Tuesday, December 28 Both coaches admit to looking ahead
Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO -- On the practice field, Texas A&M coach R.C.
Slocum is thinking ahead to next season. At gametime Tuesday in the
Alamo Bowl, it's still 1999.
The No. 18 Aggies meet No. 13 Penn State at the Alamodome in a
game neither team envisioned early this season. Each had high
expectations dashed by disappointing losses.
But each team insists it's happy to be in San Antonio.
"This is still a continuation of this season," Slocum said.
"It's another additional opportunity to play against a very good
football team. We're going to do everything we can to try to win
this game."
Some Texas A&M workouts recently have been extended and geared
toward looking at younger players and plans for next year, Slocum
said.
Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno acknowledged he's done the same.
Neither coach, though, expects to glide through the Alamo Bowl.
Paterno hopes his players can have enough stamina late in the
game to face the two big Texas A&M running backs, Ja'Mar Toombs and
D'Andre Hardeman, who weigh more than 500 pounds combined.
"They're going to wear on us," Paterno said, adding that those
players remind him of running back T.J. Duckett of Michigan State.
Penn State (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) started the season 9-0 and reached
a No. 2 ranking before losing its last three games, to Minnesota,
Michigan and Michigan State. It had been 85 years since a Penn
State team lost the last three regular-season games.
"I don't like the term 'slump,' " Paterno said Monday. "I
thought our kids played hard, they played tough. Some things didn't
go that well."
Paterno praised Penn State's opponents and said tonight's game
provided an opportunity for the Lions to recover.
"We have a lot of fine seniors who have had great careers at
Penn State and certainly don't want to go out with four losses in a
row," Paterno said.
In his 34 years as Penn State's coach, Paterno has never had a
four-game losing streak. And with a record of 19-9-1, Paterno has
won more bowl games than any other coach.
"We, obviously, didn't get to do some things (this season),"
Paterno said. "You wonder how you can kind of end it up with
something that's very positive."
Once the Lions realized they would face Texas A&M, and not a
lesser opponent, they became excited about the Alamo Bowl and
wanted to come to town 10 days early, Paterno said.
Slocum is not fooled by the Lions' three-game losing streak.
"They won nine straight games, and then, as Joe said, the three
teams they played were all very good teams," Slocum said. "It
wasn't like they were blown away. Those were good teams that are as
good as any in college football."
Slocum is impressed with Penn State's defense. Penn State, like
Texas A&M, has been referred to as "Linebacker U."
"They are athletic. They move to the ball well. They create a
lot of problems," Slocum said. "For us to have any success, I
think we'll have to have a balanced attack and try to get a few
yards here and there."
Penn State has three All-America defensive players -- linebackers
Brandon Short and LaVar Arrington and defensive end Courtney Brown.
Arrington takes issue with the notion that Texas A&M is the
premier school for linebackers.
"I was kind of upset when I got here and heard it," Arrington
said. "Penn State is Linebacker U. I will defend it on the field.
I will defend it off the field until the day I die."
For both Texas A&M and Penn State, it's no mystery what it'll
take to win the Alamo Bowl.
"We've got to play the kicking game, we've got to minimize
turnovers and not give up big plays on defense," Slocum said.
"Amen," Paterno said.
Texas A&M (8-3, 5-3 in Big 12) has had its own disappointments,
with losses to Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Nebraska. But the Aggies
capped the season with two victories, closing with a defeat of
Texas a week after the Texas A&M bonfire log collapse left 12 dead
and 27 injured.
The Aggies will have the home crowd in the 65,000-seat
Alamodome, which is sold out.
Texas A&M senior quarterback Randy McCown noted that the Aggies
haven't won a bowl game the past two years. Their last postseason
victory was in the Alamo Bowl over Michigan in 1995.
"Practices have been real intense," he said. "We want to win
a bowl for the seniors."
