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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2004)
mx 1 U1 HE BATTALION 4 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 7B Monday, August 30, 2004 eds t. Bi enii ackerl i the ssthi Jllowaj: l theh i aren’t t forget 'easons :o movi aniel: t’sonr tckerl kies,!] The res 1 bri; lorcoli icesani: Khem^ re gee ■owiui ;e. h id Ad!: would: lookgti nebact: 1 inexpe noutoi isneo its no» eoftko icet UTAH WYOMING CLEMSON KANSAS STATE IOWA STATE OKLAHOMA STATE COLORADO BAYLOR OKLAHOMA TEXAS TECH TEXAS REG. SEASON RECORD BIG 12 SOUTH FINISH COMMENTS 2004 SEASON PREDICTIONS IORDAN MESEROLE JON GILBERT RYAN IRBY KYLE DAVOUST SHAWN MILLENDER JONATHAN WALL ANDREW BURLESON 1# fci 11 ti aJ|m “TT* AIM a|m Wr i=B W a|[m li i; ]|i'rr rtf A 1 M Qj a in*) a|m 7*4 3rd After a tough loss against Utah, the offense gets its act together and leads the Aggies to a decent season. 1j ■ || B a|m €f# Irlr" 1 *] aJ[m m 1/ ml AT* A M AM Ql aJP 7-4 2nd The Independence Bowl never felt so sweet. MMj iPTf-B Ap BtPB AJ M a|m li ir iw aJ[m Ql T 7-4 He-3rd The class of 2005 sees Its first victory over the Red Raiders on Maroon Out. K ■ || B aJ[m i§ IrfpB AP NWajU aj[m Qi 6-5 3rd Dramatic improve ment this year still can’t overcome a horrible schedule, but the ground work is laid for a breakout In 2005. Ira B Jf^k I Ml II B a][m lr i "|| ri P==Q AIM ■Ud S=H=« AI jWp ■a li' , | [ B aJ[m AIM ■u ■ II B aJ|m A M M M 11-0 1st EA Sport s'games are so real I can confidently predict the outcome of every game based on how I perform on the Varsity' level. A M AM Ha M HP Ir-rpfl aJ[m Qi 5-6 3rd The first four games of this season will make or break this squad. It’ll take one more season for the Wrecking Crew to return. HP mm* [ aJ[m “Tf* Ap dub 1 T ip ■rTTHu Ap Qi g, AJIM 7-4 3rd Tough games against Utah and Clemson strengthen the team and the Aggies take it to the wire in every game this season. OVER $30,000 WON WEEKLY 1805 Briarcrest, Bryan 979-776-0999 OPEN TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY Ag Appreciation Nights on Wed & Thurs Nights: 6:00 & 8:00 Open Tuesday thru Saturday Speed 6:00pm, I st Session 6:30pm, 2 nd Session 8:00pm Sunday - I st Session 6:00pm, 2 nd Session 8:00pm 1/2 price paper $10.00 1/2 price Bingo Magic Machines BYOB $2500 package prize each session LARGE NON-SMOKING ROOM Great Food • Security • Pull Tables and Much More! St. Joseph Catholic Church Brazos Valley Elks # 859 BVCASA St. Joseph Catholic School )Backs ontinued from page 6B vIcdJ stron £ ant ^ f ree sa f e ty positions are at ' I premium and look to be two-deep going into the season. ® | The free safety position will be covered by I ppel, redshirt freshman Japhus Brown and Senior Kevin Mangum. Appel is the definite j after, but look for Brown to have a solid :ar at the free safety position. Brown had ai extremely solid spring that earned him a | )ot in the two-deep rotation, and he should pip push Appel all season long. Mangum is Lming off two injury-plagued seasons and apes to add some depth and leadership to j le position as well. Just like the free safety, the Aggies go into e season with three capable players man- ng the two-deep position of strong safety, ook for junior Ronald “Ray Ray” Jones to the starter this fall. Jones was third on le team in tackles last season with 91 and as extremely reliable to the Aggies as the 03 starter. Junior Bryant Singleton and Lphomore Brandon Leone will look to push )nes for playing time. Both players shared I me last year; Singleton was used mainly in lickel and dime situations, while Leone was <Bsed in spot situations. The comerback position is going to be in good hands this year. The secondary returns all of its starters from last season except four- year starter Sean Weston, who graduated and is now currently with the Kansas City Chiefs. Comerbacks coach Chris Thurmond has a tall task ahead of him with some of the best aerial attacks in the nation coming to Kyle Field this season. However, Thurmond said, his comers are up to the task. Thurmond can rely on two veteran corners and a handful of underclassmen to shut down any team. Senior Byron Jones will be called upon to cover most team’s top receiver. A starter for all 36 A&M home games, Jones possesses the skills and speed to be a true shutdown comer. “I think Byron’s been a good player for a long time,” Thurmond said. “If you watch the tape, he played well against (Larry) Fitzger ald, (Rashuan)Woods and Roy Williams.” The rest of the comerbacks look just as promising as Jones. Senior Jonte' Buhl, and a trio of redshirt freshmen, Broderick New ton, Stephen Hodge and Erik Mayes all look to share playing time at the right and left cor ner positions. The one corner next to Jones who seems to stand out the most is sophomore Melvin Bullitt. A highly reemited high school player, Bullitt was thrown to the wolves last season in the sixth game and asked to fill in at the cor ner position. Needless to say, Bullitt exceeded everyone’s expectations and looks to build on POSITION REPORT Extremely Low Rates & Within 6 Blocks from University CASA BLANCA APARTMENTS Unfurnished Furnished 1 Bedroom $ 350 / mo $ 365 / mo 2 Bedroom $ 350 / mo *385 / mo (For 1 Year Lease) MOVE IN SPECIAL 1. Beds and study table in each apartment. 2. Bicycles or $ 50.00 Wal-Mart gift card. 3. 2 days start up supply & food kit. Offer ends on August 31, 2004 4110 College Main • Bryan, TX 77801 (979) 846-1413 Jones DEFENSIVE BACKS RETURNING Jaxson Appel (J R) Byron Jones (SR) Ronald Jones (J R) Bryant Singleton ( JR) Brandon Leone (SO) Melvin Bullitt (SO) Kevin Mangum (SR) LOST Sean Weston NEWCOMERS Japhus Brown Stephen Hodge Erik Mayes Broderick Newton DJ Davis Danny Gorrer THE TEXAS AGGIE YELL LEADERS PRESENT FIRST YELL 2004 FEATURING BILL COSBY FRIDAY, SEPT. 10, 8:00 PM, REED ARENA his freshman campaign. “Melvin is a competitor, had a good chance to play as a freshman last year,” Thurmond said. “He had a good spring and fall camp. He is real competitive and has im proved his technique. We’re looking for him to do some good things.” The Aggie defense is moving in the right direction, and this group of guys seems poised for a breakout season. 1000 TICKETS FOR TAMU STUDENTS ONLY,$10 EACH!* ON SALE AUGUST 30 & 31 REED ARENA AND MSC BOX OFFICE BOX OFFICES OPEN 10:00 AM ‘MI 1ST PRESENT CURRENT TAMU STUDENT ID, LIMIT TWO $10 TICKETS PER STUDENT ID, ADDITIONAL TICKETS $1.5 EACH, ONE ID PER STUDENT. ipecial continued from page 6B tranything anymore. I just think bout wanting to perform and elp out my team.” I Even with this experience, Pe- ram does not seem to have sole ossession of the kicking duties, his is because the coaches are itrigued with the leg strength (f sophomore Layne Neumann, 14) connected on a 56-yard field goal in the Maroon and White ;ame last spring and a 53-yard- r in a fall scrimmage game. It ooks as if Neumann will handle |ome of the longer kicks. I As punter, senior Jacob Young pill enter the season knowing he has the job. Last year he expect ed to see little action playing be hind Cody Scates, a pre-season All American. Early injuries to Scates, however, threw Young into game action unexpectedly. “Having a year under my belt and the real game expe rience, I guess I have more confidence going into it this year as opposed to last year,” Young said. “I think I’ll be able to keep a cooler head and just go out there and play the game that I know I can play.” All in all, the special teams must be an improved unit from last year, and the Aggies know that. Without improvement from this unit, it will be hard for the Ag gies to move forward as a team. \ OLine 51 12 Continued from page 4B opener against the University of Utah on Sept. 2. To come away from Salt Lake City with a win, the offensive line must provide junior quarterback Reggie McNeal with the protec tion necessary to complete a pass or hand the ball off. Franchione said the attitudes of these men will inspire success. “The guys have a good attitude, and they know they have to keep working to get better,” he said. 2004 Football Preview Edition Sports Editor: Jordan Meserole Page Designers: Lauren Rouse, Elizabeth Webb, Jordan Meserole Graphics Designers: Andrew Burleson, Grade Arenas Special Thanks: John C. Livas, Joshua Hobson, Alan Cannon Check! n g the way it Should be? • Free Checking • Free Checks • Free Internet Banking with BillPay • Instant Cash & Check Card Minimum S25 to open account. Check design limited to wallet-style bank stock checks. Offer applies to new accounts only. Personal accounts only. Offer expires 9/30/04. Member FDIC Open an account today and' receive a Free Duffel Bag! Offer good while supplies lost. 800-879-0489 www. stateban ktx. com Bryan 2900 Texas Avenue North Bryan 1500 N. Texas Avenue College Station 2202 Longmire Drive STATE BANK We Fit.