KYLE FIELDth

ebat

talio

n

INSIDER

TAILGATINGPAGE SIXTEEN

PAGES EIGHT & NINE

JOHNNY WILL PLAY(IN THE SECOND HALF)

“I’m not much of a yeller out there, because if a quarterback screws up, the whole stadium and the media knows he screwed up.”

““PAGE SIX

NEW QB COACH JAKE SPAVITAL

PAGE TEN the battalion staff makes game picks (some knowledgeable) | PAGE ELEVEN (way too early) heisman watch

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

PAGE FOUR

THEY’RE READY. ARE YOU?

VOLLEYBALLPAGE FIFTEEN

8.30.13

BAT_08-30-13_A1.indd 1 8/29/13 9:43 PM

The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; E-mail: editor@thebatt.com; website: http://www.thebatt.com.Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: battads@thebatt.com.Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1.

thebattalion The IndependenT STudenT VoIce of TexaS a&M SInce 1893

Jake Walker, Editor in Chief

battasks 2Q:

“I plan to put on sunscreen, and lots of it. It’s going to be a scorcher,

so I don’t see how anyone can survive without it.”

Emre Yurttas, junior Political Science major

“Pretty much just going to surrender to the heat. I know I’m not winning, so I’m just giving into it.”Thomas Salazar, freshman

chemical engineering major

How do you plan to beatthe gameday heat?

“My 12th man towel. I’m just going to put it on my head.”

Kira Drenon, junior geography major

“I plan to beat the heat by wearing a nice hat and a good pair of

sunglasses.”

Eric Touma, freshman business administration major

“Making my girlfriend bring me

water bottles.”

Trevor Reichardt, freshman Blinn

Team student

Tips to stay coolWith temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees during this Saturday’s football game against Rice, the Athletic Department released the following tips to help beat the heat:1. Arrive early, as the North gates will be congested due to G. Rollie construction.2. Leave bags at home in order to quickly enter the stadium.3. Hydrate before and throughout the game.4. Bring plenty of sunscreen and a hat.

Photos by Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALIONPage one photos by Mark Doré and Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

BAT_08-30-13_A2.indd 1 8/29/13 10:56 PM

BAT_08-30-13_3A.indd 1BAT_08-30-13_3A.indd 1 8/29/13 2:26:29 PM8/29/13 2:26:29 PM

08-30-13Pg. 4

Perfect Blend of Location, Lifestyle and Luxury

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888-804-6140

www.legacyattraditions.com

With quarterback Johnny Manziel in the fold, the No. 7 Aggies will look to put

aside the offseason media attention and con-troversy when they take the field Saturday with hopes of their first national champion-ship season since 1939.

Coming off the historic inaugural season in the SEC, the defending Cotton Bowl cham-pions begin their 2013 campaign against the Rice Owls, with Manziel suspended for the first half after the conclusion of a month-long NCAA investigation into allegations that Manziel was paid for signing autographs.

Texas A&M will begin its quest with a backfield full of potential led by reigning Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Manziel, the first freshman in NCAA history to win

the Heisman after he passed for 3,706 yards while rushing for 1,410 and accounting for 47 total touchdowns.

Senior Ben Malena and sophomore Trey Williams, who combined for 1,213 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012, will ac-company Manziel in the backfield. Alongside them will be sophomore transfers Brandon Williams and Tra Carson.

“I’ve been very pleased with the energy and the focus at practice,” said head coach Kevin Sumlin. “Ben Malena has been a leader for us before his senior year. He excelled last year and he’s become more vocal.”

The offensive line will be led by senior left tackle Jake Matthews, filling the void left by Luke Joeckel — who was drafted sec-ond overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL Draft. Matthews’ younger brother, sophomore Mike Matthews, assumes the start-ing center role from graduated center Patrick Lewis. Anchoring the right side of the line will be junior right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi,

A&M reloads for SEC encore

Michael AyoThe Battalion

gamebreakdown 4

who shifted from the guard position he played last year.

“The offensive line can be as good as last year’s,” Mike Matthews said. “With the pieces in place, I’m confident in our ability. Travel-ing and watching Pat Lewis benefited me a lot. It was a good deal to get a taste of the SEC.”

On the defensive side of the ball, the Aggies will be without junior cornerback Deshazor Everett and junior safety Floyd Raven Sr., for the first half of the game, and senior defensive

lineman Kirby Ennis for the entire game due to suspensions resulting from off-the-field is-sues.

“In Raven and Everett’s absence, we will have younger guys step up, but they’ll be ready,” said senior defensive back Toney Hurd Jr. “Clay Honeycutt has come on strong and shown great consistency.”

Despite missing personnel, the Texas A&M defense looks to continue where they left off last season. During the 2012 season, the Ag-gies allowed an average of 22.5 points per game. The Rice Owls scored an average of 29 points per game during their 6-6 run through Conference USA last season.

Offensively, A&M averaged 44.8 points per game last season while the Owl’s defense allowed 31.3 points per game. Rice will be without two of its top defensive players from last season. Senior cornerback Phillip Gaines is suspended and senior linebacker Cameron Nwosu is out with a knee injury.

This will be the first time the Aggies and Owls meet since the Southwestern Confer-ence split in 1996. Texas A&M leads the all-time series 50-27-2.

Mark Doré — THE BATTALION

Senior tackle, Jake Matthews, takes over the leadership role on the offensive line.

Suspensions, injuries sap starters from both units

BAT_08-30-13_A4.indd 1 8/29/13 7:41 PM

BAT_08-30-13_A5.indd 1BAT_08-30-13_A5.indd 1 8/29/13 5:07:55 PM8/29/13 5:07:55 PM

VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDELINEQA& :THE BATTALION: What do you think of Johnny Manziel’s suspension and was it enough?

ELLEGE: It changes the dynamic of the game so much. You prepare for one quarterback in the first half if you’re Rice and for Johnny Football in the second half.

Rice and Texas A&M formerly met in the Southwest Conference yearly. What do you expect of the game’s atmosphere?

This is why you play Division I football, for moments like this. The experience is going to be a major factor and I think that could keep Rice in the game. The fact that they have 23 seniors, 19 fifth-year, and bringing back 18 starters. It gives them the experience to handle Kyle Field, which is one of the most hostile environments in football.

What’s your prediction and final score of Saturday’s game?

I think Rice leads at halftime 13-10 but to be completely honest, when the Heisman Trophy winner steps back on the field, I see it being hard for us to contain him. So I see A&M winning 34-27. It’ll be a good game but it’ll be tough against A&M and the game being in Kyle Field.

What kind of momentum do you see carrying over from Rice’s winning season and bowl game victory a year ago?

Confidence should definitely be at an all-time high for these guys. Obviously those games were played months ago but you still have those memories of being 2-6 then rolling off win after win after win. Knowing that Manziel will miss the first half, they know to go for it and be aggressive to get an early lead and keep themselves in the ballgame.

riceinsider 6

Dan Ellege, senior psychology major at Rice and sports editor of The Rice Thresher

BAT_08-30-13_A6.indd 1 8/29/13 8:22 PM

coachinginsider 7

new assistant brings credibility, insight to Manziel’s Qb position

ohnny Manziel had made his usual pre-snap checks during fall camp, but some slight pressure and no space to maneuver forced a tele-

graphed throw. Senior linebacker Ste-ven Jenkins took quick advantage, jumping the pass and snaring the inter-ception before bolting back the opposite way.

Manziel sulked to the sideline, head down as he played over his mistake, while A&M’s first-team defense cele-

brated behind him. The defending Heis-man Trophy-winner was soon joined step

for step by Jake Spavital — the Aggies’ new quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordi-nator — as he counseled his young charge, offering calm, levelheaded insight rather than harsh criticism.

“I’m not much of a yeller out there, be-cause if a quarterback screws up, the whole stadium and the media knows he screwed up,” Spavital said. “I’ll tell him what I think and he’ll tell me what he thinks about certain things and we just try to work it out through there.”

For the 28-year-old assistant coach, it hasn’t been long since he once stood in 20-year-old Manziel’s position, taking his first reps under center at Missouri State just eight seasons ago.

Despite Spavital’s youthful disposition, his reputation around the college football com-munity has skyrocketed during the past half decade, capturing the attention of many of the sport’s top offensive gurus.

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin

said Spavital’s experience over the past five seasons granted him an immediate distinction from the Aggies’ two other coaching hires.

“He brings instant credibility, dealing with coaching Case Keenum and the num-ber of guys they had at Oklahoma State and West Virginia,” Sumlin said. “[Also], being around [the current coaching staff] before, and the offense; he knows it like the back of his hand.”

In just five years of coaching, Spavital has spent extensive amounts of time with the who’s who of the spread and air raid of-fensive systems, ranging from Auburn’s Gus Malzahn to West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen.

Yearlong stints with Tulsa, Houston and Oklahoma State, along with a two-year stay at West Virginia, allowed Spavital to work with many of college football’s top quarter-backs from the past five seasons, i n c l u d -ing Case K e e n u m , B r a n d o n Weeden and Geno Smith.

Now add Johnny Manziel to the list and Spavital has many of college football’s most visibly successful quarterbacks of the past five years all with one interesting similarity — himself.

Less than a week following Texas A&M’s dominant Cotton Bowl victory over Okla-homa last January, Spavital found himself on Sumlin’s coaching roster replacing his former mentor, Kliff Kingsbury, who bolted Col-

lege Station for the vacant coaching position at his alma mater, Texas Tech.

While questions regarding Spavital’s age floated around the message boards, Sumlin’s long-time philosophy regarding the issue emerged as any supporter’s default response.

“A lot of people equate age with experi-ence,” Sumlin said. “There’s some truth to that, but just because a guy is older doesn’t necessarily mean he’s better. It’s not about experience, it’s about what type of experi-ence you have.”

Manziel said he and Savital have slowly begun to build a connection both on and off the field, a factor with potential to impact the Davey O’Brien Award-winner’s perfor-mance down the stretch during the season.

“It’s been good with Coach [Spavital] be-ing there,” Manziel said. “We’ve been trying

to bond together and create a really good relationship between him and me. He’s come in, he’s real easy to get along with,

and he’s a brilliant mind.”

During fall camp, Spavital spoke on Man-ziel’s ability to receive and process criticism, saying the young quarterback has a receptive attitude with a quick turnaround.

“[Manziel] is very coachable,” Spavital continued. “He’s a smart kid. When you tell him one thing, [he can] take it out there and remember to do that and execute it.”

Mark Doré — THE BATTALION

Quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital works with starter Johnny Manziel (left) and former backup Matt Davis during the final week of fall camp.

yes, sensei

““It’s not about experience, it’s about what type of experience you have.

James SullivanThe Battalion

Jenna Rabel — THE BATTALION

— a&M head coach Kevin sumlin

““He’s real easy to get along with and he’s a brilliant mind.— a&M Qb Johnny Manziel

BAT_08-30-13_A7.indd 1 8/29/13 10:49 PM

Ove

r th

e pa

st fe

w m

onth

s, th

e m

e-di

a sie

ge o

n T

exas

A&

M’s

foot

ball

prog

ram

has

bee

n re

lent

less

. An

unyi

eldi

ng d

ialo

gue

cent

ered

on

colle

ge fo

otba

ll’s m

ost p

olar

izin

g fig

ure

— Jo

hnny

Foo

tbal

l — h

as d

omin

ated

na-

tiona

l edi

toria

ls an

d ne

ws c

ycle

s with

seem

ingl

y no

end

in si

ght.

Excu

se m

e, b

ut w

hen

did

this

who

le o

rdea

l be

com

e —

from

a fa

n ba

se p

ersp

ectiv

e —

a

nega

tive

aspe

ct?

Ever

ywhe

re fr

om o

nlin

e m

essa

ge b

oard

s to

clas

sroo

m c

onve

rsat

ions

, I w

itnes

s Agg

ies e

ither

de

fend

ing

Man

ziel

or

ques

tioni

ng h

is va

lue

to

the

Uni

vers

ity. E

ach

time

I’ve

visit

ed h

ome

with

in th

e pa

st ye

ar, e

very

one

from

fam

ily

mem

bers

to fo

rmer

cow

orke

rs h

as g

rille

d m

e on

th

e 20

-yea

r-ol

d qu

arte

rbac

k.W

hat’s

you

r ta

ke o

n th

e la

test

from

John

ny?

Do

you

thin

k he

’s gu

ilty?

I b

et y

ou’re

wish

ing

by n

ow M

anzi

el c

ould

hav

e bo

lted

to th

e N

FL

afte

r la

st se

ason

, are

n’t y

ou?

My

simpl

e an

swer

: any

pre

ss is

goo

d pr

ess.

Why

? B

ecau

se fr

ee a

dver

tisin

g is

ever

y m

ajor

co

llege

foot

ball

prog

ram

’s dr

eam

. O

utsid

e of

Man

ziel

’s “A

utog

raph

-Gat

e,”

whi

ch o

ffici

ally

clo

sed

Wed

nesd

ay fo

llow

ing

an

agre

emen

t bet

wee

n T

exas

A&

M a

nd th

e N

CA

A

to su

spen

d th

e qu

arte

rbac

k th

e fir

st-ha

lf of

the

seas

on-o

pene

r no

t a si

ngle

one

of h

is ex

ploi

ts w

as w

orth

y of

any

thin

g bu

t new

s seg

men

ts an

d ed

itoria

ls.

Not

neg

ativ

e pr

ess,

but r

athe

r pl

ain-

old,

dow

n-ho

me

repo

rtin

g of

wha

t adv

entu

res t

he

colle

ge st

uden

t exp

erie

nced

that

wee

kend

.A

nd w

hat’s

atta

ched

to e

very

spor

tscen

ter

up-

date

on

Man

ziel

, ran

ging

from

the

Scoo

by-D

oo

phot

ogra

ph to

his

UT

par

ty e

xpul

sion?

T

he A

&M

logo

, fur

ther

pro

pelli

ng th

e ris

-in

g pr

ogra

m’s

bran

d to

eve

ry c

orne

r ac

ross

the

coun

try.

And

that

’s no

t eve

n th

e be

st pa

rt —

this

is al

l for

free

, with

not

eve

n a

dim

e co

min

g ou

t of

the

Uni

vers

ity’s

pock

et.

A&

M h

ead

coac

h K

evin

Sum

lin sa

id th

e fr

ee

pres

s has

cre

ated

an

atm

osph

ere

of r

elev

ancy

ar

ound

the

form

erly

atte

ntio

n-sta

rved

pro

gram

, he

lpin

g th

e te

am g

athe

r ste

am h

eadi

ng in

to th

e da

untin

g se

ason

.“T

he in

crea

se in

atte

ntio

n, in

man

y w

ays,

it’s

been

gre

at,”

Sum

lin sa

id. “

We’

ve w

orke

d ve

ry

hard

ove

r th

e la

st 18

mon

ths t

o tr

y an

d m

ake

this

prog

ram

be

rele

vant

and

pla

ying

rel

evan

t an

d m

eani

ngfu

l gam

es o

n th

e bi

g sta

ge. W

e’ve

ha

d to

man

age

the

exci

tem

ent f

rom

the

begi

n-ni

ng a

nd I

’m v

ery

plea

sed

with

how

our

pla

yers

an

d co

ache

s are

han

dlin

g it.

”Se

nior

def

ensiv

e ba

ck T

oney

Hur

d Jr

. con

-ve

yed

a sli

ghtly

diff

eren

t mes

sage

than

his

head

co

ach,

sayi

ng th

e te

am h

as d

one

mor

e th

an ju

st ut

ilize

the

atte

ntio

n.

“I fe

el li

ke th

e te

am h

as e

mbr

aced

all

the

me-

dia,

” H

urd

said

. “T

he p

ositi

ve is

sues

brin

g m

ore

atte

ntio

n to

our

pro

gram

. As f

or th

e m

ajor

stuf

f, th

e co

ache

s and

all

the

right

peo

ple

are

hand

ling

it in

the

right

way

. We

love

the

atte

ntio

n an

d w

e lo

ve b

eing

No.

6 in

pre

seas

on p

olls

but w

e

are

fight

ing

to b

e N

o.

1 in

the

coun

try.

”A

ny p

ress

is g

ood

pres

s, an

d rig

ht n

ow,

Tex

as A

&M

run

s cen

-te

r on

eve

ry p

rinte

r an

d ne

ws h

ub fr

om

New

Yor

k to

Lo

s Ang

eles

. I’l

l clo

se w

ith o

ne fi

nal t

houg

ht.

Late

last

sem

este

r, I

was

hav

ing

a co

nver

satio

n w

ith Ja

son

Coo

k, A

&M

’s se

nior

ass

ocia

te a

thle

tic

dire

ctor

for

exte

rnal

affa

irs, d

urin

g A

pril’

s liv

e br

oadc

ast s

prin

g ga

me

whe

n he

poi

nted

out

a

fact

that

has

stuc

k w

ith m

e th

roug

hout

eac

h of

M

anzi

el’s

offse

ason

ant

ics.

Tex

as A

&M

Uni

vers

ity is

a b

rand

137

yea

rs in

th

e m

akin

g. A

nd Jo

hnny

Foo

tbal

l?W

ell,

the

“leg

end”

has

n’t e

ven

reac

hed

its fi

rst

birt

hday

yet

. D

espi

te w

hat m

any

perc

eive

, Joh

nny

Man

ziel

do

es n

ot d

efin

e T

exas

A&

M, b

ut r

athe

r ac

ted

as

a ca

taly

st to

the

prog

ram

’s m

assiv

e re

bran

ding

ef

fort

ove

r th

e co

urse

of t

he p

ast y

ear.

Rat

her,

the

supe

rsta

r qu

arte

rbac

k’s p

erso

na

adds

yet

ano

ther

uni

que

aspe

ct to

the

Uni

vers

i-ty

’s id

entit

y, o

ne p

ositi

oned

to n

ot o

nly

last,

but

al

so th

rive

for

the

next

137

yea

rs a

nd b

eyon

d.

I wan

t not

hing

mor

e th

an

to w

rite

abou

t foo

tbal

l —

the

real

kin

d th

at

happ

ens b

etw

een

the

sidel

ines

, with

the

ma-

roon

and

whi

te, w

ith to

wel

s, sw

eat a

nd h

oars

e vo

ices

.So

you

’ll h

ave

to fo

rgiv

e m

e fo

r re

frai

ning

from

div

ing

into

the

Oly

mpi

c-siz

ed p

ool

of N

CA

A-r

elat

ed c

olum

ns o

f th

e la

st da

y-pl

us, e

ver

since

a

“joi

nt st

atem

ent”

from

the

NC

AA

and

Tex

as A

&M

sla

pped

The

Cho

sen

One

on

the

wris

t for

a v

iola

tion

of

the

“spi

rit”

of so

me

byla

w o

r an

othe

r.W

hen

we

start

talk

ing

abou

t the

“sp

irit”

of a

nyth

ing

the

NC

AA

scra

pes o

ff its

shoe

, th

at’s

my

cue

to le

ave.

T

he N

CA

A a

nd E

SPN

lost

and

man

y ot

hers

won

but

, re

ally

, onl

y on

e en

tity

wal

ks

away

with

out t

he si

tuat

ion’

s sti

nk o

n its

clo

thes

: the

12t

h M

an —

you

, me

and

thos

e so

phom

ores

with

the

obno

x -io

us w

ildca

t. T

he g

ame

of

the

year

, A&

M-A

laba

ma,

is

back

on,

and

it’s

com

ing

to

our

Kyl

e Fi

eld

livin

g ro

om. T

he

wor

ld w

ill

wat

ch a

nd

we’

ll ha

ve

the

best

seat

s in

the

hous

e.W

e ha

ve w

ork

to d

o, th

ough

. We’

ve m

ade

Col

lege

Sta

tion

toxi

c fo

r th

e M

anzi

els.

If Jo

hnny

doe

sn’t

have

a h

istor

ic p

rece

dent

, we

as fa

ns c

erta

inly

don

’t ha

ve

one

in A

ggie

land

. We’

re a

w

in-s

tarv

ed, f

orm

er B

ig 1

2 al

so-r

an w

ith a

nut

so-c

razy

fan

base

(of w

hich

I’m

a p

art,

I sh

ould

add

), th

en a

ll of

a su

d-de

n w

e’re

in th

e SE

C a

nd I

’m

telli

ng p

eopl

e I

expe

ct se

ven

win

s in

2012

and

that

soun

ds

craz

ily o

ptim

istic

and

then

H

OLY

CR

AP

IS T

HIS

TH

E SA

ME

GU

Y T

HA

T G

OT

A

RR

EST

ED?

We

have

n’t s

low

ed d

own

to c

atch

our

bre

ath

since

. N

eith

er h

as h

e. M

aybe

that

’s th

e pr

oble

m.

I th

ink

he k

now

ingl

y br

oke

the

rule

s and

I k

now

he

hasn

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how

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then

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turn

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an b

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this

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le ti

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r th

an th

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per-

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out t

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wha

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did

la

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ake

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quist

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ice

crac

k on

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way

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gger

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ll sa

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om h

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kittl

es

offse

ason

. And

futu

re a

thle

tes

will

take

a st

ab a

t em

ulat

ing

this

guy.

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nat

ion

liked

wha

t A

&M

did

last

year

so m

uch

it sn

appe

d up

our

res

iden

t fiv

e o’

cloc

k sh

adow

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nsiv

e co

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nato

r K

liff K

ings

bury

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dra

fted

the

best

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le in

A

&M

hist

ory

No.

2 o

vera

ll in

th

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FL d

raft.

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it c

augh

t on

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ple

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ies

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nd w

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last

seas

on: J

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anzi

el is

the

mos

t int

eres

ting

play

er w

e’ve

ev

er se

en, b

oth

on a

nd o

ff th

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ld.

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seas

on in

the

SEC

m

ade

our

coor

dina

tor

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x sy

mbo

l and

gav

e hi

m a

he

ad-c

oach

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ave

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ch a

n ho

nora

ry

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ampi

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nd

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ffers

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arte

rbac

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amou

s

amat

eur

athl

ete

in h

istor

y.

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t cou

ld th

is te

am d

o fo

r an

enc

ore?

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ould

win

. If

A&

M b

ecom

es w

hat t

he

vote

rs a

re h

intin

g at

, with

a

beef

ier

Man

ziel

, a st

ill-s

tout

of

fens

ive

line,

lead

ersh

ip in

th

e se

cond

ary

and

a pl

atoo

n of

sc

orch

ing-

fast

runn

ing

back

s an

d re

ceiv

ers —

that

’s th

e be

st te

am in

the

coun

try.

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t tea

m b

eats

Ala

bam

a,

goes

to D

eath

Val

ley

at n

ight

an

d to

ps L

SU a

nd p

uts a

way

O

le M

iss in

wha

t eve

ry tr

endy

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alys

t cal

ls a

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p ga

me.

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e m

ight

not

see

that

te

am. T

here

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stion

s, an

d Sa

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ay w

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answ

er

all o

f the

m. B

ut c

anno

ns w

ill

fire

and

Kan

ye’s

“Pow

er”

will

le

ad o

ur te

am o

nto

the

field

(in

clud

ing,

des

pite

the

odds

, th

e re

igni

ng H

eism

an T

roph

y w

inne

r). T

hat’s

eno

ugh

for

me. M

anzi

el h

asn’

t had

a c

hanc

e to

writ

e hi

s ow

n he

adlin

es

since

the

Cot

ton

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l. H

e’s

piss

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er M

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see

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and

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vers

ity

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ite

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amp

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pow

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s. T

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rs

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. As a

n un

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best

inte

rests

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mon

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pot (

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orks

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M, t

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NC

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M to

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BAT_08-30-13_A8-A9.indd 1 8/29/13 10:31 PM

GAMEDAYFOOTBALL 2013

WHERE TO GO

HOW TO GET THERE

P

transport.tamu.edu/football

Scan with your smartphone for more gameday info!

HEISMAN WATCH(WAY TOO EARLY)

JOHNNYMANZIEL

TEXAS A&M (0-0)SO QB #26’1 - 210

Manziel can stay in the hunt with “Johnny Football”-esque performances against nationally relevant opponents and inflated statistics against Texas A&M’s non-conference slate.

After leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated record last season, all eyes will be on Miller to see if the dual-threat quarterback can replicate his past results.

OHIO STATE (0-0)JR QB #56’2 - 215

BRAXTONMILLER

TEDDYBRIDGEWATER

With a weak schedule and dull conference slate a serious detractor, Bridgewater’s best chance to win over voters sits with an impressive stat line and an undefeated record.

LOUISVILLE (0-0)JR QB #56’3 - 196

JADEVEONCLOWNEY

With ESPN’s SportsCenter still playing replays of Clowney’s “The Hit” from last January, ex-pect the monster end to receive serious consid-eration from defensive junkies.

S. CAROLINA (1-0)JR DE #76’6 - 274

10

Lee Walker – THE DAILY GAMECOCKTHE LOUISVILLE CARDINIAL

FILE PHOTO Cody Cousino — THE LANTERN

heismaninsider

BAT_08-30-13_A10.indd 1 8/29/13 10:46 PM

LSULSU

Their bulldog wears that little jersey

QB Aaron Murraywill put on a clinic

In a coin flip, I always go SEC

If Vegas says it, it must be true

I have the minimal amount of loyalty

The Aggies are loaded,& Rice can’t compete

Man, I hope theygo easy on us

Johnny will arrive riding on a maroon chariot

LOL JOHNNY FOOTBALL

Don’t even question it

I want V-Tech, but it won’t happen

Texas A&M

Their mascot is a Hokie, & that’s special

V-Tech

Georgia

Horny toads shootblood out of their eyes

TCU

Texas A&M

The Tide roll over a weak V-Tech squad

Alabama

Georgia

The Bayou Bengals dominate on defense

Texas A&MTexas A&M

Virginia Tech can’t handle Saban’s wrath

Alabama

Prepared for Clemson to upset or be upset

Clemson

The Frogs get close to gigging the Tigers

LSU

Dont get used to it, Bama

Alabama

Hoping for an exciting game

Clemson

I don’t even kneaux

LSU

Confirmed: Nick Saban is a robot

Texas A&M

Alabama

My brother went to TCU and I want him to hurt

I have faith. Let’s go Ft. Worth

Texas A&M

Alabama

Georgia

TCU

Georgia

The Big 12 will rejoice as the SEC falls

Mike Gundy will prove he is a man

The cowbells are dumb and shouldn’t exist

save

be one of the first

Not only is it convenient but you save money by pre-ordering (if you haven’t) the 2014 Aggieland yearbook. Price is $81.19 (including shipping and sales tax) Go to http://aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2696 to order by credit card. Or drop by the Student Media office, Suite L400 in the MSC.

to have your portrait made for Texas A&M’s 2014 Aggieland yearbook. ALL STudenTS: have your portrait taken beginning Sept. 16 in Suite L400 of the MSC. Walk in 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or schedule an appointment by emailing arphototamu@gmail.com or calling 979.846.9690. It’s your yearbook. Be in it.

(7) Texas A&Mvs.

Rice

(1) Alabama*vs.

Virginia Tech

(8) Clemson vs.

(5) Georgia

(12) LSU*vs.

(20) TCU

Mississippi St.*vs.

(13) Oklahoma St.The OSU mascot’s

mustache is just creepy

Mississippi St.The Bulldogs’ offense

pulls off the upset

Mississippi St. OK State OK StateSEC all the way

Mississippi St. OK State

STAFF PICKSWeek One

thebattalion11

William GuerraGraphics Chief

Record: 0-0

Mark DoréManaging Editor

Record: 0-0

James SullivanSports EditorRecord: 0-0

Jake WalkerEditor-in-Chief

Record: 0-0

Jessica SmarrCopy ChiefRecord: 0-0

Sean LesterSports Desk Asst.

Record: 0-0

staff insider

*neutral site

BAT_08-30-13_A11.indd 1 8/29/13 10:49 PM

September 1

MSC Open House

KFC is hiring for all restaurant positions please apply online:

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puzzle answers can be found on page 13

the battalion

If You Have Something To Sell, Remember Classifieds Can Do It!

Call 845-0569

page12 thebattalion 8.30.2013

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Seniors, coaches prime infused youth

Expectations aren’t just high for the Texas A&M volleyball team in 2013, they also

come with a caution label. Warning: Team contains an influx of

young talent. The Aggies graduated all five starting se-

niors, but that didn’t stop Southeastern Con-ference coaches this offseason from voting the team as co-favorites to repeat as SEC West champions.

“It’s kind of built in that it’s motivating to match last years success in the SEC and as well as the tournament,” said A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli.

Though freshmen and sophomores may drive the team, it will not be without strong senior leadership.

Senior setter Allie Sawatzky and outside hitter Heather Reynolds will provide guid-ance as captains.

Sawatzky ranked fourth on the team last year in kills and has been the team’s starting setter for the past three years. Reynolds saw reserve time and has now emerged as a feature athlete on the squad.

“It’s definitely a struggle every year be-cause we always have such a great senior class,” Sawatzky said. “Last year was five of them on the court, but I think they did a good job of leaving experience and tips with younger players in their position for them to get better. Those players now will go on the court knowing what to expect.”

For Reynolds, the preseason tie with LSU for the SEC West crown wasn’t enough.

“We’re going to be competitive and I don’t think we should be tied with LSU in the West side,” she said. “We’re going to have our mo-ments where we may look like a young team, but I don’t think it’s going to affect us where we lose matches because of it.”

The Aggies will play a tough schedule that includes ranked matches against No. 15 Iowa State, No. 18 Florida State, No. 7 Michigan and conference foes Florida and LSU.

“We circle all of them because those are matches that are going to challenge us,” Cor-belli said. “Great teams like that expose you and the world to your weaknesses.”

The middle blocker position boils down to sophomore Shelby Sullivan and redshirt fresh-man Jazzmin Babers. Sullivan is still recovering from December’s major knee surgery, which she opted for after suffering an injury during the first round of the NCAA Championships.

Corbelli expects Sullivan to be back to 100 percent by conference play though she is scheduled to work with around the 75 percent limit during non-conference games.

The team that most fans will see on the court early in the season is certain to change with time, Corbelli said.

“We’re young, I’m not going to lie,” Cor-belli said. “We’re an untested group and the SEC is much improved from last year. We’re going to evolve, I can just see it now.”

The expectations for Corbelli and the Ag-gies are as high as they ever are at A&M com-ing off an SEC West title and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Championships.

“I think they are going to surprise a lot of people,” Corbelli said. “We’re definitely ca-pable of returning as the SEC West champion and the SEC Championship. We have to be-lieve it for sure before we could even see it. I know they believe they can.”

Sean Lester The Battalion

volleyballinsider 13

FILE

Senior Allie Sawatzky prepares a kill.

BAT_08-30-13_A13.indd 1 8/29/13 9:10 PM

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Compensation Age

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The air is electrified through the sea of maroon and white. Plates of food — brisket and hamburgers and hot dogs — pass between the hands of friends and

strangers. Red plastic cups slosh as people pitch washers and horseshoes. Aggies have waited impatiently for this moment all year.

Football season has arrived, and so have the tailgaters. Food has a way of uniting people. Tailgating bonds families,

friends, classmates and rival fans together. Macy McCasland, senior agricultural communications and journalism major, has been tailgating with her family since her freshman year.

“My dad was not an Aggie, but my stepmom and her whole family went to A&M so [tailgating] is a pretty big deal,” she said.

The Friday before game day, tailgaters eagerly await the horn to blow, signaling the time to claim a spot.

“My dad comes every Friday and waits at noon for the horn,” McCasland said. “He always has lot 97 by the ag build-ing. Usually everyone has their main tailgating spot, but you get there and you can’t mark off until noon on Friday. They blow a whistle and people go and get their area.”

After the lots have been claimed, tailgaters can begin to set up their tents and grills early Saturday morning.

“I just go and meet my dad the day of the tailgate,” Mc-Casland said. “If the game is at noon, my family is probably there by eight. They get there super early and stay super late. They make it an all-day deal.”

For McCasland, tailgating is first about family, but food is a close second.

“My favorite part is just free food my dad provides, hon-

estly,” she said. “We literally go over there, eat and leave.” Eric Baltodano, junior kinesiology major and a member of

the Kappa Sigma fraternity, helps set up his fraternity’s tailgate every year and said he enjoys interacting with the different fans.

“I like just hanging out and seeing everybody walk up,” he said. “It is fun to see all the other tailgates. Everyone is so friendly — they invite you in and talk to you. It’s a great way to make new friends and meet new people.”

Heath Bottoms, senior environmental design major, said tailgating can be a great marketing and networking opportuni-ty for businesses to mingle with clients and potential investors.

“I know that it is a big deal for companies to come down for the Aggie game, especially from closer places like Houston, because it is a good time for businesses to socialize with clients,” he said. “The busi-ness I worked with this summer loves it. They get up at 4 a.m. on Saturday so they can set up at six or seven.”

Tailgating can be a luxury for college stu-dents because there is an abundance of free food and drink.

“I don’t usually go to random tailgates because it is sort of awkward, but I know friends that have gone up to tailgates and everyone is usually cool with it, especial-ly when it is [a] big business because they want college recruitment and also it makes the tailgate look more awesome,” Bottoms said. “People want more people to come to their tailgate so they look more popular than others. It is attractive for businesses.”

Kyle Baldock, senior community health

Fire up the grillsMackenzie Mullis The Battalion

Graphic by Osa Okundaye — THE BATTALION

Free food brings fans together

David Cohen — THE BATTALION

Barbecue remains a Texas A&M fan favorite outside Kyle Field.

tailgateinsider 16

major, said though tailgates are a serious investment of time and work, they are always worth it.

“It is healthy for your soul,” he said. “Maybe not for your body, depending on what food is served and how much alco-hol is consumed.”

Garrett Oliver, junior agricultural leadership and develop-ment major, said he tailgates out of his backyard because he lives close to campus.

“I just like to tailgate,” Oliver said. “We live right behind Kyle Field and we have a big backyard on our lot. We always have a big cook out. We will probably do brisket, hot dogs and hamburgers for this game. We will also have a bunch of beer, obviously, because what is a tailgate without that?”

Oliver said he usually sets up his tailgate around 7:30 or eight in the morning to be ready for friends and strangers.

“We invite friends, but we also let random people come in,” Oliver said. “We’re not exclusive by any means, we invite everybody.”

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As a freshman on the Texas A&M volley-ball team in 2010, Heather Reynolds was

rumored to have a fierce competitive nature, something head coach Laurie Corbelli at first had a hard time seeing.

“She’s come a long way,” Corbelli said, laughing. “I wasn’t sure how competitive Heather was. When I was recruiting her, I did not realize how competitive she is.”

Now as a senior with the Aggies, Reyn-olds hardly expresses intimidating features in her personality. An interdisciplinary studies major with an emphasis in teaching, learning and culture, Reynolds has used her four years at A&M learning to balance her competitive edge with a calming nature.

Her nurturing personality has led her to po-sition as team captain in 2013 and has allowed her to serve the students of A&M.

Reynolds is a member of Aggie ALLY, a support group that provides a safe zone, listen-ing ear and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual

and transgender individuals. “I’ve always been taught that we’re all the

same and none of that matters,” Reynolds said. “On a conservative campus like this, it’s hard for a lot of people to accept stuff like that. I have a sticker I put on my binder. If anyone ever wants to talk to me they know they can come up to me and talk to me about stuff like that.”

Reyno ld s said she has had complete strangers or classmates call to talk about their situation, something she welcomes.

“I feel like people don’t feel intimidated by my presence,” the 6-foot-tall, outside hitter said. “They feel like they can talk to me about relationships, which is really hard in that com-munity to talk about sometimes. I feel like I have that chameleon factor to talk to some-one like they are a human being, and they

can relate to what I’m saying so we can get somewhere with the conversation.”

Reynolds has been able to use the same chameleon factors she uses as an ALLY to be-come a leader on this year’s young and slightly inexperienced volleyball team.

“Her and I talk a lot about what we want from this team and we’re always on the same page about the team goals and every-thing,” senior teammate Allie Sawatzky said.

“Ever since freshman year we’ve connected really well. She’s a really hard worker, a really strong player and a great leader.”

For a team that graduated five senior starters at the end of last season, Reynolds has played a vital role as she counsels her younger team-mates.

“Her major is education, so she not only has a natural instinct for being ‘the teacher’

type. She’s comfort-able in it and she’s had training in it,” Cor-belli said. “She’s not afraid to speak up and not really give direc-tion but give her in-sight. She very much gets that it’s her ac-tions that speak much louder than words.”

On the court, Reynolds is a con-stant competitor. That stems from growing up in a long line of athletes bearing the Reynolds name.

Her mom and dad were athletes at Lamar University, playing volleyball and baseball. Her grandfather was a four-year baseball player at Rice and her

great-grandfather was a Major League Baseball outfielder in the 1930s, playing against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

“I’m really proud,” Reynolds said. “I al-ways heard about my dad and granddad being these superstar athletes. I feel like I represented them well and I really don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t for them. They were my coaches, but they are also my biggest cheerleaders.”

As a freshman and sophomore on the Aggie squad, Reynolds sat the bench waiting for her opportunity — something that proved tough for the high school star, who also lettered in softball and tennis at Wharton High.

In the team’s second tournament of the sea-son a year ago at Yale, Reynolds was named to the all-tournament team, injecting a boost of confidence.

“I remember when it was announced that I got all-tournament I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” she said. “I never thought that with the talent we had on our team, that I would be one of the top ones other people would recognize.”

Reynolds, who hopes to be a school coun-selor after graduation, looks to be a fixture on the reigning SEC West champion Aggie team, but it will take a little bit of both her highly competitive side and her counseling nature to help propel this young Aggie squad.

“I want to be really motivated and I want to be intense,” Reynolds said. “I am a cap-tain and I’m really excited to see how it goes. Some of the freshmen last year went through what I went through my freshman year, so I can relate. I’m acting as a mentor to a lot of them.”

volleyballinsider 15

Counsel of the CourtSean LesterThe Battalion

Photos by Matthew Wong — THE BATTALION

Senior Heather

Reynolds is the 2013 Texas A&M

Volleyball team

Captain.

Reynolds combines competitive nature with teaching mentality

““I never thought that with the talent we had on our team, that I would be one of the top ones other people would recognize.” — Heather Reynolds, senior volleyball captain

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