Texas A&M returns
majority of key players
■ Coach R.C. Slocum
says this year’s Aggie
squad is as good as he has
seen in a ‘long time.’
By Samuel McKewon
Senior staff writer
Editor’s note: This is the sixth story
of an 11-part series exploring
Nebraska’s opposing football teams in
the Big 12 Conference.
The 1999 outlook for Texas A&M
University looks fairly similar to other
seasons the Aggies have had in die Big
12 Conference, with one fundamental
difference.
“In the past we were the hunter,”
A&M linebacker Cornelius Anthony
said. “Now we’re the hunted.”
The seventh- and eighth-ranked
Aggies open their season this Saturday
against Louisiana Tech University. But
A&M reached its respect last year play
ing teams far better than Tech - and
beating than.
The Aggies beat a No. 2 team last
season in Nebraska and No. 1 team
Kansas State at the Big 12
Championship game. Since die Aggies
have most of their key players back,
most expect die team to contend for a
conference and national tide.
A national tide would seem to be the
next logical step for Coach R.C.
Slocum’s program, which went 11-3 in
1998 and posted an 86-24-2 record in
the 1990s. Slocum is the winningest
coach in Aggie history.
A&M will open the season with
almost all of its offensive skill players
returning. Randy McCown is the quar
terback, Dante Hall is the “A” back,
while big Ja’Mar Toombs plays the “B”
back position.
the wide receivers are among the
best in the Big 12 and are probably the
best corps Slocum’s ever coached. Chris
Cole, Leroy Hodge and Chris Taylor all
return, though the biggest hype sur
rounds sophomore Bethel Johnson,
whom Slocum calls “the fastest player
I’ve coached.”
Johnson has been slowed in practice
with a foot injury and may not be ready
for the first game.
“It’s as good a group that’s been at
Texas A&M in a long time,” Slocum
said. “I don’t know how long, but I’ll
say, ‘Long time.’ You get two or three
guys, and all die sudden you can throw
the ball pretty well.”
The defense, one of the few left in
die country that holds steadfastly to a 3
4 alignment, returns all three defensive
linemen - all of diem juniors.
The “Wrecking Crew,” as the
Aggies defense is coined, also returns
three of four linebackers. But the one
that doesn’t return was last year’s
Lombardi Award winner, Dat Nguyen.
Anthony said Nguyen is an irre- ,■
placeable player. But the Aggie defense ]/
will still be as good as always, he said.
“We’re working on being the best
defense we can be,” Anthony said. “It
might almost be faster than last year.
Dat was a great guy and a great player,
but we still have great players here.”
On top of that, A&M returns both its
placekicker, Russell Bynum, and its
All-Big 12 punter, Shane Lechler. All of
its punt returners and kickoff returners
are back as well.
The schedule is more favorable with
Florida State on the schedule. A&M’s
toughest trip is to Nebraska, probably,
although the Aggies must visit Texas
Tech, a place A&M hasn’t won at since
1993.
Warrick back to help FSU
By Darren Ivy
Senior staff writer
After coming within one game of
winning the national championship last
year, Florida State players are hungry to
get the 1999 season started.
One player, Peter Warrick, opted to
pass on the NFL Draft and return for his
senior season with that one goal in
mind.
“If we would have won, I would
have been out,” said Warrick, an All
American last year.
But Warrick is back and ready to
keep the Florida State dynasty going.
The Seminoles have won at least 10
games and finished no lower than
fourth in the Associated Press poll for
12 straight seasons, an NCAA record.
That includes their lope title in 1993.
When it comes to die Atlantic Coast
Conference for football, no team has
been successful in dethroning Coach
Bobby Bowden^ squads. The team that
may come closest this year is Georgia
Tech.
But Warrick said the conference
championship is Florida State’s to lose.
“GeorgiaTech is going to be a great
game, but we are the team to beat,”
Warrick said. “They have to come to
Tallahassee (Sept. 11), and we haven’t
lost to Doak Campbell in a long time.
We plan on keeping it that way.”
Heisman Trophy candidate Joe
Hamilton leads the Yellow Jacket
offense. He’ll be out for revenge against
the Seminoles, who knocked him out of
the 1998 contest in Atlanta with a hip
pointer.
“I don’t want to put this out there
about Florida State, but yeah, he hit me
after I threw the ball,” Hamilton said.
The loss to Florida State marked the
only conference loss for Georgia Tech,
which finished 10-2 and ranked ninth in
the final poll last year. Coach George
O’Leary has a lot of confidence in his
senior play caller.
“If there was a bomb in this room,
he would be the one to say, ‘I can defuse
it,’” O’Leary said. “If it’s fourth-and
tt
If we would have
won, I would have
been out ”
Peter Warrick
FSU receiver
three, he wants to go for it He’s a good
kid.”
While Hamilton means everything
to the Yellow Jacket offense, Warrick
may be die final piece of die puzzle to
the Seminoles’ national-title run.
Warrick is a player the FSU coaches
weren’t countirig on this season.
“I was shocked,” said Assistant
Coach Chuck Amato at the ACC media
day. “I liken it to years and years ago
when David Thompson at N.C. State
turned down a chance to go to the 76ers
because he wanted to maybe win anoth
er national championship.
To make sure he is financially safe,
Warrick took out a $3 million insurance
policy in case he would get injured.
In addition to wanting to win a
national title, Warrick said the chem
istry with quarterback Chris Weinke
was another reason for his return.
Weinke appears to be full strength
after suffering a season-ending neck
injury against Virginia last season,
Warrick said.
“He looks sharp, but there is no heat
coming,” Warrick said.
Weinke and Warrick aren’t the only
starting players FSU returns.
“Last year at this time, we had 10
seniors on scholarship on our team,”
Amato said. “This year, we have 20.
There is no question that it’s always
good to have 20 returning seniors,
because they are the leaders of your
team.”
But even with experience, the
coaches are drilling into their players’
heads that they can’t be overconfident.
“Right now, we are 0-1 in 1999,”
Amato said
- 1— —-V" —j—
Special teams struggle
Big 12 coaches learn from Kansas' and Texas' woes
By Joshua Camenzind
Staffwriter
The opening weekend of college
football caused some concern for
many of the coaches in the Big 12
Conference.
The special teams play of Texas
and the turnovers suffered by Kansas
on Saturday may serve as a wake-up
call for the rest of die conference.
“The Texas and Kansas games
should grab the attention of die play
ers,” Oklahoma State Coach Bob
Simmons said. “It gives us as coaches a
chance to point out examples to our
own players.”
Texas had three punts blocked
against North Carolina State, Much led
directly to 16 points. On Monday, UT
Coach Mack Brown blamed himself.
“It was a breakdown in one specif
ic area, and it was a younger situation,”
Brown said. “It was my fault for asking
them to do more than what they were
ready to do in an opening ballgame
The situation at Texas has brought
to light the importance of stressing spe
cial teams play and the affect it can
have on a game throughout the confer
ence.
“We were relieved because on
Saturday, we were able to see some of
the same mistakes happen in game sit
uations,” Oklahoma Coach Bob
Stoops said “We put a great emphasis
on the kicking game, and it is important
to have live simulation of the kicking
game in practice.”
Missouri Coach Larry Smith
called special teams “the glue that
holds everything together.”
“It is hard to get a lot of teaching
involved because there is not a lot of
full repetitions, and we only work on
them about 10-15 minutes a day,”
Smith said
Every team seems to have a differ
ent philosophy when it comes to spe
cial teams. Some like to play younger
players and others opt for older, more
experienced players.
Colorado Coach Gary Barnett
knows all too well how special teams
can affect the outcome of a game.
“When I was at Northwestern, we
lost a game to Miami (Ohio) as a direct
result of a bad snap,” Barnett said.
“Most people do not have an apprecia
tion for a deep snapper, but he is very
important to the team.”
The games on Saturday also gave
the coaches time to reflect on their
decisions and maybe iron out some
strategies going into their openers.
“After what happened to Texas,
there were 300 paranoid coaches - me
included,” Barnett said. “Special
teams, in my philosophy are the indica
tor of die character of a team.”
Difficulty often comes as coaches
must decide if their decision to not play
a player on special teams will benefit
the team.
Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder,
for example, must decide whether or
not to risk injury to running back David
Allen on special teams.
“David is our No. 1 running back,
but he has made his maiic on returns (Hi
a national spotlight,” Snyder said. “We
will make a decision soon based on
what is best for the football team.”
SETTERS from page 8
weekend, Pettit said it could make
the difference in NU’s run at a sec
ond national championship in
December.
The 6-2 implements two setters
as opposed to the 5-1 offense, which
uses one setter, that most top teams
use. Even though Pettit said it is “10
times more complicated” than the 5
1, the 6-2 allows a team to use three
hitters, which in volleyball means^
more explosive offensive attack.
For Pettit, that meant getting as
the hitter positional the courp
One of those athletes is freshman
Greichaly Cepero* a versatile Puerto
Rican national junior team member
he has heavily touted as one of his
best freshmen ever. Cepero was
recruited as a setter, but Pettit said
she will be used mainly as an attack
er in the 6-2 this season.
“She’s one of the most beautiful
athletes I’ve ever coached and does
so many things well,” Pettit said.
“But she played the same posi
tion of (All-American junior hitter)
Nancy Meendering. I think it
would’ve been a mistake as a coach
to not have Meendering and Cepero
out there, and the 6-2 offense
allowed us to do that.”
The other reason Pettit decided
to go thejfr-2 was his confidence in
one of hist other true freshmen -
Lindsey Wischmeier, a 5-9 setter
from Class D-2 Lewiston (Neb.)
TIigh School who will play a valu
able role in the offense backing up
starter setter Jill McWilliams.
Wischmeier will receive a lc&df
playing time because the 6-2; tgast
use a lot of substitutions. . >:
The 6-2, Pettit said, is considered
to be waters that hardly any coach in
die country dare cross because of its
complexity and the extremely high
caliber of athletes required to run it.
He said although his team will
have difficulty adjusting to the
offense early on, like they did last
weekend in losses to Pacific and
Penn State, the long-term results
will be well worth it.
“It will take another five or six
weeks for it to become polished,”
Pettit said.
“We’ll have to win some matches
when we’re not as patterned. But in
the end, if we can do it right, it will
be very difficult (for other teams) to
prepare for.”