ous Iear campyj. er 6:00p m . :le ! 9 r eat, “(WHok •wrier, $4^1 "RunT^i 3-4594. f e male, r| Call QQjj.H SPORTS THE BATTALION a/1bth.2-iir ; irlos area, t 9-229-2858 lew house tr ^utilities Ci r Must se ise. S42Sn , 1 mile icr nmales 1 C* ale prefem: 2bills. dose: 3. each. tie. w 3bdrm& iid. Fumishe: te Call Shar e ASAP otl Andersa ile S300/tc Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Non-conference Clemson game tough By Kyle Davoust THE BATTALION After games against the Uni versity of Utah and the Universi ty of Wyoming, the Texas A&M football team will finish out its tough non-conference schedule by facing the preseason No. 15 ranked Clemson Tigers. The Tigers enter the 2004 sea son receiving national acclaim, but Tigers head coach Terry Bowden warns that preseason polls will mean little once the season starts. “Preseason polls don't mean that much to me because it is so early in the season,” Bowdon told the Clemson media. “The polls this time of the year are for the fans, the media, etc. But, it is good to have Clemson’s name in the rankings.” The Tigers started slow in 2003, but finished with a fury by winning their last four games, including an impressive Peach Bowl upset over the University of Tennessee. The Tigers averaged 39 points during that stretch, as they used a no-huddle spread offense that allowed quarterback Charlie Whitehurst to display his skills. Now entering his junior season, Whitehurst looks to carry his game to new heights after the impressive sophomore season in which he passed for 3,561 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, the Tigers look vulnerable up front, espe cially at the tackle spots, and will have to work hard to keep Whitehurst off his back. If nothing else, Clemson should give the Aggie defense a good look at what it can expect against some of the Big 12’s more ex plosive pass offenses, namely Texas Tech and Oklahoma. On defense, the Tigers could also face some problems up front, as they look to replace three starters from a year ago. While their line might be inex perienced, the men behind them aren’t. The Tigers return two starters at linebacker and their entire secondary, which com prised the second-best pass de fense in the Atlantic Coast Con- AIIM v* Texas A&M Clemson GAME 3 DATE: September 18 TIME: 6 p.m. SITE: Kyle Field, College Station,Texas LAST MEETING: 24-0(W) (1974) KEY PLAYERS Leroy Hill Graphic: Grach Arenas • THE BATTALION ference last season. For the Aggies to win this one, they will need great play from their offensive and defensive lines to attack Clemson’s weaknesses. Big 12 opener brings formidable foe By Jonathan Wall THE BATTALION The Kyle Field faithful will need to be in full force on Oct. 2, when the Aggies welcome the Kansas State Wildcats to Kyle Field. The two teams haven’t met since 2001. when A&M went into Manhattan, Kan., and fell to the Wildcats 31 -24. This year, the Wildcat squad looks to build on last season’s success that saw it upset peren nial powerhouse Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship 35-7 before losing to Ohio State in the VE IN NW Texas A&M Kansas State m/2ba mobfcj id. Call Hale,! share 2/bdrrj ista 779-606' GAME 4 2bdrnV1b! 332)512-9850 condo in CS id room &baT atie. 832-265 DATE: October 2 TIME: TBA SITE: Kyle Field, College Station.Texas tes. 3/2housf $300. Ci LAST MEETING: 31-24 (W) AP. Hi# Ml amenities me pets 4 4bdrm house route, all b* 31. (2001) KEY PLAYERS ,a Darren Sproles Jermaine Berry Graphic: Gracie Arenas • THE BATTALION Fiesta Bowl 35-28. As always, this year’s team is chock-full of talented players, including preseason Heisman Trophy can didate Darren Sproles and de fensive lineman Jennain Berry, who led a defense that recorded the second-most sacks (51) in the nation last season. The Wildcat offense is return ing six starters from last season’s team, but K-State is going to have a tough time repeating last season without two of its key cogs. Grad uated quarterback Ell Roberson and his 7,917 total yards, (2,000 more than anyone in school histo ry) are going to be greatly missed. For the first time since 2001, K- State head coach Bill Snyder will turn to a sophomore starter named Dylan Meier to lead the squad. Meier does not have Roberson’s elusiveness, but he does seem to have the poise and arm to take K- State where it needs to go. The running back position is the one spot that K-State won’t have to worry about this season. All-American running back Dar ren Sproles returns for his senior year after leading the nation in rushing with 1,986 yards and fin ishing fifth in the Heisman Tro phy voting. Even key otTensive linemen from last season’s squad shouldn’t deter Sproles from hav ing another incredible season as he looks to build on last year’s performance and make a push for the Heisman Trophy. The receiver position, like the quarterback position, is up ATTENTION JUNIORS, SENIORS, AND GRAD STUDENTS! ^Accelerate Online Teacher Certification Program Informational Meeting (Secondary Math or Science) Tuesday September 7th, 3:00 p.m. Heaton Hall Room 104 http://accelerate.tamu.edu Oflercd through Lexus A&.M ()IVicc of Continuing Education and Public Outreach, cl ducation Group, and the College of I due at ion and I iuman Development for grabs — due in large part to the gaping hole left by gradu ated senior James Terry. Terry set a school record last year with 1,232 receiving yards and also had as many touchdown catches as the rest of the entire receiving corps last season. The Wildcats will look to seniors Antoine Po lite and Tony Madison to pick up the slack in Terry’s absence. The Wildcat defense is going to have bigger shoes to fill than the otTense. The defense has four returning starters from last year’s team; however, it’s going to miss seven defensive starters who had a combined 184 starts. Key returnees senior defen sive lineman Jermaine Berry and senior defensive back Ced- rick Williams will look to lead a defense that will be looking to prove that last season’s impres sive finish was no tluke. The Aggie defense is going to have a tough time trying to con tain running back Darren Sproles. The defensive line needs to get to Sproles early, in hopes that the Wildcats give up the run and put the ball in Meier’s inexperienced hands. The Aggie offense should have the advantage in the match up with the K-State defense and should try to exploit the inexpe rienced secondary by throwing some deep balls to A&M senior Terrence Murphy and the rest of the entire Aggie receiving corps in hopes that the long pass will open up the lanes for sophomore run ning back Courtney Lewis. Celebrate Labor Day Weekeno JHessim Mof Picnic & FREE Concert Sunday, Sept. 5 6:30 - 8:30pm Choose from several CHEAT PICNIC DISHES! Call now to PKE-OKDKR YOUR PICNIC I Brim, hr h rusm i or urn ( HOHI Kfsfkvfd seating is AVAILABLE UNDER A TENT FOR FULL SERVICE DINING (Rismumv. Rmx ho m More information: (979) 778-9463, ext. 34 or www.messinahof.com Al l VI* UIIOI MIST HI n KCIUSKD VI Mtssiw Hot < ’* i Winery & Resort 4545 Old Reliance Rd. Bryan, TX 77808 Live Music Featuring The Fuli House Blues Band • fir www.3rdFloorCantina.com LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT TONJGHTj Chris Knight w/Geoff Spahr THURSDAY: AGGIE FOOTBALL PARTY KYLE HUNT concert after game FRIDAY: Jimmy LaFave Located in Downtown Bryan above Mr G’s Pizza and next to LaSalle Hotel - (979)779-1548 d Repatriate :TA! $250,0011 atriation GOS f ine enroW ,,! | of coverag