The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 03, 2003, Image 4

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    Sports
The Battalion
Page 4 • Friday, October 3,2d
Aggies try to rebound on the road
Tech 52, A&M 35 - Don’t
waste your time staying up to
watch. It’s going to last a while
and won’t be pretty.
- Jeff Allen (0-1)
A&M 3, Tech 0 - In what was
billed as an offensive shootout,
the Red Raider nation is
stunned when a barrage of
pregame tortillas injure quarter
back B. J. Symons.
- soon to be 0-2 True
Brown (0-1)
Tech 42, A&M 35 - A&M sec
ondary can’t withstand the aeri
al barrage of B.J. Symons and
company.
- Pete Burks (0-1)
Tech 38, A&M 35 - Recent
history repeats itself and the
Aggies lose again in Lubbock
in a four-hour shootout.
- Michael Crow (0-1)
A&M 34, Tech 31 - A&M
rebounds after back-to-back
losses to ranked opponents.
Tech’s defense is too weak.
-Kyle Davoust (1-0)
Tech 42, A&M 21 - Aggies
get dominated through the air.
Symons throws for 750 yards
this week.
- Blake Kimzey (1-0)
A&M 48, Tech 38 - Neither
defense has stopped anyone
so far. A&M’s isn’t that great but
better than Tech’s
-Troy Miller (0-1)
Rebuilding year turns into
coming out party for Symons
By Michael Crow
THE BATTALION
This was supposed to be a rebuilding
year for the Texas Tech offense. And who
would have blamed the Red Raiders if
they had shown any sluggishness after
losing starting quarterback and dark
horse Heisman candidate Kliff
Kingsbury to the National Football
League? These kinds of
transitions aren’t made with
out a few early setbacks.
Well, perhaps someone
should inform Kingsbury’s
replacement, senior B.J.
Symons, who has thus far
shown no regard for any low
expectations.
Last week, Symons was
named the Big 12 Player of
the Week after igniting the
Tech offense to a 49-45 win
over Mississippi. Symons
set a Big 12 record with his
661 passing yards, while
It’s college
football and you
never really know
what can happen.
Tech 55, A&M 41 - Red
Raider offense is just too much
for the undermanned Aggie
defense in a shootout.
-Dallas Shipp (0-1)
A&M 41, Tech 38 - A&M
coach Dennis Franchione gets
just enough from his defense in
another shootout.
- Rob Phillips (0-1)
passing for six touchdowns and running
in another score.
And whose conference passing record
did he break? His own from the week
before, when he posted 586 yards against
North Carolina State.
“Offensively, we’re just really focused
right now,” Symons said. “The offensive
line is doing a great job protecting, the
receivers are getting open and I’m able to
find them and get them the ball. We’re just
playing as a unit right now in all aspects.”
Texas A&M (2-2) could certainly do
without facing another strong passing
attack. In last week’s loss to Pittsburgh,
the Aggies surrendered 283 yards
through the air, allowing both Larry
Fitzgerald and Princell Brockenbrough to
eclipse 100 yards receiving.
A&M coach Dennis Franchione said
he hoped keeping the ball out of Symons’
hands could help ease the burden for the
Aggies’ defense.
“Keeping their offense off the field,
you would like to think, would keep them
out of rhythm,” he said. “But, time of
possession does not win the game. Points
still win the game.”
The Red Raiders’ (3-1) ground game
has hardly been impressive, but it
appears to be more a matter of choice
than anything else. Tech coach Mike
Leach promotes an
explosive aerial attack,
with the running game
serving only as a change
of pace.
Last week, for exam
ple, running the ball
proved unnecessary as
three Tech receivers —
Carlos Francis, Wes
Welker and Mickey Peters
— had at least eight catch
es and 100 yards each.
Meanwhile, opposite
one of the country’s most
dangerous offenses, the
Texas Tech defense has
— B.J. Symons
Texas Tech quarterback
been porous. Comprised largely of under
classmen and first-year starters, the unit has
allowed an average of 33 points per game.
All aspects of the Red Raiders’ defen
sive game have been equally abysmal, as
they’ve relinquished 176.5 yards rushing
and 302.5 passing yards per contest.
Leach said it’s likely his defense has
been trying to do too much, rather than
focusing on simple execution.
“All we need to do is make routine
plays,” he said. “I don’t know if there are
guys out there trying to do too much or
trying to make more out of a situation
than there is. You can’t go out there and
try to make more happen. If you can
make the routine play every time, you are
going to be a hard team to beat.”
Tech has certainly proved a test for the
Aggies in recent years. The Red Raiders
To place a cl
Phone 845-0569
Office:
Room 015 (basem
TICKE
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Die Zone. 847-5701.
AUTC
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696-0091.
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690-7355 Craig.
COMPUTI
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File Photo • THE BATTALION
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Senior wide receiver and punt returner Wes Welker runs past a diving Sean Weston durii^J
punt return last year in the Raiders fourth quarter comeback at Kyle Field.
FOR REI
have won six of the last eight meetings
between the two teams, including a 48-
47 comeback victory in overtime at Kyle
Field last year.
“Really, I don’t know if there’s any
explanation for that,” Symons said.
“You’ve got two good teams battling it
out, and fortunately we’ve been able
be on the winning side of [hat the past
couple of years. It’s college football and
you never really know what can happen."
Saturday’s game will be the Big
opener for both teams, with kickoff
scheduled for 9 p.m. in Lubbock.
The Peace Corps is search of graduates
with Agriculture, Environment and Health
backgrounds for 2-year projects in one of
our 70 host nations. Talk to Peace Corps
Recruiter James Barta at the following
times:
• Wednesday, Oct. 8, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.
Info Meeting, MSC Room 230
• Thursday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Career Fair, MSC Flagroom
«Thursday, Oct. 9, 7 to 8:15 p.m.
MSC, Room 229
The future is our business. And the way we
see it, the future is a place that is driven by
ideas. The kind of ideas that make the world
better than it was the day before. If you have
those kinds of ideas, we hope you contact us.
GE Careers
geca reers. com
Visit the TAMU Career Center
209 Koidus Building to pick up a
Peace Corps Catalog.
The future relies on
inventions from GE.
GE’s future relies
on people like you.
CALL FOR PAPERS
*£& JOUi
Texas A&M University
Undergraduate
Journal of Science
All undergrads doing research are eligible to
submit their work for possible publication.
LATE DEADLINE: Oct. 3, 2003
Rm. 230 Reed-McDonald or email to
uj s@stuorg.tamu. edu
Business Student Council Career Fair
Wehner Building
October 8, 2003
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Custom Aggie Street Signs
Custom Aggie Road Signs
Taking Orders
Wednesday, October 1, 2003
11:00am - 1:00pm
Or print out an order form at our
Off Campus Aggies web site: http://oca.tamu.edu
www.gecareers.com
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