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| | Thursday, November 25 | |||||
| COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- After a week of mourning, the biggest football game in Texas almost seems like an afterthought.
The tragedy born from a 90-year-old tradition sent shockwaves across the campus of 43,000 for a week. Although school administrators will be forced to consider whether the bonfire tradition should continue, the players said there was no question Friday's game would be played. "They gave so much effort and they gave their lives to support us," said A&M quarterback Randy McCown. Aggie players didn't practice for two days after the accident. Many of them went to the site to help rescue workers clear the logs."We talk quite frequently here about the bond that Aggies have for one another, and sometimes it becomes kind of a company line that you don't put a lot of stock in," A&M coach R.C. Slocum said. "It's always there, but in times like this you can really see it." The grief spread beyond the A&M campus. The Longhorns (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 Associated Press) canceled their traditional "hex rally" that is supposed to bring the Aggies bad luck. Texas instead held a unity rally on campus and 40 busloads of Aggies made the 105-mile trip to attend.Instead of Thursday night's traditional lighting of the bonfire, dozens of smaller flames burned around sunset at a memorial candlelight vigil on the A&M campus. The pep rally, called "yell practice," continued without the fire. Thousands of mourning Aggies flocked to the scene of the collapse. Heaps of maroon roses sagged over the strewn lumber. Silent and tearful, the grieving crowds walked a slow circle around the muddy perimeter. They paused to read rain-faded sympathy notes. As darkness set in, an ocean of candles spread its glow over campus."Once an Aggie, always an Aggie," said Bob Staffel, wiping tears from his cheeks by the bonfire site. Staffel attended A&M in the 1940s. "It's just -- you just can't explain it." Anyone who grew up in Texas understands how the rivalry exists within families, said Texas student Aaron Schmidt. Many families have graduates of both schools. "They come together at the Thanksgiving table every year and argue and debate and bring the rivalry home. It's very Texas ... I think this year there's going to be a kind of a cloud on that rivalry," Schmidt said. "It is a tragedy that we all share," said Longhorns sophomore quarterback Major Applewhite, who considered signing with A&M out of high school."It was a terrible loss for them and us. We all have friends at A&M and are affected by the tragedy. We can play this game for those who were lost just like the Aggies will. "By playing, both teams can try to take away from the sorrow. We will play for those who have been lost and for the deep traditions of the game." Emotions will run high when an expected crowd of 86,000, the largest ever to see a football game in Texas, jams into normally boisterous Kyle Field.Aggies players will wear a memorial patch on their uniforms and flags will fly at half-staff. Two maroon-and-white ribbons will be painted over the Texas A&M logos on the field. Four F-16 fighters from the 457th fighter squadron will fly over the stadium in the missing-man formation after a pregame invocation. "This is one game you don't need added emotion," McCown said. "But if either team has the advantage, it is us." Texas should have the advantage on the field. The Longhorns have a triple threat offense: Applewhite has passed for 21 touchdowns, running-back Hodges Mitchell has rushed for 1,227 yards and receiver Kwame Cavil smashed the school record with 85 receptions. Stopping the Texas offense may be harder than 1998 when Ricky Williams ran for 259 yards in the Longhorns' 26-24 win in Austin."Last year it was mainly Ricky," said A&M linebacker Jason Glenn. "Now you have a lot more to worry about. They can come at you in a lot of different ways." The Texas offense has already set school records for points (422), yards passing (3,225) and first downs (253). The Aggies' offense bottomed out in losses to Oklahoma (51-6) and Nebraska (37-0) before recovering for a 51-14 blowout of Missouri.Despite the tragedy, some elements of the game are similar to 1998. Texas has already wrapped up the Big 12 South division and a berth in the conference championship game Dec. 4. Last year, it was the Aggies (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 24 AP) who were the division champs with the top 10 ranking before Texas rallied in the final minute for the win. "We can't let the same thing happen," said Texas free safety Greg Brown. "If we do our job, I don't think we can be beat." | ||||||
