Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 2003)
SGIIJIfl SATTAIU iation, •ociatiofl 3 A. Mod t3p.m, students blic. For 3203, is nnualOt ent at Tickets be pur- :eeds jcotty’s nforma- or call irance le fire p.m.in mation, idu, a gener- meeting he room For 1 vigil at and a ivities .m.in :s ersona e n, con- idy will na at call Sports The Battalion Page 5 • Wednesday, November 12, 2003 Aggies trying to move ahead JP Beato III • THE BATTALION Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal scrambles during A&M's game against the University of Kansas on Nov. 1. The Aggies travel to Columbia, Mo., on Saturday to play the University of Missouri. By Troy Miller THE BATTALION The only thing the Texas A&M football team can do after a 77-0 drubbing at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners is try to move on, and A&M coach Dennis Franchione said that’s exactly the plan. Whether that plan pans out is a different story. “The good Lord put our eyes in front us to see where we’re going, not where we’ve been," Franchione said. “You have to look at things and learn from them too. I know all of our guys want to get back out there and get back to work and get prepared to play this game.” The Aggies are two wins away from becoming bowl eligible, and believe it or • not, that is still their goal. With only two games, A&M must win out to even have a chance at a post-season opportunity. First up are the Missouri Tigers, who are fresh off a loss to lowly Colorado. The Aggies travel to Columbia hoping to get something that has eluded them all season: A road win. “We haven’t won a game on the road yet this year,” said A&M sophomore quarter back Reggie McNeal. “We win this one and then finish off a win against Texas, that would be big for us. It would have us going in the right direction going into next year.” Playing on the road has been tough for every Big 12 team, except the Sooners. The Tigers have had their own faults, suffering all three of their losses on the road. However, Missouri is undefeated at home this season. “I think it’s an excuse,” said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. “I get very frustrated with our football team. There are reasons why teams don’t win on the road, but good football teams win on the road.” The Aggies are looking at just winning for starters, and it’s easy to understand why they have the record they have. A&M is starting a plethora of freshmen and sopho mores while implementing new systems from a new coaching staff. On top of that, they are playing the roughest schedule in the nation, and maybe the toughest slate of games for any team in college football’s recent history. Nine of the 12 teams the Aggies face this season are already bowl eligible, and Kansas will make that 10 with one more win. The sheer volume of star players the Aggies have faced this year should entitle the Aggie coaching staff to a Heisman bal lot. From Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald to Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, they’ve faced just about every big- time name college football has to offer. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” said A&M sophomore safety Jaxson Appel. “I would rather play teams like that and gain the experience and become a better football team than beat up on the Arkansas State’s every weekend. Beating the good teams is what this game’s about.” Forgotten in all the mess of a dismal sea son is the fact that Franchione and his staff redshirted a large amount of a promising recruiting class. Even though they could have made a dif ference at certain times of the season, Franchione says he isn’t here to make A&M competitive. He’s here to win. “I don’t believe those young guys See Aggies on page 8 Halladay wins AL Cy Young Award By Ronald Blum THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Roy Halladay bounced back from A- ball to the AL Cy Young Award in little more than two years. His pitch ing was so messed up during spring training in 2001 that the Toronto Blue Jays left him in Dunedin to work out his troubles, causing Halladay to wonder if his base ball career was at an end. Now, he’s left the rest of the league’s pitchers behind. Halladay was an overwhelm ing winner of the American League Cy Young Award on Tuesday, easily beating Chicago’s Esteban Loaiza. “When 1 went down that far, and really had no idea what I was going to do to get it back until I found that help, (it) was a little scary for me,” he said from Hawaii during a telephone con ference call. After winning a major league-high 22 games, Halladay received 26 first-place votes and two seconds for 136 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Halladay’s big year included a 15-game winning streak. He credited former Blue Jays pitching coach Mel Queen for curing his mechanics and sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman for straightening out his head. “I think both of those go hand in hand as what made the See Cy Young on page 8 HALLADAY SPORTS IN BRIEF Volleyball on road to play Colorado The Texas A&M volleyball team will be in Boulder, Colo., today to face the Colorado Buffaloes at 8 p.m. The No. 18 Aggies (18-6, 10- 4 Big 12) will be looking to con tinue their current hot streak after winning eight of their last 10 matches. Led by junior mid dle blocker Kendra Felder, the Aggies have a chance at mak ing a run at the Big 12 title, as they are in third place. Meanwhile, Colorado will look to continue its winning ways by beating the Aggies, who lead the Buffs by 1.5 games in the conference race. In addition, the Buffaloes, led by sophomore middle blocker Allie Griffin, have had success all season on their home court (8-1) thanks to a resurgence in their blocking game. “It’s going to be a great battle between two teams that are playing well,” said Colorado coach Pi’i Aiu. “We know that every point counts, and we expect A&M to play it that way as well.” A&M will conclude its two- game road swing Saturday against Texas Tech. Did you know that a single organ and tissue donor can help up to 50 people in need? PASS IT ON As an organ donor, you can choose to save the lives of people suffering from organ failure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. You also have the power to cure blindness to restore amputated limbs, and heal those sufferinn from’ severe burns through tissue donation. Learn mo L La save lives. more,and Come talk to us on December 2nd at the Commons Lobby or over in Wehner on West Campus. GET THE FACTS TELL YOUR FAMILY www.clonorworld.com 1.800.355.7427 www.organ.org 1.800.788.8058 Orgsrt' Donor Card m \. —- and tissue , have spohen to my tamity about organ ^^TTwish to donate the fottowvng’. , -i &nv needed organs and tissue \ \ On\y the tottowng organs and tissue.. the Wowing individuals have witnessed my commilment Vo being a ‘W JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO END EDUCATIONAL INEQUITY PART OF IT. TEACH FOR AMERICA RECEPTION: Thursday, November 13 • 6:00 pm The Career Center in the Koldus Building Pizza will be served TEACHFORAiyifERlCA www.teachforamerica.org