^embers
iT
a
i ofTenai
r.O.E
npsonD'
oys/Gif
n be don
ter or |
i will ki
jrnamer
3 is free
rival
at 7 (M
ng
arringta
its’ ii
19 pt
The
rbook I s
id a I
derlast
k(t^
edf
for S 4 ®
I5f
Sports
The Battalion
Page 5 • Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Upset still fresh in
A&M, OU’s minds
By Troy Miller
THE BATTALION
Aggies remember the 30-26
upset of No. I Oklahoma last
season, and the resulting com
ing-out party of then-freshman
quarterback Reggie McNeal.
Most Aggies remember his four
touchdown passes and 89 yards
on the ground.
This year’s Oklahoma team
remembers too.
“I remember him making a lot
of big plays,” said Oklahoma
coach Bob Stoops. “They made
some big plays throwing the foot
ball, and he made some big plays,
keeping drives alive, running.”
McNeal doesn’t mind being
a marked man to the No. 1
defense in the country, and
arguably one of the best in col
lege football history. In fact, he
revels in it.
“(Being a marked man)
comes with the position,”
McNeal said. “It gets me going
a little bit, and if we go up there
and we do it again. I’ll be a
marked man for a whole anoth
er year.”
, A year ago the Sooners came
into Kyle Field ranked No. 1 in
the nation shooting for the Big
12 Championship. A&M came
into the game with a two-game
losing streak and a 5-4 record.
Then, toward the end of the
first quarter, McNeal replaced
Dustin Long as quarterback with
Oklahoma holding a 10-0 lead.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“I knew he could play, but I
didn’t know if he was ready yet,”
said junior wide receiver
Terrence Murphy. “He went out
and showed everyone in the
world that he was a great player.”
In front of a nation, McNeal
See Upset on page 7
Big East going back
to basketball roots
By Jim O’Connell
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The Big
East’s expansion returns the
conference to its roots as a pre
mier basketball league. Football
is another story.
Five members of Conference
USA moved to the Big East on
Tuesday, more than making up
for the recent defection of three
spools to the Atlantic Coast
Conference when it comes to
basketball, but not even coming
close to restoring its luster in
football.
“We’re going to be loaded
right now in basketball,” Big
East commissioner Mike
Tranghese said. “1 think we’re
going to get better in football
and we’ll have to.”
Cincinnati, DePaul,
Louisville, Marquette and South
See Big East on page 7
Ags host Huskers in big game
By Michael Crow
THE BATTALION
Tonight at G. Rollie White Coliseum, the
Texas A&M volleyball team will do its best
to ignore recent history. On an evening
billed as “Maroon Out Big Red Night,” the
No. 21 Aggies will host a Nebraska
Cornhusker team that has won five consecu
tive Big 12 Championships and upended
A&M earlier in the season.
The No. 10 Huskers (20-3, 11-2 Big 12)
have established themselves as one of the
premier volleyball programs in the country in
recent years. From 2000 to 2002, Nebraska
went an undefeated 60-0 in the Big 12
Conference. NU also possesses two national
titles from the 1995 and 2000 seasons.
Still, this year’s program has not quite
lived up to Nebraska’s ambitious standards.
After a hot start, the Huskers were out
played by Georgia Tech in a mid-
September meeting at the NU Coliseum.
Then, after posting seven consecutive
victories, including a 3-2 win over A&M in
its conference opener, Nebraska tallied two
straight home losses at the hands of Kansas
State and Missouri.
Since, the Huskers have gotten back on
track and currently own a five-match win
streak capped off by a sweep of No. 12
Northern Iowa on Sunday. NIU was the
highest-ranked team the Huskers have beat
en this year, and it was sophomore outside
hitter Jennifer Saleaumua’s 18 kills that
helped to spark the one-sided victory
The Huskers’ impressive rebound during
the last two weeks has given NU coach John
Cook reason for optimism amid a brutal
conference schedule.
“We had been a little shaky at times,”
Cook said. “Maybe we’ve discovered § line
up that will allow us to play at a high level
consistently. That means a lot heading into a
tough stretch in the Big 12 later this week.”
Meanwhile, the Aggies (17-5, 9-3) are
riding a seven-match winning streak of their
own. Most recently, A&M handed Missouri
its first home loss of the season, rallying
back from a three-point deficit in the fifth
game on Saturday. Sophomore Laura Jones
)P Beato III • THE BATTALION
Texas A&M sophomore outside hitter Laura Jones spikes the ball through the hands of the University of Texas'
Jenny Andrew on Oct. 24. The No. 21 Aggies host the No. 10 University of Nebraska tonight at 7 p.m.
had a team-high 19 kills, though four Aggies
finished in double digits.
The week before, Jones led A&M to a
win over conference rival Texas with 15
kills and a .560 hitting percentage. The 2002
AVCA Central Region and Big 12
Conference Freshman of the Year is putting
together another strong season.
“(Laura) hits with power and precision,”
said A&M coach Laurie Corbelli. “She
allows us to be creative with our attack
options because she is so capable.”
The last time A&M and Nebraska met in
late September, Jones and the Aggies took
then-No. 8 Nebraska to a fifth game before
faltering late in Lincoln. Jones’ 23 kills
were simply not enough to overcome a late
NU rally.
Still, the dramatic Husker victory com
bined with A&M’s success since sets the
Stage for an intriguing conference meeting.
Tonight’s match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
ssrooms't
icn avails
a. rcccpii® 1
or nicetiif 1
>250%
979) 822-15®
i-5pm
Abroad®
bleYouf
loym® 11 '
,rtunities
■ E in 1
jMRuss%;
\
ggieK
-
Come Meet the Career Center Coaches
November 6,2003
111 flm-9 nm
Rudder Fi
Refreshments ^0
tuitain
Giveaways
^^Career Center
'--J Texas A&M University
With you every step of the way
http://careercenter.tamu.edLi
209 Koldus 845-5139
A » 7
\ T i f ' iJ
' \ : 4 -N f
••vrih * ju
v wf s, , 1 #
'§r>Yjr^\
vWC: *
rx \
If f . jBjN-
^ /***?■■ / i , ' '-aWi;
" / *y • : ^ A JmL
f sf > «;
CONGRATULATIONS!
Join the Celebration at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center
NOVEMBER 6TH RING DELIVERY
Tickets distributed throughout the day, beginning at 7:15 a.m.
You must have a numbered ticket to get your Ring.
FEsnvmES begin at 2:30 p.m.
Ring distribution starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
We encourage you to take the Bonfire or
Replant bus routes that stop in front of the building.
Prints of The Aggie Senior Ring by Benjamin Knox ’90 available for purchase.
You must bring your pink receipt and driver’s license
to pick up your Ring. If you do not have your pink receipt,
please bring your student ID and driver’s license.
SPONSORED BY
x V The Association
OF FORMER STUDENTS®
IA/& aMs 7Il& Aggie, NetiuonJc!