Volume 6, No.15

THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT Aggies' intangible keeps them in every game, in the Big 12 South Division race By Homer Jacobs

COLLEGE STATION – Whatever it is – good karma, lucky charms, the football gods being big fans of Sidelines – the Aggies have it.

And they’ll need it some more. But there have been Texas A&M seasons – 1996, 1999 and 2000 come to mind – when the Aggies could rarely find it.

But the 2001 version of Aggie football, with all of the close and entertaining games, has been a lively example of A&M taking care of business just enough to find itself smack in the middle of a Big 12 South Division race with three games to go.

The Aggies blocked two field goals, and Iowa State missed two other field goal attempts.

The 24-21 win over a salty Iowa State squad was just one more notch for the Aggies, who have overcome massive injuries and a testy schedule to fall into a three-game and four-team race to the Big 12 championship game.

"It is kind of a charmed season right now," senior linebacker Christian Rodriguez said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going. It has a lot of parallels to the ’98 season. The only thing missing from the 1998 season is rain."

Yes, the Aggies’ season has been a sunny one, even with the stormy times caused by an improbable rash of injuries, which knocked out key players like defensive back Jay Brooks, offensive lineman Andre Brooks, receiver Greg Porter and tight end Michael de la Torre.

Against Kansas State, the Aggies needed a defensive stop by Terrence Kiel to save the victory, and against the Cyclones, it was a true freshman’s turn to keep the Aggies in the win column.

Derek Farmer’s 65-yard touchdown run with 5:08 remaining gave the Aggies just enough cushion to pull out another thrilling victory before 85,661 at Kyle Field. A&M has now played in four straight games that have been decided in the final minute, winning three of those.

Maybe what the Aggies have is a bunch of ice-blooded freshmen stepping in for hobbled or sidelined veterans. And the hot corner of East Texas is where A&M hit the mother lode.

Tyler Lee’s Derek Farmer, Tyler Chapel Hill’s Terrence Murphy and Jacksonville’s Jami Hightower all started against Iowa State, with Farmer and Murphy combining for 173 yards of the Aggies’ 322 yards of total offense.

Calm, cool and quiet, these players have given A&M incredible performances that have led directly to a 7-1 record.

"They aren’t fazed by anything or are a bunch of wide-eyed freshmen," coach R.C. Slocum said. "You can almost say they’ve been our go-to guys as freshmen, and that’s remarkable. That doesn’t happen often in a league like the Big 12."

Indeed, the freshmen have epitomized this A&M team – always under the gun, but never worried about being in the crosshairs.

With Iowa State marching up and down the field at Kyle Field, and closing the lead to 17-14 and 24-21, the Aggies came up with just enough defense and another big play for the second-straight week.

An Aggie Bandsman makes the turn during halftime at Kyle Field.

Maybe the 16-0 deficit the Aggies overcame in the season-opener against McNeese State was a true premonition of things to come.

"No one panics," Slocum said of his incredibly youthful team. "I really like their mentality on the sidelines. To be where we are with all the players we’ve lost is a real credit to the character of this team. We’ve gone through so many things with the injuries, a lot of teams would cave into that."

It’s probably a little quick to compare this team to the championship squad in 1998, as that A&M team was loaded with senior leadership and the star quality of Dat Nguyen.

This A&M team frustrates its coaches and fans on some plays, only to turn around and endear itself by game’s end. Perhaps that’s why the Aggies have played four straight home games in front of at least 82,000 fans.

Now, the Aggies – whom no one outside College Station assumed would be in the South race this late with Oklahoma and Texas – are tied with the Sooners (20-10 losers at Nebraska) and Horns for the division lead. More importantly, A&M will dictate the coronation by virtue of still having Texas Tech, OU and UT left on the schedule.

"It’s one of those things where there’s three teams at the top, and we can’t overlook Texas Tech because they’re a great team," Rodriguez added, "It’s anybody’s ballgame now."

So are the Aggies a longshot to win the Division and play in the Big 12 championship game? Probably, but at this point, how can you completely dismiss the Aggies?

You can’t… as this band of A&M players won’t be skittish about their looming role on the big stage in November.

"I never see that in these guys," Slocum said.

He just sees it.

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