. • NEW & FREE!-Polar Bear Club—The 'Polar Bear Club' is a self- paced aquatics fitness program. Designed to motivate all lev els of swimmers and water exercise enthusiasts in a fun, sup portive environment. To sign up ask ANY aquatics staff mem ber. After completion of 100 miles or 100 hours of work- out-you will be inducted into the club-great prizes will be given away in May 2002. Explore With TAMU Outdoors ►Rio Grande Thanksgiving Trip—We will canoe the scenic wilderness of West Texas, hike through side canyons, explore the desert and sleep under the stars. Register through November 9th, travel November 21-25th. Price starts at $243 for Rec Members. Rec Rock Show—Bouldering Competition—Show your skills oft on Tuesday, October 23rd. The $5 registration starts at 6:30pm that evening and the competition will run from about 7:30—10:30pm. Open to Rec Center Members. Upcoming Event Sea Kayak Texas Coast Rock Climb/Anchors Backpacking Trip Intro Rock Climbing Registration Now—Ocf. 77 Extended! Now-Oct. 23 Now-Oct. 23 Now-Oct. 24 Event Date Oct. 19-21 Oct. 26-28 Oct. 27-28 Oct. 28 Get Results With Fitness & Classes • 'Jump Start' YOUR Fall Fitness Goals—Begin your healthy lifestyle with: 1 personal training session, fitness profile, nutri tion consultation & more for only $30! •Personal Training Sessions—Check out our competitive rates starting at $30 for two sessions for one person. We also offer partner rates. Drop by Member Services to sign up today. • NEW & FREE!-Weight Room Orientation—Our newest FREE programming offering is available on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. • FREE!—Healthy Living Lecture Series—All of these programs are FREE, you are asked to arrive in room 281 Rec before 5:30pm, no late admittance. Wednesday, October 1 7—Fad Diets: What is the Meaning?