wednesday, october 29, 2003
sports
the university daily kansar
3B
Student lives Aggie football dream
By Michael Crow
The Battalion via U—Wire
Texas A&M University
COLLEGE STATION, Texas When Blake Kendrick graduated from Willis High School, he knew he wanted to be an Aggie. The all-district linebacker had been immersed in Texas A&M culture from a young age, and he dreamed of playing football for the university from the time he first strapped on a helmet in the seventh grade.
Still, Kendrick nearly took a different route. Several smaller schools offered him full athletic scholarships, and he was strongly considering another option when his letter of acceptance from A&M arrived.
"I was actually going to go to a school in Colorado," Kendrick said. "But then I got my acceptance letter to A&M, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity."
While excited, Kendrick knew he would need to talk things over with his parents. After all, he came from a hardworking family,
and he knew attending A&M would mean turning down a free education elsewhere.
Unbeknownst to Kendrick, attending A&M was a decision his parents were already hoping he would make.
"I was ecstatic," said Kendrick's mother, Ann. "That's where we always wanted him to go, but we wanted him to make that his decision."
With his family's full support, Kendrick entered A&M in the fall of 2000 with every intention of making the football team.
But many of the people Kendrick shared his ambition with reminded him what a challenge it would be.
"I had plenty of people telling me I couldn't make it up here, so I was kind of intimidated by that," Kendrick said. "But then I said if I don't do it, I'm going to look back when I'm 40 and think, 'What if I would have?'"
Kendrick's father, Steve, said he remembered one visit in particular with his son's academic deans.
same time they were trying to impress upon him how difficult it was going to be academically," Steve Kendrick said. "But that's just the kind of person he is. When he sets his mind to do something, he's going to do it, and he's going to do whatever it takes to be successful."
"They didn't really discourage him [from walking] on, but at the
So, joined by roughly 60 other hopefuls, he made his way to the football tryouts. Kendrick was one of only three athletes to make it through the grueling cut process, and he earned a spot on the team.
After redshirting in 2000. Kendrick earned a varsity letter the next season and represented the student body as the 12th Man Kickoff team captain. He said this was particularly special to him.
"Here the 12th Man really supports us," he said. "I've been to stadiums the last three years where the home team gets booed, we get booed. Here the 12th Man is going to stand up and support us whether we're in a losing slump or we're winning."
Still, there were plenty of challenges along the way for
Kendrick. He was dedicating his days, nights and weekends to football, not for a scholarship or for name recognition, but to prove something to himself. At times, he said, this would wear on him.
"It's hard coming and doing it as a walk-on, just out of the pure joy of doing it and the love for the game," he said. "But you just have to keep pressing ahead, and I had to tell myself just to keep going and everything would work out."
And things have worked out. In 2002, Kendrick was on the field in every A&M game en route to his second straight season as the 12th Man captain.
This season, Kendrick has continued to see his playing time increase, and he has worked himself into the linebacker rotation of the Wrecking Crew defense. Kendrick's parents said they are not surprised by what their son has been able to achieve.
"He has more perseverance than any 21-year-old I've ever known," Ann Kendrick said. "When he makes up his mind to do something, it's a done deal. He's always been that way."
Big 10 teams prepare for in-state war
By Kyle O'Neill Michigan Daily via U-Wire University of Michigan
EAST LANSING, Mich. — In one fashion or the other, this weekend's Michigan-Michigan State game will come down to which team can move the ball through the air.
Considering Michigan State will rely heavily on the air attack through its spread offense, it will probably be Michigan's passing game that will be the difference maker as a complement to its running game.
And the Spartans know this game will come down to whether
its David of a secondary can compete with the Goliath of a trio the Wolverines have in Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston.
"On paper the matchup is incomparable," Michigan State defensive backs coach Paul Haynes said. "They do have a lot of talent."
Haynes said this Michigan receiver corps was by far the best he had seen this season.
Given that this stable of horses is able to break a big play at any moment, it will be up to the four or five defensive backs to contain Edwards, Avant and Breaston, so that the other six or
seven defenders can focus on Chris Perry and Michigan's running attack.
One aspect that the Spartans have already begun preparing for in the secondary is the physical play of Edwards and Avant, either in downfield blocking or stiff-arming opponents to gain extra vards.
Against Minnesota two weeks ago, the Michigan State secondary, led by cornerbacks Darren Barnett and Roderick Maples, gave up 377 yards in the air.
"They've made improvements." Hawnes said.
The Spartans' secondary is
going against scout team members to simulate the play of Michigan's trio.
"Our scout team has done a great job," Smith said. "Whether it's dressing, they fight for it. You can't put a number on the equation of how important that is. If your scout team is good, your other guys have to work to stay good."
But even though Michigan State's scout team has stepped up to the challenge of running the right routes, there are other things that can't be emulated.
"As far as the actual receiver, I don't think we can get that," Haynes said.
By Chuck Brown Daily Nebraskan via U-Wire University of Nebraska
Sooners face ghosts of Cowboy defeats
LINCOLN, Neb. — Friday is Halloween.
But for Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, the ghosts come to town Saturday.
Playing the role of the ghosts, appropriately dressed in all-white uniforms, will be Oklahoma State, led by the three-headed monster of wide receiver Rashaun Woods, quarterback Josh Fields and run-
"They are playing very well right now, as is obvious by watching them on tape." Stoops said.
Watching the threesome on tape must set off terrifying flashbacks for Stoops, who watched his team's national title hopes go up in smoke at the hands of the Cowboys the last two seasons.
In 2001, the 3-7 Cowboys came to Norman, Okla., nothing more than a speed bump in the Sooners' path to a repeat national title game appearance.
Fields and Woods must be particularly haunting to the Oklahoma coach. The Cowboy stars have repeatedly teamed up to terrorize tough Sooner defenses.
Nebraska's 62-24 loss at Colorado the day before gave the Sooners the inside track to the Rose Bowl.
But by the time the game was over, Fields and Woods had upset the Sooners 16-13.
With some help from Bell's 108 rushing yards and a record-breaking day by Woods, Oklahoma State turned the trick on Oklahoma again last season.
This time the Cowboys spent the first half thrashing another vaunted Sooner defensive unit and then withstood a Sooner rally to win 38-28.
"Running the ball and big plays." Stoops said of the Cowboys' keys to
victory against the Sooners last season. "It's that simple."
Big plays and the running game have keyed the Cowboys again this season.
After sputtering in a 17-7 season-opening loss at Nebraska, the Cowboys' offense rebounded.
Through eight games, the Cowboys (7-1, 3-1 in the Big 12) average 41.5 points per game and 255.5 vards per game rushing.
"Overall, this team is playing as well as any team we've had," Oklahoma State coach Les Miles said.
Likewise, Stoops said several times over the course of the season that he felt this Oklahoma team was the best he had coached.
That's a mouthful considering he coached two Big 12 champions and one national champion in his five years at Oklahoma.
So far, the Sooners (8-0, 4-0) have backed up their coach's comments on the field.
Aside from once again having one of the nation's most dominating defenses, the Sooners also rank second in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 44.3 points per game.
Through eight games, the Sooners have hardly been tested and are drawing comparisons to some of the greatest teams in college football history.
"They are awfully talented." Miles said of the Sooners.
But Miles indicated his team is far from intimidated.
"We look forward to playing them," Miles said. "It's a very enjoyable week of preparation."
Stoops said he understood Oklahoma State's confidence coming into Saturday's game and said he was not surprised by a comment Miles made to the media in which he hinted that Oklahoma might not be as good as advertised.
"Based on the way we played a year ago," Stoops said, "I don't blame him for not respecting us."