The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire tradition began as a pile of scrap wood in 1907, built by students of the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Texas to celebrate their football team’s success on the field.
The first on-campus Bonfire event was held in 1909 to gather student excitement for a variety of sporting events. However, the tradition eventually became focused on the Aggies’ annual rivalry game against The University of Texas, held near Thanksgiving Day. The burning stack represented the schools’“burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u.” The tradition attracted 30,000 to 70,000 individuals and soon became an emblem of the Aggie Spirit.
The Bonfire burned annually through 1998, with the exception of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. The tradition saw many changes through-
out the years, including a transition from a “teepee” styled structure to a “wedding cake” style, in which upper log stacks were wedged on top of lower ones.
Bonfire was moved from Simpson Drill Field to Duncan Field, near the Corps of Cadets’ dormitories in 1955, where it stayed for 37 years. In 1992, the stack was moved to its final home on the Polo Fields.
Ninety-two years after the initial Bonfire, on Nov. 18, 1999, at 2:42 a.m., the 59-foot stack collapsed — resulting in the death of 12 Texas A&M students and injuring 27 others.
The Bonfire Memorial was dedicat-
ed five years later at the exact location of the fallen stack. Within the Memorial, the granite History Walk timeline details the 90-year history of Bonfire leading up to the collapse.The Spirit Ring consists of 12 portals representing the student lives lost and point toward the individuals’ hometowns. Connecting the portals are 27 stones representing students injured in the collapse.
Aggies gather at the Bonfire Memorial annually on Nov. 18 at 2:42 a.m. in remembrance of the lives lost 23 years ago.
Traditions are essential to the culture of Texas A&M, and with Bonfire, both old and new students come together to honor the memory.
Bonfire represented the Aggies “burning desire” to beat the University of Texas in football, but gradually became a symbol for the relationships between Aggies, according to the Bonfire Memorial website. It burned yearly until the collapse in 1999, which caused the death of 12 Aggies and injured 27. Aggies who were on campus during this time remember the pain felt throughout campus and the ways the community came together to heal. Student Bonfire continues, and although they are now located off-campus, students can still
participate in the event.
Gina Teafatiller, Class of 2001, said she remembers hearing about Bonfire while driving in her car to campus.
“They had done some sort of compilation song already,” Teafatiller said. “It was heart-wrenching. I just was crying in my car because it was just so sad to hear the news.”
Campus felt different on the day after Bonfire fell, Teafatiller said, and many Aggies needed time to grieve.
“I remember going to one of my classes, and the professor was just clearly heartbroken as well,” Teafatiller said. “She just looked at us and said, ‘You know what? I don’t really feel like being here today.’”
Teafatiller said traditions are an integral part of A&M culture, and despite the tragedy, continued to stay strong together.
“There’s so many special traditions that make the school what it is,” Teafatiller said. “Even though it was heartbreaking, it didn’t break us.”
To students currently on campus, Teafatiller said it’s important to remember the Aggie community in times of hardships.
“Just really appreciate the people around you and what you have,” Teafatiller said. “All of that kind of fellowship that you have around you is just so special and valuable.”
Autumn Hardin, Class of 2001, said she previously went out to cut and stack for Bonfire with her roommate, who was at Bonfire when it fell.
My roommate and I lived in Neely, and she was the crew chief for our dorm,” Hardin said. “When it fell, she wasn’t seriously injured.”
Hardin said she was at her sorority house when she first heard about the Bonfire tragedy.
“I remember having the news on and it was dark outside. It was really early in the morning and I was watching in disbelief,” Hardin said.
Seeing the community come together afterwards to heal was important, and Hardin said a lot was done both on and off campus to honor the Aggies who passed.
“Immediately afterwards, everyone created a memorial and people brought stuff for it,” Hardin said. “That year, when we
were supposed to actually have Bonfire, we had [a] memorial instead.”
Dion McInnis, Class of 2003, is a member of the board of directors at Student Bonfire and said bonfire, to him, means learning vital skills through experience.
“It doesn’t mean sacrifice. It means learning what sacrifice is and what leadership is,” McInnis said.
Some traditions of Student Bonfire include taping the freshmen’s legs, McInnis said, which is used to make sure the freshman is safe and has the best Bonfire experience.
“Every Bonfire is for the fish, so with those stripes, I can say, ‘You’re somebody who I should send on a fun errand, so that you can go meet people,’” McInnis said.
McInnis said the students are incredibly important for keeping traditions alive at A&M, and without them, the campus wouldn’t be where it is today.
“The truth that has always existed at A&M is that it is the students who created everything that matters,” McInnis said.
“Former students across generations are
proud of what the Bonfire Ag-
What Bonfire originally meant to Ol’ Army, before the 1999 Bonfire Collapse
December 2022 and May 2023 graduates prepare to walk Texas A&M’s campus one last time together.
On Nov. 16 at 7 p.m., Class Councils hosted A&M’s 100th Elephant Walk. A long-standing, tradition on-campus, Elephant Walk started in 1923 during the Class of 1926’s freshmen year after the football team lost its first two games, according to Aggie Traditions. In order to break the team’s “losing curse,” the freshmen Corps of Cadets band members paraded around Kyle Field, led by a piccolo player and a brass horn to a funeral march.
Three years later as seniors, the Class of 1926 took a last walk around campus together before graduation, walking one behind the other, like elephants. Since then, the event has been held annually before the last scheduled home football game. Graduating seniors join hands as they stroll through campus on a predetermined route, reminiscing on their time at A&M and listening to speakers at various campus locations.
Chancellor John Sharp said, in an email to The Battalion, that as the Class of 2023 celebrates Elephant Walk’s 100th year, it’s important Aggies continue to foster the beloved tradition.
“Any tradition that is celebrated for 100 years is worth celebrating for another 100 years,” Sharp said. “No one does tradition better than the Aggies.”
Sharp said one should celebrate their life transitions, as seniors do in Elephant Walk.
“It is important for all of us to reflect on significant moments in our lives, I can’t think of any time more transformative than when a group of ‘Fish’ become Aggies,” Sharp said. “We should celebrate that transition ... and our seniors joining fellow Former Students in service to their community, state, nation and alma mater.”
University studies senior and Senior Class President Laryssa Villarreal said Elephant Walk is a time for seniors to reflect on what their class has gone through together in the last three and a half years and to look at what they can do together in their last semester on campus.
“We are approaching graduation where some believe us to be irrelevant on campus now,” Villarreal said. “I believe that the Class of 2023 is going to have a great Elephant Walk as I believe we are a very close knit class.”
Planning Elephant Walk has been an extensive process, Villarreal said, dating back to the early summer. Villarreal said the speakers for Elephant Walk are very carefully selected and Class Councils chose each Elephant Walk stop for a particular reason.
“Our directors were selected in June and July so they’ve been working a pretty good amount of time so far,” Villarreal said. “What we’ve been doing is gathering speakers — I really wanted our class to be intentional with who we had speaking and where we were stopping. We built the route based on what [seniors] thought was important to our experience at Texas A&M.”
Villarreal said she believes the Class of 2023 has greatly served Texas A&M during the last three and a half years, which is what will make this year’s Elephant Walk so special. As senior class president, she said she is eager to have a front row spot leading the walk.
“[The Class of 2023] had probably one of the most unique experiences at any universi-
ty, but specifically here,” Villarreal said. “Our four years have looked very different than they traditionally would. But at a university like this, the traditions never stopped and the service never stopped.”
As senior class president, Villarreal said she is eager to have a front row seat leading the walk. Villarreal said Class Councils expect this year’s Elephant Walk to have a large number of attendees.
“Our amazing team has been working so hard this year to make sure that this is a successful event,” Villarreal said. “This year is 100 years of this tradition, which not many classes get to say about any event here. This is also the first year where we are inviting graduating graduate students … The Class of 2023 wants to serve and reach as many Aggies as they can.”
Industrial distribution senior Cole Murphy, executive chair of class councils and a Class of 2023 agent, said during Elephant Walk he is most looking forward to spending time with his classmates and has enjoyed seeing the senior class come back together after being sep-
arated during the heart of the pandemic.
“Our time at A&M is different from anyone else’s, just because we were freshmen when COVID[-19] hit and so we lost our sophomore year,” Murphy said. “Those years where we were supposed to settle into our time in Aggieland got taken away from us … Now we’re able to come back and reflect on our time here A&M as a class.”
Murphy said it’s jarring that the Class of 2023 is nearing graduation, as it feels like his time at A&M has just started.
“It’s really hitting me now like, ‘Wait, our four years at A&M are almost over. Our time in Aggieland is coming to an end.’ We were freshmen four years ago, but it feels like it was yesterday,” Murphy said.
Murphy said to the Class of 2023 — show up to the walk and bring your friends.
“To my class — enjoy it while it lasts,” Murphy said. “Enjoy our remaining semester and make the most of it. Make it be everything we want it to be and let’s leave our mark.”
University president meets with faculty, addresses concerns
By Jack Lee @JackTheBattof university leadership, who fielded questions from faculty senators regarding campus renovations, online education, study abroad programs and more.
An unnamed faculty senator asked via Zoom chat what Banks’ plan for renovating campus infrastructure was. The senator cited failing elevators, among other concerns.
“There is a question in the chat, and it has to do with deferred maintenance,” geography professor Andrew Klein, Ph.D., said on behalf
Texas A&M scientists have pioneered a new technology with implications for stem cell research, public health and renewable energy.
Electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student Yuwen Li and his advisor, electrical and computer engineering professor Arum Han, Ph.D., recently authored a paper featured on the cover of scientific journal “Biomedical Microdevices,” concerning the development of a device capable of entrapping a biological cell and analyzing its properties.
Han said the device allows a cell to pass into it and creates an electric field around it. The cell is then trapped in the device due to electric repulsion, blocking it from escaping into its surroundings.
“If you have tiny objects sitting in a solution, and you apply an electric field, depending on the difference [in electric charge between the objects and their surroundings], they will either be attracted to a high electric field region, or be repelled away from a high electric region,” Han said. “In this case, we use multiple electrodes to kind of trap it in the center [of the device].”
Once the cell is locked in place, Han said the device analyzes differences in the biophysical properties between cells, distinguishing them from one another. The devices primarily analyze differences in the cells’ ability to insulate themselves from the electric field applied to them, or dielectric properties.
“For example, a cell that is producing some [fats] due to infection has different biophysical properties compared to non-infected cells,” Han said. “When we measure the dielectric property difference between cells, that can tell
us a lot about what these cells are doing.”
Han said the team first started developing the technology intending to find a species of algae capable of naturally producing oil. Algae species that store fats inside of them have recently received interest as a cheap and renewable source of energy.
“We want a microorganism that can produce lots of fuel and grow really fast, because that will be highly productive,” Han said.
“You get a lot of [algae cells] and now you have to go to measure each one of these cells to find which one of them is generating lots of biofuel. In that application example, the cell that is producing lots of oil will have certain dielectric properties. I’m going to use my device to probe the dielectric properties of these different cell types and select what is the most productive cell.”
Li, the lead author of the study, said he is looking further into medical applications of the technology. An application for the technology Li is particularly excited about is identifying and separating important cells, such as stem cells, from a tissue sample.
“If we have a collection of cells, through our technology, we can quickly screen out the cells we want,” Li said. “That could save a lot of time for [scientists and doctors] to isolate the cells that they need.”
In the future, Han said the team wants to expand the number of cells the device can analyze at a given time, in order to fully realize the device’s capabilities.
“The pharmaceutical industry and bio-manufacturing and synthetic biology community would like to start utilizing this technology, but only if they can do these highly accurate measurements in a highly parallel, fast way,” Han said. “The next step is, can we make this measurement 1,000 times faster, while still having a very accurate measurement? That will be where a real translational impact can occur.”
of the senator. “It has to do with elevators that are going out and stuck … long lines.”
Banks said that $22 million dollars had already been dedicated to campus maintenance, but acknowledged the funding wasn’t sufficient. Banks said she is looking to add an additional $8 million to the renovation budget.
“Right now we spend approximately $22 million dollars a year for deferred maintenance across campus,” Banks said. “We have determined that we need more money than that —
in fact, we need a great deal more — but the amount of money we are able to contribute in addition to the $22 million is an additional $8 million dollars.”
Professor of engineering technology Jorge Alvarado, Ph.D., asked about Banks’ position on online master’s degree programs being offered by the university.
“Many departments in the university offer
The Texas A&M football team is no longer in contention for a bowl game after incurring its sixth straight loss to the Auburn Tigers. When it comes to the state of our football team, students have strong opinions.
As of Nov. 12, the Aggies have the worst conference record among any SEC football teams in the East or West division. Students commonly summed up the season with the same one word: disappointment.
The Aggies started off the season with a domineering win over Sam Houston State. However, the win was followed by a shocking loss to Appalachian State. Biomedical sciences junior Anna Schneider said she thought the Aggies would bounce back after the loss.
“I thought we would have made serious adjustments early on in all aspects of the [sea son] because that loss was so embarrassing,” Schneider said.
Psychology sophomore Justice Jenson said despite the hiccup against Appalachian State, the loss to Alabama felt worse.
“The Alabama loss hit the hardest because we were two yards away from victory,” Jen son said. “I believe we could have won that game by a solid amount if Jimbo [Fisher] had an offensive coordinator. I think he is a good coach, but he has too much on his plate.”
Although the Aggies won’t see a bowl game for the first time in over 10 years, there is still faith to be had in Fisher, Jenson said.
SENATE CONTINUED
online masters, but on the other hand, many departments don’t,” Alvarado said. “So, what is your vision when it comes to online education?”
Banks said while the decision to implement online degree programs was up to individual departments, her office supported departments that chose to offer online programs.
“It really depends on the school or the col lege to come forth with these ideas,” Banks said. “We’re here to support. If you have a market, or an interest, and the faculty have a desire to teach online, then I think we should think about it.”
Another unnamed senator said, via chat staff, that turnover within their department was an issue and asked what steps A&M was
“I believe [Jimbo Fisher] is a good head coach who needs to hire an offensive coordi nator,” Jenson said. “Frankly, he is not a very good offensive coordinator. As a leader, or ganizer, recruiter and developer, I absolutely still have faith.”
Schneider said she felt the complete oppo site.
“It’s hard to still have faith in him when his post-game comments and promises are not being kept,” Schneider said. “I have seen al most no improvement throughout the entire season.”
While there are mixed feelings about Fish er as a head coach, there is work to be done about the team overall. With our pass protec tion statistic ranking 14th in the SEC this year, Jenson said the offensive line needs to improve in order to win.
“The loss of sophomore center Bryce Fos ter has obviously been devastating,” Jenson said. “We have got to keep our young [quar terbacks] with good developmental traits, and it’s hard to fast track their development with a bad [offensive line].”
Schneider said this improvement needs to start on the other side of the ball.
“A couple of our losses were by small mar gins,” Schneider said. “Those could have been completely different if we were able to stop the other teams’ offense consistently. We have seen a fluctuation in our offense abilities with different quarterbacks, but our defense has had little improvement.”
It is apparent that A&M’s losing record af fects the future of Aggie football. The team has already experienced a decommitment from the No. 1 five-star linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., with Jenson saying this may not be a bad thing.
taking to improve retention.
“Staff turnover continues to be a chal lenge,” Klein read on behalf of the senator. “Is there something that can be done that can help alleviate this situation where we see frequent turnover in staff?”
Banks said making A&M a place staff members can work at for their whole careers — rather than a stepping stone — by offer ing professional development services is the centerpiece of the administration’s strategy to retain staff.
“The whole process of professional devel opment will be very unique in a university setting,” Banks said. “We want to see Texas A&M as a place where someone can spend their entire career, not just a job for two to three years.”
“We will likely see some transfers this off season, but maybe that is for the best,” Jenson said. “We can weed out the players that do not really love Aggie football. This allows us to keep more closely to our identity.”
It has been a tough season for the 12th Man. Nevertheless, the spirit of Aggieland prevails.
Professor of journalism and Faculty Senate speaker Dale Rice said peer universities had raised faculty pay to combat inflation, and questioned why A&M had not done the same.
“We see many of our peer institutions, and many of those in the SEC, raising base salaries higher than A&M was able to do,” Rice said. “I’m wondering to what degree you are con cerned about faculty [and staff salaries] falling behind in a period of high inflation compared to our peer institutions.”
Banks suggested the peer universities men tioned by Rice raised faculty salaries by in creasing tuition, and said A&M had to consid er student affordability before raising faculty salaries.
“I would ask that you look at those univer sities that have had a high increase in salaries
Schneider said she went to all of the games because of the tight-knit community of A&M.
“I will always be proud to be an Aggie,” Schneider said. “Although it is more fun to be a part of a winning football organization, there are plenty of other reasons to feel proud that we are at A&M.”
and determine if they had an increase in tui tion as well,” Banks said. “As you all know, we did not have an increase in tuition last year … We must consider affordability.”
Other questions that Banks received in cluded whether faculty members should be able to serve as academic advisors, how A&M can raise its ranking among national universi ties, how leadership would ensure niche and underfunded departments wouldn’t be pun ished for small class sizes and how departments can retain staff members without raising sala ries. Banks delegated responsibility for these issues to the concerned colleges.
“It’s really up to each college or dean to determine how their unit can excel,” Banks said. “Maybe even down to the departmental level.”
universities are establishments that encourage open thought and free dialogue, or because young students make a more gullible audience than expert politicians and scientists.
Nonetheless, when taking the time to analyze and pick apart his arguments at locations such as these, fallacies and twisted truths surmount. From mask mandates to pronouns, abortion to transgender rights, listeners are subject to opinions supplemented with “facts” and presented as truth.
For example, at our very own university, Shapiro said there is “literally no evidence” to support that getting vaccinated prevents others from getting COVID-19. On the contrary, John Hopkins Medicine, one of the most renowned medical and scientific institutions in the nation, states that widespread vaccination helps limit spread through communities and restricts the virus’s opportunity to mutate into new variants. Extensive research and experts in the field support the same conclusion.
Among other topics, Shapiro also targeted the LGBTQ+ community, saying that “there is a trendiness to identifying a certain way” — a claim aimed toward gender identity and its implications for individuality. However, studies prove links between “transgenderism” and “social contagion,” as said by Shapiro, to be false.
Is this truly a voice we want to bestow a platform?
Two weeks ago, the Texas A&M Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, opened Aggieland’s arms to Ben Shapiro and invited him to speak with students.
A UCLA and Harvard Law School graduate, Shapiro is the author of 11 books and the founder of media outlets like The Daily Wire and “The Ben Shapiro Show” podcast. A noted political commentator, media host and author, he has gained traction as an infamous figure in American popular culture. What defines his entire career and reputation, however, are his radical conservative opinions.
In simple terms, Shapiro makes a living from “proving” leftists wrong.
In Q&As, podcasts and other appearances, Shapiro rebukes left-wing ideas using great condescension intermingled
with wit, typically employing faulty logic to create a facade of strong argumentation. Alas, his confident deliverance and know-it-all character animate otherwise hollow tirades, encouraging his followers to soak in every word. An idol of objective truth to conservatives, but a Gish-galloping danger to rationality everywhere.
Take his discussion in Rudder Auditorium, for instance. Responding to a question about demasculinization, Shapiro absurdly claimed that men being stripped of their role as a protector leads to the downfall of society.
Though he began by encouraging young men to serve in their community, a valid word of advice, illogical reasoning quickly spoiled the argument.
“Either men are going to channel their aggression and their testosterone into the pursuit of defending things that are worth defending, or they’re going to tear down society. And what we are seeing right now is the latter,” Shapiro said.
To clarify, the “things worth defending” include women and family.
How exactly, are men denied of their “instincts” to blame for issues like wealth disparity? Climate change? Minority injustice? Health care accessibility? The scope of America’s problems arguably extends beyond evolving gender norms. Furthermore, this narrative relies on one key assumption: women need or want protection. An oppressive, albeit, accepted standard in the 1950s but an expectation that carries little importance or relevance in today’s world.
Perhaps Shapiro should direct men toward therapy to remedy their inner turmoils, instead.
All things considered, while I fundamentally disagree with Shapiro’s political ideologies, my main point of contention lies in his influence on young thinkers and moldable minds.
Shapiro likes to target college campuses for his political discourse — it remains unclear if this is due to the fact that
Regardless of political standing, there are better options out there — important leaders, significant authors, passionate researchers — than a man who charges upwards of a hundred thousand dollars to spread misinformation and purportedly debunk liberal myths. At the end of the day, all of Shapiro’s discourses simply breed ignorance and fuel “I’m right, you’re wrong” mentalities.
Ideally, student organizations like YAF should focus their efforts on promoting figures who encourage healthy political discussion and bring informed opinions to the table. College is an environment of free thinking and open debate, but that should not come at the cost of rationality.
For it is this dishonesty, biased framing of issues and consequent polarization that one could argue are ripping through the fabric of society. Not “unmasculine” men.
Ana Sofia Sloane is a political science sophomore and opinion columnist for The Battalion.
Opinion writer Ana Sofia Sloane says misinformation and bigotry has no place on university campuses
Political commentator Ben Shapiro speaks to the A&M community in Rudder Auditorium on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
Jonathan Taffet--- THE BATTALION
By Brad Bennett @Brad_Bennett13
The tale of this year’s Texas A&M football team has been one of disappointment. A brunt of the disappointment has been directed at coach Jimbo Fisher and the struggles of A&M’s offense. Outside of excellent junior running back Devon Achane, every other aspect of the unit has struggled.
The Aggies’ offense has also experienced a lot of turnover due to various suspensions, benchings and injuries. The most prominent example of this is at the quarterback position, where A&M has so far has had three different starters.
Last week’s game against Auburn was no different as the unit continued its lackluster play. A&M’s 13-10 loss dropped its record to 3-7 and was its sixth loss in a row.
For most of the game, A&M’s offense struggled to even get points on the board, as it scored all of its points in the fourth quarter. There wasn’t a single aspect of the game where A&M’s offense excelled, as its rushing attack wasn’t the same due to the absence of junior running back Devon Achane, and true freshman quarterback Conner Weigman struggled mightily. Weigman only managed to complete 14 of his 36 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Fisher put some of the blame for A&M’s offensive struggles on the coaching staff.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Fisher said. “Offensively, we did not perform very well. Did not do the things we needed to do. [We have] got to get them in better [positions] and coach better.”
A&M has the privilege of hosting the University of Massachusetts on Saturday, Nov. 19. For the season, UMass’ record stands at 1-9. With its lone win coming on a 20-3 vic-
tory against Stony Brook. Somehow, A&M has managed to find itself an opponent that is struggling more than they are.
The issue for UMass this season has been that they give up a lot of points on defense. The unit gives up an average of 30 points per game, so it would appear A&M has an opportunity to find success on Saturday.
The defensive player to watch out for on the Minutemen is defensive lineman Marcus Cushnie. The redshirt senior has accumulated 5.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in his 2022 campaign. A&M’s offensive line struggles have been well documented, so expect Cushnie to play well if its struggles were to continue.
Fisher pushed back against the idea that this week’s matchup against UMass will be an easy one, saying they are a team A&M has to take seriously.
“Any game is a good time to reset,” Fisher said. “I say a reset, this is a game against a [team] that [causes] a lot of [issues]. A lot of different fronts [and] blitzes. They’re a very tough team to
prepare for, and we need to prepare very well.”
Another issue for A&M’s offense is Achane’s health. Fisher said he expects the star running back to return this season but didn’t comment on his availability for Saturday’s game. Achane’s return would give the offense a much-needed shot in the arm as the team enters the home stretch of its regular season.
Saturday’s matchup against the Minutemen would seem to line up well for a maroon and white offense as it looks to build momentum for both next week’s game against No. 6 LSU and their 2023 season.
Senior receiver Jalen Preston said A&M’s looking at its game against UMass as a chance to show they are better than its 3-7 record would indicate.
“We’re playing to get this chip off our shoulder,” Preston said. “Obviously, we’ve been losing, and we’re just trying to prove something. With UMass coming up, hopefully we can come out here and dominate them.”
By Grant Gaspard @grant_gaspard
Texas A&M football has reached that point of the season where they can sit back, relax and enjoy a nice cup of independent football and take a break from the torture and abuse SEC football has been handing it the past seven weeks.
On Nov. 19, the University of Massachusetts Minutemen will march onto a field that is similar in appearance to its own, however, lacks the size and magnitude of the opposing fan base.
Massachusetts sits last out of independent schools with a 1-9 record and, coincidentally, has not held a lead for at least a minute in its past
seven games.
Is this a game that the A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin should take lightly, or a matchup that he should take advantage of and straighten out the numerous kinks that have been haunting the defense all season?
This Massachusetts offense is controlled by offensive coordinator Steve Casula who is best described as an individual with an analytical mind and calls a run-heavy offense. Casula was an offensive analyst at the University of Michigan for three years under a system that averaged over 200 yards rushing per game in his last season and earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs for the first time in the school’s history.
Similar to the Aggies, the Minutemen are down to their third quarterback of the season. Sophomore quarterback Brady Olson is on his fifth game as quarterback and has been
struggling to dig this Massachusetts team out of a hole. Olson has completed 51.4% of his passes out of 107 attempts and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns with two and six, respectively. However, Olson is reportedly dealing with a head injury and is uncertain for the game against A&M, meaning redshirt sophomore Garrett Dzuro may be in line to play.
Unfortunately for A&M, this is not their game plan and hasn’t been all season. Casula loves the run, and it shows in the stat sheet as he has called runs on 448 out of the 677 total plays on offense this season.
Senior running back Ellis Merriweather has taken the majority of the snaps at the tailback position and leads the team in rushing yards with 479. The Georgia native had a season-high performance last week against Arkansas State as he rushed for 122 yards on
29 attempts and brought home two touchdowns.
The Minutemen should be clicking their heels together in excitement, as they will compete against a defense that has given up, on average, 220.6 rushing yards per game. Durkin’s defense has continued to struggle against opposing rushers all season and has yet to find the answer for stopping the run.
With bowl contention now out of reach, this A&M defense now has nothing to lose heading into its last two games of the regular season.
“I feel like we’re just playing for our names,” senior safety Demani Richardson said. “We’re competitors.”
In terms of who is available to play and who isn’t come game time, that has yet to be released as A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said everyone injured is listed as “day-to-day.”
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A&M anticipates runheavy offense by UMass
By Zoe May @MayZoella
Saturday, Nov. 19 — Kroger Field — Lexington, Ky. 2:30 p.m. on CBS
Heading into Week 12, the Georgia Bulldogs still hold on to their 10-0 record this season, strengthening their bid to return to the College Football National Championship. The Wildcats, however, spent their Week 11 giving the 3-6 Vanderbilt Commodores a win to break their five-game losing streak. The Bulldogs, who shut out the Commodores 55-0, will be no different to Kentucky as senior quarterback Stetson
Bennett will probably throw close to, if not upwards of, 300 passing yards, and it will be another show of a dominant Bulldog football program. Kentucky has been struggling to develop a passing game, with only 109 passing yards against Vanderbilt, and with the wide-spread Georgia defensive backs and the pressure from the Bulldog defensive line, the Wildcats will likely continue to struggle this weekend.
Saturday, Nov. 19 — Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Ark. 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network
Following their performance in Week 11, holding now-No. 6 LSU to a 3-point win, the Razorbacks will face another top-15 opponent in the No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels were barely nudged out by their then-No. 9 opponent Alabama, despite 212 passing yards and 191 rushing yards. The Razorbacks finished with 116 passing yards between senior quarterback Cade Fortin and sophomore quarterback Malik Hornsby.
Arkansas’ defense put on a show against the Tigers, forcing multiple turnovers throughout the game. The Ole Miss hurry-up offense might prove a new challenge for the Razorbacks, but they will be able to hold them enough to keep the game interesting.
Prediction: Ole Miss 17, Arkansas 14
Saturday, Nov. 19 — Williams-Brice Stadium — Columbia, S.C. 6 p.m. on ESPN
The Volunteers are looking to secure their place in the College Football Playoffs by securing wins in the next two weeks. Sitting at 9-1 overall with their only loss being to now-No. 1 Georgia and one of their nine wins being a home-turf topple of then-No. 1 Alabama, Tennessee has been consistently trampling opponents. The Volunteers’ opponents, the South Carolina Gamecocks, had a rough go of it in Week 11 with a 38-6 loss to Florida, a team that Tennessee managed to beat earlier this season. The Gators ran over
Prediction: Tennessee 45, South Carolina 24
Saturday, Nov. 19 — Jordan-Hare Stadium — Auburn, Ala. 3 p.m. on SEC Network
With Auburn’s 13-10 victory over Texas A&M, its bowl-game hopes are still alive. However, before they can secure their place, the Tigers have two more weeks of play, first taking on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Auburn totaled 270 yards last week against A&M with junior running back Tanks Bigsby and sophomore running back Jarquez Hunter putting up 242 of those yards with 121 net rushing yards each. But redshirt freshman quarterback Robby Ashford only threw for six completions on 13 attempts
with two interceptions, so there is a clear favorite for the Tigers between play on the ground and in the air. On the other hand, the Hilltoppers, who sit 7-4 overall and 5-2 in their conference, held their Week 11 opponent, Rice, to 165 net rushing yards, and their graduate quarterback Austin Reed threw for 377 yards with 23 completions on 33 attempts. I think Western Kentucky will put on a show and put up a fight, but Auburn’s desperation and ‘nothing to lose’ mentality will put them over the edge.
more yards against A&M this season. Recently, Ole Miss freshman running back Quinshon Judkins eclipsed 200 yards and Auburn had a pair of running backs run for 121 yards each. As the season has progressed, rather than the Aggies’ defense improving, it has seemed to regress against the run.
The Minutemen are led on offense by an upperclassman who transferred into the program. Graduate running back Ellis Merriweather is a former two-star recruit who played at Garden City Community College before transferring as a three-star prospect in 2020. He leads UMass in scrimmage yards after coming into form late in the season, totaling 498 yards and three touchdowns. Merriweather had 29 carries for 122 yards and two scores in the Minutemen’s Week 12 loss to Arkansas State.
“We’ve been waiting for this kind of an output, and we got it out of him [Saturday], so we were pleased for him, pleased for our offense, and obviously it’s exciting to see him get going,” Brown said. “Hopefully that kind of ignites him for the last couple weeks.”
However, Massachusetts’ offense has struggled to find stability at arguably the most important position on offense: quarterback. Four different players have suited up at the position for UMass, contributing to the team’s inconsistency that has pitted the team with the third-worst offense in terms of yards per game.
On their defense, the Minutemen are best supported by their front seven. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Marcus Cushnie, a Florida State transfer, and senior linebacker Jalen Mackie each have 11.5 tackles for loss, a top-40 mark in the nation. Junior defensive lineman Billy Wooden is close behind with 5.5 tackles for loss, and Cushnie leads the team with 5.5 sacks.
By Jordan Epp @j_epp22
Saturday, Sept. 24, was the last time the Texas A&M football team won a game. With the Aggies’ active losing streak extending to six with the loss to Auburn, the Massachusetts Minutemen provide a chance to end the suffering of a group of men who have not won in a minute.
The Aggies have shown woes on the road, losing all four true road games this season. Even Kyle Field, the mecca of A&M football, has not been the impenetrable force fans remember from the past. In College Station, the maroon and white are 2-3 on the season, facing losses at the hands of the Appalachian State Mountaineers, the Ole Miss Rebels and the Florida Gators.
The backstretch of A&M’s schedule is interesting; with two weeks left in the college football season, none of the remaining teams have any stakes left in the matchups. The 3-7
Aggies have been eliminated from postseason eligibility. Their upcoming opponent, UMass, is 1-9, sporting a seven-game losing streak. A&M and Massachusetts are facing off for the first time in the programs’ history. The following week, the Aggies’ end-of-season rivalry game with LSU comes after the Tigers have already locked in their berth to the SEC championship as the SEC West’s representative.
“We’re playing for each other and Texas A&M,” coach Jimbo Fisher said. “You’ve got Texas A&M on your jersey. You play for your teammates, and you play for yourself because you’re sending a message of who you are and what you are.”
Between 1998 and 2007, the Minutemen won a national title and five conference titles in the Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS. In 2012, UMass was promoted to the Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, joining the Mid-American Conference, or MAC. Since 2016, the Minutemen have been independent.
Since its promotion, though, UMass has struggled to find its footing. The Minutemen had an overall record of 8-40 while in the MAC and have gone 13-61 since becoming independent. Just like the Aggies, they are not
bowl-eligible this season.
In Week 11, Massachusetts fell just short of its second win of the season. The team had not won since Week 3 when the Minutemen beat Stony Brook, an FCS school. Against FBS competition, UMass has not been victorious this season. Week 11 saw the Minutemen fall 35-33 after a failed 2-point conversion cost them a chance at victory in overtime.
“I thought we had a good plan, I thought there was a good mix of run and pass,” UMass coach Don Brown said. “When you have a team that you’re working hard to develop, it’s nice to see certain guys, when they get their opportunity, to make the most of it, and that’s one of the reasons you can see the benefits of it [offensively].”
Statistically, the biggest mismatch between the Minutemen and the Aggies is in the passing game. UMass averages 120.3 passing yards per game, the sixth-worst mark in the country, while A&M allows just 162.2 yards per game, the seventh-best mark. Conversely, the biggest advantage for the team from Amherst, Mass, comes in its running game. While the Minutemen have a middle-of-the-pack rushing attack, the Aggies have had one of the worst running defenses in the country.
Seven different players have run for 100 or
For the Aggies, the key will be finding its footing offensively. After a historic performance for an A&M freshman from quarterback Conner Weigman against Ole Miss in his debut, he struggled to find himself against an Auburn defense that consistently applied pressure his way. It did not help either that sophomore wideout Moose Muhammad III did not play for disciplinary purposes and junior running back Devon Achane was out with injury, adding further insult and injury to a depleted Aggie roster.
“It’s very important to come out here against UMass, and we just want to dominate them,” senior wide receiver Jalen Preston said. “We want to go out these last two games and play Texas Aggie football.”
Out of postseason contention, A&M’s team has nothing to lose besides games and pride. With their backs against the wall, the Aggies can continue to go down or can go down swinging. In a season marred by inconsistency and underwhelming results based on preseason expectations, UMass could give A&M a chance to get back on track, acting as a late-season correction or as another blemish on an already-disappointing season for the Aggie faithful.
A&Mfootball
looks to redirect course versus UMass, hopes to earn first win in two months
Closing statement: Seniors end season
Aggies set for season finale against Missouri Tigers in away doubleheader
Heading into the team’s midweek matchup against LSU, the Aggies posted a four-game losing streak. With a 12-14 overall record and 4-11 conference record before the LSU match, the maroon and white look to finish off the season with a much-needed win.
Missouri is currently ranked last in the SEC with an 8-15 overall record and a 1-12 record in conference play with a six-game losing
streak before facing off against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Wednesday.
Unfortunately for A&M, one of the team’s best offensive weapons will miss the rest of the season due to injury, but it’ll allow others a chance to show their talents, A&M coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn said.
“[Freshman opposite hitter] Logan [Lednicky] is out for the rest of the season,” Kuhn said. “I’m bummed for her, and she had a great freshman season and start to her career here. Now, we have the opportunity for other people to step up and fill in those gaps and roles. We’ve seen it from different people and positions, but now it’s about being consistent.”
Before Lednicky’s injury, it seemed that some players had already stepped up in other positions, but the middle attack is still being prioritized, Kuhn said.
“Even prior to that down in Auburn, [sophomore outside hitter] Mia Johnson has stepped up,” Kuhn said. “She’s playing six rotations on the left for us, and now that gives us
The NCAA cross country championship is Saturday, Nov. 19. While neither of the Texas A&M men’s or women’s cross country teams qualified for the team spots, sophomore Jonathan Chung will be representing the Aggies at the championship.
Chung is one of 38 participants that will compete in the individual men’s event, and is also the first Aggie men’s cross country runner to qualify for the NCAA Championship since junior Eric Casarez in 2019.
Chung qualified for the championship by placing sixth with a time of 30:35.1 in the 10,000-meter race at the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday, Nov. 11.
A&M distance coach Wendell McRaven praised Chung for his hard work and spoke on how it got him to this point.
“When I look back at Jonathan [Chung’s] progression, it’s been 18 months of just doing the little things and the right things,” McRaven said. “He’s become a guy that’s a great example of our younger athletes with the work he’s put in to be where he’s at today.”
Ahead of the race, Chung shared what he hopes to accomplish and said he wants to take the challenge head on.
“I think I just need to go out there and
compete to the best of my ability,” Chung said. “So I’m kind of just taking it all in, and the most important thing is to do it with a smile on my face.”
some flexibility. Middles are still key for us to get involved in offense. Now that right side, obviously we lost a lot of kills in Logan [Lednicky,] but we need people to do their job and keep the balance of our offense.”
Another area of importance for the Aggies is keeping a consistent first touch as staying in system makes the setters’ jobs easier, Kuhn said.
“There’s always some type of strategy,” Kuhn said. “When we’re in system, it’s easy for them to feel and see the block and be able to play the game. Now out of system, you technically go to your pins when you’re that out of system, so that first contact is huge for us.”
As the season winds down, the team is staying true to its game and who they are as a unit to finish this campaign strong, Kuhn said.
“This team, I love them,” Kuhn said. “They fight and grind, and now it’s the same message of how can we lock in, execute and do our jobs, knowing who we are and how
we play. Getting to go on the road as a team is just a time for us to spend together. This team has bonded, and they definitely grind, and now it’s just putting the body of work together and finishing strong.”
For seniors and graduate students like graduate libero Allison Fields, senior outside hitter Ciera Hecht and others, this is the end of their careers in Aggieland, which makes this week that much more exciting, Kuhn said.
“Their drive and their love of this place and program is so special,” Kuhn said. “That’s why I think this week is going to be awesome for our team and our program because we get to honor them. The fight that this team has played with this year, I’m proud of them. Yes, we need to execute and finish, but for them to all come together it has a big impact from these seniors.”
The match on Saturday will begin at 6 p.m., while Sunday’s game will start at 3 p.m., inside Mizzou Arena.
Graduate OH Caroline Meuth (16) spikes the ball during A&M’s match against Alabama at Reed Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022.Luca Yaquinto— THE BATTALION The Texas A&M volleyball team is set to finish its season with a two-game series against Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20.
As the Texas A&M men’s basketball team heads to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to take part in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, it will do so with a feeling it hasn’t experienced since the 2017-18 season.
For the first time in five years, the Aggies find themselves ranked within the Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 24. The last time the program was ranked, coach Billy Kennedy roamed the hardwood as the maroon and white reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament
finished the season with a 22-13 record.
Now, coach Buzz Williams and A&M look to prove they belong with the big boys of college basketball as they prepare to take on Murray State to open the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., on Thursday at the HTC Center, home of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
“We’re thankful that we’re ranked, but we also understand and have foresight that that’s probably not the most important thing relative to what we’re trying to accomplish,” Williams said.
Through just an exhibition and two regular season games, the Aggies appear to be a different, more developed team compared to those of years past. Long gone are the days of struggling to just barely prevail over system schools and other small opponents. Last season, they took down Texas A&M-Kingsville by just four points in an exhibition, following it up with a double-over-
time, 1-point win over Abilene Christian.
This year has been a different story. A&M clobbered the Javelinas by a 43-point margin of victory in an exhibition on Nov. 4 before defeating a scrappy team of Wildcats by 19 last Nov.11.
“I love the human beings in our program,” Williams said. “Not because of their talent, just love their character, I love the togetherness that they work with. Not just the players, [but] the staff. It’s the synergy among all of them. I’m not around all the time with our coaches, and I’m not around all the time with our players, but you can sense it when we’re all
together.”
Sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV has anchored the Aggies’ offense through the first two contests, dropping 18 points in the season-opener versus Louisiana-Monroe before scoring 21 against Abilene Christian, both of which led the team. Junior forward Henry Coleman III and graduate guard Dexter Dennis have been close behind with 27 and 24 total points, respectively. Taylor and Dennis have been lights out from 3-point range, while Coleman and senior guard Tyrece “Boots” Radford have been forces on the glass as A&M’s leading rebounders.
In both games this season, the
Aggies have rocked a starting lineup of Coleman, Taylor, Radford, Dennis and freshman forward Solomon Washington. The 2022 Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year tallied a team-leading 15 points versus A&M-Kingsville but has been held scoreless in the first two matches.
Murray State will undoubtedly provide a test to A&M, as the Racers finished last season as one of the country’s top mid-major programs with a 31-3 record and an unblemished 18-0 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. Coach Matt McMahon led his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where it
fell to Cinderella story Saint Peter’s. McMahon has since flocked to greener pastures by taking over as coach at LSU, handing over the reins of the Racers to Steve Prohm. Prohm previously coached at Murray State from 2011-15, where he compiled an impressive 104-29 record and two conference titles. He then took over at Iowa State from 2015-21, amassing a 97-95 mark. Coincidentally, Prohm also formerly served as an assistant coach under Kennedy.
The Racers currently sit at 1-1, dropping their first game to Saint Louis 91-68 before rebounding with a 90-53 win over NAIA Lindsey Wilson University. Junior guard and Stetson transfer Rob Perry leads the team with 32 points through two games. Perry forms a trio with junior forward and Queens University transfer Jamari Smith and sophomore guard and Northeast Oklahoma A&M transfer Brian Moore Jr. as Racers with over 1,000 career points. Junior guard Quincy Anderson isn’t far behind with 884 points at Minnesota State-Mankato.
“That might be the only team in the country that can say that,” Williams said.
Depending on the results of Thursday’s matchup, the Aggies will return to the court on Friday at 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. to take on Colorado or Massachusetts. After an upset loss to Grambling State last Friday, the Buffaloes took down then-No. 11 Tennessee 78-66 on Sunday. The 1-1 Minutemen are led by former South Carolina coach Frank Martin, whose Gamecocks defeated A&M 74-63 last season. From there, the Aggies will face either Boise State, Charlotte, Loyola-Chicago or Tulsa on Sunday.
“I love where I think we’re headed, and it’s a lot of fun,” Williams said.
eryone that is on the floor is a threat. It really stretches you defensively because they are all capable of scoring.”
By Hunter Mitchell @HunterM1001The Joni Taylor era in Aggieland is off to a hot start after a successful home stint for the Aggies, with 20-plus point wins against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Army. A&M faces its toughest test of the season so far as they travel to Durham, N.C., to take on the Duke Blue Devils, and then return home to host the Texas Southern Tigers.
For A&M so far this season, freshman forward Janiah Barker leads the team in points and steals per game with 12.5 and four, respectively, as well as being tied for first in rebounds per game with junior guard Sahara Jones, who are both averaging 7.5 per game. Graduate forward Aaliyah Patty leads the team in blocks per game with 2.5, and sophomore guard Tineya Hylton leads in assists per game with 5.5.
The Blue Devils play at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the most historic basketball arenas in the country, made famous by the accomplishments of former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, known as “coach K.”
“I am pretty excited about [playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium],” Hylton said. “It’s definitely going to be a new environment for me and especially for us as a team. I think it will be pretty fun as well.”
Duke is currently 3-0 to start the season, with wins over North Carolina A&T, Davidson and a 111-50 drubbing of Charleston Southern. The Blue Devils are also just outside of the top 25, having received votes in
last week’s poll.
“Duke is a really good team,” head coach Joni Taylor said. “They are talented at every position, they are very well coached. We’re going to get a good test early, and that’s what we want.”
Duke presents many unique challenges for the Aggies. The Blue Devils are a more experienced team than A&M, with a starting lineup composed of graduate forward Taya Corosdale, junior center Kennedy Brown, junior guard Jordyn Oliver, sophomore guard Lee Volker and senior guard Celeste Taylor, who leads the team with 12.6 points per game.
“We’re really young,” Taylor said. “Even when you look at our seniors, this is the first
time they’ve been in the position to have the expectation and responsibility they have, so we’re going to find out really soon on Thursday where we are good, where we need to get better and where we’ve been exposed.”
The Blue Devils also present a challenge in their transition offense, which has translated to the 53rd-best scoring offense in the country at 82.7 points per game and the 60th-best field goal percentage at 47.5%. Duke is tied for eighth in the country in assists per game with 22.
“They run really, really well in transition for 40 minutes,” Taylor said. “There’s no let up at all in terms of how they run. They share the ball extremely well. It’s amazing how well they pass the ball and play together, and again, ev-
The Aggies are looking to use their two early season victories as a foundation for this early test against the Blue Devils, as they try to improve their overall offensive and defensive efficiency.
“We have some gaps in offense where we’re still relying too much on being told what to do and not being in a flow,” Taylor said. “I think we can still pursue the offensive boards a little bit better, and I still think defensively we still got to continue to lean in on our principles and some of the things we want to do on the defensive end.”
A&M will take on Duke on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 6 p.m., and the game can be seen on the ACC Network.
After their matchup against the Blue Devils, the Aggies will then return home on Sunday to face the Texas Southern Tigers.
Texas Southern has struggled heavily to start the season with a winless 0-3 record and an average margin of defeat of 37.3 points, including a 49-point loss to UT-Arlington to start the season.
The Tigers are a younger team than the Aggies, with a whopping seven freshmen on the roster, including three in the starting lineup in guard Kamryn Bates, forward Donterria Brown and guard Micah Gray.
Texas Southern’s leading scorer is junior guard Adriana Avent, who is averaging 17 points per game with a season-high 24 points in its most recent loss to Stephen F. Austin State University.
The Aggies play against the Tigers on Sunday, Nov. 20, back home in Reed Arena at 2 p.m.
For more information on A&M women’s basketball, visit 12thman.com or find the team on Twitter and Instagram @aggiewbb.
New women’s basketball head coach Joni Taylor poised to lead young team to season success
andJunior F Henry Coleman III (15) celebrates after dunking on the ACU basket during Texas A&M’s game against ACU at Reed Arena on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. Robert O’Brien— THE BATTALION
Men’s basketball looks to defend ranking at Myrtle Beach Invitational