|
COLLEGE STATION – You can understand if Wally Groff and R.C. Slocum decide to buy out Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Lafayette from their scheduled slots on the 2002 Aggie slate. After all, Texas A&M and smaller schools from Louisiana mix about as well as oil and water. Like the turnover-plagued Southwestern Louisiana game from 1996 – a loss that shook the program – the Aggies found themselves in another turnover-twisted game against fiery McNeese State. Fortunately, world order won out, and there wasn’t a monumental upset at Kyle Field. But it seemed there could have been. A&M survived, not thrived, against Division I-AA McNeese State to pull out a 38-24 victory. A&M coach R.C. Slocum said he wasn’t thrilled by much of the game, except for the score. "I was disappointed overall with our offense," Slocum said of the unit that racked up just 374 total yards against a smallish Cowboys defense. "I didn’t think we threw the ball effectively, and we didn’t run the ball very effectively. And we weren’t very effective on first down. The reasons why? I don’t know." There’s no question McNeese State was a well-coached, well-prepared football team that could compete in Division I-A with many teams. But the manner in which the Cowboys stunned the Aggies and a good crowd of 70,656 at Kyle Field was startling. McNeese’s 16-0 lead was reminiscent of last year’s 12-0 hole the Aggies fell into in a 26-19 loss to Colorado, but this time, A&M found a way to outscore the Cowboys, 38-6, the rest of the way. However, style points were lacking on this sultry night. Cornerback Sammy Davis’ interceptions to set up two scores were a high point, as was the play of freshman receiver Terrence Murphy, who hauled in four catches for 79 yards and a key touchdown pass to tie the game at 24. Davis said he wasn’t panicking when the Aggies were down 24-10, but he was getting close. "What was going through my mind was, ‘Man, McNeese is pretty good,’" Davis said. "We didn’t do our job as a defense or an offense. I think they could compete at a Division I level. They’re a great team." A&M held MSU to just 241 yards of total offense and seemed to take control of the game at 31-24. Then the Cowboys threatened again, but were forced to attempt a 33-yard field goal. The snap was botched, and the Aggies could breathe a bit easier. "I thought we were well-prepared, and that showed on the field," McNeese State coach Tommy Tate said. "Our players and coaches were the only ones who thought we could win this game. We were given a chance to win the game, but just came up short." Indeed, the Aggies can’t be in the business of "giving" teams chances to win if they are to prove doubters wrong this season. A quick work week in preparation for the Wyoming game may heighten the awareness. "We need to be honest with ourselves and say, ‘Hey, this is what happened against McNeese, and it can’t happen again," said linebacker Christian Rodriguez, who iced the game with an 11-yard interception return for a touchdown with 4:42 left in the game. "And I think it’s one of those things where they were well-prepared. Just because they’re Division I-AA doesn’t mean they can’t play football. We came out in the second half inspired to play some football, and that’s what we did." The play of teams across the country in openers this season has been ragged, to say the least, and the Aggies fit right into that category. And with a new offense to digest and tinker with, there is still a grace period to go through. Quarterback Mark Farris, who ran for two touchdowns, was bothered by a bad hip pointer, tailback Richard Whitaker was limited with a sore knee, and center Seth McKinney missed major time with cramping. But the excuses run thin in games like this, and Slocum and the players understand why. Such are the perils of struggling against smaller schools that possess some talent, but lack depth as a lineup and exposure as a program. That’s why Slocum is hoping this will be the ultimate wake-up call in a long season. "When you start getting 16 points behind, it starts getting your attention," Slocum said. "We’ve obviously got a lot of work to do."
|
All contents of this site ©2001
12th Man Foundation unless otherwise noted.