Top 25 | The Master List | Conference Rankings | Lower Divisions
21
Texas A&M
The Aggies have a revitalized quarterback, but real
redemption—a Big 12 title (or
more)—looks out of
reach
| |
Stewart is finally living up to the blue-chip tag hung on
him in high
school.
(Stephen
Dunn/Allsport)
|
Let the
record show that
Nov. 1, 1997, was the day the
real
Branndon Stewart made his college debut. Lofty expectations had
followed Stewart from Stephenville (Texas) High to
Tennessee, where as a freshman in 1994 he was beaten out
for the starting quarterback job by a kid named Peyton
Manning. The expectations trailed
him to Texas A&M, where he struggled in '96 and
temporarily lost the starter's role last year. But with one
game, everything
changed.
After sharing the quarterbacking duties with Randy McCown
over the first seven games of last season, Stewart reminded
everyone why he had been more highly touted coming out of
high school than even Manning: Trailing Oklahoma State 22-7
in the fourth
quarter, Stewart led the Aggies on two touchdown drives, the
second capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass with 43 seconds
left in regulation. The two-point conversion sent the game
into overtime, and when A&M won 28-25, Stewart felt a
huge weight lift from his
shoulders.
"Everything just came together in that game,"
says Stewart, now a senior. "I wasn't thinking about
making mistakes. It was a great moment for me and the team,
especially after everything we've been
through."
Stewart's transfer to A&M after the 1994 season met
with resentment from some Aggies fans, who had labeled him
a traitor for leaving his home state in the first place.
Things got worse in 1996 when Stewart,
a first-year starter on an inexperienced
team, was blamed for everything from his own erratic play to the
inconsistency of the
defense.
The
Oklahoma State game turned his career around. In the first
seven games of '97, Stewart passed for 528 yards; in the
last five he had 901. He also threw just four interceptions
in '97, two of which came against Nebraska in the
Big 12 title
game.
"Branndon came in with a lot of fanfare and really
took it upon himself to make things happen," says
coach R.C. Slocum. "He had to play with a lot of
inexperienced players, and it showed. But he took it on the
chin. He realizes we don't have to be the
Branndon Stewart show. Plus, now he has a pretty good
supporting
cast."
That cast includes two backs who specialize in the big
play: junior Dante Hall, an effective runner in the open
field who rushed for 973 yards and amassed 1,434
all-purpose yards last season; and senior Sirr Parker, who
had 800 yards rushing and 1,139
total yards. Complementing that pair is senior fullback
D'Andre Hardeman, a workhorse blocker with a nose for the
end zone (26 career touchdowns, including 17 in
1996).
The renowned Wrecking Crew defense scored more touchdowns
(four) than it allowed through the air (three) last season.
Senior Dat Nguyen, though undersized for a linebacker
(6' 1", 213 pounds), had 130 tackles in '97, bringing his
career total to 370. The secondary—safeties Brandon
Jennings and Rich Coady, and cornerbacks Jason Webster and
Sedrick Curry—returns intact from a unit that held
opponents to 150.3 yards
passing.
Texas A&M will need to draw on those strengths, with an
early schedule that includes Florida State, plus dangerous
Louisiana Tech and Southern Mississippi, and a conference
schedule that offers up both Nebraska and Missouri.
"We're giving ourselves
chances by playing the best," says Slocum. "We've
averaged nine wins a year in the '90s, but I'm still
waiting for that Cinderella season when everything comes
together."
—B.J. Schecter
Fast Facts
1997 record: 9-4 (6-2, 1st in Big 12
South)
Final ranking: No. 20 AP, No. 21 coaches'
poll
| 1997 Averages | Offense | Defense |
| Scoring | 35.2 | 17.3 |
| Rushing Yards | 205.4 | 164.8 |
| Passing Yards | 169.3 | 150.3 |
| Total Yards | 374.8 | 315.1 |
|
Pivotal Players
Quarterback
Branndon Stewart
had a stretch of 131 pass attempts without an
interception.... Over his career, kick returner-running
back Dante Hall
has averaged 9.4 yards per
touch.... Inside linebacker
Dat Nguyen had a team-leading 20 stops on third
down.... Junior punter
Shane Lechler
was third in the nation, with a 41.5-yard
average.
Key Games
Schedule strength: 19th of
112
Aug. 31 vs. Florida State
On paper it looks like a mismatch, but the Kickoff Classic
would be a great place to make a
statement.
Oct. 10 vs. Nebraska
The Huskers demolished Texas A&M 54-15 in last year's
Big 12 title game. Revenge is
unlikely.
Bottom Line
The Aggies are good enough to repeat as champions of the
Big 12 South, but they lack the firepower to win a major
bowl.
Top 25 | The Master List | Conference Rankings | Lower Divisions
| 
