Sports
The Battalion
Page 1B • Thursday, September 2, 2004
SIDE NOTES
COMING FRIDAY
Complete coverage of Thurs-
lay's A&M-Utah football game
om Salt Lake City, Utah.
BRIEFLY
Old Southwest Conference
ivalries will be renewed next
eason when the A&M football
earn meets up against South-
rn Methodist University. The
earns have scheduled two
nore dates, one in 2011 and
jnother in 2012.
The Houston Astros won
heir 6th-straight game with
9-3 win over Cincinnati,
jnce Berkman hit a tiebreak-
ng homerun in the fifth inning
;o give the Astros its 14th win
n 17 games.
Tryouts for the walk-on
12th Man team will be held
soon. Those interested need
o attend a mandatory meet-
ng Sunday, September 5 at 6
m. in Burkhart Auditorium
it Kyle Field.
The Boston Red Sox
xtended their A.L Wild Card
ad over the Anahiem Angels
y defeating them 12-7. It
as Boston's 8th straight win.
ON THIS DAY
Rocky Mountain High
A&M kicks offseason against Utah in the thin Rocky air
By Ryan Irby
THE BATTALION
The buzz around Salt Lake City is that
Thursday night’s football game will be
the biggest in the University of Utah’s
history. When the Texas A&M Aggies
take on the No. 19 Utes at Rice-Eccles
Stadium, A&M will be the only expected
roadblock between the Utes and a poten
tially perfect season.
Even A&M head coach Dennis Fran-
chione has high expectations of the Utes,
considered by many to be this year’s pos
sible Cinderella story.
“They certainly are one of those teams
that are thinking about cracking into the
BCS,” Franchione said. “I think if Utah
were in the Big 12, they would be com
petitive across the board."
Last season, Franchione and the Ag
gies slipped past the Utes at Kyle Field,
surviving a late rally to win 28-26. All
that stood betw'een the Utes and victory
was a failed two-point conversion with
no time left on the board. This season,
w'ith junior quarterback Alex Smith
leading the Ute offense, A&M is expect
ing stiffer competition.
“I think the key to their offense is Alex
Smith," Franchione said. “He’s obviously
kind of a special guy.”
After starting quarterback Brett El
liott broke his wrist on the last play of
the game with the Aggies one year ago.
Smith took over and went 9-1 the rest
of the w ay.
■
John C. Livas • THE BATTALION
A&M linebacker Archie McDaniel (41) makes a tackle against Utah wide receiver Bo
Nagahi September 6 at Kyle Field. A&M won the game 28-20.
a|m vs. ^
Texas A&M Utah
GAME 1
DATE: September 2
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
SITE: Rice-Eccles Stadium,
Salt Lake City, Utah
LAST
MEETING: 28-26 (W)
(2003)
KEY PLAYERS
Urban
Meyer
Volleyball set for season opening tournament
AA
j|McDonaui:
By Jonathan Wall
THE BATTALION
The fall sports season continues to
emerge as the Aggie volleyball team
kicks off the season tonight at G. Rollie
White Coliseum as the host team for the
McDonald's/Texas A&M Invitational.
The Aggies are making another run at
a Big 12 championship and NCAA tour
nament berth. A&M was so impressed
with last season’s crowd turnouts that it
increased this year’s tournament to sev
en teams. A&M will welcome McNeese
State, Southern Mississippi, Samford,
Georgia Southern and UCLA to College
Station for the Thursday through Satur
day Invitational.
Bethune-Cookman was also invited
to the tournament, but the Daytona
Beach based college pulled out due to
inclement weather generated by Hurri
cane Frances.
The energetic Utes employ an offen
sive strategy built around the drop-back
pass and the run. Although many expect
Utah to air the ball out, the Utes pounded
A&M on the ground in the second half of
last season’s match-up. Utes sophomore
running back Mike Liti has stepped in to
replace Brandon Warfield, a tailback who
terrorized the Aggie defense in the sec
ond half of the 2003 meeting.
Franchione said he doesn’t plan on de
fending against a play-action combination.
Gracie Arenas • THE BATTALION
Utah head coach and 2003 Mountain
West Conference Coach of the Year Ur
ban Meyer said his program still has to
take steps to gain more recognition.
“We’re a top-25 team (but) we don’t
have a top-25 program,” Meyer said.
See Utah on page 3B
Southern Mississippi and Samford
will come into the season under new
head coaches who are hoping to make
their mark in the tournament.
Georgia Southern, McNeese State,
UCLA and A&M seem to be the headlin
ers for the tournament. Three of the four
schools advanced to the NCAA tourna
ment last geasoniand all four are returning
key starters fronflast season’s squads.
The Aggies will get a chance to face
some tough competition in the tourna
ment, including perennial powerhouse
and preseason No. 3 UCLA.
The Bruins are poised to make a run
at the NCAA championship with almost
their whole roster returning from last sea
son. A trio of seniors including Heather
Cullen, Brynn Murphy and Chrissie Zart-
man look to anchor a Bruin squad that
will rely heavily on their talents.
While UCLA looks great on pa
per, that isn’t deterring Aggie play
ers such as senior middle blocker/
outside hitter Melissa Munsch from
looking at the game as a great op
portunity for the team.
“(UCLA has a) great program,"
Munsch said. “I think the game will
give us a chance to figure out where
some of our strengths and weakness
es are. I'm just happy we’re getting a
chance to compete against them.”
Munsch isn’t the only one excited
about playing UCLA. A&M head
coach Laurie Corbelli worked long
hours to find a way to keep the Aggies
at home for an early season tournament
while giving the team a chance to play
some quality games.
“I went to the ends of the earth to
find teams that could play in this tour
nament,” Corbelli said. “I’m just ready
to get this season started and see how
our team stacks up against some na
tionally ranked squads.”
Texas A&M / McDonald’s
Invitational Volleyball Tournament
Thursday - Saturday
G. Rollie White Coliseum
FRIDAY
#15 Texas A&M vs. Georgia Southern
am
#15 Texas A&M vs. McNeese State
pm
SATURDAY
#15 Texas A&M vs. #3 UCLA
Complete schedule available online:
http://www.aggieathletics.com
Andrew Burleson • THE BATTALION
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