Rooster!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
just a reminder
We will be arriving in College Station today around 2 pm, and will set up shop in the Olsen Field RV lot, space 12. 
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Today's ASS Article on the Rivalry
By Randy RiggsAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFThursday, September 28, 2006
COLLEGE STATION — Dennis Franchione's memories of his 3 1/2 football seasons at Texas A&M aren't all of the warm-and-fuzzy variety. But one that falls in that category occurred the last time Texas Tech visited Kyle Field. It wasn't simply because the Aggies pulled out a 32-25 overtime decision in 2004.
"I'll never forget the noise, the fans, the 12th Man, the crowd," A&M's coach said. "It was just unbelievable, maybe the best since I've been here. That one has stuck in my mind."
Well, after all, it was A&M vs. Tech — perhaps the best rivalry in college football that nobody's ever heard of outside the fans of those two schools.
You can have your Texas-OU or Ohio State-Michigan or Florida-Georgia. For pure entertainment value, none can match the thrills and chills provided by the Red Raiders and Aggies since the late 1980s.
The 65th renewal of the intrastate battle unfolds Saturday at Kyle Field with A&M holding a 34-29-1 edge. But Tech has won eight of the last 11 games in a series that is growing as rancorous as its outcomes are suspenseful.
"We both have some animosity towards each other," A&M defensive end Chris Harrington said. "It's a good, healthy rivalry."
Since the 1989 season, 11 of the 17 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Seven of those 11 have been determined by four points or less. The last two games in College Station have gone to overtime, with each team winning once.
Some Aggies are loath to refer to Tech as a rival, preferring to save that special designation for those burnt-orange bullies in Austin — "I think they (the Red Raiders) look at us as maybe their rival, whereas we look at Texas as our rival," Harrington said.
Nevertheless, Harrington also noted that with the anticipation of Tech's visit, "Aggieland is crazy. It's getting back to where we need to get it. I haven't felt this much excitement since . . . well, I don't know if I ever felt it last season."
There's even been blood spilled — bad blood. After Tech's 12-0 victory in Lubbock in 2001, Raider fans tore down the goalposts and tried to carry one upright through the A&M section at Jones Stadium. A confrontation led to the bloodied face of Mike McKinney, the father of A&M player Seth McKinney and then the chief of staff for Gov. Rick Perry, a former Aggie yell leader.
Even after it was revealed McKinney was hit by an A&M student, Aggie fans raised such a ruckus about Tech inhospitality that Raiders coach Mike Leach finally fired back about the Aggies' "whining."
"It's interesting to me that all these Aggies . . . sit around with these halos over their head with some divine expertise on fanmanship," Leach said. "I just don't believe that's the case."
Leach also did little to endear himself to Aggiedom last year when the Raiders rolled up 627 yards of offense in a 56-17 victory, the most lopsided margin in the series. But what really gigged the Aggies was a Leach comment in a lengthy profile of him that ran later in The New York Times Magazine.
The story detailed Leach staring at the A&M Corps of Cadets in the stands before the game and asking, "How come they get to pretend they are soldiers? The thing is, they aren't really in the military."
A&M inadvertently added some spice to the rivalry in 2002 when its football media guide ran a blurb from "The 12th Man Magazine" that described some Tech students as "classless clowns" and referred to Lubbock as "the barren stretch of dirt some West Texans call a city."
An apology and a reprint of the media guide quickly followed.
Leading into Saturday's game, the rhetoric has been toned down, and both sides are making nice. But A&M tight end Martellus Bennett doesn't want things to be too nice for the Raiders on Saturday at Kyle Field, considering what he says the Aggies have to endure when they visit Jones Stadium.
"At Tech they throw batteries at you," Bennett said. "They treat other schools so bad when you go to their place. Imagine (a battery) coming down from the top of the stadium with gravity times velocity times speed. By the time it hits you, that hurts pretty bad."
Bennett isn't advocating similar treatment by Aggie fans, but he does wish they'd give the Raiders some verbal abuse.
"Sometimes I think our fans are too nice," he said. "I love our fans, but I want them to yell at the other team like what we hear when we go to other schools."
Kyle Field seems plenty loud to Tech senior nose tackle Chris Hudler, who described it as "a hostile environment."
"You have 80,000 fans screaming and booing at you," Hudler said. "I like playing in places like that because it gives me more incentive."
Both coaches are downplaying the vitriolic nature of the rivalry and saying the most important aspect of Saturday's game is it is the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Asked if he believes his Raiders look at the Aggies as a hated rival, Leach's politically correct reply was: "I don't really know. I always just hope we go out and play well. . . . I'd like to think we're excited to go out and play well this week."
More often than not, that's what both sides do when the Raiders and Aggies collide. And that's what has made for some thrilling finishes and, consequently, one of the nation's best rivalries in recent years.
COLLEGE STATION — Dennis Franchione's memories of his 3 1/2 football seasons at Texas A&M aren't all of the warm-and-fuzzy variety. But one that falls in that category occurred the last time Texas Tech visited Kyle Field. It wasn't simply because the Aggies pulled out a 32-25 overtime decision in 2004.
"I'll never forget the noise, the fans, the 12th Man, the crowd," A&M's coach said. "It was just unbelievable, maybe the best since I've been here. That one has stuck in my mind."
Well, after all, it was A&M vs. Tech — perhaps the best rivalry in college football that nobody's ever heard of outside the fans of those two schools.
You can have your Texas-OU or Ohio State-Michigan or Florida-Georgia. For pure entertainment value, none can match the thrills and chills provided by the Red Raiders and Aggies since the late 1980s.
The 65th renewal of the intrastate battle unfolds Saturday at Kyle Field with A&M holding a 34-29-1 edge. But Tech has won eight of the last 11 games in a series that is growing as rancorous as its outcomes are suspenseful.
"We both have some animosity towards each other," A&M defensive end Chris Harrington said. "It's a good, healthy rivalry."
Since the 1989 season, 11 of the 17 games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Seven of those 11 have been determined by four points or less. The last two games in College Station have gone to overtime, with each team winning once.
Some Aggies are loath to refer to Tech as a rival, preferring to save that special designation for those burnt-orange bullies in Austin — "I think they (the Red Raiders) look at us as maybe their rival, whereas we look at Texas as our rival," Harrington said.
Nevertheless, Harrington also noted that with the anticipation of Tech's visit, "Aggieland is crazy. It's getting back to where we need to get it. I haven't felt this much excitement since . . . well, I don't know if I ever felt it last season."
There's even been blood spilled — bad blood. After Tech's 12-0 victory in Lubbock in 2001, Raider fans tore down the goalposts and tried to carry one upright through the A&M section at Jones Stadium. A confrontation led to the bloodied face of Mike McKinney, the father of A&M player Seth McKinney and then the chief of staff for Gov. Rick Perry, a former Aggie yell leader.
Even after it was revealed McKinney was hit by an A&M student, Aggie fans raised such a ruckus about Tech inhospitality that Raiders coach Mike Leach finally fired back about the Aggies' "whining."
"It's interesting to me that all these Aggies . . . sit around with these halos over their head with some divine expertise on fanmanship," Leach said. "I just don't believe that's the case."
Leach also did little to endear himself to Aggiedom last year when the Raiders rolled up 627 yards of offense in a 56-17 victory, the most lopsided margin in the series. But what really gigged the Aggies was a Leach comment in a lengthy profile of him that ran later in The New York Times Magazine.
The story detailed Leach staring at the A&M Corps of Cadets in the stands before the game and asking, "How come they get to pretend they are soldiers? The thing is, they aren't really in the military."
A&M inadvertently added some spice to the rivalry in 2002 when its football media guide ran a blurb from "The 12th Man Magazine" that described some Tech students as "classless clowns" and referred to Lubbock as "the barren stretch of dirt some West Texans call a city."
An apology and a reprint of the media guide quickly followed.
Leading into Saturday's game, the rhetoric has been toned down, and both sides are making nice. But A&M tight end Martellus Bennett doesn't want things to be too nice for the Raiders on Saturday at Kyle Field, considering what he says the Aggies have to endure when they visit Jones Stadium.
"At Tech they throw batteries at you," Bennett said. "They treat other schools so bad when you go to their place. Imagine (a battery) coming down from the top of the stadium with gravity times velocity times speed. By the time it hits you, that hurts pretty bad."
Bennett isn't advocating similar treatment by Aggie fans, but he does wish they'd give the Raiders some verbal abuse.
"Sometimes I think our fans are too nice," he said. "I love our fans, but I want them to yell at the other team like what we hear when we go to other schools."
Kyle Field seems plenty loud to Tech senior nose tackle Chris Hudler, who described it as "a hostile environment."
"You have 80,000 fans screaming and booing at you," Hudler said. "I like playing in places like that because it gives me more incentive."
Both coaches are downplaying the vitriolic nature of the rivalry and saying the most important aspect of Saturday's game is it is the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Asked if he believes his Raiders look at the Aggies as a hated rival, Leach's politically correct reply was: "I don't really know. I always just hope we go out and play well. . . . I'd like to think we're excited to go out and play well this week."
More often than not, that's what both sides do when the Raiders and Aggies collide. And that's what has made for some thrilling finishes and, consequently, one of the nation's best rivalries in recent years.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
10 RoosterBowls to remember
from the Dallas Morning News:
06:13 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 26, 2006
The rivalry between Texas Tech and Texas A&M has heated up in recent years with some close finishes and some bad blood. The Red Raiders and Aggies have split their last 16 games, and many of those matchups have been memorable. Here are our accounts of 10 of the best games in recent years between the two Big 12 foes.
Texas Tech 48, Texas A&M 47 (OT) (Oct. 5, 2002): Despite seven touchdown passes from A&M's Dustin Long, the Red Raiders rally from 18 down in the fourth quarter and make the extra point in overtime that the Aggies couldn't.
Texas A&M 32, Texas Tech 25 (OT) (Nov. 13, 2004): After Courtney Lewis' 25-yard touchdown run gives the Aggies the lead on the first play of overtime, A&M's Byron Jones knocks down a fourth-down pass in the end zone for the win.
Texas Tech 14, Texas A&M 7 (Oct. 7, 1995): Red Raiders linebacker Zach Thomas returns an interception 21 yards for a touchdown with 30 seconds left to upset No. 8 Texas A&M.
Texas A&M 19, Texas Tech 17 (Oct. 3, 1992): Kicker Terry Venetoulias avenges a missed extra point and a failed 43-yarder by nailing a 21-yard field goal as time expired to snatch the win for No. 5 Texas A&M.
Texas Tech 16, Texas A&M 13 (Oct. 25, 1997): Despite a 24-mph wind, Red Raiders kicker Tony Rogers sends a 47-yard field goal off the left upright and through with 19 seconds left for the upset of No. 20 Texas A&M.
Texas A&M 23, Texas Tech 17 (Oct. 1, 1994): The 10th-ranked Aggies watch Texas Tech receiver Field Scovell drop a desperation pass in the end zone in the game's final play.
Texas Tech 21, Texas A&M 19 (Oct. 2, 1999): Texas Tech's Sammy Morris, a fullback used to replace Ricky Williams, smashes through the nation's top-ranked run defense for 170 yards in the upset of the No. 5 Aggies.
Texas A&M 28, Texas Tech 24 (Oct. 6, 1990): A&M mistakes keep the Red Raiders in contention for a surprise win, but Aggies running back Darren Lewis rushes for 232 yards to secure the victory.
Texas Tech 13, Texas A&M 10 (Oct. 26, 1996): Red Raiders quarterback Zebbie Lethridge launches an 81-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Morris in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good.
Texas A&M 17, Texas Tech 10 (Oct. 24, 1998): The eighth-ranked Aggies hold No. 25 Texas Tech most of the game, but a pass to the end zone to Red Raiders' Donnie Hart that is ruled out of bounds provides a late scare.
Leach Comments
A&M changed defensive coordinators after last season, replacing Carl Torbush with Gary Darnell, but that wasn't the first thing that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach mentioned Monday when asked about the reasons for A&M's improvement.
"Scheduling's been beneficial," Leach said. "I think smart scheduling."
Tech coach Mike Leach, when asked whether the team's loss to TCU could be beneficial based on what the team learned from it, wasn't too keen on the suggestion.
"I hope so," Leach said. "Everybody talks about how beneficial losses are. If they were so beneficial, everybody would lose 12 times and be real smart. I mean, whatever gets you through the night. It's nice of you to say. Maybe that's the case, so we'll go with that, because that's about all we have. We don't get to go play them again."
"Scheduling's been beneficial," Leach said. "I think smart scheduling."
Tech coach Mike Leach, when asked whether the team's loss to TCU could be beneficial based on what the team learned from it, wasn't too keen on the suggestion.
"I hope so," Leach said. "Everybody talks about how beneficial losses are. If they were so beneficial, everybody would lose 12 times and be real smart. I mean, whatever gets you through the night. It's nice of you to say. Maybe that's the case, so we'll go with that, because that's about all we have. We don't get to go play them again."
Monday, September 25, 2006
fun Roosterbowl factoid
Last 10 A&M-Tech Games at Kyle
Year W-L, Score Notable
2004 W, 32-25 ot M.Bullitt bats down OT pass
2002 L, 48-47 ot 7 passing TDs for D. Long, J. Pierson missed PAT sends to OT
2000 W, 33-15 K.Kingsbury sacked 4 times
1998 W, 17-10 TT limited to 205 yards
1996 L, 13-10 S. Morris wheel route
1994 W, 23-17 A&M rallies from 10 down
1992 W, 19-17 T.Venetoulias hits FG winner
1990 W, 28-24 232 rushing for D. Lewis, R. Blackshear-kickoff returned for TD vs 12th Man
1988 W, 50-15 420 yards/69 rushes by A&M
1986 W, 45-8 A&M races to 45-0 lead
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Rooster week is here!!!!!!!!
It's finally here! Looks like it will be a great game too. I haven't seen the line yet, but I am sure it will be tighter than it was last year. A&M isn't great, but has definitely improved. Tech may have slipped a little, but seem to be working out some of the kinks, and just got their ineligible receiver back, which should help their offense improve.
A&M got a slow start yesterday, after the two-hour lightning delay at Kyle. Maybe someone told Les Koenning it was a 3-hour delay? Regardless, they did what they were supposed to do, in crushing La Tech. A&M needs to clean up their act on penalties though. The defense played well, but committed 2 more drive sustaining penalties, with a running into the punter, and another pass interference call. Fortunately, neither drive resulted in points.
Tech did what we knew they would do this week. The only surprise was the compassion of Mike Leach. He declined a penalty at the end of the first half that would have given them another shot at the end zone, and then put Chris Todd in at QB for the entire second half. He also decided not to start Filani and Johnson at QB, after referring to them as "a bunch of prima donna pretty boys prancing around like they thought they were too good to be there."
Also notable: to kick off Rooster week, Fletch will give birth to a baby boy on Tuesday morning. Congratulations Jeff and Erin!
A&M got a slow start yesterday, after the two-hour lightning delay at Kyle. Maybe someone told Les Koenning it was a 3-hour delay? Regardless, they did what they were supposed to do, in crushing La Tech. A&M needs to clean up their act on penalties though. The defense played well, but committed 2 more drive sustaining penalties, with a running into the punter, and another pass interference call. Fortunately, neither drive resulted in points.
Tech did what we knew they would do this week. The only surprise was the compassion of Mike Leach. He declined a penalty at the end of the first half that would have given them another shot at the end zone, and then put Chris Todd in at QB for the entire second half. He also decided not to start Filani and Johnson at QB, after referring to them as "a bunch of prima donna pretty boys prancing around like they thought they were too good to be there."
Also notable: to kick off Rooster week, Fletch will give birth to a baby boy on Tuesday morning. Congratulations Jeff and Erin!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Jarrett Hicks granted "waiver" by NCAA
This is confusing to me. Jarrett Hicks is ineligible for not meeting the NCAA's "progress towards degree" requirements. Texas Tech requested a waiver of this rule for Hicks, which was denied by the NCAA. Tech appealed, and today, the NCAA granted the waiver of the "progress towards degree" requirements. What has changed, besides the stagnation of Tech's offense?
Is Leach really that desperate now, that he feels the need to pressure the NCAA to reinstate a player who is not meeting academic requirements, then praise the decision for letting Jarrett "continue his track towards graduation"?
If this happened at A&M, Blake would be outraged, and the server at raiderpower.com would explode.
Is Leach really that desperate now, that he feels the need to pressure the NCAA to reinstate a player who is not meeting academic requirements, then praise the decision for letting Jarrett "continue his track towards graduation"?
If this happened at A&M, Blake would be outraged, and the server at raiderpower.com would explode.
More From Leach
"I saw a bunch of prima donna pretty boys prancing around like they thought they were too good to be there," Leach said. "And then when we got hit in the mouth, they looked surprised and frustrated, like this isn't supposed to happen. Like didn't (Tech players') press agent talk to TCU and let them know how good they were and what they did last year? Then they got frustrated like they were too good to fight back. I mean, we didn't even fight back."
Have other teams caught on to Tech?
"It's a stupid question," Leach said. "I try to be polite and answer it, but it's very difficult to kind of not roll your eyes at the thing. There's nothing wrong with the scheme. How it's applied, how you play, how hard you try, yeah, that's infested with problems right now.
"If it's so easy to lead the nation in stuff, everybody would do that. But the thing is, I think we have an entitlement syndrome around here and think that everything's easy and don't understand that to get anything, you fight for it."
"The thing about it is, you don't get those games over," said Leach, whose team fell to 2-1 and out of both major polls. "We knew how important it was to win and chose, in my opinion, to ignore it. TCU was excited about the game, embraced the challenge, was thrilled to be there and thrilled to play well - and did.
"The cowardly thing is (to say), 'If we got to do it again ... . ' No, no. It was there at that time. That's when it'd been scheduled for quite some time. Everybody knew when to be there. TCU prevailed, so TCU deserves everything that goes along with that."
Have other teams caught on to Tech?
"It's a stupid question," Leach said. "I try to be polite and answer it, but it's very difficult to kind of not roll your eyes at the thing. There's nothing wrong with the scheme. How it's applied, how you play, how hard you try, yeah, that's infested with problems right now.
"If it's so easy to lead the nation in stuff, everybody would do that. But the thing is, I think we have an entitlement syndrome around here and think that everything's easy and don't understand that to get anything, you fight for it."
"The thing about it is, you don't get those games over," said Leach, whose team fell to 2-1 and out of both major polls. "We knew how important it was to win and chose, in my opinion, to ignore it. TCU was excited about the game, embraced the challenge, was thrilled to be there and thrilled to play well - and did.
"The cowardly thing is (to say), 'If we got to do it again ... . ' No, no. It was there at that time. That's when it'd been scheduled for quite some time. Everybody knew when to be there. TCU prevailed, so TCU deserves everything that goes along with that."
Knight Weighs in on Whiny OU
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight, whose Red Raiders lost to Oklahoma on a controversial call three years ago, said he knows how fans feel about wanting a forfeit after OU's loss to Oregon on Saturday.
Knight called for Oklahoma to forfeit its basketball game with Tech on Jan. 20, 2003, when the Sooners won 69-64 in overtime at Norman after two clock controversies in the final seconds of regulation. Video replay later showed the game clock started late after OU in-bounded the ball on the game-tying drive.
"Maybe now those people at Oklahoma understand what I was talking about," Knight told The Oklahoman.
Officals review a call in the second half during last Saturday's Oklahoma vs. Oregon college football game. Oregon rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Oklahoma, 34-33.
"Had Oklahoma forfeited that game against us like I suggested, they would have gotten far more positive publicity out of that than if they had gone to the Final Four that year."
Now I guess the 'duck' is swimming in the other pond."
Oregon scored two touchdowns late to beat Oklahoma 34-33, including the game-winner that came after the Ducks recovered an onside kick. Video replay showed Oregon touched the ball before it went the required 10 yards, but the replay official did not overturn the call.
Knight called for Oklahoma to forfeit its basketball game with Tech on Jan. 20, 2003, when the Sooners won 69-64 in overtime at Norman after two clock controversies in the final seconds of regulation. Video replay later showed the game clock started late after OU in-bounded the ball on the game-tying drive.
"Maybe now those people at Oklahoma understand what I was talking about," Knight told The Oklahoman.
Officals review a call in the second half during last Saturday's Oklahoma vs. Oregon college football game. Oregon rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Oklahoma, 34-33.
"Had Oklahoma forfeited that game against us like I suggested, they would have gotten far more positive publicity out of that than if they had gone to the Final Four that year."
Now I guess the 'duck' is swimming in the other pond."
Oregon scored two touchdowns late to beat Oklahoma 34-33, including the game-winner that came after the Ducks recovered an onside kick. Video replay showed Oregon touched the ball before it went the required 10 yards, but the replay official did not overturn the call.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Great Leach quote
The media asked him about Jarrett Hicks. His answer was:
I just love Mike Leach!
"Some people like to watch baseball, some like to watch Desperate Housewives,
and some like to watch the Jarret Hicks saga. I watch Desperate Housewives"
I just love Mike Leach!
Monday, September 18, 2006
week 3
It's quiet around here after week 3, after the Tech offense got figured out by TCU, and A&M almost coughed one up to Army.
I was at the Army/A&M game in San Antonio, and I have to say, it really doesn't cause me that much concern. I know I had the same feeling after the Texas State game last year, and my feeling turned out to be off base, since the Ags went 5-6. This is really just an observation from a guy who is admittedly high on maroon kool-aid.
A&M seemed committed to run the ball Saturday. The game plan was so conservative, it made me think something was just off. The San Antonio paper suggested that A&M went with an option-heavy attack to confuse gameplanning by Tech. I personally don't think our coaching staff even thought it that far out. This is something that could probably not be observed on TV, but I think A&M gameplanned conservatively so as not to embarrass our opponent.
Army was the home team Saturday, so there was a great deal of pomp and circumstance around West Point, the military, and their tradition, etc. During the 1st quarter, they were even stopping play to induct recruits into the Army, and promote soldiers in rank. A&M changed one of their yells, so as to make sure they got no bad PR by saying "Beat the Hell Outta Army". I think it was just another PR move to make sure not to beat Army by 4 touchdowns, when some these guys are going overseas to fight in a matter of months. This PR move obviously backfired, as Army came to play, and capitalized on every mistake A&M made, and almost won the damn thing.
The good news is, the Aggies escaped with a W, and hopefully learned something from it.
What the hell happened to Tech? I don't know, and don't feel qualified to comment, since I didn't watch the game. According to Gary Patterson, it's "speed baby".
I was at the Army/A&M game in San Antonio, and I have to say, it really doesn't cause me that much concern. I know I had the same feeling after the Texas State game last year, and my feeling turned out to be off base, since the Ags went 5-6. This is really just an observation from a guy who is admittedly high on maroon kool-aid.
A&M seemed committed to run the ball Saturday. The game plan was so conservative, it made me think something was just off. The San Antonio paper suggested that A&M went with an option-heavy attack to confuse gameplanning by Tech. I personally don't think our coaching staff even thought it that far out. This is something that could probably not be observed on TV, but I think A&M gameplanned conservatively so as not to embarrass our opponent.
Army was the home team Saturday, so there was a great deal of pomp and circumstance around West Point, the military, and their tradition, etc. During the 1st quarter, they were even stopping play to induct recruits into the Army, and promote soldiers in rank. A&M changed one of their yells, so as to make sure they got no bad PR by saying "Beat the Hell Outta Army". I think it was just another PR move to make sure not to beat Army by 4 touchdowns, when some these guys are going overseas to fight in a matter of months. This PR move obviously backfired, as Army came to play, and capitalized on every mistake A&M made, and almost won the damn thing.
The good news is, the Aggies escaped with a W, and hopefully learned something from it.
What the hell happened to Tech? I don't know, and don't feel qualified to comment, since I didn't watch the game. According to Gary Patterson, it's "speed baby".
Saturday, September 16, 2006
...one more
on my way to San Antonio for the A&M/Army game.
Here's another good pic from last year.............
Here's another good pic from last year.............
Thursday, September 14, 2006
...more (vague) RoosterBowl memories
so many pictures it was hard to choose. I will put some more up tomorrow....
Tech chicks :-)
Texan Lounge-2000
Fletch!
Tech chicks :-)
Texan Lounge-2000
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