Postgame Notes and Quotes vs. Kansas State
Oct 18, 1997 | Football
October 18, 1997
Lechler's Star Continues to Shine -
The Big 12's leading punter Shane Lecher had big day against KSU, averaging 48.2 yards on nine punts despite booting several in the strong wind. His final punt of the day was 69 yards into the wind. Lechler came into the game ranked No. 2 nationally behind's LSU Chad Kessler.
Williams, Patton Combine on Punt Block/Return -
The Aggie special teams yielded another big play for the Aggies to bring the Aggies to within six points of the Wildcats at 16-10 early in the third quarter. After the KSU punter fumbled the snap, Aggie backup fullback Michael Williams got his hands on the punter and backup safety Ronald Patton blocked the desperation boot. Williams then scooped up the ball, and with a block from Patton, made the 27-yard sprint to the KSU endzone. It was the first time since 1995 that the Aggies have blocked a punt (Larry Walker against Baylor), and it was the first since 1993 when Donovan Greer blocked a punt against TCU and current Aggie G.A. Dennis Allen covered it in the endzone.
Aggies Llimited to Minus-Yardage on the Ground -
Despite coming into the game averaging 278 yards rushing per game, the Aggies were limited to minus-35 yards rushing on 17 carries against the Wildcats. It was the lowest rushing total for the Aggies of the R.C. Slocum era. The previous low of the Slocum era was 57 against Colorado in 1995. (We had records back to 1975 and nothing lower was found)
Total Offense Output Also Lowest of Slocum Era -
The 90 yards of total offense the Aggies posted today is the lowest of the Slocum era also. The previous low was 174 against Baylor in Slocum's first season in 1989. The Aggies came into the game averaging 440.8 yards per game. (We had records back to 1975 and nothing lower was found)
Aggies Held Without Offensive TD -
The Kansas State defense held Texas A&M to no offensive touchdowns today. The last time that happens was the 1995 Texas vs. Texas A&M game (16-6 loss).
Aggies Losing the Time of Possession Battle -
Since winning the time of possession battle against Colorado, 33:48-26:12, the Aggies have nearly been lapped by their last two opponents. ISU had a 36:45-23:15 advantage last week, and KSU had a whopping 41:17-18:07 advantage today. Over the past two games, A&M opponents have held the ball over 20 minutes longer than the Aggies.
Bryant Edges Closer to School Scoring Record -
With five points today against the Wildcats, senior placekicker Kyle Bryant edged closer to the Aggie career scoring record. Bryant now has 281 career points and trails only two-time All-American Tony Franklin, who tallied 291 from 1975-78. Bryant booted one field goal today, making him 9-of-12 for the season and 51-of-74 for his career.
Offensive Leader Dante Hall Leaves Game -
Aggie running back/return specialist Dante Hall bruised his knee on the first offensive play and did not return. Coming into today's game, Hall led the Aggies in rushing, all-purpose yardage, total offense, punt return yards and kickoff return yards. Sirr Parker took the majority of snaps at running back and kickoff returns, and freshman Chris Taylor was A&M punt return man.
Aggie Captains -
Aggie captains for today's game were placekicker Kyle Bryant, running back Dante Hall, defensive end Zerick Rollins and safety Brandon Jennings.
Drew Bridge is 12th Man Team Representative -
The 12th Man kickoff team representative was Drew Bridges, a sophomore from Odessa Permian High School.
Head Coach R.C. Slocum: "I didn't think we played very well today. They (Kansas State) came out and took it to us and beat us. I thought our defense had to play a whole lot today and that wore us down. At halftime, I thought we were playing well defensively considering the field position. I thought we had a chance to come back, but that we would have to pick up the pace and that didn't happen. I have a lot of respect for the Kansas State program and Michael Bishop is an outstanding player. I told the team after the game that half of the team's that played today lost; the difference is how we react to this and I believe we'll go back to work on Monday." (Is KSU the best team A&M has faced?): "Kansas State is the best team we have faced thus far this season."
Quarterback Randy McCown: "The wind was not a factor today. They did a good job of moving the football. We didn't do a good job of getting our defense some rest. We just didn't execute well on offense."
Safety Rich Coady: "It's fair to say we were worn down today. We didn't play well enough to win, but we played as hard as we could. We had the receivers covered today, but he (Bishop) would scramble and get positive yards."
