COTTON BOWL : Defeating Irish Would Be Almost Perfect for Aggies

Southwest Conference champion Texas A&M; will try to make a case for a little respect today against Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.

Given the current shape of the college football polls, there isn’t much else the fourth-ranked Aggies--undefeated but unappreciated--can hope to get out of the game.

The Sugar Bowl will match No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Alabama, the nation’s only other unbeaten and untied teams. And the Cotton Bowl selection committee didn’t do the 12-0 Aggies’ title hopes any favors when it bypassed No. 3 Florida State in favor of fifth-ranked Notre Dame (9-1-1) and the hype and television ratings generated by the Irish.

It wasn’t long after the Cotton Bowl had announced its choice that fax machines in both the Cotton Bowl and SWC offices began humming with angry letters from A&M; fans. Among the most memorable: a drawing of a toilet accompanied by the description, “Hoss Brock Bowl,” a reference to Jim (Hoss) Brock, chairman of the Cotton Bowl selection committee.

A&M; players and coaches, however, appear determined to go after a 13-0 record and leave talk of polls and politics to others.

“It is a weird situation, winning all of your games and not having a chance at the national championship,” Aggie tight end Greg Schorp said. “People in the Southwest realize that A&M; has a good football team. Nationwide, people see us as undefeated, but not having played a great schedule. If we beat Notre Dame, we should get respect.”

The Aggies’ problem is they have played only two bowl teams, Stanford and Baylor, and beaten them less than convincingly--by three and six points respectively. Texas A&M; also struggled to defeat Texas Tech, 19-17, and Houston, 38-30, teams from the middle of the pack in the SWC.

In six games this season, the Aggies have trailed at halftime.

Notre Dame, in contrast, has a 4-1-1 record this season against bowl teams, including victories over Boston College, Penn State and USC to end the regular season.

Predictably, Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz has pounced on the Texas A&M; fans’ Irish-bashing as a motivational tool.

“We’re not going to apologize for being here,” he said. “We’ve seen all the articles. I know we weren’t wanted by some people. But you mark it down. We’re going to play well.”

Said Notre Dame linebacker Demetrius DuBose: “A lot of people don’t think we should be here.”

The game will be a curtain call for Notre Dame’s senior quarterback Rick Mirer, who has a 28-7-1 record in three years as a starter. Bowing out as well will be senior tailback Reggie Brooks, who has gained 1,343 yards this season.

The game also could mark the last collegiate appearance for junior fullback Jerome Bettis, who is considering making himself available for the 1993 NFL draft.

“Mirer, Bettis and Brooks,” Texas A&M; Coach R.C. Slocum said. “For what they do, they’re about as good as it gets. Plus, Notre Dame always has a big offensive line.

“Lou likes to control the football. The guy always wins. And how does he do it? Ball control. He’s at a place where he can recruit players to fit his offensive philosophy, and he’s doing that.”

Slocum’s strength is his defense, known as “the Wrecking Crew.” Led by linebacker Marcus Buckley and free safety Patrick Bates, a junior who transferred from UCLA, the Aggies have held opponents to an average of 117.7 yards rushing and an average of 14 points.

The Aggies have struggled on offense much of the season, but they have perked up in the last five games.

Much of the improvement can be traced to freshman quarterback Corey Pullig, who won the starting job from Jeff Granger nine games into the season. As a starter, Pullig has completed 49 of 91 passes (54%) for 699 yards and two touchdowns and has thrown only two interceptions.

Similarly, Notre Dame’s problem area--its defense--has shown marked improvement since it gave up 561 yards to Northwestern and 483 to Michigan State early in the season.

If there is a wild card to be considered, it is how Texas A&M; will deal with the loss of running back Greg Hill.

A 1,339-yard rusher this season as a sophomore, Hill was suspended a week ago because of NCAA infractions stemming from a summer job arranged by an Aggie booster. Three other Texas A&M; players, all reserves, also were suspended because of similar infractions.

The effect of Hill’s suspension could turn out to be minimal, however, because his replacement, sophomore Rodney Thomas, is quite a runner in his own right. Known for his bullish style, Thomas, also a sophomore, has carried the ball 154 times for 856 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

“It’s like you’ve got a Cadillac over there and a Mercedes over there,” Texas A&M; offensive coordinator Bob Toledo said of Hill and Thomas. “Which one do you want?”

As for the big picture, the Aggies, at least outwardly, simply want to show the college football world that their record is no fluke of luck or scheduling.

Said Slocum of the prospect of a 13-0 season: “That is a big motivating factor in the game for us. All year, we’ve been saying, ‘One more.’ Now, it’s, ‘One more to make it perfect.’ ”