By ROBERT CESSNAThe toughest road game for Texas A&M starting cornerback Dustin Harris last year while playing at Livingston High School was against district rival Beaumont Central, which was 66 miles away.
Last week, he had the first plane ride of his life, traveling to Manhattan, Kan., to play the Kansas State Wildcats in his first Big 12 road football game.
"I loved it," Harris said. "It was an experience that I will never forget -- my first plane ride with my teammates."
The flight was smooth, but the game wasn't as KSU rolled to a 62-14 victory, handing A&M its worst loss since the 77-0 debacle at Oklahoma in 2003.
This week, Harris will fly to Lubbock, where A&M hasn't won since 1993.
It's a tough 1-2 punch thrown by the schedule for Harris and the other 16 true freshmen whom A&M head coach Mike Sherman are counting on to help snap a three-game losing streak.
"Road games of course are a little intimidating," said wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu, who had five catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns in his first Big 12 road game. "But it's also a lot of fun. Coach Sherman talked a whole lot about you know everybody is against us and we're just this one unit and we all have to play together."
The road in Big 12 play hasn't been kind to A&M in recent years, whether A&M is playing freshmen or seniors. The Aggies dipped to 2-7 in their last nine conference road games with the loss at Kansas State.
"Our preparation for the game went well," Harris. "We practiced hard every day. Sometimes you just can't practice hard and think it's all going to work out in the game. We just didn't play the game to our capability."
A lot of Aggie players have said something similar in recent seasons after returning from Lubbock, especially those on the last three teams which were outscored 150-50. Tech fans have been loud, and their teams have been good.
Harris and Nwachukwu haven't played at Jones AT&T Stadium, but they know what to expect.
"[My teammates] told me definitely keep your helmet on because those fans get real rowdy," Nwachukwu said. "But it's a rivalry game and everything like that. They don't like us and we don't like them, so just keep your helmet on."
Harris, however, has a different perspective.
He was born in Hart, which is just outside Lubbock. He lived in Plainview until the third our fourth grade and attended five or six Red Raiders games.
"It was just an experience you can't forget," said Harris, who has family members living in the area planning to attend Saturday's game. "I know how their fans are. We can't worry about that right now. We've got to worry about the game itself."
Harris remembers how much pregame focus helped Livingston handle adversity last year at Beaumont Central. Central grabbed a 19-7 halftime lead, but Harris and the Lions rallied for a 28-19 victory.
"It was just an amazing team effort," Harris said.
A&M, which is a 22-point underdog to the 21st-ranked Red Raiders, will need that kind of effort if it is to end a seven-game losing streak on the South Plains.
"We have to go play a great ballgame," Sherman said. "Playing at night time out in Lubbock, the crowd's going to be right behind our bench and it's going to be very threatening. Our kids have to rise to that challenge. I'm not so sure we did a good job of that last week."
Harris and Nwachukwu understand that, but they also want to enjoy the pageantry that comes with playing in the Big 12.
"It's just amazing that you get to go to different states," Harris said.
A&M FOOTBALL
Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2 in BIg 12) at No. 21 Texas Tech (5-2, 2-1)
6 p.m. Saturday, Jones Stadium, Lubbock
No TV/WTAW (1620 AM) and Sirius Ch. 161
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