Oklahoma State University Athletics
A&M Gets Another Chance Against Oklahoma School
April 08, 2003 | Cowboy Football
Last week, Oklahoma State (3-3, 1-2 in Big 12) jumped ahead of No. 6 Kansas State 21-0 in the second quarter and couldn't hold on, losing 44-21. No. 22 Texas A&M fell behind Oklahoma 27-0 in the second quarter and never had a chance, losing 51-6.
"A&M is mad and so are we," Cowboys coach Bob Simmons said. "We have to take the attitude going into College Station that they're at home. We realize that, but I have to be concerned about how we play.
"If we can continue to play at the level that we played at a couple of weeks ago, I think we can win. That's the bottom line."
The Aggies (5-2, 2-2 in Big 12) started the season talking about a national championship. Now they're struggling to keep alive in the Big 12 South Division.
"Coaches don't say `must win' because a lot of the time, you may not win," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "We're playing Oklahoma State and I think they are a pretty competitive team. It will definitely be a challenge for us this week."
The Cowboys not only have to face the Aggies, they must defeat a stadium, too. Boisterous Kyle Field has a new section at the north end of the stadium called The Zone, which boosted seating capacity by 22,000 to 80,000.
The Aggies have won 17 straight home games dating to a 13-10 loss to Texas Tech in 1996. During the 1990s, the Aggies have a 53-4-1 record at home.
Oklahoma State hasn't won at Kyle Field since a 34-15 victory in 1983, although the Cowboys lead the series 10-4.
The Aggies are also trying to give Slocum his 100th coaching victory and get the 600th victory in the school's history, which would make Texas A&M the 17th NCAA Division 1-A school to reach that milestone.
"We have five more games left in our season," Cowboys linebacker Kenyatta Wright said. "For us to do what we want to do and meet our goals, we just have to win out. I think we can do that. We just have to put everything that's happened to this point behind us."
The Cowboys have had difficulty with their running game, and they've had to play much of their season without quarterback Tony Lindsay, who returned last week to engineer the early 21-0 lead against Kansas State.
"In all honesty, what he brought to the offense was more confidence in terms of what was going to happen out there, a lot more confidence in terms of having a more experienced guy who was going to make the right checks," Simmons said.
The Aggies might have to play without starting quarterback Randy McCown, who separated his left shoulder and did not play the final 25 minutes against Oklahoma.
"I think he'll be able to play. It's a question of how long he'll be able to play against a physical defensive team," Slocum said. "It probably wouldn't take a huge blow to injure him again. This team is one that makes a point of going after the quarterbacks."
Former pro baseball player Mark Farris would get the start if McCown can't play.
By MICHAEL A. LUTZ AP Sports Writer
