And the press keeps coming...good article in H-town Chron

[NYCStang]

'04 loss to Baylor reminds Aggies not to look past Ponies
By TERRANCE HARRIS
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
COLLEGE STATION - Nearly a year has passed, yet Texas A&M linebacker Justin Warren still has trouble coming to grips with last season's upset loss to Baylor.
The Aggies had been rolling, stringing together six wins and ascending to 16th in the national polls before facing a seemingly harmless Baylor squad. Their only problem was not counting on a spirited effort by the Bears, who handed A&M a stunning 35-34 loss in overtime.
Warren insists the Aggies learned an important lesson in Waco and will carry it into Saturday's game against an SMU team that may be a shell of its former Southwest Conference self but remains dangerous — even as a 28-point underdog.
It's a safe bet this game will not be counted as an A&M win until the scoreboard at Kyle Field says so Saturday afternoon.
"You really don't do that too much around here anymore after the incident last year," Warren said. "We play every game hard, we play every game trying to get better for ourselves and trying to beat the opponent.
"It's hard to do that (count automatic wins) in any college football game, but sometimes people have a tendency to point out games that should be must-win games. We treat every game real serious around here now."
TCU knows truth
If any of the Aggies were having trouble with that, they certainly weren't after the Mustangs produced a convincing 21-10 victory last weekend over then-No. 22 TCU. This was the same TCU squad that one week earlier had gone into Norman and upset Oklahoma 17-10.
"That really did open our eyes because TCU had beat Oklahoma," said A&M safety Japhus Brown. "Then SMU comes in and beats TCU, so that kind of let's you know how good they really are."
Franchione welcomes jolt
A&M coach Dennis Franchione agrees the Mustangs' victory over TCU may have been the jolt his players needed.
"From the players' standpoint, I think we would be ready to play no matter who the opponent is, but from the standpoint that the focus and intensity should be there now," said Franchione, whose team is coming off a bye week after being stunned 25-24 by Clemson in the season opener. "That's a pretty good statement by (SMU). And the film is pretty clear how they're playing and it's the first opponent you have film to watch.
"Going into the first game we didn't have anything recent. So there are advantages to this, yes. We take SMU very seriously as a coaching staff, and they have done a good job."
The matchup has the potential to be problematic for the Aggies (0-1) after the performance of their run defense against Clemson, especially when the Tigers ran eight straight rushing plays to set up their game-winning field goal.
SMU (1-1) likely found last week that the strength of its offense is the rushing attack with a trio of tailbacks to work with. Running back DeMyron Martin, whom the Aggies recruited heavily, led the bunch against TCU with 118 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
'We will have our hands full'
Phil Bennett's Mustangs picked up 172 yards on the ground. That was in contrast to a week earlier when SMU went more to the air against Baylor and came away with a 28-23 loss.
"They'll come in here with a great deal of confidence," said A&M defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, whose defense gave up 183 rushing yards and 12 rushing first downs to Clemson. "Coach Bennett will certainly have them primed to play in Kyle Field.
"We know we will have our hands full, but right now we need to make sure that we play the best we can play."
The Aggies know the potential downfalls if they don't play up to their potential. They experienced as much during "the incident" in 2004.
They don't want history to repeat against an opponent that hasn't been to a bowl game since 1984 but boasts the most returning lettermen (24) of any program in Division I-A this season.
"I don't know how much more needs to be said about what can happen," Franchione said. "This is an improved ballclub.
"It's easy to watch the film and see how hard you're playing and how well they're playing."