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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 2002)
Sports The Battalion Page IB • Tuesday, September 17, 2002 ffense should learn from Wrecking Crew |)e fense dominates again while offensive struggles continue to plague A&M Dallas Shipp gh-a-iot f clKcouni. • i<> p.m.-9 p. m p.m p.m.) $25 Cash 16-6117 hen people think of Texas A&M football, pink of defensive, d-n seil, smash- iuth. in-your-face )tblll. That is because ■re i a distinct difler- pe lie tween the offense and the defense of the ,;gieI football team — attitude, and lots of it. Members of Texas A&M’s famed Wrecking ew defense know who they are and what they ; made of. They have an identity that the fense hasn’t had in recent memory and is still ug£ ng to find two games into the 2002 mp; Th * affens e goes through ch \ ek ho ping to score fbfiih to wii ^ while the defense for< i to It old the opponent to tier* ! no no •inis week in and Leek >ut. Although it may be a |w V ir, it’s the same old story. Q So omon 2 quarterback instil 1 -ong. who many believe ■ the e ailing candidate to start C as v kend against Virginia T BEAD Ave.. Suitf; w-^hh*** , ch summe d up the offense': Station . . 11 .1 titu le this year. 94- I 103 “iBoth defenses are ranked Managemeit rett > «gh»” Long said. “As an ffense we’re just going to score $ m; ny points as we can, we know our defense dll keep us in the game." The offense relies too much on the Wrecking reu to bail them out of every game big part of the offense's trouble is leader- ttle of lotio'hip. It will never get the identity it is looking for >..n « i*,mi fhKput a reliable, confident leader at the quar- > oo o/ ertnuk position. ^rris has not provided leadership for this Offensive unit and now it appears that Long will be th> man until fan-favorite Reggie McNeal is ead> to take the reigns. , Meanwhile, the guys on the other side of the 3 yall quietly do their job. They aren’t worried pbout doing enough to win the game — they 44 It doesn't matter to me if they run the ball or throw the bally we can stop them not matter what they do. 5% >FF irber want to dominate it. The Aggies' front seven has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 14 consecutive regular season games and has allowed only five 100-yard rushers in the last 34 games, an incredible feat when con sidering the talented running backs in the Big 12. In 2001, the Wrecking Crew held Oklahoma State’s Tatum Bell to 94 yards, Texas’ Cedric Benson managed just 79 yards, and Texas Tech’s Ricky Williams was held to a minuscule 48 yards. The 2002 edition of the Wrecking Crew has been equally impressive, holding its opponents to 33.5 yards per game on the ground, the best rushing defense in the nation. Virginia Tech touts two of the top running backs in the Big East in Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs, who each rushed for more than 150 yards against Marshall on Thursday night. But they do not intimidate anyone on the Wrecking Crew. In fact many of the players are looking for ward to it. “It doesn’t matter to me if they run the ball or throw the ball, we can stop them no matter what they do,” said redshirt freshman Jaxson Appel. “Defense is what A&M is all about and we have pride in the Wrecking Crew. “We haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 14 straight games, and that’s something we are proud of. We want to make it 15.” Appel isn’t the only member of the Wrecking Crew that is fired up about facing a top-notch running attack like Virginia Tech’s. Senior linebacker Jarrod Penright said it's about respect and going out there and proving that the Wrecking Crew is one of the best defenses in the country. “If we didn’t have that attitude, we shouldn’t be on the Wrecking Crew,” Penright said. For the Aggies sake, that attitude had better spread to the other side of the ball before another season goes to waste. — Jaxson Appel Freshman Safety John C. Jjvas • THE BATTALION Freshman safety Jaxson Appel (19) closes in on Pittsburgh quarterback Rod Rutherford (12). Appel has already become a leader on the Wrecking Crew in his first year as a starter. upon visits. not the ?rvice. -e Rotatiool lnspectiof[ alignment el m 8 , s 49." savings [-8575 ’RIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Weekend Warm-Up dder Plaza* 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Free Food Live Music Performance Martin Short with special guest Mark Curry Reed Arena • 8:00 p.m. Opening performances by the Singing Cadets, Percussion Studio and the Aggie Wranglers (hr hmin ,irc» 10/15/02 hursdaV M.uh I’lns l o 202. Math Ml , Suitf Ibt coin Midnight Yell Practice Kyle Field ATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 21 Cook-Off Classic “BBQ” Judder Plaza *11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. Featuring Live Music from Honeybrowne and Owen Temple First Yell September 20-21, 2002 The Yell Leaders and MSC Town Hall present Martin Short with Mark Curry Reserve student tickets on sale Wednesday, Sept. 4 th F O K Texas A&M vs. Virginia Tech Kyle Field • 2:30 p.m. iase vice ■ ■ Brought to you by: 12™ frMsr. _ & Tickets on sale now.... Reed Arena MSC Box Office Ticketmaster or call (979) 845-1234 http: //yell. t amu. edu Sterling University Village offers the luxuries of home without having to PESO much! Call us now and get your money’s worth on our 1, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom apartment homes starting at only $350/person/month. You CAN afford the lifestyle you deserve!
