As a small child growing up in the Houston area, Warrick Holdman was, for the most part, a shy, soft-spoken and relatively reserved child. Of course, that description didn't always fit, especially when his grandmother arrived for her occasional overnight visits.

Then, the mild-mannered boy would suddenly become little Mr. Mischievous. He loved his grandmother dearly, but that didn't stop him from tormenting her unmercifully.

"I don't know what it was about my mom that brought out that ornery side in him," said Holdman's mother, Gale Taylor. "But whenever she would come over, he would sneak into her room at night and stick pins in her bed, or get a feather and mess with her ear and pull all kinds of other pranks on her.

"In the middle of the night, whenever she'd stay with us, I'd hear her screaming, 'Get away from me.' He only was that way with her, but he was relentless."

Opposing quarterbacks can now empathize will Holdman's grandmother. For the most part, Texas A&M's senior outside linebacker is still quiet, soft-spoken and reserved. But in certain situations -- like when you put him in uniform and bring him on a blitz -- Holdman's a relentless, tormenting thorn in a quarterback's side.

Just ask Southern Mississippi quarterback Lee Roberts, who had every reason to scream at his lineman to "get him away from me."

In perhaps the finest game of Holdman's career at Texas A&M, the lightning-quick Houston native was practically a one-man wrecking crew.

He registered seven tackles, including two for losses and one sack. He also batted down one pass and seemed to be in the USM backfield all day long.

"I thought Warrick played a great game, maybe the best of his career here," fellow A&M linebacker Dat Nguyen said of Holdman, who was 12th Man Magazine's Player of the Game against USM. "He really set the tone for the game."

Indeed he did, although you would never hear Holdman say so. Holdman (6-1, 230) is a man of many talents, but few words -- especially when it comes talking about himself.

When asked to evaluate his performance against Southern Miss, for example, Holdman immediately credited the A&M coaches, the defensive linemen, the secondary and his fellow linebackers.

"But what about you, Warrick?" a reporter pried.

"Well," he said, smiling and somewhat embarrassed, "I guess I was just in the right places at the right times. But that all goes back to the coaches, the linemen, the secondary and the other linebackers. It wasn't just me out there."

Holdman is the first to acknowledge that he doesn't seek the media spotlight and still feels a bit uncomfortable in front of a microphone or camera. "Ever since I was small, I've always been kind of shy and quiet," he said. "I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves."

Generally speaking, Holdman's actions at A&M have made quite a statement. After a stellar high school career at Alief Elsik and a redshirt season in 1994, Holdman into the starting lineup in impressive fashion. In his first collegiate start, he recorded a team-high 12 tackles against Baylor.

He missed most of the final three games in '95 with an ankle injury, but Holdman had already established himself as an impact player.

That's exactly what he has been ever since, finishing among the team leaders in both tackles and sacks in each of the past two seasons.

What's more, Holdman, who made his 30th consecutive start at outside linebacker against Kansas, is apparently saving his best for last.

He began 1998 with an extremely impressive performance on Jan. 1, posting 11 tackles and two sacks in the Aggies' Cotton Bowl loss to UCLA. And through the first four games of this season, Holdman already had recorded five tackles for loss.

"Warrick is a talented guy, who has played very well for us throughout his career," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "And I've been very encouraged by the way he has played lately."

Of course, Holdman's toughest critic probably isn't Slocum or any of the other A&M coaches. The person who gets on him the hardest for sub-par performances also is the one who rejoices the most when he succeeds: Mama.

"She's my inspiration," Holdman said. "And I can usually tell how I'm playing just by looking at her face in the crowd."

Gale Taylor has become somewhat of a defensive expert in recent years, recording every A&M game so that she and Warrick can sit together and analyze his performance. And she never, ever sugarcoats the truth.

"I let him know if he's not playing up to his capabilities," Taylor said. "I'm his biggest fan, but I'm also probably his worst critic. But for one reason or another, Warrick really respects my opinion."

Ironically, Taylor's opinion once put Holdman's football career in jeopardy. As he entered high school, Holdman desperately wanted to play football, but Taylor said no.

"He begged me to play his first year in high school, but I believed his academics were more important," Taylor said. "So, I put my foot down and told him that if he proved he could do well in the classroom, then we would talk about playing football his sophomore year."

Holdman met his mother's academic expectations and then proceeded to exceed all expectations on the football field. By the end of his high

school career, he was a Class 5A All-State selection and the Greater Houston area Defensive Player of the Year.

"I guess I didn't know how good he was," Taylor admitted. "But he has continually proven to me that he's very good. And at times -- like in the game (against USM) -- he can be awesome. I don't know what he ate for breakfast that day, but I told him to eat that every week."

Holdman and his mother obviously have a special bond. In fact, he says the primary reason he chose A&M over schools like Ohio State and

Colorado was College Station's proximity to home. His mother and step-father, James Taylor, attend every home game and make as many away games as possible.

"It's important to me for my family to be able to come see me play," Holdman said. "I'm an only child, and I can't really imagine being far way from my home."

Neither could his mother. Of course, his grandmother, from time to time, probably wished young Warrick was a little further away -- a sentiment shared by opposing quarterbacks today.