Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - With two straight wins, Javelinas are still picking up the pieces

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Wednesday, November 3, 1999

With two straight wins, Javelinas are still picking up the pieces

By Javier Becerra
Caller-Times

KINGSVILLE - Lamar Amos isn't calling it a streak.
   Not yet anyway.
   Despite two straight overwhelming victories - Texas A&M-Kingsville's first back-to-back wins this season - Amos knows the Javelinas are still trying to fit together the pieces of a shattered season.
   Until the Javelinas prove they can maintain their recent resurrection through their final two games, Amos said he and his teammates won't be satisfied.
   "We feel like the old Javelinas are back," said Amos, who earned his first start at quarterback last Saturday against Eastern New Mexico. "But I wouldn't say we're on a roll. The team is starting to do everything right. Now we have to keep doing things right if we want to beat our last two opponents. We just have to keep our attitude positive."
   A&M-Kingsville improved to 3-4 in the Lone Star Conference and 3-6 overall with a 42-7 win over Eastern New Mexico last Saturday night. The Javelinas travel to Abilene Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown with Abilene Christian.
   With a depleted five-man offensive front that's missing one starter and that has only one backup, the Javelinas have dominated the line of scrimmage in their last two wins.
   A&M-Kingsville rushed for 369 yards in a win over West Texas A&M two weeks ago, and pounded the Greyhounds for 452 yards last Saturday night.
   The Javelinas defense gave up an average of 202 total yards per game in their two wins, and special teams have accounted for two touchdowns.
   "The offensive line just started to really click," Amos said. "For everybody it was all a matter of effort. People are getting more into it now. We had been losing by just a couple of points. It was just a matter of us getting it together."
   A&M-Kingsville head coach Ron Harms said the team has improved in all areas.
   "One of the more obvious improvements is the production of our running backs," Harms said. "The defense is playing extremely well against the run and the pass. There's been a general overall improvement. Greater individual efforts result in better team play."
   Harms also said the team's two consecutive wins have provided much of the surge.
   "The attitude obviously is different when you're winning," he said. "It makes life a bit smoother. What I've been seeing is a new intensity during games. Practices have been the same all the way through. Where I see the major difference is on the field on game night."
   Although he contends it's not a streak, Amos said A&M-Kingsville's two-game roll is an advantage.
   "It helps make up for the losing streak," he said. "It's helping us maintain positive thoughts."



Staff writer Javier Becerra can be reached at 886-3734 or by e-mail at becerraj@caller.com

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