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Thursday, November 26, 1998
Williams, Texas ready to sacrifice rushing
record for win over A&M
By JIM VERTUNO Associated Press Writer
AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Longhorns are trailing by four points
with time running out and the ball inside the Texas A&M 10-yard
line. Tailback Ricky Williams needs three yards to set the Division
I-A career rushing record.
So, coach Mack Brown, what do you do: go for the record or
the win?
"You throw in the end zone," Brown said. "Or
you do whatever it takes to win the game. It's a team sport. Not
an individual sport."
While such a scenario is unlikely, it would provide a spectacular
bit of drama to Williams' pursuit of Tony Dorsett's 22-year-old
record of 6,082 yards.
Williams, whose off-field kindness and sincerity have received
as much attention as his on-field exploits, agrees with his coach.
A win over the Aggies means more than a chance at perhaps college
football's most prestigious individual record.
"Definitely," Williams said.
Could it happen? Probably not, said Williams. If he has only
60 yards that late in the game, the score probably won't be close,
he said.
How often Williams gets the ball Friday will mainly be the
decision of offensive coordinator Greg Davis. While calling handoffs
to Williams may seem like an easy job, Brown said it's not.
"Greg's had a lot of pressure on him," Brown said.
"If you think about trying to call plays to let a guy get
his yards and still win the game, that's a hard thing."
Williams, who leads the nation with 1,865 yards, has a great
track record against Texas' top foe. In three games against A&M,
he's averaging 163.7 yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry.
This time, though, the Aggies (10-1, 7-0) are ranked No. 6
and have the nation's 13th-best run defense at 104.8 yards per
game. The Longhorns (7-3, 5-2) average 199.5 yards per game rushing.
"They're good enough on defense he may not get the 63
yards," Brown said.
A&M players and coaches have offered nothing but high praise
for Williams this week, even saying they hope he gets the record.
Inside linebacker coach Alan Weddell said he predicts Williams
gets the record, even calling it "an honor to be on the football
field with a great player like Ricky." Running back Dante
Hall called Williams "the Michael Jordan of college football"
and safety Rich Coady said "it won't hurt our feelings if
he gets the record."
The Aggies could just be setting up Williams. After all, such
benevolence is extremely out of character for the 104-year-old
rivalry.
Should the record fall, the game will continue, Texas officials
said. Dorsett has been issued a sideline pass and police escort
to get to the game from the airport.
The ball will be set aside and sent to the National Football
Foundation Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., along with Williams'
game jersey.
Following the game, a two-minute video tribute will be played
on the stadium scoreboard.
"If it were up to me, there would be no big deal,"
Williams said. "We'd keep playing the game, then I'd go into
the locker room, no big deal."
It may not be a big deal to Williams, but it is to some fans
in this city, where shop window decorations read "Run, Ricky,
Run!" and a billboard near campus tracks down the difference
between Williams and Dorsett.
"Overall, I think the win is more important," said
Pat Bedunah, a women's clothing store manager. "But personally
I think Mack ought to give it to him so he can get his record."
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