inside sports | 4 Litmus test While the A&M defense has been impressive, it will need to validate its prowess this weekend.
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october 12, 2012
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Against the grain
A&M to battle in Top 25 matchup Mark Dore The Battalion When schedules were released prior to the 2012 season, Aggie fans couldn’t have anticipated anything akin to Saturday’s looming matchup pitting the No. 22 Aggies (4-1, 2-1) against the No. 23 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. But head coach Kevin Sumlin did. The Bulldogs (5-0, 0-0) took home the Western Athletic Conference championship in 2011 and have dispatched such big-conference teams as Illinois and Virginia on the road this season. Sumlin said he’s been telling people all along that Louisiana Tech was a legitimate force, and it’s about time the nation paid attention. “I’m not surprised by them being ranked,” Sumlin said. “Last season they lost three or four very close ballgames to some very good teams. They were a series away from beating TCU in a bowl game. This year all you have to do is look at them going on the road and playing Virginia, putting it on them. Then going to Illinois— they have a pretty good defense— and they put it on them too. They know what they’re doing in their system and they have answers for what you’re trying to do.” This A&M-Lousiana Tech showdown was supposed to take place well before October, scheduled for week one. The threat of hurricane forced the hands of Louisiana Tech officials and the game was moved. Where before the Aggies had an off week before a high-profile Southeastern Conference home matchup See Preview on page 4
THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel dives for the endzone in A&M’s 30-27 win over Ole Miss.
Photos by Chase Krumholz and Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION
Senior defensive tackle Spencer Nealy has embraced his new position, setting up his teammates to execute key stops.
No matter the position, Nealy exemplifies athletic versatility James Sullivan The Battalion
F
ighting the odds has always been Spencer Nealy’s forte, a unique quality uncharacteristic of most college athletes, many of which hope for a future payout in professional ball. The senior defensive tackle has consistently met every challenge with a profound sense of determination and an unyielding amount of pure enthusiasm. When head coach Kevin Sumlin requested Nealy move from his three-year holdout at defensive end to the vaunted tackle position during preseason, the senior didn’t hesitate for a second. “Spencer Nealy, for him to move from end to inside, just so you know is
the craziest thing in the world to go to bed at night thinking ,” Sumlin said. “What kind of guys would sign up for that? Nealy is that kind of guy, and he understands that. He might have a screw loose, but it takes one to do that.” For Nealy, the position change brought a sense of familiarity to the game. While playing at Reagan High School, Nealy earned San Antonio Area Defensive Player of the Year honors from the hometown Express-News, but at nose guard, not defensive end. From a recruiting standpoint, many coaches believed Nealy was undersized for an interior defensive position at a Division I program. Using his stellar senior year performance as a boost, the underrated two-star prospect gained the attention of then-A&M head coach Mike Sherman, garnering a ticket to play in College Station. Four years later, Nealy is holding his own at defensive tackle, a position that is not only widely respected within the Aggies’ new conference, but also revered by NFL scouts as a talent goldmine. Last See Nealy on page 2
election 2012
campus
Economy central issue after debate DNA shown as link to family past Katie Nortman
The Battalion Election debates are often characterized by strong opinions, bold statements and multiple interruptions, with the the vice presidential debate of the 2012 election being no exception. Thursday night’s debate, between Vice President Joe Biden and Romney running mate Congressman Paul Ryan, made history as the first between two Catholics with the largest age difference. It was a debate over foreign policy, tax cuts and health care, as well as a battle of experience versus youth. Social media sites lit up with opinions on the winner and arguments over misleading facts during the course of the discussions. The theme of the debate was best summed up by the mediator’s quote about a highly decorated soldier. “These campaigns are tearing each other down instead of building this country up.” Vice President Biden was caught many times interrupting Congressman Ryan and making bold statements against his policies. “These guys bet against America all the time,” Biden said. “If [the Republicans] would get out of the way and let us pass the tax cut for the middle class, America
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Jennifer Keith
David Cohen — THE BATTALION
Students gather to watch and discuss the proceedings of the VicePresidential Debate at the MSC Thursday night. would be better off.” Between the smattering of insults and allegations the candidates made against each other, they kept a bit of light-hearted humor in the picture. Congressman Ryan had the audience laughing with one of his statements. “I think people will be better educated if we don’t interrupt each other,” Ryan said. “I don’t always mean the things that come out of my mouth, and I’m sure you can relate to that Mr. Vice President.”
Students are trying to base their votes on the different issues emerging as most important. Sophomore business administration major Brad Head will be basing his vote on many key issues. “To me the most important issue is what this country is going to do for me as an American citizen,” he said. “Are they going to continue to protect my religious freedom? My individual freedom? Is it See Debate on page 3
The Battalion Instead of following the paper trail of birth certificates and family history annals to trace lineage, scientists are capable of using molecular biology to find ancestors quickly and efficiently to connect people to family they didn’t think existed. Bennett Greenspan, founder and CEO of Family Tree DNA, presented the principles behind his company in Thursday’s workshop “DNA: The Secret to Family History.” Family Tree DNA offers individuals analysis of DNA for genealogical purposes through testing of autosomal DNA, Y-DNA and mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA). Greenspan explained the program’s benefits by first spelling out in layman’s terms the ABCs of the Y-DNA (non-recombining DNA), or the DNA that traces an individual’s paternal line. In addition to offering a look back into one’s history, Greenspan presented his program’s use of the Y-DNA to peek into the future of the medical field. Deborah Wheeler, archivist at the George Bush Presidential Library, gave an abridged version of the application of Greenspan’s research in disease prevention. See Geneology on page 3
10/12/12 12:57 AM