TuIFfe
J 22.0O
nunon
9582
X>-7:00
itch
ers
, tulips)
Accepted-
m . Monday^
..2p.m.Sa'*
GUY ROGERS • THE BATTALION
Aggies hope to upset No. 5 Longhorns, spoil
Texas' 2001 National Championship hopes
Aggies vs. Horns
How Texas A&M and Texas stack up
Quarterbacks
By True Brown
THE BATTALION
When Texas A&M and the
niversity of Texas meet for the
time on Friday, it will be
meeting of two teams going in
fferent directions.
For the Aggies, there is a
nse of desperation. A&M (7-
4-3 Big 12) has dropped its
st two games, losing its shot at
e Big 12 South title.
Although the No. 5
mghorns (9-1,6-1) also have
en nearly eliminated from
eBig 12 title game, Friday’s
ime represents a chance to
lister UT’s chances at a berth
Bowl Championship
ties game.
With the exception of a mid-
ar loss to Oklahoma, UT has
azed through its season.
Quarterback Chris Simms set
the single-season school record
for passing touchdowns last
weekend against Kansas, throw
ing his 21st and 22nd touch
downs of the season.
UT has scored 412 points,
while allowing only 108.
“They have such a high-pow
ered offense being able to run
and throw the ball,” said A&M
football head coach R.C.
Slocum. “They present a lot of
problems, and they are rolling
along pretty good right now.”
While Texas has scorched
its way to nine wins, the
Aggies have spent a majority
of the season scraping by. The
injury-depleted offense has
managed only three points in
its last two outings.
The Aggies’ situation has
gotten worse this week — fresh
man running back Derek
Farmer, A&M’s leading rusher,
and sophomore wide receiver
Jamaar Taylor, A&M’s leading
receiver, are listed as doubtful
for Friday’s contest. Taylor suf
fered a partially torn calf muscle
in practice, while Farmer is
recovering from hyperextend
ing his left knee on Nov. 10
against OU.
With the injury to Taylor,
freshman wide receiver
Terrence Thomas is the lead
ing candidate for the starting
position.
“You just have to take what
you’ve got and make the best of
it,” Slocum said. “Thomas has
played some this year, and he is
getting better as a player.”
UT running back Cedric
Benson became the first true
freshman in school history to
post five consecutive 100-yard
rushing games. With 105 yards
against the Aggies, Benson
will break the 1,000-yard mark
for the season.
“Cedric has had a tremen
dous last part of the year,” said
UT head coach Mack Brown.
“He has been the difference
maker for our team.”
However, A&M’s defense
has yet to allow a 100-yard
rushing performance this sea
son, making the battle between
Benson and the Aggie defense
an important match up in
Friday’s game.
“A&M’s defense is a lot
like Oklahoma’s defense,”
Brown said. “Their front is
excellent and very difficult to
block, and they make it diffi
cult for the opposition to be
successful.”
Kickoff is set for 1 1 a.m. at
Kyle Field.
Junior quarterback
Mark Farris has not
passed for a touchdown
since Oct. 20, and mus
tered only 59 yards
through the air last week.
The Longhorns aerial
threat is led by junior quar
terback Chris Simms, who
leads the Big 12 in pass
ing efficiency with a
144.25 rating this year.
Running backs
Freshman running back
Derek Farmer, the spark
of the A&M running game,
is doubtful for the Texas
Freshman sensation
Cedric Benson has made
his mark early in his
career, tallying five, 100-
game. Farmer has rushed yard games. Benson has
for 502 yards this year. 895 yards this season.
Wide Receivers
A&M could be without
one of the top receivers in
sophomore Jamaar
Taylor, but freshman
Terrence Murphy hopes to
fill in for Taylor’s absence.
Sophomore receivers
B.J. Johnson, Sloan
Thomas and Roy
Williams provide a strong
trio who has posted 113
receptions this year.
Offensive Line
taff predictions: A&M-Texas
All-American candidate
Seth McKinney shores up
an offensive line that has
been hurt with the
absence of Andre Brooks.
All-American candi
date Mike Williams
leads an offensive line
that has opened the way
for Benson’s success.
The Texas A&M
iense stumbled against
Oklahoma Sooners
>v. 10 and can only hope
it the performance can
ly get better, and not
ad any further south.
The Aggie offense
istered just 132 yards
t week and left
the
Expires
"221 i 1
SHMI
I ^
iPECIAl'l
j recei ve
ust
recking Crew on the field for 81 plays.
The Longhorns are a solid offensive unit
easily could be 10-0, if not for one Chris
ams pass that was picked off against OU
returned for a touchdown.
The Aggies only prayer is that the 12th
n at Kyle Field can remind Simms of
trip to College Station in 1999, where
made his first collegiate start and was
at to a pulp by a tough Wrecking Crew,
o, like this year’s defense, has nothing
lose.
If freshman running back Derek Farmer
jd sophomore wide receiver Jamaar Taylor
unable to go against the Longhorns, the
ense, which already has been almost non-
istent as of late, will be in a substantial
ount of trouble.
The Wrecking Crew will have to play
best game of the season, and the offense
nnot afford to go three plays and out and
ep the defense on the field the entire
me. If they are, then the Longhorns may
eat the blow out that occured last season
Austin.
Texas 34, A&M 10
While Kyle Field is a
magical place, the one thing
it does not have is healing
powers, and that is what the
Aggies need the most.
On paper at least,
there are no reasons that
the injury-depleted
Aggies should win. If -
Derek Farmer does not play,
A&M loses 41.6 percent of its rushing
production, and if Jamaar Taylor does not
play, the Aggies will miss out on 24.5
percent of their passing yardage. There
is a chance wide receiver Greg Porter
could play for the Aggies.
Couple those missing players with UT’s
defense that is No. 2 in the nation, and the
Aggies’ offense is in trouble.
Besides the Kyle Field advantage, the
only edge A&M has is on defense.
Linebacker U. is having another solid year
despite being on the field for more than 80
plays during its last four games.
Given A&M’s anemic offense, expect
another 80 play day for the Wrecking Crew.
UT quarterback Chris Simms and Co.
have ransacked every defense they have
played against with split end Roy Williams
pulling in 54 catches for 697 yards and
seven touchdowns.
Williams’ seven touchdown catches are
only two less than the Aggies have thrown
for all season.
This one could get nasty.
Texas 42, A&M 13
DOUG
FUENTES
As much as I do not
want to do this, I am
going to have to let my
head overrule my heart on
this decision. The Texas
Longhorns will win on
Friday at Kyle Field.
Is Texas playing better
than the Aggies right now?
Most definitely. Talent-wise, is
Texas the more talented team? Maybe in
some areas, but not enough to where it
should overwhelm the Aggies.
Even though the game is at Kyle Field
(which was almost enough to sway my deci
sion), I am really basing my prediction on one
thing — the A&M offense, or lack thereof.
During the last two games, the offense
has been absolutely dreadful. It has not
crossed the goal line since the fourth
quarter of the Iowa State game, nearly
nine quarters ago.
If that offense shows up at Kyle Field
the day after Thanksgiving, Texas will
win its first game at Kyle since 1995. The
Wrecking Crew will be able to hold its
own, but if its on the field for eight or
nine minutes more than the offense, as it
has for the past few games, Texas will
take advantage of that.
The Aggies do have a chance to pull off
the upset if the offense can right itself, but
from what I have witnessed the last two
games, I do not think it can happen.
Texas 16, A&M 6
Defensive Line
Senior Rocky Bernard
and junior Ty Warren lead a
defensive line that has not
allowed a back to gain more
than 100 yards this season.
EDGE
A
M
Sophomore end Kalen
Thompson has been
improving, but the UT
interior line is still in
need of help in 2001.
Linebackers
Linebackers Jarrod
Penright and Christian
Rodriguez lead the
defense, which has racked
up 23 sacks on the year.
EDGE
ta—ir-tfl
AIM
■Lb
Senior linebacker D.D.
Lewis leads a defense
that allows just 11.8
points per game, good
for second in the nation.
Secondary
Junior preseason All-
American Sammy Davis,
who has pulled down five
interceptions to lead a
defense that held OU to
just 195 yards through air.
EDGE
A
M
Senior cornerback
Quentin Jammar leads
the Longhorns with 22
pass breakups in 2001.
UT allows just 153.2
pass yards per game.
Special Teams
Sophomore kicker Cody
Scates has seen increasing
action of late, with the offen
sive troubles that the Aggies
have had this season.
Without all the injuries
to A&M, this game would
be a lot closer.
Overall
DGE*
Sophomore punt return
er Nathan Vasher has
become a punt returning
threat in 2001, averaging
15.3 yards per return.
The Longhorns have all
the threats needed to give
A&M all it can handle.