Byu’s Qb Not In Awe Of Aggies

Don’t take Brigham Young’s Steve Sarkisian wrong. He thinks Texas A&M is a fine team that deserves its No.13 national ranking going into today’s Pigskin Classic.

But the senior quarterback is not awed by the Aggies. Indeed, Sarkisian believes the team from College Station, Texas, will be lucky to escape Cougar Stadium with its ranking intact.

“Granted, they are a very good team,” said Sarkisian, who ranked third in NCAA total offense (297.97 yards per game) last year. “But they won’t just come up here and step on the field and expect to beat us. It’s going to be a battle.

“We’re not overmatched by any stretch of the imagination,” he added, noting the Aggies (9-3 in 1995) are favored by a touchdown.

BYU, which missed its first bowl game appearance in 18 years after finishing 7-4 last season, looks for a resurgence. Sarkisian predicts that with a veteran receiver corps and seasoned defense, the Cougars are due.

“This is our year. We have a very good team, we’re playing very well and I think it’s going to show on Saturday,” he declared.

But Sarkisian could be in for a quarterback duel. Hungry for success is A&M’s Branndon Stewart, who transferred to the Aggies after tiring of Peyton Manning’s shadow at Tennessee.

As a highly recruited high school championship star at Stephenville, Texas, Stewart passed for 2,558 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,516 yards and 21 touchdowns. But it has been 21 months since he played in a game.

“I’m definitely ready for the season to start,” said the 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior, hailed by the Aggies for his mobility, size and strength. “I just see it that everyone is excited that I’m going to have a chance to play and they want to see how I’m going to do.”

Stewart will call signals behind a seasoned line averaging 300 pounds, but the Aggies’ running backs and receivers are predominantly sophomores. Still, the Cougars must contend with last year’s A&M reception leader, senior flanker Albert Connell (41 catches, seven touchdowns).

Sarkisian also hopes to make more of a reputation for sturdiness in the backfield, where the Aggies vaunted “Wrecking Crew” defense - a key to coach R.C. Slocum’s 7-0 mark in A&M openers, and ranked third last year in the NCAA hopes to catch him.

“I’ve put on about 7 pounds, but my body fat has decreased and I’ve put on a lot more muscle. I worked hard in the off-season, trying to strengthen my arm; that’s helped a lot,” the 6-2, 210-pounder said.