NATION
THE BATTALIO!
Sports
The Battalion
Page 7 • Wednesday, September 17, 2003
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tough test
in Lincoln
By Jeff Allen
THE BATTALION
Georgia Tech pulled off a minor
miracle last week. The Yellow Jackets
went into Nebraska Coliseum on the
University of Nebraska campus and
won a volleyball match.
The Comhuskers have been virtu
ally unbeatable at home over the past
three decades, accumulating hundreds
of wins against single digit losses, at
one point winning 101 straight games
on their native hardwood.
A&M plays at Nebraska tonight at
7 p.m.
“There’s no secret to it.” said
Nebraska coach John Cook. "'It’s hard
work, and recruiting great athletes
who believe in the system.”
There may not be a secret to the
■success of the No. 8 Huskers (8-1) on
their home court, but their string of
winning seasons is nonetheless
impressive. The team has not lost
more than one game in an entire sea
son at the 4,000-seat arena since 1989.
Today the Aggies (7-2) will be try
ing to duplicate Georgia Tech’s feat
except, for the Aggies, the odds get a
little bit stiffer. Nebraska has domi
nated the Big 12 since its inception in
1996. and the Huskers’ all-time home
conference record, including Big 8
and Big 12 play, is staggering: a near
ly unimaginable 171-2.
The match stands as the confer
ence opener for both clubs, which is
motivation enough for each school.
The Aggies are looking to accomplish
the feat for the first time. The highest
Aggies, Fran gearing up for Va. Tech
Replacing Morris a
tall order for A&M
By Michael A. Lutz
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Scott Stickane is adjusting to his new nickname
of “Meathead” and at the same time absorbing the
plays he’ll call as Texas A&M’s middle linebacker
Thursday night against No. 8 Virginia Tech.
Stickane stepped in when senior Jared Morris was
lost for the season with a knee injury suffered during
the Sept. 6 game against Utah. The pressure has been
on for Stickane during an off-week to get ready for
the run-oriented Hokies.
Defensive coordinator Carl Torbush said Tuesday
that Stickane. who made the team as a walk-on four
seasons ago, will make his first collegiate start
against the Hokies, who rank No. 16 nationally in
rushing.
Coach Torbush is pressuring
us to get it done...
— Scott Stickane
A&M middle linebacker
John C. Livas • THE BATTALION
Coach Dennis Franchione and the Texas A&M football team play Viginia Tech at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The game in on ESPN.
Hokies need to be wary of Hurricane Fran
Outside linebacker Archie McDaniel has been
moved inside and will share the middle linebacker
spot with Stickane. True freshman Ta Ta Thompson
could possibly get some playing time.
Stickane said he knows there’s going to be pres
sure on him to perform as well as Morris.
“Coach Torbush is pressuring us to get it done,
and I understand that he’s doing it because we all
want to win,” Stickane said.
“He’s got a couple of words that he likes to throw
out like ‘Meathead,’” he said. “Meathead’s our
favorite, it’s the most common. That’s basically for
everyone, kind of a word he falls back on.”
By any name, the Aggies know they will face
their toughest challenge after season opening victo
ries over Arkansas State and Utah. The Hokies rank
See Huskers on page 9
A s Virginia Tech and Texas
A&M officials watch the
events of Hurricane
Isabel in the Atlantic
Ocean, the Hokies and
Aggies are still preparing
for their nationally tele
vised football game
Thursday night in
Blacksburg, Va.
With landfall predicted
for either late Thursday
night or early Friday
morning, the two teams are hoping
for the latter. In A&M’s case, a
Friday morning landfall would
allow a second coming of sorts.
The last major hurricane to hit
Virginia, Hurricane Fran, was in
1996. A&M coach Dennis
Franchione is hoping his team can
TROY MILLER
bring another pounding to the
Virginia landscape in the form of
raining touchdowns and
thundering hits.
For those who think
the Aggies are fighting a
hopeless battle, think
again. Even though A&M
has looked suspect in its
first two outings, this team
is steadily improving and
12 days of practice and
rest can only help its
cause.
Franchione is the intangible in
this game. At Alabama in 2002,
Franchione led a large underdog
into Norman, Okla., and almost
pulled off the upset, losing 37-27
to the No. 1 Sooners.
Franchione is a master of moti
vation, and his gameday genius
has yet to be seen in the maroon
and white but, against Virginia
Tech, the Aggies have nothing to
lose. And that could be the down
fall of the Hokies.
Motivation No. 1: a dismal per
formance by the Aggie offense
one year ago when Virginia Tech
stole a victory at Kyle Field, 13-3.
“We only made 156 yards, you
think I’d use that?” Franchione
said. “You betcha I will. Looking
at Virginia Tech I admire their
defense, but offensively they’ve
been reminded that they didn’t
play very well.”
Motivation No. 2: the Aggie
defense was abused by the Utah