October 09, 1999
JAMESON MAKES IT FOUR TDs IN THREE GAMES FOR AGGIE DBs --
Junior strong safety Michael Jameson scored on a 20-yard interception return in the first quarter, marking the fourth TD scored by the Aggie DBs in the last three games (3 INT returns, 1 blocked punt for a TD). It marked Jameson's second INT touchdown return of the season. The interception gives the Aggies at least one pass theft in 14 straight games (22 total interceptions).
WEBER'S TD RUN STOPS OFFENSIVE TD DROUGHT --
Freshman running back Joe Weber's 7-yard run in the second quarter stopped the Aggies' nine-quarter offensive touchdown drought. The touchdown-less drought was the longest for the Aggies since 1971 when Gene Stallings' offense failed to reach the endzone for 14 consecutive quarters over a four-game span.
HARD-LUCK BERNARD HAS STRONG GAME --
Fifth-year senior running back Eric Bernard, who has suffered season-ending injuries to both his knees during his career, had a big game against the Bears in place of regular starter Dante Hall. Bernard rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries, his best rushing day since he rushed for a career-best 115 yards on 21 carries against Baylor in 1996. Bernard missed the entire 1997 season and was lost for the season in 1998 after the fourth game of the season.
AGGIE BLOCK PARTY --
The Aggies blocked a pair of Baylor kicks today. Safety Michael Jameson, who also returned an interception for a touchdown, blocked a second-quarter Baylor punt, and 12th Man Team member Beau Schmidt, a 6-foot-5, 218-pound sophomore from Carrollton Newman-Smith High School, batted down a third quarter field goal attempt by the Bears.
ABOUT THE AGGIE VICTORY --
The victory was A&M's 16th straight win at Kyle Field. R.C. Slocum's record at home improves to 57-5-1 ... It also marked A&M's ninth consecutive win over Baylor. A&M has not lost to Baylor since 1985 (20-20 tie in 1990) ... It marked the Aggies' 90th win of the decade, the most wins in a single decade by any school from the state of Texas ... The win improved Slocum's career record to 98-29-2.
TIDBITS --
The 74-yard catch by wide receiver Bethel Johnson was his career long (previous best was 46 yards vs. Louisiana Tech) and was the longest in school history by a first-year receiver ... Quarterback Randy McCown completed 9 of 17 passes for 187 yards and a career-high three touchdowns ... All-American punter Shane Lechler averaged 52.3 yards on three punts, marking the second straight game that Lechler has averaged over 50 yards per boot ... The Aggies' 32-point margin of victory was the largest in the series since 1941 when A&M defeated the Bears, 48-0 ... A&M's 45 points was its most against the Bears since that same game in 1948 and was the third most by the Aggies in series history ... The Aggies' 12th Man Kickoff team representative against Baylor was Luke Anderson, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore from Mount Pleasant High School. ... Game captains for A&M were: Shane Lechler, Chris Valletta, Semisi Heimuli and Jason Webster. ... Watching the game from the press box were officials from the Nokia Sugar Bowl...today's attendance was 75,476, the seventh largest in Kyle Field history.
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R.C. Slocum, A&M head coach--
"I thought we were better this week (on offense). We ran the ball pretty well, but I'm still not totally pleased with either side of the ball. It's always good to win by a large margin of victory, but it's apparent there is still a lot of work to be done. I'm disappointed that we're still making so many mistakes. We continue to look unpolished. (on finally scoring an offensive TD): "I think all of us were relieved to get into the endzone. It's been something that has been annoying us the last two weeks. You have to live with the question of why we can't score and search for definitive answers when it's not any one thing. We were able to produce some big plays today. I've said all along that our big play capabilities are better this year. If we can be more efficient in the running game and eliminate mistakes, we can be a pretty good offense. (Early struggles): They came out in a different defensive scheme that we hadn't seen this season. They used an eight-man front but I thought our coaching staff did a good job of making the necessary adjustments. We had some passing opportunities, but I didn't want to get into an all-out passing game. We wanted to run the ball effectively and we made adjustments to facilitate the running game against the eight-man front. I'm patient. I've been in enough of these type of games to know you just keep playing. Strange things happen but they have a way of working themselves out. In most games, there is some jockeying by both teams early in the game. You have to feel around to find out what the other team is doing, then adjust to it."
Randy McCown, A&M quarterback--
" We are happy to come home and get a win in front of our home crowd. In the first half, we were a little rusty, but in the second half, we got into a rhythm and got things going. (on the 79 yard pass to Bethel Johnson) I got out of the pocket. He got behind the safety, and I tried to throw it out there and let him get under it. He did a great job of running and getting the football."
Brian Gamble, A&M linebacker--
"I thought we played well defensively. We gave up a few too many big plays. When we got into the red zone, we tightened up and played well. We bent some today, but we didn't break. We have to get back to practice this week and try to reduce some of those big plays."
Chris Valletta, A&M Offensive lineman--
"Our goal was to get a touchdown, and we were able to get more than that. I think that shows definite improvement this week. Regardless, of who the team is, we have to establish ourselves. Randy did a great job by getting the ball down field to the receivers. Our back fought real hard for those extra yards.
(On o-line) Our back up o-line was able to come in and give us good protection. They played phenomenally and I think the fact that our backs believe in each one of us. Injuries happen and you have to adjust to it. They stepped in and played just as well as the other guys."
Jamar Toombs, A&M Fullback--
"We took a step toward getting better today. The intensity in practice showed up and that's what changed the outcome of the game. Stacey Jones did a good job of blocking. Half of the time, we played harder and the other half we made appropriate adjustments."
Steve Kragthorpe, A&M Offensive Coordinator--
"We threw more passes downfield in the second half and took advantage of them bringing more guys than we could block. I think we made more positives and hope to continue to move forward next week against Kansas. We defintely played better in the second half."
Kevin Steele, Baylor Head Coach--
"What you saw in the first half is that we fought hard. We had a chance to make plays offensively in the red zone but we didn't. We broke down in our execution and the result, against a good football team, is what you saw. You've got to play for the breaks against teams like this and you can't make mistakes. We got breaks and didn't get points. A&M got breaks and got points. You can't do that against a good team like Texas A&M. At halftime, we thought we had a chance. The kids were energized. In the second half, we shot ourselves in the foot both offensively and defensively."
Jermaine Alfred, Baylor Quarterback--
"We hurt ourselves with penalties. We were confident the whole game. We moved the ball but hurt ourselves in the red zone."
Martin Dossett, Baylor Receiver--
"They have such a great defense. We moved the ball but we hurt ourselves when we got to the red zone."
Fred Rogers, Baylor Defensive End--
"We felt good after the first half. We felt we could beat them. We lost key players in the third quarter. We got tired because they were pounding us with their big offensive linemen. No one in the locker room has their heads down. We want to make things happen the last half of the season."