Wednesday, September 18, 1996

Aggies searching for answers to 0-2 start
By MICHAEL A. LUTZ
Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION - The fact Texas A&M has become one of the winningest programs in the nation during R.C. Slocum's eight years as head coach offers little comfort after an 0-2 start.

The Aggies could have beaten Brigham Young in their opener and should have beaten Southwestern Louisiana last week. Now the questioning has started.

What's happened to the Aggies? Is Slocum's job secure?

Slocum, who has a 68-15-2 record, knows what to do.

"I'm going to stay close to the players," Slocum said. "They are the ones who will turn things around, them and the coaches and not what someone is saying about us."

Aggies fans are a demanding bunch and it doesn't take much of a sag to raise their concerns. A caller to a local sports talk show this week wondered if it was time to bring back Jackie Sherrill, who coached A&M from 1982 to 1988.

"I know there's a silent majority out there who looks at the big picture and understands what college football is all about," Slocum said. "It gets to the point where my life is only going well depending on what some guy says about me. I'll evaluate how I do and how the team is doing."

Texas A&M lost consecutive games last season to Colorado and Texas Tech, but Slocum remained calm and the Aggies rebounded to a 9-3 record that included a 22-20 victory over Michigan in the Alamo Bowl.

Slocum plans the same strategy in the current crisis.

He started during Saturday's shocking 29-22 loss at Southwestern Louisiana, when the Aggies had eight turnovers and 15 penalties. Slocum is talking gently to his young team, which is fighting to keep its confidence.

When sophomore Eric Bernard fumbled following a long run, Slocum didn't criticize his miscue.

"The kid felt bad enough and he'd made a great run," Slocum said. "He came off the field and I told him, 'That was a great run. I'd rather you hadn't fumbled, but keep running like that and you'll be all right.' "

When quarterback Branndon Stewart threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, Slocum didn't rage.

"I saw Jim Kelly do the same thing last night on Monday Night Football and they ran it back for a TD," Slocum said. "How long has he been around? My quarterback did the same thing but I'm not going to chew him out. You analyze what happened and try not to get into that situation again."
The Aggies are trying to keep their confidence.

"That was a fluke," cornerback Shun Horn said. "I don't expect anything like that to happen again. We're capable of being a good defense but you can't win with that many mistakes."

Stephenville's Stewart, who had a good debut against Brigham Young, threw four interceptions against the Cajuns.

"I made some bad decisions," Stewart said. "I didn't play too badly but the mistakes I made were big ones. The interceptions I made, maybe I could have kept the ball and taken a sack."

Aggies players say the pressure isn't becoming greater to win, but Slocum knows it's there. He hopes it comes Saturday in the home opener against North Texas (1-2).

"All teams, especially the young teams, start out looking for chemistry," Slocum said. "It's important to get that first win. It's pressure the more you go. You short-circuit a lot of things until you get that win."