December 15, 1999
With final exams finishing on Wednesday, the Texas A&M football returned to the practice field in preparation for the 1999 Sylvania Alamo Bowl against Penn State.
"I thought we had a good practice today," Head Coach R.C. Slocum said. "The weather was beautiful and the players had a good tempo. We'll continue to work this week and then let the players go home for a couple of days to celebrate the holidays with their families. The team will meet in San Antonio on Dec. 23."
The Aggies, ranked #13 by the USA Today/ESPN poll and #18 by the Associated Press, are 8-3. A&M beat Texas, 20-16, the day after Thanksgiving to finish in a tie for second place in the Big 12 South.
Penn State is 9-3 and tied for third place in the Big 10. The Nittany Lions are ranked #13 by the Associated Press and #17 by USA Today/ESPN.
The Aggies look to cap the winningest decade of any Division I-A football team as Texas A&M has posted 94 wins in the 1990s. The Texas squads of the 1970s posted 88 wins during that decade.
Coach Slocum announced freshman tight end Michael de la Torre underwent back surgery on Tuesday and will miss the bowl game. The Katy High School product had missed most of the season with back troubles.
The Sylvania Alamo Bowl will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. central from the Alamodome in San Antonio and will be televised nationally by ESPN.
The Aggies will work Thursday, Friday, Saturday and then break for home after working out on Sunday.