A&M; Sets Sights On Crown
Southwest preview
There’s a picture in the Texas A&M dressing room that depicts the Aggies’ goal for the 1995 season.
It’s a shot of Sun Devil Stadium, where the national championship will probably be decided Jan. 2 in the Fiesta Bowl.
“We’ve worked hard to position ourselves for this run at the national title,” said Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum. “We want to be in Tempe, Arizona, playing for the championship.”
The Aggies are ranked third in the Associated Press preseason poll, the highest since 1957, when Bear Bryant’s team was second.
Slocum said the high ranking “is a compliment to our program.”
The Aggies haven’t lost a Southwest Conference game in four seasons, and would love to go undefeated again in the farewell season of the 80-year-old league.
Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor begin play in the Big 12 next year, while Rice, Southern Methodist and Texas Christian will play in the Western Athletic Conference. Houston has joined the newly formed Conference USA.
Texas could be A&M’s most serious challenger. The Longhorns, ranked No. 18 in the AP preseason poll and fresh off a Sun Bowl victory over North Carolina, should have a potent offense. If the defense improves, the Longhorns could spring an upset when the two teams meet on the final day of the SWC Dec. 1 at College Station.
Coach John Mackovic is feeling pressure to beat the Aggies and win the league title.
“We could have our best team since I’ve been here,” Mackovic said.
Texas has tough non-conference tests against No. 9 Notre Dame, No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 17 Virginia. Texas A&M has only two ranked teams on its schedule, No. 13 Colorado and the Longhorns.
A&M’s offense will be led by flashy running back Leeland McElroy and quarterback Corey Pullig, who has started 28 consecutive games for the Aggies.
“Leeland could be the best we’ve ever had, and we’ve had some good ones,” Slocum said. “I told Leeland to get in shape. He’s going to get the ball a lot.”
McElroy, a junior, is one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy.
“We’ve finally got a shot at the national title,” he said. “That’s what I want more than any individual honors.”
Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes said the final SWC season “will be hard on a lot of people.”
“The Southwest Conference was a part of their life growing up,” he said. “The grand old league will be missed.”
Slocum has coached in the SWC for 23 years and was a fan of the league when he was growing up in Orange, Texas.
“We didn’t know anything about the pros then,” Slocum said. “Everything was the Southwest Conference and Kern Tips on the radio. Our heroes were SWC guys like Bob Lilly and Doak Walker. Those guys meant everything to us kids.”
Baylor has upgraded its talent under coach Chuck Reedy, and the Bears could challenge Texas A&M and Texas for the title.
“We’ve got a chance to be the best we’ve been since I’ve been here,” said Reedy, who has an exciting tailback in sophomore Jerod Douglas.
TCU, SMU, Rice, and Texas Tech, which lost in the Cotton Bowl to Southern Cal last season, are capable of springing upsets. But if Texas A&M plays up to its potential, all the others could be playing for second place.