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KYLE FIELDthebattalion

INSIDER 9.13.13

PAGES TWELVE & THIRTEEN

ORAL HISTORY, ‘BAMA 2012

GAME PREVIEWPAGE TWO

IT’S HERE

‘THE VOICE’PAGE FOUR

SPENCER NEALY, R. BOWEN LOFTIN, RYAN CRAWFORD, REID JOSEPH, JASON COOK

AND MORE

Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION

BAT_09-13-13_A1-A24.indd 1 9/12/13 10:40 PM

Squadron 17 in the Corps of Ca-dets holds the biggest tailgate on

the Quad each gameday. Four sopho-mores are chosen to cook the barbe-cue, but it takes parent contributions and teamwork within the outfit for the tradition to live on.

Being passed down from multiple classes has created a community with-in Squadron 17. Over three hundred people came to tailgate one game last year, including old military Ags and members of different campus organi-zations.

“Parents and family and [Squad-ron] 17 guys from past generations come because this is the biggest meeting of everyone that we have,” said junior Colter Kasper. “Last year when I was on the pit it was really funny because we would have mili-tary officers, colonels and generals walk by while I was up there flipping steaks and they would just say, ‘Oh hey, we’ve just come to check out the biggest barbecue pit on the Quad. Seventeen doing it right.’”

The barbecue pit used by the outfit is the largest on the Quad and takes four cooks to operate. The

graduating class of 2008 donated the pit after making it from scratch in 2005.

To become part of the barbecue chain, cooks need to show both in-terest and skill. Colter described it as a cook off to see who could come up with the best meals and recipes.

“What’s kind of neat about 17 is that it’s a privilege … to be on the chain,” Colter said. “You start prep-ping for this thing a few days before-hand, but it’s really fun. I didn’t know if I would be too tired, but it was the most fun I had during 17 last year.”

The preparation for a tailgate this size requires people and time. The 17 Parent’s Association, led by Cordelia Kasper and established this year, helps the parents unite in an effort to sup-port the outfit in anything from side dishes to monetary donations.

“The squadron itself does all the work,” said Teri Rodela, mother of Nick Ramirez, a sophomore on the barbecue chain. “They do the main

meal and they fund it with donations from weekly tailgates. But the boys — I mean, the young men — do all the set up, bring all the chairs out, have the tents up; they do all the work.”

By the time Parents Weekend rolls around, Squadron 17 parents have had the chance to meet and befriend one another. This especially helps freshman parents learn about the Corps and their involvement from parents of upperclassmen.

“It makes their outfit feel more of a family,” Cordelia said. “All of us moms come in and try to meet the children of different class levels and get to know each other so that if the kids in the outfits need our support in any way they know to count on us moms. It’s also a time of fellow-ship and gives us an opportunity to hear about our boys’ week and what they’re involved in.”

This family-centered and alcohol-free event creates an environment unlike many other tailgates. Past, cur-rent and future Aggies can sit togeth-er in community just like a smaller

version of the Aggie family. “The social environment here

is probably the best thing over the food,” said junior and former cook Hunter Howell. “We are real fam-ily based, so a lot of families actually come. The upperclassmen parents re-ally mingle with the freshman parents [so] parents really know each other.”

The tailgate serves as one of the biggest sources of revenue for the outfit. Current, past and future Aggie involvement helps the outfit through its support. Even cooks from previ-ous years continue to help, despite no longer cooking.

“I am kind of the advisor now,” Colter said. “They come to me with questions and it’s kind of a good gig. For instance, yesterday they had to purchase everything they used this morning and they actually borrowed my truck for the pit. They had a lot of questions as to what to buy. You’re passing it down to those guys but they still need to know what to do, you can’t just hand them the reigns. It’s pretty fun.”

2game breakdown 23tailgating insider

FAMILY-SIZED BBQSquadron 17 tailgate features largest BBQ pit on Quad

The No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies (2-0) will face off against top-ranked and defending two-time national champion

Alabama (1-0) Saturday at Kyle Field in what has been billed as the most anticipated matchup of the 2013 college football season.

Media attention has been focused on this weekend since A&M handed the No. 1 Crimson Tide their only loss of the 2012 season, a 29-24 defeat in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 10.

All eyes will be on reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and A&M’s high-powered offense as they matchup against an Alabama defense considered one of the best in the nation, holding Virginia Tech to just 212 yards total offense and 10 points in the Crimson Tide’s season opener.

The A&M offense has shown strong development throughout the Aggies’ first two games of the season, aver-aging 600 yards of total offense and 58.5 points against Rice and Sam Houston State, allowing only one turnover.

While A&M played Sam Houston State last weekend, the Crimson Tide used their bye week to prepare for the Aggies. Under head coach Nick Saban, Alabama holds a record of 4-3 in the regular season coming off a bye week.

Manziel said the game against Sam Houston gave the Ag-gies’ youth an opportunity to improve within a game envi-ronment, giving A&M an advantage over the Crimson Tide.

“We got another opponent,” Manziel said. “We got an-other game, another full-speed game to play before they did. It’s hard to simulate a game in practice, even though you get

more time to go over tape, but we got another game to go out and try to get some of these young guys up to speed.”

This Saturday’s game will mark the first game in which all of Texas A&M’s defensive starters are eligible to play, as senior linebacker Steven Jenkins, junior defensive lineman Gavin Stansbury and sophomore cornerback De’Vante Har-ris will all be making their season debut after a two-game suspension due to a violation of team rules.

Junior cornerback Deshazor Everett will be playing in his first full game of the season after two first-half suspensions due to off the field issues and the NCAA rule prohibiting the targeting of a defenseless receiver.

In last year’s A&M-Alabama matchup, Everett intercepted an A.J. McCarron pass on fourth-and-goal that would have given Alabama the lead late in the game. A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said Everett’s veteran experience from last season will add a new dimension to a youth-infused Aggie secondary.

“[Everett] can bring a wealth of experience,” Snyder said. “He’s been on the big stage and played against the team we’re getting ready to face. He performed pretty well last year. It’s great to have him back. This corps of receivers will be the best we’ve seen all year. They’re really good and really fast.”

At safety, A&M will be forced to take the field without junior Floyd Raven Sr., who suffered a collarbone injury during Sam Houston State’s opening drive last Saturday. With Raven’s absence, Snyder said safety was the position he “was worried about most” against the Crimson Tide.

Dating back to last season, A&M has gained more than 400 yards of total offense in 14 consecutive games. The

streak includes last year’s matchup against Alabama where the Aggies gained a total of 418 yards, 253 of which came through the air.

Sophomore wide receiver Mike Evans is averaging 119.5 yards receiving per game this year, including a career-best 155 yards last week against Sam Houston State.

“[Evans] is a playmaker and a big, physical guy,” said A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin. “He plays just as hard without the ball as he does when his number is called.”

Also contributing to the passing game will be the return of true freshman Ricky Seals-Jones, a 6’5”, 225-pound athlete who sat out last week due to a minor knee injury.

Also making his return will be sophomore running back and return specialist Trey Williams, who missed the Sam Houston State game due to an ankle injury suffered during the Rice game. Trey Williams will rejoin a backfield already producing on a high level behind Ben Malena, Tra Carson and Brandon Williams, who have averaged a combined 160 yards the past two games.

As an offensive unit, A&M is averaging 208 yards rushing per game while the Crimson Tide allowed only 153 yards in their 35-10 victory over Virginia Tech. Last season, the Aggies rushed for 165 yards against an Alabama defense that gave up an average of 76.4 yards rushing per game.

“When you establish the run game, it allows you to open things up with the pass,” said offensive coordinator and run-ning backs coach, Clarence McKinney. “This is probably the best front we’ll play against all year so I don’t think it’s going to be that simple for us to establish the ground game. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Ana GutierrezSpecial to The Battalion

THE TIDE COME TO TOWNHigh-octane Aggie offense will clash with oppressive Alabama defense

Photos by Matt Wong — THE BATTALION

Friends, family and

Squadron 17 members enjoy an

afternoon of tailgating

before the Sam Houston

State game.

Michael AyoThe Battalion

(Left) Sophomore receiver Sabian Holmes interacts with the crowd during the Sam Houston State game, and freshman receiver LaQuvionte Gonzalez (right) leads the team onto the field.

Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION

BAT_09-13-13_A2-A23.indd 1 9/12/13 10:31 PM

22 3photoinsider

Photos by Mark Doré and Chase Krumholz — THE BATTALION

playerinsider

HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REELEvans employs experience of record-breaking first season to lead in 2013

Texas A&M leading wide receiver Mike Evans was nearly a Longhorn. While that

makes most Aggies cringe, Evans wouldn’t have been showcasing his talents on a burnt orange emblazoned football field, but a bas-ketball court instead.

Growing up, Evans played both sports but decided to stick solely with basketball once he reached high school. The 6-foot-5 receiver had the football coaches at Galveston Ball High School begging since he was a freshman.

His senior year he finally gave in. The result was a 25-catch season for 648 yards and seven touchdowns. His play however did not result in many big-time college football offers, ex-cept at Texas A&M.

As a red-shirt freshman receiver for the Ag-gies, Evans caught a team-high 82 catches for 1,105 yards — both freshman records.

“Mike Evans has moved past [scratching the surface],” said head coach Kevin Sumlin. “He’s a playmaker, he’s a big, physical guy that plays as hard without the ball as he does when his number is called.”

Evans’ playmaking ability without the ball developed into a favorite among the coaches, providing blocks and getting open for quarter-back Johnny Manziel’s many scrambling plays.

Evans and Manziel teamed up for one of the most lethal quarterback-receiver combos in all of college football. Their chemistry from a year ago has translated into the 2013 season already.

“Mike [Evans] is really getting better, he’s a great player,” Manziel said. “He’s a guy who’s going to play football for a long, long time. Our chemistry is really good and it took us a while to get in tune throughout [fall] camp, but once we got it rolling [we were good].”

Manziel’s comments came after one of Evans’ best career performances against Sam Houston State, during which he caught seven passes for a career-high 155-yards.

“He’s really an example for not just the re-ceiving corps, because we’ve got a bunch of young guys who watch him without the ball

and block, but also the whole football team and the unselfishness he plays with,” Sumlin said.

Evans has been displaying his experience on and off the field, quickly becoming one of the team’s leaders despite being just a sophomore.

“[Evans] isn’t a real big talker guy, he does it by example,” receivers coach David Beaty said. “He had a great season last year, but he probably outworks everyone in that room. That’s leadership in itself.”

For Evans, the leadership role came after being tutored by some of the most respected senior leaders on the 2012 team. He is now us-ing that experience to mentor a wide receiver group that has six true freshmen.

“I had great leadership at the wide receiver position with [Ryan] Swope, Kendrick Mc-Neal and Uzoma [Nwachukwu],” Evans said. “They taught me and they motivated me to be a leader and that’s what I’m going to do is lead the young guys.”

Evans lined up as an outside receiver last season, leading to big numbers, but this spring A&M coaches shocked some fans by giving him looks as an inside receiver. The adjust-ment was simple: use Evans’ size to create mis-matches against the best teams.

“It allows us to get matchups,” Beaty said. “We don’t have to keep him in one spot, we can move him around. He’s a smart kid, he knows every position on the field so from that standpoint the reps we were able to give him in the spring were able to help him.”

As the Aggies prepare to take on No. 1 Alabama at Kyle Field on Saturday, Evans said each upcoming game is “our biggest game.”

When the A&M offense lines up near the endzone Saturday, it will be Evans on the re-ceiving end of another kind of ally-oop pass. One he may have never seen coming years ago.

“We need more production from him in the redzone,” Beaty said. “He should be a human redzone highlight film himself. We should be able to throw it up to that big sucker and him come down with it.”

Sean Lester The Battalion

Sophomore Mike Evans — after an 82-catch, 1,105 yard-season in 2012 — will look to

lead a young receiving corps in 2013.

Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

(Above) Senior engineering technology major Eduardo Cisneros watches

Thursday at Simpson Drill Field as ESPN Gameday prepares its broadcast. (Right) Freshman finance major Jason Chapman

and freshman biology major Tony Kwiatkowski relax near Albriton Tower

as Gameday sets up behind.

Photos by Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION

Corps of Cadets practice the gameday march-in Thursday at Simpson Drill Field.

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“I used to have a lucky hairband that I would wear every game. I would wear my hair up every game, ever since the

Nebraska game in 2010. In 2011, we didn’t do so hot, so I credit that to my hairband

breaking. ”Holly Parenica, sophomore nuclear engineering major

Q:thebattasks

What are your gameday superstitions?

“I just refuse to pretend that losing is an option. I don’t even want to say the word — it makes me

nervous.”Josh Marshall, junior accounting

major

“ I always wear my favorite pair of cowboy boots since they have

always brought good luck.”Victoria Scott, sophomore

general studies majorPhoto feature by David Cohen — THE BATTALION

“I make sure my underwear matches my outfit.”

Phoebe Stewart, freshman anthropology major

“When tailgating, we always cook up whatever the mascot is that we are

playing that day.”Hayden Nugent, freshman health major

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLEDave South, the ‘Voice of Texas A&M,’ calls games with emotion, spirit

Near the press box of Texas A&M’s Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park there is an of-

fice — pitch black and seemingly unoccupied. While players and coaches are practicing on the field below it, the room holds a lone, leg-endary occupant.

Laying on the floor of this room is a 68-year-old man who’s head is propped up by a pillow he keeps for times like these. He closes his eyes and listens. In the background plays game after game after game. Not a live game, but replays from the previous football season.

Imagining every tackle and touchdown, the “Voice of Texas A&M” is critiquing his every word in anticipation of another football season.

“I grew up listening to Southwest Con-ference football on the radio. It’s all in your imagination,” said play-by-play radio com-mentator Dave South. “I hope what I’m con-veying, you can see. That’s why sometimes I’ll come in and I have a pillow. I’ll lay down and I put the game on the computer. I try to vi-sualize what I’m saying to make sure it comes across the way I want it to come across.”

For 28 years South has been synonymous with Aggie sports and the memorable calls that have followed and defined Texas A&M from the Southwest Conference to the Big 12 and into the Southeastern Conference.

The first callsOriginally from Wichita Falls, South was

calling college football for a network com-pany when he was contacted by Texas A&M in 1985. South agreed to replace the previous play-by-play commentator for a year. If he liked it they would discuss the future

“If I didn’t like it they could find some-one else in ’86,” South said. “I told them I had always liked Texas A&M. I used to come down and watch basketball when I didn’t have

a basketball game in the 70s. My wife’s father went to A&M and I had friends who went to A&M.”

The 1985 season was historic for the A&M program and hooked South. The Aggies won the Southwest Conference Championship and went to the Cotton Bowl.

That was where South’s first great call hap-pened as A&M stuffed Heisman Trophy win-ner Bo Jackson on the goal line and defeated the Auburn Tigers 36-16.

“I remember the first time I heard him on radio was when I watched a season recap of the ’85 team that won the Southwest Confer-ence and had the goal line stand on Bo Jack-son,” said Will Johnson, Texas A&M Sports Network sideline reporter and 12th Man TV host.

South was on board and began to develop his own style as the seasons passed. He found that his emotion was his greatest asset and it jumped through the speakers when he was on the mic.

“I get excited,” South said. “If I can’t get excited about it, I want A&M to win. People say all the time that they can tune in and hear it in my voice whether we are ahead or behind. I don’t go do a broadcast with the mindset that we’re going to lose. The whole thing is to win and I get disappointed if we don’t.”

That excitement quickly made him a fan fa-vorite and a recognizable figure around A&M with former and current students alike, recit-ing some of his most memorable calls.

“The excitement you can hear in his voice just brings back the excitement and joy of winning every time I hear it again,” said Chris Miller, Class of 1999. “I think he will be hard to replace. Every Aggie who hears his voice on the radio knows that he’s calling an Aggie game and you can tell he really wants them to do good.”

South, his partner Dave Elmendorf and the rest of the gameday broadcast have been ac-cused of being “homers” due to South’s ex-

citement when A&M makes a play, but that’s something Elmendorf says gets overanalyzed

“We are the Aggie Radio Network, who else would we be rooting for?” Elmendorf said. “We don’t want to sound as if we are unfairly rooting for the Aggies. We try to tem-per that with reality and being fair to the other team. I think we do that very well.”

“He got a touchdown”In 1998 under head coach R.C. Slocum,

the Aggies made it to the Big 12 Champion-ship game in St. Louis, Mo. Taking on favorite Kansas State, who was expected to advance to the national championship game with a win, A&M dug themselves an early hole.

A flourished comeback drove the game to a double overtime. On third and 17, quarter-back Branndon Stewart threw a pass to re-ceiver Sirr Parker who ran a simple slant route. The rest was history.

“They snap it, gonna throw here to Park-er,” South said on the call. “At the 20, at the 15, at the 10, at the five. He is almost… He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got it in, he got it in, he got it in! Oh doctor!”

South said he has fans come up to him ask-ing for a recreation of the call that has been played at A&M football games countless times since, but that it’s something that simply can’t be recreated.

“That just came at the spur of the mo-

ment,” South said. “That’s all there was to it. People ask me to recreate it. I can’t recreate that because of the emotion. When Sirr Parker went in, the emotion of that … everything just broke loose. The radio booth broke loose. Our president at that time, Dr. Ray Bowen, was laying down at one moment on the field doing snow angels.”

Alongside South, Elmendorf was equally shocked and emotional.

“That, to me, was the single defining of not only Aggie football in the 90s, but probably of our broadcast,” Elmendorf said. “That is still my favorite moment from our broadcast.”

Sending the Aggies to the College World Series in 2011 and Acie Law’s “The Shot” in 2006 over Texas were both noteworthy, but another one of South’s defining moments came in 1999 when Texas A&M and Texas squared off at Kyle Field following the col-lapse of Aggie Bonfire just days prior.

“I don’t think God cares who wins football games,” South said. “I do think there was one time when he cared and that was the Bonfire game at Kyle Field. There was a lot of healing that needed to be done and I just feel like that day God had a hand in Texas A&M winning that football game.”

Lightning in a bottleSouth said his faith has made him the man

of character he is today and that God gave him his talent and he wants to glorify him with his

Sean Lester The Battalion

Dave South has called A&M football games for the radio for 28 years.

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

BAT_09-13-13_A4-A21.indd 1 9/12/13 8:28 PM

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work. Before Texas A&M was set to take on No. 1 Alabama a

year ago he told his weekly Bible study group, which includes an Alabama graduate, that A&M was going to win the game.

“I’m driving to the game from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa and I felt so strongly about this I remember saying, ‘Lord, I really want something that I can say at the end of this game that would express how I felt or what a win this was. Give me something to say because I don’t’ know what I’m going to say, but we’re going to win Father,’” South said.

Later down the road South remembers hearing a man come on the radio during a commercial break and say something about catching lightning in a bottle.

As the story goes, Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel pro-ceeded to pick apart the Alabama defense and hold off for a 29-24 victory after an interception by Deshazor Everett helped seal the game.

As the final seconds ticked off, South’s latest historical call came over the airwaves.

“The Aggies just caught lightning in a bottle,” he said. “Lighting in a bottle in Tuscaloosa.”

The highlight of the 2012 season added to South’s resume of famous calls to most Aggies, including senior agricultural communications and journalism student C.J. Brown.

“I remember listening to Dave from the time I was little when Ja’mar Toombs played for the Aggies,” Brown said.

“But my favorite Dave South moment was during the fourth quarter of the A&M-Alabama game last year. The game itself was amazing, but listening to Dave South call the interception by Deshazor [Everett], and the offsides against Alabama made the win that much sweeter.”

When to call it quitsSouth recently signed a three-year contract with the athlet-

ics department that will last into his 30th year of play-by-play of Aggie sports. At the end of the contract South will evaluate how much longer he will continue.

“I tell people all the time, as long as my voice holds up and my eyesight is good and as long as I can remember who we’re playing, I’m going to continue to do the games,” South said

with a chuckle. “If it starts to slip then I need to move on.”South said he listens to legendary Los Angeles Dodgers play-

by-play announcer, Vin Scully, who just re-upped for his 65th year in the booth at the age of 85.

Like Scully, South has a passion for the game and for the team he covers. That passion keeps bringing him back along with the countless fans who now recognize him as Dave South, the “Voice of Texas A&M.”

“As far as his legacy, I’ve heard a lot of people say that you can just flip through a radio dial and you can just hear when you’ve hit an A&M game, even just by hearing that voice,” Johnson said. “That’s going to stick with people for a very long time.”

South finds himself humbled by the fans that approach him asking for an autograph or photo opportunity. On a recent trip to Colorado with his wife, he was stopped by a family who recognized him as the “Voice of the Aggies.”

“His legacy, I don’t know that you can improve on it,” Elmendorf said. “He’s proven himself. He’s been very pro-fessional and with an obvious love for Texas A&M athlet-ics. I don’t think there’s any more that he can do. I hope he continues to do it forever because I love working with him. He’s done it all. His voice is so special and so distinctive that everyone knows it when they hear it.”

““I’ve heard a lot of people say that you can just flip through a radio dial and you can just hear when you’ve hit an A&M game, even just by hearing that voice.”

— Will Johnson, 12th Man TV host

After a strong showing last weekend — coasting past the San Diego Toreros 6-1

and clinching a 0-0 tie in a double overtime thriller against No. 10 Baylor — the No. 20 Aggies will bring their eight-game home stand to a close this weekend.

The Aggies will be without star forward Annie Kunz on Friday and Sunday following the leg injury she sustained in a challenge in the opening seconds of the Baylor game last weekend.

“I mean, it definitely was a blatant tackle in the first 10 seconds of the game, so whenever that happens you kind of have to question it a bit,” Kunz said. “I don’t know her personally, and I don’t know if I was targeted or not, but I wish she wouldn’t have been as aggressive in the first 10 seconds.”

The Aggies will host the University of Mas-sachusetts Minutewomen on Friday in what will be the third matchup between the two programs. The two teams have split the previ-ous matchups, the most recent an A&M 3-0

shutout in 1996. UMass has struggled early in the season with

a 1-3-1 record. Despite the slow start, Texas A&M head coach G Guerrieri stressed the im-portance of playing up to the Aggie standard.

“Like any game, whether we are playing against the No. 1 team in the country or any-body else, it’s really about us and how we per-form as individuals and how we perform as a unit,” Guerrieri said. “That’s really what our week has been about, us focusing on things and cleaning up some of the things we’re not doing as well as we can, and trying to build on the things that we’re doing well.”

Following Friday’s matchup against UMass, the maroon and white lace up to take on the Cal-Poly Mustangs Sunday. The Mustangs bring a 4-0-0 record into Ellis Field, starting undefeated for the first time since their 2003 season. Cal-Poly comes into the matchup out-scoring its opponents 15-2, led by Elise Krieg-hoff, leading scorer and three-time Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

After the Aggies’ slow start to the season, Lenz said the back line looks to be molding

A&M fAces tough weekend double-heAder

Clay KoepkeSpecial to The Battalion

soccer

Following the loss of top scorer to injury, A&M looks to stay afloat against UMass and Cal-Poly

Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION

women’ssports

Sophomore midfielder Jane Cousineau readies a strike during A&M’s 3-1 victory over Arizona State on Aug. 30.

into mid-season form. “It definitely took a few days to get our feet

under us and we just realized that we needed to work together, so we put in the hours,” Lenz

said. “We have the hardest working players on the back line and it was only a matter of time before things clicked.”

Photos by Wafi Alzawadbw — THE BATTALION

Sophomores Shelby Sullivan (left) and Angela Lowak prepare to defend a serve in front of senior captain Allie Sawatzky during A&M’s win over No. 16 Florida State on Thursday.

A&M sweeps sienna, no. 16 fsu in home opener

The Texas A&M volleyball team (7-1) opened at Reed Arena on

Thursday night, topping Siena and No. 16 Florida State in the Texas A&M Invitational in two 3-0 sweeps.

The Aggies started fast against Si-ena, quickly tallying a 1-0 lead over the Saints in the first set by a score of 25-14. A stout A&M squad totaled five blocks in the set — three from sophomore middle blocker Shelby Sullivan, part of her career-high six blocks in the match — and outhit the Saints .250 to .045.

The second set would prove closer as the Aggies edged the Saints, 25-23. Senior outside hitter Ashley Vrana contributed six kills in the set for a career-high 10 kills in two sets. A&M would never trail in the third and final set, closing the match with a 25-17 set victory and a 3-0 sweep of Sienna.

The Aggies outhit Sienna .323 during the set and only committed 13 attack errors.

Andrew WhiteSpecial to The Battalion

volleyball

For the complete story, go to thebatt.com

Angela Lowak prepares a

serve during A&M’s 3-0

sweep against No. 16 Florida

State on Thursday.

BAT_09-13-13_A5-A20.indd 1 9/12/13 11:10 PM

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The signs hung on the wall all offsea-son. In one frame was Julio Jones celebrating a touchdown and a scoreboard that read 24-0. In the other, Cam Newton smiling ear to

ear, and a scoreboard that now read 28-27.Two words connected the two frames and

became the theme of the 2011 offseason for Alabama football: Never Again.

Alabama responded to that game with a 42-14 beatdown the next year. And Nick Sa-ban has responded similarly in almost every “revenge” game he has played in the SEC.

Since taking over at LSU in 2000, Saban is 15-2 in re-match games after losses, ac-cording to The Dallas Morning News. One of the instances came against the Gators, then coached by Steve Spurrier in 2000 and 2001. The other was to LSU in 2010 and 2011. Alabama, of course, got revenge on LSU in the national championship game in 2011.

This week, Alabama will have another chance for revenge, this time at the hands of Texas A&M. The Aggies stunned the Crim-son Tide 29-24 in Bryant-Denny Stadium last year, the only loss of the year for Ala-bama.

“The big thing for me is preparation,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “This year’s team has a lot to prove based on their own identity, what they want to try to accomplish and what they want to try to do. That’s really the focus for me and our team, is the identity that we’re trying to create, the way we’re trying to play. “

Unlike “Never Again,” there are not signs hanging in the locker rooms this year, or any sort of motivational tool. The game was re-played in the weight room one week, but so was every other game from last season.

Senior right guard Anthony Steen said there already is an extra bit of motivation just from the loss itself.

“It’s just one of those things where it’s in the back of your head that you lost last year,” Steen said. “So you want to try that much harder to make sure you win this year.”

Junior safety HaHa Clinton-Dix down-played the idea of revenge. He stuck with Saban’s theme of trying to create a new iden-tity for this year’s team and not worry about last year.

“To me, it’s not a revenge thing because if we wanted to get revenge, we’d have to play that same team last year with the same team we had last year,” he said. “If you lose a fight with someone, you don’t get revenge from fighting someone else. I think it’s just a new team this year. We’re a new team. It’s no revenge. Just going out there and playing Texas A&M.”

The team said they will watch some of last year’s film, but that there isn’t much to gain, because teams won’t necessarily do all of the same things from year to year.

Alabama has a tough task ahead of itself, but it also has the coach with a proven track record when seeking revenge.

“We have a lot to prove, going on the road to play a good team,” Saban said. “From a strategic standpoint, I think that any time you play someone you learn a little bit about what they did against you, you learn about what you did against them and then you see some of the things that they may do to try to take advantage of it.”

Students provide care, relief during games

On Saturday afternoon, tens of thousands of devoted fans will flock to Kyle Field

to support the Aggies as they face Alabama. But, while those in attendance have a good time, the members of Texas A&M’s Emer-gency Care Team, TAMECT, will be there to serve A&M in a very particular way.

TAMECT is the organization responsible for the emergency health services available to students and spectators at football games, as well as a variety of other University events around Bryan-College Station.

“We man the first-aid stations at events on- and off-campus,” said Christina Meenan, senior biology major and public relations of-ficer for TAMECT. “That includes football as well as 5k fun runs, sorority rush and various Corps events.”

TAMECT’s biggest events are Aggie foot-

ball games, where work starts before the day of the game. On Friday, TAMECT officers bring the majority of the equipment to Beu-tel Health Center, where they will meet with their teams of medics the next day.

Teams are headed by a medic-in-charge — a volunteer who has their Emergency Medical Technician certification. Under each medic-in-charge are groups of medics — first re-sponders who have been trained in CPR and advanced first-aid.

“We typically meet four hours before kick-off,” Meenan said. “So for the Alabama game we will meet at 10:30 a.m. in Beutel, organize there and load equipment.”

The medics and EMT’s then move over to Kyle Field to completely set up three hours before kickoff, in case of an emergency be-fore the game. Teams of medics are sta-tioned at each level, with other stations set up around Kyle Field. Additionally, TAMECT sets up a cool-down station at the McFerrin

Athletic Center.During the game, TAMECT takes care of

spectators who are ill, whether it is feeling nau-seated, passing out or a more serious issue. Ush-ers and police officers scattered through the lev-els of the stadium alert the closest medic team to patients, and TAMECT members respond.

Iggy Rodriguez, an EMT with TAMECT, said most health issues at games are the result of dehydration. TAMECT saw a total of 2,000 patients for the Rice game, Rodriguez said, and about 1,600 were suffering from dehydration.

“They either pass out or they start feeling really sick and come to our stations,” Rodri-guez said. “Basically, stay hydrated.”

The student workers are all volunteers, but TAMECT is funded in part by the Stu-dent Health Services, various state and local grants, as well donations from the public, which vary from year to year. Additionally, TAMECT charges $12 an hour per team for events. All money goes back to provide funds

for equipment.“Several Aggie Moms Clubs have donated

to us over the years, and the Association of Former Students has been very kind to us by providing new grant money,” said Matthew Scribe, TAMECT president and senior biol-ogy major.

Money goes toward replenishing stores of medication and consumable materials such as oxygen masks and gloves. Grants fund larger, more permanent items such as backboards and defibrillators and help expand TAMECT’s services.

Meenan said members of TAMECT are provided with valuable health care education and experience.

“It’s a great experience to get to work with patients and get hands-on patient care,” Meenan said. “My goal is to go to med school, so this gives me a good opportunity to learn things so that I can see if that’s what I want to do with my life.”

Bradley D’Souza Special to The Battalion

safetyinsider

Marc Torrence is a senior journalism major at the University of Alabama and sports editor for The Crimson White

alabamaopinion

Revenge theoryGuest column: Alabama has a history with revenge games, but Texas A&M stands apart

BAT_09-13-13_A6-A19.indd 1 9/12/13 8:15 PM

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thebattalion 9.13.2013 page18

ORGANIZED CHAOSJames sullivan: Unstoppable

force meets immovable object as ideologies

collideThe simple archetype of chaos versus order has dominated storytelling for centuries, serving as the foundation for narratives that have captured the imaginations of millions.

Without it, there would be no Vader to Skywalker, Voldemort’s elite against Pot-ter’s troupe or Batman’s principles con-trasting the Joker’s mayhem.

And no Johnny Manziel to Nick Saban.

Saturday afternoon, Kyle Field will play host to more than just a grid-iron battle between top-ranked Ala-bama and No. 6 Texas A&M. “The Rematch” stands as more than just a Southeastern Conference game — as important as those may be — or a petty revenge scheme for a program sport-ing crystal from three of the past four seasons.

The game marks a clash of college football’s opposing cultural ideologies, as Manziel’s chaotic unpredictability will face off against Saban’s ordered discipline in round two of what may be the best under-the-radar rivalry this sport has ever seen.

There is a reason the nation has descended upon College Station for Saturday’s matchup. If this were past seasons, experts and broadcast executives might have looked upon Monday’s rankings, seen No. 1 playing No. 6 and said, “There’s our GameDay location.”

But this time around, Sept. 14 has been the matchup circled on everyone’s calendar since last November.

Why? Because this game holds more mean-ing than rankings, crystal footballs or bragging rights. Rather, it’s a symbolic brawl between two ideologies vying for control of the sport’s future direction.

It’s a duel between two great extremes — conventional versus modern — and which-ever is left standing when the final bell rings has the potential to either quell the uprising or initiate a revolution within college football itself.

It’s a lot of pressure, especially considering it’s only week three of the season.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban — The man has already chiseled out a position

among the gods of college football as Zeus himself. Atop Mount Tuscaloosa, Saban has con-trolled the sport like a game of chess, encour-aging discipline, order and structure within his subjects while smiting any who oppose his will.

Speaking of smiting, Saban has a reputation for taking revenge much like Darth Vader and the Empire, showing no mercy with his ground-and-pound offense while the “Impe-rial March” plays sinisterly in the background.

The last two challengers? Fellow SEC West opponents LSU and Auburn, who knocked off the Crimson Tide once before sustaining embarrassing defeats the following season (in LSU’s case, it was actually the same season).

Will the fate be the same for Texas A&M this Saturday? Maybe, but Saban may not be as

focu sed on re-

venge this time around. In

the previous two ex-amples, Alabama maintained

control throughout the game, yet had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory due to late heroics or inadvertent mistakes.

Saban repaid his opponents ten-fold during their next meeting. However, with Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M’s 29-24 upset over the Crimson Tide last season, it was A&M, rather than Alabama, who controlled the game. Saban had finally met his match, and he paid with a loss for underestimating Johnny Football and the Aggies.

The same won’t be true on Saturday, as Saban will certainly be over-prepared for Manziel and A&M’s air-raid offense, but ven-geance should not be his motivation. Rather, the veteran head coach will seek to prove that

Graphic by W

illiam G

uerra — THE BATTALION

sportsopinion

his process — bound by order and dis-cipline — works even against the best of opponents.

Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny Manziel — The sophomore, dual-threat quarterback stands a titan among men,

and he has a bronze statue to prove it. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner

garnered serious criticism during his rugged offseason, earning a reputation as one of the

nation’s most magnetic, yet still lovable, rouges (think Han Solo, since I’ve already dug my Star Wars references).

Let’s put it this way: when some poor cam-era man has the job to literally train his feed on only Manziel throughout the entirety of Saturday’s game, the 20-year-old has some sig-nificant weight in terms of national influence.

When it comes down to brass tacks, though, Manziel’s personality should stand as no sur-prise. The quarterback’s style of play is unpre-dictable, versatile and adaptive with a touch of emotion when required. Sound like anyone you saw on E! News recently?

So what’s he fighting for against Alabama? Simply put, legitimacy. Many consider last season’s victory a fluke and Manziel a fake in “real” games, therefore a win Saturday would not only seal Johnny Football’s place in histo-ry, but also critics’ mouths around the country.

Ultimately, “The Rematch” marks the clash between college football’s modern face and its traditional persona, each with some-thing to gain and a lot to lose.

My suggestion: enjoy it, because it’s going to be a classic.

BAT_09-13-13_A7-A18.indd 1 9/12/13 9:39 PM

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17VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDELINEQA& :

THE BATTALION: How do Alabama students feel about Texas A&M after last year’s game? Are they confident going into this week or do they hold a grudge against A&M?

TORRENCE: I think it’s a mix of

Sean Lester interviewed Marc Torrence, sports editor for The Crimson White, Alabama’s student newspaper

alabamainsider

both. Obviously, Alabama fans are confident, like always, but because of the loss last year there is still something in the back of their head that says [Saturday] could be a loss.

THE BATTALION: What do you think of quarterback Johnny Manziel both on and off the field?

TORRENCE: Personally, I’m a fan. He’s really exciting to watch on the field, obviously. And he seems to block out

most of the criticism he’s getting off of it. Sure he’s made a few mistakes, but who hasn’t?

THE BATTALION: Could you see A&M and Alabama establishing a rivalry if games continue to be this hyped?

TORRENCE: Definitely. These big games are how rivalries start. If Alabama and A&M can keep up the pace they’re on, it should be a really fun rivalry in the future.

THE BATTALION: Lastly, how do you see the game playing out? What is your prediction and what do you think the final score will be?

TORRENCE: I’m picking A&M, but I think it is going to be really, really close. Texas A&M will move the ball and it will be up to Alabama to match that offensive pace. 35-34 Aggies.

BAT_09-13-13_A8-A17.indd 1 9/12/13 6:32 PM

16 9newsinsiderspirit insider

ESPN to broadcast Midnight Yell liveESPN announced Thursday that

ESPN3 will air Friday night’s Midnight Yell live from Kyle Field. The live coverage from College Station will begin at 11:55 p.m. with host Mike Morgan and ESPN college football analyst David Diaz-Infante.

Staff report

‘12THMAN’ license plate sells for $115KThe “12THMAN” license plate

up for auction by Texas A&M and MyPlates.com sold Thursday for a national record price of $115,000, the University announced Thursday. Winning bidder Tony Buzbee,

Houston attorney and Class of 1990, plans to donate the license plate to a decorated war veteran.“I’m not saying who it is yet, but I see

him as a 12th Man to our country,” Buzbee, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, said in a statement. “He did a lot more than pay a hundred thousand dollars for a license plate.”The winning bid gives Buzbee the

right to the plate for 10 years with the option for renewal. The plate is fully transferable and can be sold. “We are so grateful for the

generosity of Mr. Buzbee and know, given his history of commitment to the University, that the privilege of displaying the 12THMAN plates, and the 91-year tradition they represent, will be placed in very deserving Aggie hands,” said Jason Cook, senior associate athletics director. As a special honor, Texas A&M will

present the 12THMAN license plate to Buzbee on Saturday in front of 88,000 fans at the Aggies’ SEC showdown with defending national champion Alabama at Kyle Field.The seven-letter plate had not been

previously available because the state didn’t begin allowing seven letters until 2011.In January the “HOUSTON” license

plate sold for $25,000, a state record at the time. Proceeds from the auction will

benefit Texas A&M University and the General Revenue Fund of Texas.

Staff report

FILE PHOTO

BAT_09-13-13_A9-A16.indd 1 9/12/13 8:54 PM

The worst I got was a hybridization of “Gig ’em” and a slur as politically incorrect as they come. The second-worst I got from an Ala-bama fan was a sign on the door of the Crim-son Tide, season-ticket-holding family we

were staying with that read, “The door is locked, enjoy the car.” But that note hung on an unlocked door.

By rights, we ruined Alabama’s season. Some creative poll shuffling and the unlikeliest of heroes (Baylor) nudged the Crimson Tide into the BCS National Championship game. But Alabama’s year should have been over that Saturday in Tuscaloosa last November.

A first-year SEC program had just filched a cham-pionship ring from a top-five most devoted fanbase. A Sumlin-powered vacuum sucked the air out of Bryant-Denny Stadium — I got to witness it on scene — and the second-worst I got from that fanbase was a joking note (and breakfast on the table the next morning).

Alabama fans aren’t more or less altruistic than ours or any other fanbase. I doubt each person respected my friends and me from the goodness of their hearts. No, southern hospitality is a real thing, and SEC kinship is just as real, but that’s not what made those Alabama fans so great. It’s this: Alabama fans know football.

Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings are legends in Tusca-loosa. They’re legends here too. That means something in Tuscaloosa, a place that values its history almost as much as a certain tradition-oriented former military institution I know. Football fans, mostly those in Ala-bama, celebrated Bryant’s 100th birthday Wednesday (Bryant died in 1983) because that’s the kind of thing Alabama fans do.

History mattered in the respect I was given, but the present sealed it. Those 40 fans (or 50, or 60 — Ala-

bama fans aren’t shy) with whom I interacted had just witnessed something. An out-of-nowhere quarterback had shredded the nation’s best defense.

That ’Bama defense gave up 26 first-quarter points all season; the Aggies accounted for 20 of them. Either they were still reeling from the shock, or they under-stood what they had seen.

And they gave that performance its due. Fair and square. The guy who jumped in front of us outside the stadium and karate-chopped our stomachs while yelling, “I hate you but I also love you and your quarterback is incredible” — he understood what he had seen.

Our universities’ intertwining goes beyond Bryant and Stallings, because we have Nick Saban’s crew to thank for the Johnny Football myth — for the “first freshman to win the Heisman” tidal wave. If sports broadcasters hadn’t spent months framing Alabama in “could this team beat an NFL team” questions, the Tide would have been just another team.

The Saban myth perpetuated the Manziel myth. Legend begets legend. It took more than a win over an ordinary coach or an ordinary team to catapult Manziel past the limitations he faced.

We introduced the Tide to Johnny Manziel, and he came back to town as Johnny Football. We could, I suppose, further extrapolate Saban’s significance to the situation and — if we dig hard enough — find a way to blame him for the buzzing swarm of media bees that have engulfed this University in recent months.

So that’s what comes to town Saturday. Not another SEC team, or a coach with a vendetta, or a depth chart teeming with NFL talent on both sides of the ball, or even the defining dynasty of the BCS era. On Saturday, Manziel confronts his genesis.

Aggies should realize Alabama still represents things Sumlin hates and things Sumlin wants. Saban is the recruiting giant Sumlin has shown glimpses of, and Sa-ban is old-school football incarnate, something Sumlin certainly isn’t.

Aggie fans are emotional. Let’s keep it that way. But I think we need to admit we weren’t ready for the Manziel rollercoaster, and we’ve shown lapses in judg-ment. We haven’t respected the guy’s space or kept a level head on Twitter. You don’t need a reminder. Ag-gies pride themselves on the way they treat visitors.

But I wrote this in a column after that win last sea-son, and I’ve been waiting to print it again: “When [Al-abama fans] come to town next year, Aggies, treat them with class. Pull out the stops, because they did that and more for us. In the interim, remember this game for the moments. The madness on Twitter or the beautiful mockery we made of the BCS rankings, Swope taking a pop and coming up screaming or Manziel putting the ball on a dime for Malcome Kennedy in the end zone.”

We’re too far invested to watch this game like ev-eryone outside College Station and Tuscaloosa will — with objective, for-the-love-of-football detachment.

This is, if we’re being conservative, the biggest Aggie game of the millennium. This town will be a nuthouse Saturday, and I’ll love it. Win or lose, I’ll see you at Northgate. But watch out for that emotion. Save it for the yells.

Alabama fans love football, just like you and I. Treat them with respect.

10 15

Mark DoréManaging Editor

@Mark_Dore

FULL CIRCLEMark Doré: Alabama has what A&M wants, but don’t forget to welcome its fans

sportsopinion

Graphic by Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION Ever since Texas A&M’s 29-24 upset of top-ranked Alabama last season, the world

has changed dramatically for Johnny Manziel. One Heisman Trophy, some celebrity

hangouts and an alleged unscrupulous off-season later, the sophomore quarterback has come under a barrage of criticism with seem-ingly no end in sight.

Manziel’s high-school coach and mentor Mark Smith, who currently runs 5-A Texas powerhouse Judson, said the 20-year-old puts no thought toward what anyone outside the A&M locker room thinks, only concerning himself with his teammates’ opinions.

“[Manziel] isn’t worried about what the people outside of the building think, he’s worried what the people that he dresses with on the inside of the building think,” Smith said. “The bottom line is: Johnny is who he is and that’s who he’s going to be.”

Since the moment Manziel first took to Kyle Field during A&M’s season opener against Florida last season, the dual-threat quarterback has been forced to adapt his style of play and football strategy.

On the field, Manziel’s transformation has been well documented, with each stat line showing increased consistency and overall improvement despite the challenge of the op-ponent.

Over the course of A&M’s first six games last season, Manziel threw the ball efficiently yet erratically, ranging from a 173 yard per-formance against Florida to 395 yards versus Louisiana Tech.

However, the second half of the regular season and an impressive Cotton Bowl perfor-

mance proved more consistent, with Manziel throwing for more than 250 yards in each matchup, ranging from Alabama’s 253 yards to Missouri’s 372 yards.

The decrease in fluctuations did not go unnoticed among the A&M coaching staff, as head coach Kevin Sumlin said Manziel’s maturity played a vital role in his escalated performance.

“I think it’s well documented as a player, just looking at the last six games as opposed to the first six games last year, that there’s no question he’s a different quarterback,” Sum-lin said at Tuesday’s press conference. “A lot of that has to do with his maturity, but a lot of that has to do with [the coaching staff’s] understanding of him, as in what he can and what he can’t do and what are his strengths and what are his weaknesses.”

Sumlin said a key factor in developing Manziel’s pass game was pushing the redshirt freshman to avoid his tendency to scramble, which overwhelmed Manziel during early stretches of the season.

Due to the young starter’s strength in run-ning the ball, Sumlin said the coaching staff explained to Manziel the need to develop his weaker passing game in order to create a more dual-threat mentality.

“The way I approach it with players, not just with quarterbacks but also with a lot of guys, is that ‘Whatever you do best, people are going to try and take that away from you,’” Sumlin said. “It takes a mature guy to sit down and say, ‘Here’s where I’m not very good, here’s where I need to get better, can you help me with this?’ That’s how you be-come a better player, a more rounded player, and because of that you can have success in

different facets.”Under new quarterbacks coach Jake Spavi-

tal, Manziel has worked specifically on re-maining in the pocket rather than escaping into open space down field, a stat line that has shown up throughout A&M’s first two games of the season.

Against Rice and Sam Houston State com-bined, Manziel has rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. At the same time last season, the quarterback had already car-

ried the ball 30 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns, a stark contrast to this year’s numbers.

When asked about his preference in terms of throwing the ball more than 40 times against the Bearkats versus only seven carries, Manziel simply replied he “preferred scoring more points.”

Even Manziel’s wide receivers have no-ticed the rapid development of their quar-terback’s abilities in the passing game. Junior wide receiver Malcome Kennedy said Man-ziel has matured as a passer, especially in terms of holding his position within the pocket, but has also retained his patented scrambling po-tential.

“[Manziel] has come a long way,” Ken-nedy said. “Obviously, he’s a unique quarter-back, and what he does makes him who he is. With that said, he’s really been focusing on trying to let everybody see that he’s maturing as a quarterback and that he can stay in the pocket and make passes. We all know he can do that, but being mobile is what makes him, him — and he’s going to keep doing that.”

The common theme, ranging from Man-ziel’s on-the-field growth to his rebel-like charm outside the stadium, has been the evo-

lution of his personality, which Smith said is still in the process of maturing and has poten-tial to correct past misgivings.

“You can’t really get to know somebody or understand who a person is through a news-paper or magazine article because you never get the full story,” Smith said. “The thing that I have always appreciated about Johnny, though, is that he’s going to work to make things right and to make things better.”

James SullivanThe Battalion

WORK IN PROGRESS

In a world of cameras, Manziel works to hit his on-field talent ceiling

Photos by Bryan Johnson — THE BATTALION

Johnny Manziel has

received plenty of

attention, but his

high school coach and

mentor says he pays no mind to it.

BAT_09-13-13_A10-A15.indd 1 9/12/13 10:04 PM

NebraskaUCLA

The chicken’s name is Cocky. That’s gumption

The SEC’s scholars are tougher than they look

Clowney rhymes with Vandy but he’s bigger

How do you stop Clowney??

Alabama — You’re tacky and I hate you

Johnny Football has no time for revenge

Picking up wherewe left off

Roll Tide, rollBe nice to Sean

They’re No. 2. I’m out of creativity

Texas A&M

The Vol’s defense has —JK. I like ducks

Oregon

South Carolina

Even you know cornhusking sucks

UCLA

Texas A&M

Another sacrificial “Volunteer” for Oregon

Oregon

Vanderbilt

If you build it, the Cornhuskers will come

Texas A&MAlabama

Quack attack is back, Jack

Clowney’d

South Carolina

Taylor Martinez isa whiner

UCLA

2 fast 4 t.u.

Oregon

Follow yourdreams, Vandy

Vanderbilt

Nebraska is about to get... Bruined

UCLA

Sean says he’s sorry

Texas A&M

Oregon

Remember Bo Pelini’s neck vein? The tantrum?

This is why I’m bad at sports betting

Texas A&M

Oregon

South Carolina

Nebraska

South Carolina

#KeepMackBrownThey’re no “BYU,” but they’ll get the job done

David Ash is still a thing, apparently

My dad won’t talk to me if I pick Texas

Ole MissI have this whole bad

history deal with Texas

Ole Miss Ole Miss Ole MissSaw ‘em off

Ole Miss Ole Miss

Oregon*Insert blur offense

quip here*

14

(6) Texas A&Mvs.

(1) Alabama

(2) Oregonvs.

Tennessee

(13) South Carolinavs.

Vanderbilt

(23) Nebraskavs.

(16) UCLA

Texasvs.

(25) Ole Miss

STAFF PICKSWeek Three

thebattalion

William GuerraGraphics Chief

Record: 8-1

Mark DoréManaging Editor

Record: 7-2

James SullivanSports EditorRecord: 6-3

Jake WalkerEditor-in-Chief

Record: 5-4

Jessica SmarrCopy ChiefRecord: 5-4

Sean LesterSports Desk Asst.

Record: 9-0

staff insider

HEISMAN WATCH(WAY TOO EARLY)

JOHNNYMANZIEL

TEXAS A&M (2-0)SO QB #26’1 - 210

OREGON (2-0)SR QB #86’4 - 211

MARCUSMARIOTA

JAMEISWINSTON

FLORIDA STATE (1-0)FR QB #56’4 - 227

Riley Saaber – FSViewAllen Randall — TheTigerNews

FILE Michael Arellano — ThE DAILY EMERALD

Passing: 34-49 for 497 yds, 6 TDRushing: 13 carries for 55 yds, 1 TD


Last Week: 65-28 win over SHSU 462 total yds, 4TD

TAJHBOYD

CLEMSON (2-0)SR QB #10

6’1 - 270


Last Week: 52-13 win over S. Carolina State 174 total yds, 1 TD


Last Week: 54-10 win over Virginia 321 toal yds, 3TD

Last Week: Unimpressive bye week

11player insider

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sum-lin opened his segment of the Ag-gies’ weekly press conference Tues-

day morning with one interesting number — 17, or the number of true freshmen A&M has used during its first two weeks of the season.

Due mainly to suspensions, A&M’s defense has been forced to fill its start-ing lineup with the majority of that sum, and recent lackluster performances

against Rice and Sam Houston State have given light to the impact of the infused-

youth. In steps sophomore defensive end Julien

Obioha, a veteran of last season’s break-out squad, and suddenly that number isn’t so daunting.

A&M defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said Obioha’s experience from last year has played a crucial role in his development into a leader over the course of the offseason, a factor the defensive coaching staff has

recognized as key to their entire front-seven’s success.

“He’s not a young guy anymore. He started 12 games last year,” Snyder said of Obioha. “He’s been on the biggest

stages in some of the biggest games, so he can’t be a youngster anymore. We’re young enough. He has to be a guy for us and take over that [leadership] role a little bit.”

While working through an injury that benched him from the Cotton Bowl through spring training, Obioha has developed a coaching repertoire the defensive staff rec-ognized will be critical to the unit’s success throughout the upcoming season.

“He will be able to anticipate, I think, what’s getting ready to come into the game from

me to [the defense] and articulate [the call], if you will, to all these youngsters

we’ve got playing beside him,” Snyder said.

With the exodus of many of last season’s defensive leaders — including Jonathan Stewart, Sean Porter, Spencer Nealy and Da-montre Moore — the void has yet to be filled by any singular veteran. Instead, a conglomerate has emerged, one Obioha identi-fied as a positive for the youthful unit.

“We attack this as a group,” Obioha said. “There is no really prominent leader on the defense right now, [but rather] there are multiple leaders. Whether it’s a sophomore who played last year or a senior who’s been playing for three years, we attack this [season] as a group.”

As the defensive line’s only returning starter due to Moore’s early departure to the NFL, Obioha jumped into the unit’s most vaunt-ed position — pass rusher. With his position change over the offseason, the sophomore has been forced to compete with the legacy left by his past two All-American predecessors: Moore, the recently signed New York Gi-ant, and Von Miller, a distinguished Denver Bronco.

Despite the large shoes Obioha has been asked to fill, he has adjusted to the position, noting he has no intention to try and “replace All-Americans.”

“Obviously before me, there have been two All-Americans that played in my spot, and as I’ve said repeatedly, I’m not trying to re-place All-Americans,” Obioha said. “I’m just trying to help my team win football games. If I can get All-American status while doing that, that’d be great, but that’s not really what I’m trying to do.”

As one of the few freshman starters for

the Aggies last season, Obioha found him-self learning directly from Moore on a consistent basis.

“Damontre [Moore] was a great playmak-er,” Obioha said. “He stressed to me constant-ly that I needed to try and make plays instead of just doing my job. That’s a role I have tried to develop during this offseason.”

Throughout the offseason, Obioha focused heavily on recovering from his late-season injury, dedicating his spring and summer to reaching, and then surpassing, his playing po-tential from the previous season.

Defensive line coach Terry Price said Obio-ha’s immense impact stems from his staggering work ethic and mental approach to the game, one mirrored by the unit’s maxim as a whole.

“To me, [Obioha] is what we live by, [in terms of] our motto as D-linemen,” Price said. “He embodies what we believe as a D-line — play hard every single snap and give it all every single play.”

James Sullivan The Battalion

Photos by David Cohen — ThE BATTALION

Sophomore defensive end Julien Obioha will provide key leadership on an A&M defense loaded with youth.

Veteran perspective

Sophomore offers guidance to Texas A&M youth movement

BAT_09-13-13_A11-A14.indd 1 9/12/13 9:23 PM

Jason Cook

lookingback 13

“I was at Bryant-Denny Stadium, sitting in the section right behind the Aggie Band. The Alabama fans were obviously shocked by the score’s outcome, but ev-eryone was very respectful and congratulatory as we left the stadium. That’s what the SEC is all about — fierce competition on the field, but at the end of the day, we all respect each other as member institutions and fan bases. Bryant, Stallings and Sherrill certainly tie Alabama and Texas A&M together.”

sr. associate athletics director

29-24Nov. 10, 2012

there was a saturday in tuscaloosa

before the heismanbefore the COTTOn BOWLbefore manZieL-mania{

sPEnCER nEaLY

“When they went offside I almost had a heart attack. I was so tired I had trouble celebrating, you can only imagine how escalated my celebrations would have been at the end of the game if I wasn’t so tired. At the end when we were hug-ging people, the hugs were so long because it was almost as if everyone was leaning on each other. But lean on my baby, lean on me.”

defeNsiVe tacKle, 2009-2012

PaTRICk MCGInTY

“I remember people running out into the street and going up to fellow Ag-gies they didn’t know and sharing in the victory. It was the biggest win for A&M in a long time and all of Ag-gieland came together as a family to celebrate.”

Yell leader

RYan CRaWFoRD “The whole game, they had us down on the field, right in front of the Aggie Band. For the majority of the game the ‘Bama fans could pretty much drown us out whenever they wanted. That was dif-ferent when we had won. When the clock actually ran down to zero, and the reality hit us that we had beat Alabama...it was WILD. There was this triumphant roar that just came from every section where the Aggies had been hiding among the crim-son. And as we looked around, taking in the moment, you could clearly see all the individual pockets off Aggies jumping and celebrating amongst the ‘Bama fans who were just standing around silently looking at each other, dumbfounded.”

head Yell leader

CHRIs PoWELL

“During the ‘Bama game last year, I was at one of my friend’s house with at least 15 other guys. The whole game consisted of us jumping up and down and sit-ting on the edge of our seats. When Everett made the interception and the game was decided for the most part, all the guys in the house began running down the street screaming and hollering.”

Yell leader

“We got to the welcome-back that night, and you talk about an atmosphere. This was electric, that’s the only word to describe it. The big Howdy Bus was playing the ‘War Hymn,’ the ‘Spirit,’ ‘Johnny be Good,’ and it was just blaring. It was packed, people were trying to get somewhere, it was late, but nobody cared, nobody had a care in the world because we just beat Alabama. It was something I’ll always remember.”

REID JosEPHstUdeNt bodY PresideNt

RoY MaY

“My buddy brought his huge trailer-smoker over the night before and we smoked about 60 pounds of pork and brisket all night waiting for the game. When DeShazor intercept-ed the pass at the goal line, there was an audible roar from all over College Station. “

Yell leader

R. BoWEn LoFTIn

“During the game I was in the Visiting AD’s box for a short time, but I spent most of my time in the Aggie section of the stadium or on the sidelines. I walked off the field after the game about five feet from Coach Saban. I went to the locker room after the game and saw our guys having fun. One reporter tried to interview Coach Saban as he walked off the field, but he would not respond. They then turned to me and asked, “Dr. Loftin, what do you have to say about the outcome of this game?” My response was “Who would have thunk it?” As I left the stadium many Alabama fans recognized me (the bowtie is a bit of a give away), but were very clear in saying that, although they wanted to win the game, they welcomed us to the SEC.”

UNiVersitY PresideNt

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