Texas A&M vs. North Texas - Postgame Notes and Quotes
Sep 26, 1998 | Football
September 26, 1998
BIG-PLAY COLE --- Junior receiver Chris Cole caught six passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns, all career-highs. The 174 yards ranks No. 4 in school history and is the most by an Aggie receiver since Albert Connell had 208 yards on 18 receptions against Colorado in 1996. Cole's three receiving TDs ties the school record held by Don Ellis (vs. Arkansas, 1952) and Don Jones (vs. Rice, 1982).
Cole posted another career-high on the Aggies' first offensive play when he scored on a 60-yard slant from QB Branndon Stewart. It also marked the first time the Aggies scored on their first play from scrimmage since Rodney Thomas scored on a 60-yard pass from Corey Pullig against Rice in 1994.
McCOWN IGNITES AGGIE OFFENSE --- Junior quarterback Randy McCown came off the bench to ignite the Aggie offense, completing 11-of-13 passes for a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns. McCown also rushed for 39 yards on nine carries. McCown replaced starter Branndon Stewart in the second quarter after he completed 4-of-10 passes for 80 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
NGUYEN JOINS 400-TACKLE CLUB --- Senior linebacker Dat Nguyen posted seven stops against North Texas, raising his career total to 403. Nguyen becomes the fourth Aggie in the 400-tackle club, joining Johnny Holland (455), Mike Little (448) and Ed Simonini (425).
HOME SWEET HOME --- With the win over North Texas, the Aggies improved their home record to 45-4-1 (91.0 percent) during the decade of the '90s, which ranks as the fourth-best home record in the nation. A&M's Kyle Field record trails only Florida State, Nebraska and Florida. The Aggies have won nine straight games at Kyle Field dating back to a 13-10 loss to Texas Tech.
LECHLER VS. BAKER --- In the battle between the nation's top two returning punters from 1997, UNT's John Baker emerged the slight winner. Baker, No. 2 nationally in '97, averaged 44.4 on seven punts, while A&M's Shane Lechler, No. 3 last season, averaged 43.4 on four punts.
TURNOVER TEAR --- One of the keys to the Aggies' success this season has been the turnover game. The Aggies have gained 12 turnovers, while giving up only 4. The Aggies are +8 in turnovers for the season or +2.0 per game. Last season the Aggies gained 33 turnovers, while giving up just 15 (+18 overall or +1.5 per game). Since the end of 1996's 6-6 season, when the Aggies gave away 28 turnovers while gaining 25, A&M is +26 in turnover margin (+1.63 per game).
STREAKS --- Sophomore punt returner Chris Taylor had five returns for 76 yards, both career-best totals *** Fifth-year senior wide receiver Darren Brinkley grabbed the first reception of his career against North Texas *** Quarterback Branndon Stewart threw his first interception of the season against North Texas, ending a streak of 72 pass attempts without a pick. *** After a perfect 5-for-5 start, sophomore placekicker Russell Bynum missed a pair of field goals against North Texas. Fellow sophomore Terence Kitchens replaced Bynum after the second FG miss and connected on an extra point, whic was the first of his career *** The Aggies have scored in school record 124 games dating back to a 28-0 loss to Louisiana State in 1988 *** Deep snapper Kyle Lednicky has delivered 434 snaps without an error. *** Senior running back Sirr Parker needs 85 yards to reach the 2,000-yard barrier in career rushing yardage. *** Dante Hall needs 129 to join Parker in the 2,000-yard club, which currently contains only 11 members.
Texas A&M Postgame Quotes
Texas A&M safety Rich Coady --- "It was a good win, a total team effort. The offense played well and the defense played well. We had guys play with intensity, and had good effort throughout the whole game. We made some mistakes, but were able to overcome them and win the game. The defense played well, all 11 guys."
Head Coach R.C. Slocum --- "I'm disappointed in our play tonight. I thought we were very sloppy. We've got a whole lot of work to get done to get ready to play in the Big 12 Conference. I'm disappointed, but glad we were able to win the game."
Running Back Dante Hall --- "We busted our butts in practice last week. It was some of the hardest practices we've had all season, and then to come out and play like that is frustrating. Without Chris Cole, I don't know where we would be. He made some big plays for us. It's like you study all week for a test, and you come out and make an F.
Quarterback Randy McCown --- "Our offensive line gave us time to throw tonight and our receiver made some big plays. The coaches just told me to be ready to play this week. Chris Cole was outstanding tonight. It's the first time we've seen a receiver play like that since AC (Albert Connell). You can be off a little bit and he just goes up and gets it. We need to stay focused and get ready for next week."
North Texas Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Darrell Dickey --- "They have great team speed at every position on defense. Their scheme disrupted our offense all night long and when we did execute they would just run us down."
"We gave up some big pass plays tonight. We were in a situation where we were set up to defend the run, and they seemed to hit us with play action passes. With their weapons and their ground game, we had to stop the run first. They are a hard team to defend. We had our hands full."
"Even when we executed and made plays, we would have a penalty or something else and our drives would stall."
WR Broderick McGrew (from nearby Hearne) --- "The Aggie defense is the best defense I've seen since I've been at North Texas. They would fly to the ball, and it wasn't just one guy, it seemed like it was the whole team."
