COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY BOWL REPORT : COTTON : Adams Injures an Ankle

Texas A&M; defensive end Sam Adams, runner-up to Notre Dame offensive tackle Aaron Taylor for the Lombardi Award, sprained an ankle in practice at Texas Stadium on Monday and is not expected to work out for the remainder of the week. But Aggie Coach R.C. Slocum said he expects Adams to play Saturday in the Cotton Bowl against Notre Dame.

Notre Dame might have to play the Aggies without center Tim Ruddy, who suffered a hip injury in a victory over Florida State. He played the next week against Boston College, but not at the level that enabled him to become a second-team All-American.

Irish guard Brian Leahy sat out most of his team’s first workout in Dallas on Sunday after becoming ill during drills. Coach Lou Holtz said he suspected Leahy might have been allergic to the grass at Southern Methodist’s Ownby Stadium. “Maybe he didn’t know we were practicing on grass all year,” Holtz said.

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For the first time since 1970, the Cotton Bowl game will not be played on artificial turf. Natural grass was brought in for soccer’s 1994 World Cup.

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Considering the inclement weather in much of the country last weekend, and considering that its players were gathering in Dallas from 27 states, Notre Dame figured it was a minor miracle when only freshman center Rick Kaczenski of Erie, Pa., had not arrived by Sunday night. He was snowed in. Texas A&M; had no such problems. Only one of its 114 players is from outside the state of Texas.