Ags Pitt Stopped Ags Pitt Stopped

Transcription

AgsIlllustrrated
d
AgsIllustra
ated
Volume 13, No. 10
September 28, 2003
Ags Pitt Stopped
Courtney
courtney Lewis and the Ags Fall 37-26
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
Pittsburgh Tops Aggies.......................................................................4-11
by Scott Clendenin and Jason Lincoln
Game Photos.........................................................................................12-13
by Brice Clendenin
Texas Tech Preview.. .........................................................................14-16
by Scott Clendenin
Fall Baseball Starts............................................................................18-19
by Scott Clendenin
Tyler Lee Recruiting................. ........................................................20-21
by Ed Watson
AgTimes.com Pages........... ................................................................22-23
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
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In our next issue . . .
Baylor Preview
VOLUME 13,
NUMBER 10
September 28, 2003
EDITOR
Scott Clendenin
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Angela Clendenin
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Jason Lincoln, Ed Watson,
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Brice Clendenin
Texas A&M SID
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Page 2
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
AGGIE
INSIDER
Aggie Baseball Fall Practice Schedule
Fall practice started on Sept. 19 after rain
delayed the opening of practice and will continue until the Fall World Series in October.
Here is the tentative schedule for the FWS.
October 16th, double-header, both games seven innings. 5
p.m.
October 17th, double-header, both games seven innings. 5
p.m.
October 18th, Old-Timer game featuring former Aggie
Baseball Players, Time TBA (Night Game)
October 19th, single nine-inning game. 2 p.m.
If you are not traveling to the Nebraska
Football game you should start making plans to
be in College Station to attend the 2003 Alumni
game. The 2001 game featured over 130 former
players including Ryan Rupe, Kelly Wunsch and
Trey Moore.
The 2004 spring schedule is now posted on
the A&M website.
Former Defensive Boss to lead Arizona
Arizona fired coach John Mackovic on
Sunday, five games into the third season of his
tumultuous tenure in Tucson.
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankowitz will
take over as interim coach for the remainder of
the season.
Mackovic, who turns 60 on Wednesday, survived a player mutiny last season after tearfully
promising to do a better job of communicating.
But this year's team lost to LSU, Oregon and
Purdue by a combined score of 166-30.
Mackovic hired Hankowitz just before the
start of spring practice this year. Hankowitz had
been defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for
the previous six seasons and is a 33-year veteran
of coaching.
Aggie Basketball picks up Pledge
The Aggies picked up a verbal commitment from Normangee’s Joseph Jones this past
week. Jones, a 6-foot-9, 250-pounder, chose the
Aggies over Kansas University and the
University of Houston.
Jones is listed as the 40th best prospect by
The Sporting News and 48th by Bob Gibbons
All-Star Report. Gibbons also has him listed as
the 10th best center.
Last season as a junior, Jones averaged 18.9
points per game along with 14.7 rebounds, 4.7
blocks, 2.4 assists and 3.1 steals for the Panthers,
who were 30-2. He shot 69.9 percent from the
field and 62.3 percent from the free throw line.
Jones was the Most Valuable Player in District
26-A, was named to the Texas Association of
Basketball Coaches All-Region team and was a
first-team selection on The Eagle’s All-Brazos
Valley Team.
Coach Blair picks up New Recruit
Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Gary
Blair has landed his first recruit for the 2003
recruiting class, getting a verbal commitment
from Houston Madison forward Patrice Reado.
The 5-foot-11 Reado, an all-district selection for
the last three years, picked the Aggies over
Purdue, Georgia Tech and the University of
Houston.
Reado averaged 17 points and eight
rebounds per game last season, earning a spot
on the TABC Region III first team.
Aggie Volleyball Wins Again
No. 25 Texas A&M played one of its most
consistent and balanced matches of the season
to defeat Missouri, 30-21, 30-25, 25-30, 30-22, in
front of 1,670 at G. Rollie White Coliseum.
"This was one of the cleanest matches we
have played," A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said.
"The lack of consecutive errors was refreshing."
Five Aggies posted double figures in kills.
Melissa Munsch led A&M's balanced attack
with 19 kills. Beth Skypala and Laura Jones
added 15 apiece, and Carol Price and Kendra
Felder contributed 12 kills each. In addition,
four of the five hit at a .333 clip or better with
Felder leading the way with a .417 hitting percentage
Missouri (10-3, 3-1 Big 12) saw its five-match
winning streak come to an end while suffering
its first Big 12 loss of the season. In addition, the
Tigers remained winless in eight visits to
College Station.
The Aggies, who improved to 10-3 overall
and 2-1 in Big 12 play, return to action
Wednesday, Oct. 1 when they travel to Austin to
take on the rival Texas Longhorns.
Ags Illustrated
Page 3
THE MAROON ROOM
As we all prepare for a great 2003 season, I wish to again
update you on the progress and a few more ideas for the
new AgTimes.com Maroon Room. The development
process is almost complete, so we’ll be shortly on-line, and
I’ll give you exact date after we complete all the checks to
ensure all systems are “go”.
First of all, for you recruiting mavens (which appear to be
all of you!), The Maroon Room will have weekly video
updates from our various contributors around the state, so
if you’d like to go on one of our Friday night AT scouting
missions in your area, just let us know.
In addition to our Friday night scouting reports, I’ll also
contribute my daily commentary and analysis to The
Maroon Room. We’ll cover Aggie program perspectives,
Big 12 and national recruiting, along with our overall outlook on college football during the 2003 season. Things
wouldn’t be complete if you couldn’t read me poking fun
at the Bloods, Titanic Ty or Phil Fulmer, and of course
your and my personal favorite, Mack Brown. Speaking of
which, our Dallas Cowboy, Jerry Jones and Houston Texan
observations will also add to the fracas. Obviously, recruiting will be the big key here as AT increases its access to
direct sources as important visits and decisions occur.
We’re pleased also to continue our work with Scott
Clendenin, as we reconsolidate “Ags Illustrated” this fall.
Scott and I will be writing weekly game and recruiting
features for our new magazine, which will become available on a real-time, Monday morning basis in The Maroon
Room.
If you’ve purchased “The Class of 2003” video from one of
our retailers in B/CS or Houston or if you picked it up at
one of the Coach’s Nights, please contact Cal or me to
ensure that your user name has been registered. You’ll
want to participate in The Maroon Room this fall on the
free-trial basis I explained in my last message.
If you wish to order "The Class of 2003" Recruit Highlights
Video to gain admission and join The Maroon Room community as it emerges, please click on the "Order it Now!
banner at the top of any page and complete the data fields
(including your USERNAME in special instructions). It
might take you a minute, and your order will be shipped
within 24 hours.
As we settle into The Maroon Room and the free-trial period becomes effective, I’ll provide you the menu of AT subscription products and services, which will include fresh
video clips of key recruits, recruiting insights, and scouting reports on primary Aggie targets. Texas A&M football
and other program reporting features will also be daily
fare, along with the internet “Ags Illustrated” magazine
delivery and TO’s and the AT Team’s daily stream of
sports consciousness.
When Aggie hoops and hardball roll around, Scott will
become the oracle of The Maroon Room, while TO can
always be counted on to rant about tempo and shot selection, followed by strike-zone discipline and pitching
depth. With Bill Byrne now on board, I suspect that both
these exciting programs are about to take a turn in a
decidedly northern direction, and we’ll be there to tell you
all about it!
Stay tuned for the imminent start date of The Maroon
Room, Team.
Ed Watson
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Game Report 2003
Panthers Claw Aggies
Turnovers turn the tide in
favor of Pittsburgh
By Jason Lincoln
Texas A&M again had to settle for field
goals instead of touchdowns and struggled
in the second half as No. 17 Pittsburg took a
37-26 victory at Kyle Field.
Pitt (3-1) was boosted by a five-touchdown performance by quarterback Rod
Rutherford, four of which came in the second half as the Panthers outscored A&M
28-13.
For one half it looked like A&M (2-2)
might just be able to contain and keep pace
with the Pitt offense, taking a 13-9 halftime
lead.
But the Aggies had no chance to catch Pitt
after three of A&M’s first half trips into the
redzone netted only six points and Pitt’s
Rutherford and Fitzgerald got on the same
page during the half.
“It could have gotten out of hand earlier
and made it a lot harder, but fortunately it
didn’t,” Pitt coach Walt Harris said.
Following a quickly emerging trend, the
Aggies defensive success came to a quick
halt in the second half. With the defensive
weaknesses exposed, Pitt made halftime
adjustments and quickly came back to take
a second half lead by exploiting weaknesses
in the line, linebackers and secondary.
Pittsburgh came out in the second half
and took the first drive 80 yards on 8 plays,
finishing with a 20-yard touchdown pass to
Princell Brockenbrough for a 16-13 lead.
After just six first downs in the entire first
half, Pitt had five in its first drive of the second.
Pegram missed a 33-yard field goal on
Reggie McNeal was a force on the ground and through the air.
photos by Brice Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 4
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
A&M’s first possession of the second half, it
was his first miss of the season.
Pitt had the same success on its second
drive of the half. After going the length of
the field, Rutherford hit Fitzgerald in the
end zone on a 5-yard out route, putting the
Panthers up 23-13 with four minutes left in
the third.
After A&M stopped Pitt for the first time
in the second half to force a punt, A&M
receiver Terrence Thomas missed a fair
catch at the 10 and Pitt recovered the ball at
the A&M 15.
“We missed too many opportunities with
turnovers,” A&M coach Dennis Franchione
said. “We can’t turnover the ball three times
on our side of the 50 and win.
Four plays later Lousaka Polite pulled in a
Rutherford pass from the 5-yard line as Pitt
took a 30-13 lead with five seconds left in
the third quarter.
On the next drive McNeal came out after
taking a big hit on an option run. Dustin
Long came in to an audible cheer from Kyle
Field. McNeal finished 12-22 for 215 yards
and one touchdown. He also had 52 yards
rushing on 11 carries.
“Unfortunately, McNeal got hurt and that
helped us,” Harris said.
Long completed a 19-yard pass to Taylor
to put the ball on the 1-yard line, setting up
a Courtney Lewis touchdown run. Pegram’s
extra point left A&M down by 10 with 12:25
in the game.
A&M’s next drive started on the 2-yard
line after a Pitt punt. Long took the Aggies
40 yards before throwing an interception to
Malcolm Postell with 8:09 to go. Pitt took
over on the A&M 47 yard line.
Trying to run out the clock, Pitt lost two
yards in as many plays following the interception. But on third and 12, Rutherford
went to the air, throwing to Fitzgerald in
triple coverage 49 yards down field for the
receiver’s third touchdown of the game.
Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 135
yards on the day.
“They weren’t that difficult to simulate
what they do on offense,” Franchione said.
“But it’s hard to simulate who they do it
with. They have nine or 10 seniors on the
offensive side of the ball and some great talent.”
In the first half, A&M got an early chance
to get on the scoreboard. Facing 4th and 1 at
the Pittsburgh 9, the Aggies went for it.
However, a fumbled snap was recoverd by
Pitt’s Lewis Moore and the Panthers took
over at the 8-yard line. It was the fourth
fumbled snap of the year between McNeal
and center Geoff Hangartner.
on third and long with a 20-yard scramble
and Derek Farmer took an option pitch 14
yards down to the 17.
Then A&M switched gears as McNeal
threw a fade pass to Jamaar Taylor who
pulled it in for an 18-yard touchdown.
After A&M gave up a 67-yard pass which
Photo by Brice Clendenin
Courtney Lewis may be the best freshman back in the Big 12 this year.
Three plays later, with Pitt facing 3rd and
2, the Panthers tried a deep pass to
Rutherford and drew pass interference. The
next play was a 34-yard run by Terrell
Allen. Larry Fitzgerald then pulled in a 34yard long jump ball from Rod Rutherford in
the end zone. The extra point hit the
upright to leave the score 6-0.
Moore got his second fumble recovery of
the game, stripping Jason Carter on a punt
return and giving Pittsburg the ball on the
A&M 28. The play set up a 45-yard field
goal by David Abdul, putting A&M down
9-0 just over 10 minutes into the game.
The Aggies ran their way down the field
on the next possession. Courtney Lewis had
a 20-yard first down run. McNeal converted
Ags Illustrated
Page 5
gave Pitt the ball inside the 10 yard line, Pitt
tried to go to Fitzgerald again, however the
fade was short and Byron Jones picked it off
and returned it to the 16 with 13 minutes
remaining in the second quarter.
McNeal found Taylor wide open at midfield for a 36-yard pass into Pitt territory.
A&M then fumbled the ball and recovered
and then was called for holding on the next
play. The Aggies tried a screen left to
Courtney Lewis, who ran to the left sideline
and then backtracked to the right sideline
evading four tackles and taking the ball 33
yards down to the 23 yard line.
On third and one, the officials threw a flag
and blew a whistle after Lewis had already
run for the first down. There was no penal17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
ty on the play forcing A&M to go for third
and one again. This time the attempt failed
and A&M was forced to kick a 31 yard field
goal by Todd Pegram. The kick was good
giving A&M a 10-9 lead with 8:59 left in the
first half.
A&M missed another golden opportunity
at the endzone late in the second quarter.
On third and seven at the Pitt 13, Keith
Joseph came out of the backfield and was
wide open in the end zone but McNeal left
the pass too high and it went off the fullback’s fingertips.
Pegram came in and kicked the field goal
with 3:23 left in the half to put A&M up 139. The kick made Pegram a perfect 8-8 on
“We missed too many opportunities
with turnovers,” A&M coach Dennis
Franchione said after the 37-26 loss.
“We can’t turnover the ball three
times on our side of the 50 and win.
field goals in his sophomore campaign. A
streak that would end there as he missed
his next two kicks in the game.
“We were upbeat to have made that many
mistakes and to have the lead,” Franchione
said. “I praised them at halftime. We had
more than 300 yards and that’s been a game
for us. No reason to go in at halftime and
not be upbeat with our players.”
Notes:
Pittsburgh awarded the game ball on
Saturday to coach Dino Babers. Babers was
the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
coach under R.C. Slocum for two years
before going to Pitt. Pitt’s second string running back Jawan Walker gained 87 yards
rushing this week as Pitt ran for 195 yards
on the day.
A&M receiver Jamaar Taylor returned to
the lineup after an injury and racked up 110
yards on five catches. The performance set a
school record as his fifth 100-yard receiving
performance.
Redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis gained
105 yards on 16 carries for his second 100yard performance of the season. He also
had 75 yards on 4 catches. Prior to the game
he had never made a catch for A&M.
Walt Harris Quotes: "We're thrilled about
winning this game. This is a huge win for
us. We've been wondering what kind of
football team we had. Each team is different
and it appears we know more about what
kind of team we have. We missed a bunch
of (deep) balls that were open. We threw an
interception on a play we normally do well
on. Through all the adversity and all the
noise and all the great football players at
Texas A&M, we found a way to come back
in the second half and win. I'm proud to be
standing here representing the University of
Pittsburgh football team. It was a big win
because it was our next game. (on halftime
adjustments) We do like we always do--we
didn't panic. We hold the course and we
continue to do what we thought was open.
We ran the ball and threw the ball and it
was well-executed. We think that front is
one of the most physical ones we've faced.
We ended up running the ball for 195 yards
with a backup tailback. It was tremendous. I
couldn't be more proud of our linemen. Rod
came on in the second half. Unfortunately,
McNeal got hurt and that helped us. He is
such a great athlete.
Rod Rutherford was the nation’s leading passer, by percentage, entering the Aggie game.
Ags Illustrated
Page 6
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Inside The Numbers
SCORE BY QUARTERS
1
9
0
Pittsburgh
Texas A&M
2
0
13
3
21
0
4
7
13
-
Total
37
26
TEAM STATS
Texas
A&M
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Pittsburgh
First downs
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
Total Yards
Avg. gain per play
22
7
13
2
544
7.0
23
12
9
2
478
6.6
Rushes-yards
39-227
44-195
Passing yards
Sacked-yards lost
Passes C-A-I
Third Down Conversion
Punts/Avg.
Return Yards
Interceptions-Yards
Fumbles-lost
Penalties-yards
Time of possession
317
2-14
21-39-1
7/17
4-48.5
88
1-16
5-3
8-68
28:59
283
1-2
14-28-1
6/13
6-45.3
66
1-12
0-0
5-30
31:01
SCORING SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Pitt - Fitzgerald 34 yd pass from Rutherford (kick failed)
Pitt - Abdul 45 yd field goal
SECOND QUARTER
A&M - Taylor 18 yd pass from McNeal (Pegram kick)
A&M - Pegram 31 yd field goal
A&M - Pegram 30 yd field goal
THIRD QUARTER
Pitt - Brockenbrough 34 yd pass from Rutherford (Abdul)
Pitt - Fitzgerald 5 yd pass from Rutherford (Abdul kick)
Pitt - Polite 6 yd pass from Rutherford (Abdul kick)
FOURTH QUARTER
A&M - Lewis 1 yd run (Pegram kick)
Pitt - Fitzgerald 49 yd pass from Rutherford (Abdul kick)
A&M - Matakis 2 yd pass from Long (kick failed)
PITTSBURGH
TEXAS A&M
RUSHING
Att
16
11
3
6
2
1
PASSING
A-C-I
22-12-0
17-9-1
Player
Lewis, Courtney
Mcneal, Reggie
Murphy, Terren.
Farmer, Derek
Taylor, Jamaar
Joseph, Keith
Yds
105
52
40
17
13
0
TD
1
0
0
0
0
0
Yds
215
102
TD
1
1
RECEIVING
Rec
Yds
6
110
4
75
4
61
3
27
2
38
1
4
1
2
TD
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
Player
Mcneal, Reggie
Long, Dustin
Player
Taylor, Jamaar
Lewis, Courtney
Murphy, Terren.
Van Zant, Tim
Thomas, Terren.
Joseph, Keith
Matakis, Andy
TACKLES
Player
SOLO
97 Jolly, Johnny
2
23 Jones, Ronald
3
19 Appel, Jaxson
4
99 Ross, David
.
11 Jones, Byron
2
6 Singleton, Bry.
2
42 Smith, Everett
2
44 Thompson, Ta Ta 1
57 Stickane, Scott
.
91 Jasmin, Marcus
2
31 Weston, Sean
1
41 Mcdaniel, Arch. 1
88 Smith, Linnis
1
49 Manning, Nurah. 1
AST.
9
7
4
8
4
3
2
3
4
1
2
2
2
1
TOTAL
11
10
8
8
6
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
RUSHING
Player
Att
Yds
WALKER,Jawan
20
87
POLITE,Lousaka
9
38
RUTHERFORD,Rod 11
37
ALLEN,Terrell
2
34
TEAM
2
-1
Player
RUTHERFORD, Rod
RECEIVING
Player
Rec
Yds
FITZGERALD,L.
7
135
BROCKENBROUGH 3
100
WILSON,Kris
2
33
POLITE,Lousaka
2
15
TACKLES
Player
SOLO AST.
17 SESSION,Clint
4
13
20 MORRIS,Tez
5
6
31 GILLIARD,Tyrone5
4
19 SPENCER,S.
7
1
44 BENNETT,Brian 2
4
48 MOORE,Lewis
2
3
6 POSTELL,Malcol 2
3
51 BLADES,H.B.
2
2
27 FERGUSON,W. .
4
90 HARRIOTT,Claud 2
1
9 LAY,Bernard
2
1
96 CROCHUNIS,V .
3
41 BEAGNYAM,A 1
1
83 WILSON,Kris
.
2
57 ALLEMAN,Andy 1
.
32 POLITE,Lousaka 1
.
THEY SAID IT
"I don't know if we were at any more disadvantage than anyone
else has been. I've said it before. We are at a disadvantage with them
having a really good player. We didn't get the things done we had
PASSING
A-C-I Yds
28-14-1 283
TD
0
0
0
0
0
TD
5
TD
3
1
0
1
TOTAL
17
11
9
8
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
1
1
Notables and quotables
from the game
planned to. We made halftime adjustments, but the past two weeks
we have not got it done. Our job is to put the fire out and we haven't
been able to do that." Carl Torbush on Fitzgerald
Ags Illustrated
Page 7
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
QUESTIONS
4
Scott
Clendenin
answers
four key
questions
after the
game.
Pittsburgh Game
This was one of the swing games for the
Aggies this season. Come out on top
against top ten competition (and make no
doubt of it even after losing at Toledo last
week, Pitt can still win the Big East) and
defend your home field, and this team
would see a big boost in confidence as the
team headed into Big 12 play.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, the breakdowns in solid defensive football once
again led to a big momentum swing after
halftime as Pitt took control of the game.
1
Was this the Aggie offense that will be
featured the rest of the season by Coach
Fran?
It really comes as no surprise considering
that the coaches had marked the Virginia Tech
game as the point in the season where the
coaches would have implemented as much of
the offense as they would be able to install this
year. Going to Blacksburg and having a hurricane show up at the same time took plays out
of the playbook. Using the speed option in
those conditions last week might have led to
turnonvers on exchanges so the coaches kept it
underwraps for one more week. The strength
of this team going into the season was offense,
and creating nearly 550 yards against a good
Pittsburg offense gives them a big confidence
boost.
2
Why did the Aggies take redshirts off
only a couple of defensive players at
the Pittsburg game?
The Aggie coaches knew they needed some
more talented players on the defensive side of
the ball this year, but they have to balance that
against wasting seasons of talented young players in the process. TaTa Thompson is big
enough to play Big 12 footballl in the coming
weeks, but his growth will come in recognition
of opponent’s plays and tendencies in the coming games. With the way that Texas Tech,
Kansas and the Oklahoma schools can put the
ball in the air, you needed to get Melvin Bullett
A&M’s offense took off the wraps against Pittsburgh and the option payed off big.
on the field before traveling to Lubbock to face
the high flying Red Raiders.
3
What will turn the defense around this
season, familiarity with the system or
improvement in performance?
It looks like it will be a combination of both,
the unfortunate thing for the Aggie defense this
week was the combination of Larry Fitzgerald
and a third quarter blitz by the Panther rushing
attack that sapped the Aggies of the growth
seen during the first half of the ballgame.
Rutherford had been limited, and the Aggies
had turned a pass in the endzone to Fitzgerald
into an Aggie turnover. The Aggie players
know what the coaches need them to do after
four games, it will be the players that pick up
their performance to improve the defense.
Ags Illustrated
Page 8
4
Will this performance help the Aggies
in recruiting offensive players?
There is little doubt that the strength of the
football team entering the season was at wide
receiver and at quarterback. The Aggie coaches
start the fastest quarterback in the Big 12 and
with the implementation of the speed option
gameplan this week, defensive coordinators left
on the schedule are worried about McNeal’s
ablility to find a great group of receivers while
moving outstide of the pocket. It might have
been used against the Aggies in recruiting that
Coach Fran would make A&M an option team,
but any wide receiver in the state should jump
at the chance to come to Aggieland if it continues to put over 500 ypg. on the field.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
✓
Aggies Report Card
QUARTERBACKS
B+
If not for a fumbled exchange
and two poor passes, one interception off Dustin Long and a pass that
should have been intercepted, the
Aggie quarterbacks would have
had an “A” game after picking up
317 yards passing. Reggie McNeal
was unstoppable at times completing 12-of-22 for 215 yards and a
touchdown, and rushing 11 times
for 52 yards before suffering an
injury. Dustin Long was 9-of-17 for
102 yards after entering the game.
SECONDARY
C+
Facing one of the best wide
reveivers to ever play in Kyle Field,
the Aggie defensive backs were
beaten on touchdowns when great
coverage was beaten by outstanding catches. Larry Fitzgerald’s
incredible over the shoulder catch
ended the Aggies’ chances for a victory. The Aggie seconday had been
forced to make too many plays the
past two weeks and they still had
two of the top four tacklers against
Pittsburgh.
RUNNING BACKS
by Scott Clendenin
B+
Even though he is not “starting”
the game, Courtney Lewis is perfroming like the Aggies’ #1 back.
He gained 105 yards on 16 carries
and scored another touchdown for
the Ags. Running the speed option
out of the shotgun with Reggie
McNeal gave the two best runners
on the team a chance to make plays
in space.He also caught four passes
for 75 yards.
Derek Farmer and Keith Joseph
were limited in their touches.
LINEBACKERS
RECEIVERS
After missing the game against
Virginia Tech, Jamaar Taylor led the
team with six catches for 105 yards
and a touchdown. Terrence
Murphy shook off an injury as well
to make four catches for 61 yards,
and Tim Van Zant had three grabs
for 27 yards. Terrence Thomas
made two big catches and totaled
38 yards and two big first downs on
those receptions. Freshman tight
end Andy Matakis’ first catch in the
Aggie uniform was a two-yard TD.
C-
The Aggie linebackers made
strides this week as the defensive
front showed improvement for
three quarters of the football game.
Ta Ta Thompson saw his first action
this year at midle linebacker and
tied the high for tackles at his position with Everett Smith and Scott
Stickane. Archie McDaniel came
up with a big sack for the defense
as well and with Thompson playing, he was able to move back to
his strong side position.
B
DEFENSIVE LINE
C
Johnny Jolly accepted a pretty big
challenge one week after the defensive line was not given a player of
the game by Coach Fran, he led the
team with 11 tackles including three
behind the line of scrimmage.
David Ross made eight assisted
tackles as the unit played a better
ballgame than the previous week.
Except for the third quarter, the
defensive front played a much better ballgame against Pittsburgh
than time this season.
Ags Illustrated
Page 9
OFFENSIVE LINE
B+
The offensive line continues to
improve and with that improvement, the offensive production certainly improved this game. The unit
made strides against a pretty good
defensive front this week, not quiting on big plays, working blocks
down field and showing the most
growth in any position since the
beginning of the year. The Aggies
only gave up one sack, but several
holding penalties wiped out big
plays for the offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
C+
Special teams saw two big plays
go against them when fumbles in
punt returns led to ten big points for
the Panthers. Just as importantly,
the second turnover ended the
Aggies’ chances at victory in a very
similar situation to last week’s
muffed KOR. Todd Pegram had
been perfect on the season before a
missed fieldgoal and missed extra
point in the second half for the
Aggies. Those negatives overshaddowed a good team performance.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Editorial
Questions and Answers
Second half adjustments and farewell to
Larry Fitzgerald
by Scott Clendenin
It is very hard to reconcile the Aggie offensive
production with a loss the likes of which the
Aggie fans saw against Pittsburgh. Teams that
put up nearly 550 yards in offense are not supposed to come out on the short end of a 37-26
score that has the opponent kneel down inside
the five yardline as the game ends to keep from
running up the score against you.
Aggie fans grew accustomed to excellence in
defense since the mid-seventies when Emory
Bellard brought Aggie football back from the
dead, through Jackie Sherrill and R. C. Slocum,
so the performance since the Virginia Tech game
last season through the first four games of the
2003 season has many scratching their heads.
Struggles on offense were the norm at times so
whenever you have the offensive output of the
Texas Tech game last season or the game against
Pittsburgh, those around Aggieland just expect
a “W”.
Working a post game call-in show, the mood
was far from venomous, a tribute to the belief
that Aggie fans have that Coach Fran will get
the job done, but the same questions that have
come from three straight second half melt
downs did come across the phone and an open
microphone. “Why are the coaches not making
any defensive adjustments at halftime?”
Now that is really a silly question because
ALL coaches make adjustments at halftime, the
adjustments that work are hailed as genius but
the ones that don’t bring forth nearly as many
groans as yardage allowed. It is naïve at best to
think that Carl Torbush and the defensive
coaches ran into the Aggie locker room at the
break and sat around drinking ice tea congratulating themselves on shutting down one of the
most explosive offenses on the east coast during
the first half. Those coaches have twenty minutes to diagnose and fix the problems that they
Archie McDaniel was able to put pressure on Rod Rutherford, but the defense struggled again in the
second half.
have found during the first half of the game.
They go about the task with a passion that has
only grown during the past three weeks because
they understand that every team they have
remaining on the schedule is gathering game
film of these breakdowns and trying to employ
a game plan that will take advantage of those
mistakes they have seen appear again and again
on tape.
Kudos need to go out to the Pittsburgh coaches as well. If you had told me at halftime that
their backup running back, with nine carries for
a total of 15 yards would batter and bruise the
Aggie defense for sixty yards on seven carries in
the third quarter alone, I wouldn’t have given it
much credit. That kind of adjustment made
Walt Harris look like an offensive guru, but if
that situation backfired and took the ball out of
the hands of Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt fans would
Ags Illustrated
Page 10
be wondering about a halftime adjustment as
well. It worked and when their offense went
back to Fitzgerald, they had spectacular results.
Those are the adjustments the Aggie fans are
looking for from the defense and as this defense
matures, as the young players stop thinking and
start reacting to the new system you will see
those types of plays become the norm and that
question about no halftime adjustments will disappear at Kyle Field.
Those that were in the stands that day talk
about the first time they saw Walter
Abercrombie from Baylor, Doug Flutie from
Boston College, watching a freshman Herschel
Walker between the hedges at Georgia or when
the Aggies chased Barry Sanders all over the
turf in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Aggies have
seen him twice, and now two coaching staffs
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
and a dozen defensive backs never want to see
Larry Fitzgerald again. Watching Fitzgerald
this season as well as watching Sammy Davis
start in NFL is a true testament to the BEST
wide receiver in college football. Aggie fans will
watch a lot of games in the next few seasons
before they see a receiver run ten yards with his
body bending backward to catch a pass for a
touchdown. Even watching the play in slow
motion, you don’t give him the credit deserved.
You look to see if the Aggies made a mistake or
if he beat good but not great coverage,
Fitzgerald still made a play that will be shown
again and again when, either after this season
or the next, when ESPN shows highlights of
Larry Fitzgerald after he is taken in the first few
picks of whatever first round he is eligible for.
Forget Maurice Clarrett, the true best sophomores in the Class 2002 are Fitzgerald and Mike
Williams from USC. The Clarett suit may be the
buzz around the NFL, but you know the talent
people would much rather see those two
receivers (Fitzgerald and Williams) cashing their
paychecks next season. There is no doubt that
A&M has a talented and deep group of wideouts, maybe the deepest the team has ever seen
during the past two years. Robert Ferguson
might have been the single best receiver to ever
lineup for the maroon and white, but the talent
&
NEWS
NOTES
from the game
TAYLOR HAS STRONG GAME --- Senior wide
receiver Jamaar Taylor, who missed the Virginia
Tech game due to an injury, returned to action with
a flourish against Pittsburgh. Taylor led the Aggies
with 110 yards on five catches, which was his
school-record fifth 100-yard receiving game of his
career. Taylor was tied with teammate Terrence
Murphy, Bethel Johnson (1999-2002) and Tony
Harrison (1990-93) at four. With his 110 receiving
yards against Pitt, Taylor leap-frogged four Aggies
to No. 4 with 1,471 yards on A&M's all-time receiving yards chart. With his six catches, Taylor moved
his career catches to 100 and No. 4 on A&M's receptions list. On those same lists, teammate Terrence
Murphy improved his career numbers to 86 receptions (t11th) and 1,230 yards (14th).
* LEWIS POSTS ANOTHER 100-YARD GAME --Redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis produced his
second 100-yard rushing game of his career with
105 yards on 16 carries against Pittsburgh. Lewis'
level between Pittsburgh’s best ever and the
Aggies’ best leaves the Ags lacking as much as
the three touchdowns during the game.
Larry Fitzgerald finished with 7 catches for
135 yards, marking the fourth straight 100-yard
receiving game. He also moved into 10th place
on Pittsburgh’s career receptions list with 101.
Fitzgerald also moved into 9th place on the
school’s all-time list for receiving yards with
1,588, passing Julius Dawkins (1979-82) and
Jake Hoffart (1995-97). Fitzgerald extended his
school-record streak to consecutive games with
a TD reception to 10 as he finished with three
touchdowns, including a 49-yarder from
Rutherford in the fourth quarter. He now has 18
TDs in the past 10 games, including nine in four
games this year.
Compare that to Texas A&M where Bethel
Johnson set the Aggie record for career receptions and career yards last year with 117 for
1,740 yards and he is only one touchdown
behind Bob Long’s 19 during his career. One of
the most interesting facts is Pittsburgh thought
they were in trouble after losing Antonio Bryant
to the NFL draft a year early. Walt Harris wasn’t too concerned, just like Jack Bicknell senior
at Boston College, Vince Dooley at Georgia and
Pat Jones at Oklahoma State. They all knew
what they had before anyone else did, and they
other 100-yard game came against Utah (100 yards
on 16 carries). Lewis paced a strong Aggie rushing
attack that produced 227 ground yards, A&M's
most since the Aggies had 236 vs. UTEP in 2000, a
span of 34 games.
Lewis also became a factor in the receiving attack
with four catches for 75 yards. The catches were the
first of his A&M career. Lewis produced 180 all-purpose yards, which were a career high.
* OFFENSE PRODUCES SEASON-BEST OUTPUT --- The Aggie offense produced a season-high
544 yards on a season-high 78 plays (7.0 per play).
The previous bests were 368 vs. Utah and 65 plays
vs. Virginia Tech. It was the most total offense by
the Aggies since they produced 566 against Kansas
in 2002. The Aggies gained 307 total yards in the
first half, which was a season-high. The previous
best was 216 against Virginia Tech.
With 130 all-purpose yards in the first half (57 rush,
73 receiving), Courtney Lewis went over 100 yards
in all-purpose yardage for the first time in his
career. His previous career best for all-purpose
yardage was 100 vs. Utah (all rushing).
* SCATES AVERAGES 48.5 ON PUNTS --Preseason All-American punter Cody Scates, who
missed the Aggies' first two games due to hernia
surgery, had a strong day against Pittsburgh, averaging 48.5 yards on four boots. It raised his season
average to 39.9 on seven punts.
* LONG SEES ACTION, MOVES UP CHARTS --Junior quarter Dustin Long came off the bench in
relief of starter Reggie McNeal, who left with an
injury in the second half. Long responded with 102
Ags Illustrated
Page 11
knew what kind of damage they could do when
they put those players on the field. By the way,
if you look back through the ages, fans of LSU
wake up some mornings and wonder just who
that Greg Hill kid was and how did he set the
All-time first game yardage with 212 yards
against the Tigers, eclipsing the 206 yards
Abercrombie gained against the Aggies in 1980.
The Aggies now head to Lubbock to face the
top offensive show in college football, and
hopefully this week’s defensive showing will
step up against the B. J. Symon’s led attack. The
Aggie fans want this one, they want it bad.
Losing to Texas Tech is a dagger in their hearts
right now. Last year I wrote after the game that
it might have signaled the end for R. C. Slocum.
It would be a wonderful beginning to the Coach
Fran era. Trivia this week – who was the last
coach to beat Texas Tech in their first game as
Aggie coach? Hank Foldberg beat Texas Tech 73 on a 100-yard kick off return by Dan
McIlhanny as time expired at Kyle Field and
McIlhanny ran through the Corps of Cadets
after scoring and running through the endzone.
yards on 9-of-17 passing. Long now has 2,611 passing yards, the 10th most in school history and his 20
career TD passes are tied for No. 7 (with Lance
Pavlas, 1987-90).
* McNEAL POSTS CAREER BESTS --Sophomore quarterback Reggie McNeal posted the
best statistical game of his career. He had career
highs in passing yards (215), pass attempts (22) and
completions (tied with 12). He also produced 267
yards of total offense, which was the second-best
output of his career (best was 280 vs. Oklahoma,
2002).
* FIRSTS --- Freshman running back Courtney
Lewis' first-quarter reception for 25 yards was the
first catch of his career … senior wide receiver
Jamaar Taylor's second-quarter 18-yard touchdown
catch was his first of the season. It was also his first
receiving touchdown since the 2002 Kansas game.
… Cody Scates' 55-yard punt after the Aggies' first
drive of the game was his first punt at Kyle Field
since the 2002 Texas game. He missed the Aggies'
first two home games due to hernia surgery. …
Redshirt freshman tight end Andy Matakis grabbed
his first career catch for his first career touchdown
on a 2-yard catch from Dustin Long in the fourth
quarter. … Sophomore Todd Pegram missed his
first field goal and point after attempts of the season against Pittsburgh. Coming into the game,
Pegram had made 10 straight field goals dating
back to 2002 and eight straight this season. He hadn't missed a PAT since the 2002 Oklahoma game. …
Seeing the first action of their careers were true
freshmen TaTa Thompson and Melvin Bullitt. …
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Above: Bryant Singleton had a solid tackling effort
Above Right: An inadvertant whistle is explained to Fran
Right:: Reggie McNeal gave Pitt’s defense fits
Below: A good defensive effort in the first half went to
waste
Facing page Top: Larry Fitzgerald hooks in the final touchdown. Bottom: TaTa Thompson took the redshirt off.
against Pittsburgh
Ags Illustrated
Page 12
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Ags Illustrated
Page 13
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Scouting
TEXAS TECH
3 Keys
Depth Chart Notes
to the Pittsburgh Game
by Scott Clendenin
It was a record setting performance by B.J.
Symons, he threw for 661 yards and six touchdowns as Texas Tech beat Mississippi 49-45 on
Saturday night. The yardage was a school and
Big 12 record in the comeback victory.
Symons, who broke both yardage records last
Saturday against North Carolina State when he
threw for 586 yards in a loss, completed a nineyard touchdown pass to Carlos Francis with 1:04
left to give Texas Tech (3-1) the victory.
The Aggie defense has struggled so far this
season against run-based offenses but the wideopen attack featured by Texas Tech can beat you
through the air as the Red Raiders currently have
the top offense in the country.
Symons was 44-for-64 with one interception
for the third-best passing yardage performance
in Division I-A history. Symons' six touchdowns
tied a school record set by Kliff Kingsbury
against Texas A&M in 2002.
Ole Miss (2-2) had one last shot to win, but Eli
Manning's pass was intercepted by Ryan Aycock
on a throw intended for Mike Espy near the
Texas Tech goal line.
To beat Texas Tech, the Aggies must take
advantage of red zone opportunties since you
cannot trade touchdowns for field goals against
Texas Tech (Ole Miss kicked six) if you plan to
come out on top in an offensive shootout.
Mississippi could not run out the clock at the
end of the game and Texas Tech took advantage
to move down the field for the winning touchdown. The Red Raiders took over with about
three minutes left. Symons threw a 21-yard pass
to Welker with 1:53 left to move the ball to the
Ole Miss 24, he then threw a 15-yard strike
between two defenders to Welker to set up the
winning TD.
1
How will the Aggies control Wes
Welker?
Welker is the Red Raider go-to player for big catch-
es on third down and other key moments during a
close ballgame. He had 10 receptions for 131 yards
and a touchdown, but on the last two drives of the
ballgame, he was the primary target for Symons.
Aggie fans will never forget the punt return for a
touchdown that put Texas Tech ahead. Expect the
Aggies to keep the ball out of his hands on returns or
try and limit his returns with directional kicking.
Welker may be the most underrated receiver in the
country and while he is not Larry Fitzgerald he certainly can get the job done in the Texas Tech offense.
2
Will time of possesion end up being
the most important stat in the ball game?
Even though Texas Tech will fill the air with
footballs, their short and controlled passing attack
wants to control the football as much as a rushing
team would want the ball. Their defense has experienced an even rougher start to the season than
the Aggie defense, but when they needed a stop
late in the fourth quarter, they got the ball back in
the hands of the Red Raider offense.
This game could come down to who has the
football to end the game. Coach Fran has seen the
time of possesion numbers come much closer to
evening up during the past two games but he
wants his teams to dominate the TOP not just keep
it close.
3
Will the late game time take anything
away from one of the hardest fought
rivalries in the Big 12 ?
There is no doubt that the Aggie coaches know
they are in for a tough battle no matter the start time
for the ballgame. In losing six of the past eight
meetings between the two teams, this game has
grown on the Aggie calander and many Aggie fans
want Coach Fran to beat Texas Tech more than any
opponent on the schedule.
The real question around such a late start time
will be the number of Aggies that make the trek to
Jones Stadium for such a late ballgame. With the
offense that keeps games running long already in
place, there is no doubt that the ballgame will run
past midnight and that makes for a late night in
Lubbock.
Ags Illustrated
2002 Record: 9-5(5-3)
Offense: Multiple
Defense: 4-3
Coach: Mike Leach
Conference: Big 12
Stadium: Jones Stadium (55,000)
Page 14
The coaches will
watch quarterback
Reggie McNeal
this week as he left
the Pittsburgh
game with an
injury after a hard
tackle near the
Aggie sideline.
TaTa Thompson
will certainly be in
line for more playing time as the season progresses
now that he has
taken his redshirt
off to shore up the
Texas
Tech
Aggie defensive
front seven.
Offensive tackle
Dominique
Steamer played
extensively against
Pittsburgh and his
performance gives
the Aggie coaches
a big boost in
depth along the
offenive front with
Jami Hightower
slowly working his
way back after suffering from illness.
Depth Chart
Texas
A&M
LT 60 Daniel Loper........6-7 329 Jr-2L
69 Glenn January ........6-7 292 Fr-RS
LG 64 Cody Campbell ...6-3 315 Jr-2L
59 Brandon Jones ........6-3 295 Fr-RS
C 66 Toby Cecil............6-4 290 Sr-3L
77 Dylan Gandy.............6-4 294 Jr-2L
RG 75 E.J. Whitley.......6-6 305 So-1L
63 Manuel Ramirez ......6-4 318 Fr-RS
RT 65 Casey Keck .......6-4 284 Sr-3L
62 Bryan Kegans .........6-5 291 So-1L
QB 2 4 B.J. Symons ......6-1 220 Sr-3L
15 Sonny Cumbie ..........6-4 210 Jr-1L
F 19Taurean Henderson 5-9 179 So1L
4 Johnnie Mack.............5-7 180 Jr-RS
BH 47 Clay McGuire......6-2 230 Jr-2L
32 Sione Havili.............6-3 247 So-TR
H 27 Wes Welker .........5-9 190 Sr-3L
26 Dupree Scovell........5-11 198 Sr-2L
Y 86 Mickey Peters.......6-3 213 Sr-3L
83 Slade Hodges...........6-1 215 So-1L
X 6 Nehemiah Glover....5-8 177 Jr-2L
88 Jarrett Hicks.............6-4 208 Fr-RS
Z 82 Carlos Francis....5-10 197 Sr-3L
7 Trey Haverty ..............6-0 200 Jr-2L
DE 99 David Ross 6-2 268 So-1L
95 Mike Montgomery 6-5 275 Jr-TR
DT 97 Johnny Jolly 6-3 287 So-1L
93 Ju Parks 6-1 356 Fr-RS
DT 59 Brian Patrick 6-5 293 So-1L
or 91 Marcus Jasmin 6-5 318 Jr-2L
DE 88 Linnis Smith 6-4 288 Sr-3L
98 Marques Thorton 6-2 275 Fr-RS
SLB 41 Arch. McDaniel 6-1 227 So-1L
58 Blake Kendrick 6-1 225 Jr-2L
MLB 97 Scott Stickane 6-0 234 Sr-3L
44 Ta Ta Thompson 6-4 236 Fr-HS
ROV 49 Nur. Manning 6-2 230 So-SQ
42 Everett Smith 6-2 229 Sr-3L
LCB 31 Sean Weston 5-10 180 Sr-3L
26 Jonte Buhl 5-10 171 Jr-2L
RCB 11 Byron Jones 5-10 178 Jr-2L
6 Bryant Singleton 5-11 187 So-1L
SS 23 Ronald Jones 5-10 179 So-1L
33 Keelan Jackson 6-1 219 Jr-2L
FS 19 Jaxson Appel 5-10 196 So-1L
40 Kevin Mangum 5-11 191 Jr-2L
P 20 Cody Scates 6-1 205 Sr-3L
30 Jacob Young 6-0 196 Jr-SQ
LE 92 Seth Nitschmann 6-4 258 Fr-RS
84 Randall Cherry....... 6-4 261 So-1L
NT 93 Chris Hudler........6-3 309 Fr-RS
97 Fred Thrweatt...........6-3 320 So-1L
DT 99 Ken Scott............6-2 307 Fr-RS
90 Patrice M.-Mwamba..6-4 303 Jr-RS
RE 91 Adell Duckett......6-4 265 Jr-2L
96 Keyunta Dawson......6-2 252 Fr-HS
SLB 46 Mike Smith.......6-3 245 Jr-2L
48 Paul Williams ..........6-2 210 Fr-HS
MLB 45 Brock Stratton 5-11 233 Fr-HS
35 Geremy Woods.........6-1 247 Jr-2L
WLB 5 John Saldi..........6-5 219 So-1L
42 Fletcher Session......6-0 218 Fr-RS
LC 12 Chad Johnson..5-11 185 Fr-HS
18 Jamaal Jackson.....5-10 184 Jr-TR
SS 28 Ryan Aycock .....6-1 208 Sr-3L
38 Micah Sweats ..........6-0 200 Fr-RS
FS 1 Vincent Meeks.....6-0 187 So-1L
20 Byron Johnson..........6-1 201 Sr-3L
RC 11 Marcus Boyd...... 6-2 201 Sr-3L
25 SirDon Lewis ...........5-9 168 So-1L
P 22 Alex Reyes ...........6-1 200 Fr-HS
98 Wich Brenner...........5-11 222 Jr-1L
WR 5 Terrence Murphy 6-1 191 Jr-2L
9 Earvin Taylor 6-3 217 Fr-HS
ST 73 Alan Reuber 6-7 310 Sr-3L
70 Cody Wallace 6-5, 282 Fr-HS
SG 76 A. De La Garza 6-3 317 So-1L
64 Kirk Elder 6-4 307 Fr-HS
C 66 Geoff Hangartner 6-5 300 Jr-1L
54 James Milkavich 6-2 274 Sr-SQ
QG 50 John Kirk 6-4 295 Sr-3L
71 Quentin Holman 6-2 349 So-SQ
QT 67 Alex Kotzur 6-4 284 Fr-RS
74 Dominique Steamer 6-5 310 So-SQ
TE 85 Taylor Schuster 6-5 260 Fr-RS
82 Patrick Fleming 6-5 271 So-1L
SLT 3 Terrence Thomas 5-9 180 Jr-2L
80 L’Tydrick Riley 6-2 223 So-1L
FLK 2 Jamaar Taylor 6-1 194 Sr-2L
or 83 Tim Van Zant 6-1 195 Sr-2L
QB 17 Dustin Long 6-3 205 Jr-1L
or 16 Reggie McNeal 6-2 191 So-1L
A 7 Jason Carter 6-0 197 Jr-1L
30 Nick Rhodes 6-0 202 Fr-HS
FB 34 Keith Joseph 6-2 241 Jr-2L
24 Chris Alexander 5-11, 242, Fr-HS
TB 1 Derek Farmer 5-11 202 Jr-2L
25 Courtney Lewis 5-10 187 Fr-RS
K Todd Pegram 5-11 201 So-1L
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Game 5
Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech
at Jones Stad. • TV: Fox National • Kickoff: 9:00 CST
Overview
The Texas Tech offense has not
missed a beat with Kliff Kingsbury’s
graduation, and the struggles on
defense by A&M might lead to a
high scoring shootout.
EDGE: TEXAS TECH
Keep An Eye On
By The Numbers
Texas A&M
Offense Rank
Offense
When your defense is struggling, you Total
want to see an opponent that will
gaive you a chance to get your confidence, unfortunately Texas Tech is #1 Rushing
in the nation.
EDGE: TEXAS TECH
Passing
71
Texas Tech
YPG
Offense Rank
YPG
360.1
Total
571.8
1
43
170.8
Rushing
113
77.0
77
189.5
Passing
1
494.8
Defense
Defense Rank
YPG
Both defenses have struggled this
year, Texas Tech is in the bottom ten
in the country and the Aggies are far Total
59
359.3
removed from the “Wrecking Crew”
level of performance.
Rushing
102 196.8
EDGE: EVEN
Defense Rank
YPG
Total
112
479.0
Rushing
89
176.5
Special Teams
Passing
73
122.5
Passing
78
124.5
The Aggies have the best kick off
return unit in the country, and with * Ratings are final for the regular season. Pass defense rated by efficiency.
solid special team units across the
board, A&M has an edge most weeks
in special teams.
EDGE: TEXAS A&M
Five To Consider
Coaching
Mike Leach’s offensive system pro- 1.
duces no matter the quarterback and
this will be the biggest challenge of
the season so far for the Aggie defensive coaches.
2.
EDGE: TEXAS A&M
3.
Intangibles
Coming back against Mississippi last
week gives the Texas Tech team a
tremendous amount of confidence. 4.
Tech’s offense is a hot as any in the
country.
5.
EDGE: TEXAS TECH
After stuggling against running teams, how will the
Aggies play against the top passing offense in the
country?
How will Reggie McNeal play after suffering the
injury?
How will turnovers effect the game since both
teams have losses due to turnonvers?
Will the freshman defenders have big games on
defense?
How will the teams react to playing at 9 p.m. ?
Ags Illustrated
Page 15
QB B. J. Symons
The number one passer in college football,
Symons has blossomed as a first year
starter in the explosive
Texas Tech offensive
attack this year.
WR Wes Welker
One of the best slot
receivers in the country, Welker can beat
you receiving, running
or in the return game.
Defenses must always
account for him.
WR Carlos Francis
Where Welker is
counted on for first
downs, Francis is the
Texas Tech big play
threat averaging over
100 yards per game in
receptions.
RB Tauren
Henderson
The big plays in the
rushing attack come
from Henderson, his
ability out of the
backfield also makes
him dangerous.
DB Ryan Aycock
The bright spot for
the Red Raider
defense has been
Aycock, tied for the
national lead with
four interceptions this
season.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
NUM NAMEPOS HT
1 Vincent Meeks S
2 Raymond Pierce DB
2 B.J. Symons
QB
3 Thomas Bachman WR
3 Dante Foster
DB
4 Johnnie Mack
RB
5 Taylor Jobe
WR
5 John Saldi
LB
6 Nehemiah Glover WR
7 Trey Haverty
WR
8 Loliki Bongo-Wanga RB
8 Lincoln Riley
QB
9 Gabe Hall
TE
9 Ivory McCann
CB
10 Cody Hodges
QB
10 Fletcher Session LB
11 Marcus Boyd
DB
12 Keith Toogood K
13 Jeremy Hull
S
13 Nathan Schell
WR
14 Brandon Douglas WR
15 Sonny Cumbie
QB
15 Brandon Lathan DB
16 Fletcher Pendergrass QB
17 Armon Dorrough WR
18 Jamaal Jackson DB
19 Taurean HendersonRB
19 Tim Osaghae
S
20 Frank Draa
RB
20 Byron Johnson S
21 Michael Brisco DB
21 Carlo Johnson
RB
22 Brad Bergfeld
WR
23 Heston King
WR
23 Marquis Turner DE
24 Adam Anders
DB
24 Cody Fuller
WR
25 SirDon Lewis
DB
25 Derek Noble
WR
26 Dupree Scovell WR
27 Wes Welker
WR
28 Ryan Aycock
S
29 Tim Norman
DB
29 Ricky Wegner
WR
30 Jason Wesley
LB
33 Josh Rangel
S
35 Geremy Woods LB
37 Ryan Bishop
K
38 Andrew Samaniego K
38 Micah Sweats
S
39 Brent Slaughter LB
43 Mark McClendon
45 Brock Stratton
LB
46 Mike Smith
LB
47 Greg Aycock
DB
WT
5-11
6-1
6-2
5-10
5-11
5-7
6-0
6-5
5-8
6-0
5-10
6-3
6-4
5-8
6-1
6-0
6-0
6-1
5-10
5-10
6-0
6-4
5-11
6-3
6-1
5-11
5-10
6-5
5-6
6-0
6-2
5-9
6-0
6-1
6-0
6-0
6-0
5-9
6-1
5-11
5-9
6-0
6-0
6-1
6-0
6-2
6-1
5-8
5-8
6-0
6-1
6-0
5-11
6-2
5-9
CLASS
187
So.
217
Sr.
215
Sr.
185
So.
171
Jr.
178
Jr.
195
Sr.
215
So.
174
Jr.
200
Jr.
205
Sr.
195
Fr.
270
Fr.
176
Jr.
210
So.
212
Fr.
198
Sr.
180
Fr.
185
Fr.
185
Jr.
187
Fr.
210
Jr.
202
So.
200
Fr.
178
Jr.
175
Jr.
190
So.
215
Fr.
204
So.
202
Sr.
195
Fr.
205
Fr.
175
Fr.
200
Fr.
230
Jr.
185
Fr.
189
So.
160
So.
180
So.
188
Sr.
190
Sr.
208
Sr.
200
So.
175
Fr.
223
Sr.
200
Sr.
238
Jr.
195
Jr.
185
Jr.
196
Fr.
200
Fr.
200
So.
225
Fr.
235
Jr.
195
Fr.
HOMETOWN
Dallas, TX
Los Angeles, CA
Houston, TX
Shreveport, LA
Grapevine, TX
Lakeland, FL
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Texas City, TX
Richardson, TX
Muleshoe, TX
Lubbock, TX
Houston, TX
Amarillo, TX
Tyler, TX
Lubbock, TX
Dallas, TX
Stanton, TX
Dallas, TX
Terrell, TX
Abilene, TX
Klein, TX
Midland, TX
Dallad, TX
Bruce, MS
Gatesville, TX
Lubbock, TX
The Woodlands, TX
Dallas, TX
Childress, TX
San Antonio, TX
Tyler, TX
Lubbock, TX
Bryan, TX
Arlington, TX
San Antonio, TX
Houston, TX
San Angelo, TX
Dallas, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Lubbock, TX
Midland, TX
Richardson, TX
Dallas, TX
Panorama, CA
Andrews, TX
Denver, CO
San Antonio, TX
Corrigan, TX
Humble, TX
Wolfforth, TX
San Antonio, TX
Lubbock, TX
Lubbock, TX
47 Clay McGuire
RB
6-2
49 Jeremy Wheeler DB
6-0
50 Calvin Bradshaw LB
6-4
52 Scott Lee
LB
6-3
53 Adam Emmert
LB
6-1
54 Jay Holland
OL
6-1
56 Kellen Tillman LB
6-1
58 Ian Smetona
C
6-6
59 Brandon Jones
OL
6-3
60 Daniel Loper
OL
6-7
61 Michael Bailey OL
6-6
62 Bryan Kegans
OL
6-5
63 Manuel Ramirez OL
6-4
64 Cody Campbell OL
6-4
65 Casey Keck
OL
6-4
66 Toby Cecil
C
6-4
68 Jeremy Milam
DT
6-1
69 Glenn January
OL
6-7
74 Clayton Harmon DL
6-7
75 E.J. Whitley
OL
6-6
77 Dylan Gandy
OL
6-3
80 Joey Hawkins
WR 6-8
82 Carlos Francis
WR 5-10
83 Slade Hodges
WR 6-1
84 Randall Cherry DE
6-3
85 Brian Bishop
WR 5-11
85 Gathan McGinnis DE
6-1
86 Mickey Peters
WR 6-3
88 Jarrett Hicks
WR 6-3
88 Seth Nitschmann DE
6-4
89 Joel Filani
WR 6-3
90 Patrice Majondo-Mwamba DT
91 Adell Duckett
DL
6-4
93 Chris Hudler
DL
6-2
94 Jared Bell
WR 6-2
96 Neno Falls
DE
6-5
97 Fred Thrweatt
DL
6-3
98 Wich Brenner
K
5-11
99 Ken Scott
DT
6-2
Dwan Carroll
DB
5-11
Daniel Christian
OL
6-5
Chauncey Clark
DE
6-2
Phillip Daugherty
QB
6-3
Keyunta Dawson
DE
6-2
Joe Garcia
S
6-1
Ben Griffin
OL
6-4
Matt Grisell
OL
6-4
Sione Havili
RB
6-2
Antonio Huffman
CB
6-0
Chad Johnson
DB
5-11
Lance Lusk
OL
6-6
Josh Morris
OL
6-4
Chris Parker
CB
5-10
Ryan Phillips
CB
5-11
Tommie Pratt
DL
6-2
Taurance Rawls
RB
5-10
226
190
235
230
240
268
235
225
295
325
296
291
310
315
310
290
281
285
287
305
294
225
197
215
262
182
261
211
205
250
215
6-3
261
296
200
250
333
222
295
163
338
228
205
245
200
278
275
255
175
185
305
270
173
190
265
192
Texas
Tech
Ags Illustrated
Page 16
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Sr.
Fr.
Jr.
Fr.
Jr.
So.
So.
Fr.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Jr.
Fr.
Jr.
So.
Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
So.
So.
Jr.
Sr.
Sr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
290
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Sr.
So.
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Jr.
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Jr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Jr.
Jr.
Fr.
Rankin, TX
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Abliene, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Dallas, TX
Capo Valley, CA
Wichita, KS
Houston, TX
Wichita Falls, TX
Milton, FL
Houston, TX
Lubbock, TX
San Antonio, TX
Lubbock, TX
Lubbock, TX
Houston, TX
Stephenville, TX
Texas City, TX
Harlingen, TX
Hurst, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Hereford, TX
McKinney, TX
Coppell, TX
Waco, TX
Mineral Wells, TX
Houston, TX
Kingsville, TX
Tempe, AZ
Jr.
Texarkana, TX
Fairfield, TX
Plains, TX
Howe, TX
Paris, TX
High Point, NC
Jasper, TX
Austin, TX
San Francisco, CA
Lakeland, FL
Bridgeport, TX
Shreveport, LA
Clovis, NM
Ennis, TX
Houston, TX
Salt Lake City, UT
Lovejoy, GA
Shreveport, LA
Tyler, TX
Midland, TX
Dallas, TX
Seattle, WA
San Jose, CA
Garland, TX
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Texas A&M Overall Team Statistics (as of Sep 27, 2003)
All games
TEAM STATISTICS
TA
-------------------------------------------------------SCORING.......................
99
Points Per Game.............
24.8
FIRST DOWNS...................
68
Rushing.....................
29
Passing.....................
33
Penalty.....................
6
RUSHING YARDAGE...............
683
Yards gained rushing........
794
Yards lost rushing..........
111
Rushing Attempts............
150
Average Per Rush............
4.6
Average Per Game............
170.8
TDs Rushing.................
7
PASSING YARDAGE...............
758
Att-Comp-Int................
103-59-4
Average Per Pass............
7.4
Average Per Catch...........
12.8
189.5
TDs Passing.................
4
TOTAL OFFENSE.................
1441
Total Plays.................
253
Average Per Play............
5.7
360.2
KICK RETURNS: #-YARDS.........
10-338
PUNT RETURNS: #-YARDS.........
16-112
INT RETURNS: #-YARDS..........
3-35
KICK RETURN AVERAGE...........
33.8
PUNT RETURN AVERAGE...........
7.0
INT RETURN AVERAGE............
11.7
FUMBLES-LOST..................
13-8
PENALTIES-YARDS...............
29-209
52.2
PUNTS-YARDS...................
17-666
Average Per Punt............
39.2
Net punt average............
37.1
TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME.......
27:25
3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS..........
17/51
3rd-Down Pct................
33%
4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS..........
5/7
4th-Down Pct................
71%
SACKS BY-YARDS................
4-26
MISC YARDS....................
10
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED.............
11
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS..........
8-9
PAT-ATTEMPTS..................
9-10
ATTENDANCE....................
228939
Games/Avg Per Game..........
3/76313
OPP
109
27.2
79
49
25
5
787
910
123
186
4.2
196.8
7
650
101-52-3
6.4
12.5
162.5
7
1437
287
5.0
359.2
17-301
7-36
4-18
17.7
5.1
4.5
17-5
25-174
43.5
23-942
41.0
36.1
32:35
27/63
43%
6/8
75%
5-43
35
15
2-3
11-13
65115
1/65115
Texas A&M Overall Individual Statistics (as of Sep 27, 2003)
All games
RUSHING
GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------Lewis, Courtney
4 56 332 22 310 5.5 5 42 77.5
Mcneal, Reggie
4 41 181 55 126 3.1 0 20 31.5
Murphy, Terren.
4 4 120 0 120 30.0 1 80 30.0
Farmer, Derek
4 28 90 9 81 2.9 0 28 20.2
Joseph, Keith
4 9 27 0 27 3.0 1 9 6.8
Scates, Cody
2 1 15 0 15 15.0 0 15 7.5
Taylor, Jamaar
3 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 11 4.3
Carter, Jason
4 2 3 0 3 1.5 0 3 0.8
Team
4 2 0 4 -4 -2.0 0 0 -1.0
Long, Dustin
4 5 13 21 -8 -1.6 0 6 -2.0
Total..........
4 150 794 111 683 4.6 7 80 170.8
Opponents......
4 186 910 123 787 4.2 7 34 196.8
PASSING
GP Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
--------------------------------------------------------------Mcneal, Reggie
4 130.00 74-42-2 56.8 575 3 50 143.8
Long, Dustin
4 113.11 28-17-2 60.7 183 1 28 45.8
Team
4 0.00 1-0-0
0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Total..........
4 124.15 103-59-4 57.3 758 4 50 189.5
Opponents......
4 122.48 101-52-3 51.5 650 7 67 162.5
Season
Stats
SCORE BY QUARTERS
-------------------Texas A&M...........
Opponents...........
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
--- --- --- ----17 38 10 34 - 99
16 10 41 42 - 109
RECEIVING
GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------Taylor, Jamaar
3 17 222 13.1 1 36 74.0
Murphy, Terren.
4 14 204 14.6 0 50 51.0
Van Zant, Tim
4 10 129 12.9 1 26 32.2
Thomas, Terren.
4 5 59 11.8 0 26 14.8
Lewis, Courtney
4 4 75 18.8 0 33 18.8
Joseph, Keith
4 2 29 14.5 0 25 7.2
Carter, Jason
4 2 17 8.5 0 9 4.2
Riley, Tydrick
4 1 13 13.0 0 13 3.2
Taylor, Earvin
4 1 6 6.0 0 6 1.5
Germany, Quin.
4 1 4 4.0 1 4 1.0
Matakis, Andy
2 1 2 2.0 1 2 1.0
Farmer, Derek
4 1 -2 -2.0 0 0 -0.5
Total..........
4 59 758 12.8 4 50 189.5
Opponents......
4 52 650 12.5 7 67 162.5
PUNT RETURNS
--------------------------------------Carter, Jason
Thomas, Terren.
Total..........
Opponents......
INTERCEPTIONS
--------------------------------------Appel, Jaxson
Jones, Byron
Total..........
Opponents......
KICK RETURNS
--------------------------------------Murphy, Terren.
Carter, Jason
Jones, Byron
Thomas, Terren.
Taylor, Jamaar
Total..........
Opponents......
Ags Illustrated
Page 17
No. Yds Avg TD Long
11
5
16
7
81 7.4 0 18
31 6.2 0 10
112 7.0 0 18
36 5.1 0 14
No. Yds Avg TD Long
2
1
3
4
19
16
35
18
9.5
16.0
11.7
4.5
0
0
0
0
16
16
16
12
No. Yds Avg TD Long
5 245 49.0 0 77
2 42 21.0 0 23
1 4 4.0 0 4
1 25 25.0 0 25
1 22 22.0 0 22
10 338 33.8 0 77
17 301 17.7 0 42
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Aggie Baseball
Fall Practice Opens for the Aggies
Texas A&M started scrimmaging last week on the
baseball diamond and here are some early impressions observing one of those scrimmages. The Aggie
coaches are confident the Aggie offense will grow
even more potent after last season’s offensive output
was significantly better than the past three seasons
for the Aggies. Returning nearly the entire hitting
lineup from last season will give the Aggie offense a
chance to hit the ground running next year. That
doesn’t mean there won’t be competition among the
positions, but any newcomer that beats out a returning starter will have shown the coaches a high level
of offensive skill to earn a spot in the lineup.
Pitching:
Cliff Pennington (above) and Matt Alexander (below) are battling for the shortstop job.
Photos by Scott Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 18
The Aggies sent four newcomers to the mound and
two pitchers that redshirted last season in Aggieland.
Brent Jackson showed the polish that has his name
all over the record books at North Central JC. He is
one of the NINE lefties that are on the Aggie roster,
and it will be hard to keep him off the mound in the
spring if he continues to pitch as well as he did when
I watched him. He allowed only a couple of runs (on
a long homerun) in three innings on the mound.
Kyle Marlett is a tall right-hander that had one
rough inning, and his defense didn’t help him that
inning either. He worked himself into a jam in the
second, retired the next two batters but had trouble
putting away the other team after that. He received
some coaching on his mechanics after that inning
and did not allow another run on his final stint on the
mound.
RHP B. J. Beoning was the most impressive pitcher to hit the mound for the Ags this day. He is
stronger than last year and was throwing very hard.
He did not allow a run in his three innings and kept
the ball down in the strike zone. I first thought he
was Robert Ray, a pretty good compliment, when he
first hit the mound.
LHP Jason Meyer struggled in his first inning but
bounced back with two shutout innings after that. He
has very good velocity and even though I have pretty
high expectations for him this next season, the one
shaky inning did nothing to change my first impression that he is quite a talent.
Next on the mound for the home team was RHP
Brian Steinocher, another walk-on who was a private
school All-State pitcher at Halletesville Sacred Heart
while also pitching with Beoning the past two summers. He struggled, giving up some line shots and a
homerun to Matt Alexander.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Kevin Whelan moved from DH to the mound later
in the scrimmage, and you could see why he wowed
scouts with his arm strength this summer. He only
allowed one run in two innings, but he was a little
wild and tried to overthrow at times. He still seemed
to have the hardest pitches on the day.
Kyle Nicholson moved from third base to the
mound for the final inning of the scrimmage and
looked just like he did last spring at A&M
Consolidated with effective pitching, allowing no
runs.
Cliff Pennington and Matt Alexander will both start
this year for the Aggies – it will only be a matter of
position. Pennington looks more and more like
Screech Scarborough as he has matured. He showed
great range with a tremendous throw from the deep
hole on the outfield grass, and he also had a tremendous turn on a double play fed behind the bag.
Alexander is still as solid as they come, starting at
shortstop for the past two years has developed a
comfort level in the field. His homerun was a good
sign for a player whose batting stroke deteriorated
with torn ligaments in his thumb last season.
Catcher:
Third Base:
The coaches want to develop two catchers each and
every season to spread out the workload. Craig
Stinson and Justin Pouk each caught six innings with
the usual rust to start the fall practice season, several
balls were not blocked and they had trouble throwing
out a couple of runners, but their “pop times”
(throwing to second from the crouch) were all below
two seconds. With Whelan possibly moving to the
mound it will be up to Stinson and Pouk to make the
plays most of the season. Grady Norton and Lee
Harughty caught the last three innings, but have a lot
of work to do to catch up with Stinson and Pouk.
With Pennington and Alexander both playing shortstop this fall, newcomers Austin Boggs and Kyle
Nicholson started at third in the scrimmage. Both
players made the routine plays, but were not tested
much defensively. Boggs had a good day at the plate,
hitting the ball hard. Justin Pouk, a former shortstop
in high school, moved from behind the plate to the
hot corner but did not have a ball hit his way. Jerrett
Turner is also working at third base this fall but he
did not play in the scrimmage.
Outfield:
working fastball and change up. I can’t wait to see
Robert Ray’s development from last year to this during the fall as he competes for the #1 spot in the
rotation.
This team has the look of a contender, last season
the fall was full of teaching the newcomers the
Aggie system and convincing the returners that two
sub par seasons were behind them. This team knows
that they enter the season a Big 12 contender with
Texas, Nebraska and Baylor and they take that attitude to the field. Restocking the depth gives the
Aggie coaches options off the bench that injuries
took away the second half of last season. The balance of this squad will have both speed and hitting
available on the bench, and with as many left-handed
pitchers as righties, the opportunity for the bullpen to
be used in situations more than ever before. The
biggest question still facing this team is finding
pitchers to close games. It will not be one player
like last season’s Scott Beerer, but most likely a
combination for both sides of the mound. Finding the
26 best players on any weekend Big 12 series will be
a real challenge for the coaches.
After the Fall World Series we will be back with a
wrap-up of practice and we’ll have a chance to see if
any changes develop heading into the spring practices and 2003 season opener in February.
First Base:
Coby Mavroulis and Eric Scheidt played the position
and look to form a platoon depending on opposing
pitchers next spring. Mavroulis will not play outfield
after suffering back problems last spring that led to a
medical redshirt, he looked strong at the plate and is
knocking the rust off his first base glove (he played
first three years ago for the Dallas Mustangs summer
team). Scheidt is fully recovered from the broken
arm that knocked him out of the playoffs last season
and he looks like the same player that had a 15-game
hitting streak to end the year. Brian Bowe played left
field for the visitors yesterday and is another experienced first baseman. Bowe continues to put the ball
in play at the plate.
One team had Cory Patton, Travis Bartek and
Stephen Holdren in the outfield and the other had
Todd Stroud, John Infante and Bowe from right to
left. Patton is a lock in right but the other positions
will all be up for grabs. Center will be a three way
race between Bartek, Infante and Justin Ruggiano
(who was not playing in the scrimmage).
Defensively both Bartek and Infante showed good
instincts moving forward and back on fly balls.
Ruggiano will not give up center without a fight so
this will be a battle to watch all fall. With Stroud,
Holdren, and Andrew Baldwin (DH during the
scrimmage), A&M has more depth and talent in the
outfield than any other team in the Big 12. You could
see a mixture of players at positions during the fall
all the way to the start of the season.
Second Base:
Overall impressions:
Last year’s first and second team players, Eric
Schindewolf and Parker Dalton, both played well in
the field and at the plate. Schindewolf showed the
quick turn at second that really picked up his defense
this past season. Dalton is solid as his backup and he
has improved his bat since last year. Austin Creps
was used as a DH, but he could also see time at second. He is another player splitting time between the
field and the mound and will be a player to watch
this year.
Shortstop:
A fierce battle is brewing at shortstop between two
players that will form the left side of the infield.
Certain positions are set, Patton in Right,
Schindewolf at second, and the emerging situation at
shortstop/third with Pennington and Alexander.
Competition will force the best player to earn spots
in the outfield, in the platoon situation at first (with
Holdren also seeing time there this fall with his left
hand bat) and the majority of time at catcher.
Pitchers may find it easier for right-handers to find
their roles than the number of lefties that seem interchangeable right now. Justin Moore and Zach
Jackson both threw well in the first scrimmage of the
year by keeping the ball down, and the team turned
five double plays during that scrimmage. Moore had
no pain and good velocity during his three innings
Ags Illustrated
Page 19
Justin Moore looks to make a healthy return
to the mound. Photo by Scott Clendenin
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Aggie Recruiting
Aggies Run For the Roses
Ed Watson
RB Keondra Smith committed early to the Aggies this season. He followed Justin Warren
(below) to Aggieland
Photos by Brice Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 20
Since the days of all-purpose Aggie QB star,
Charley Milstead, the bond between Texas A&M and
Tyler, Texas, the Rose Capital of the World and a
favorite place for families to raise strong and fleet
young Texans, has been strong and lasting. Years
ago not long after World War II, a youthful Milstead
thanked legendary OU coach Bud Wilkinson for his
scholarship offer, but confessed that he’d be going to
Texas A&M “because as an Aggie, I will always
have a good job and plenty of customers”.
Of course, Tyler has been a prolific talent producer
for other universities as well, with perhaps the most
famous of their favorite sons, Earl Campbell, attending the University of Texas and star tight end Ron
Lee, advancing considerably the fortunes of the
Baylor Bears. Most also remember Campbell’s
younger twin brothers, Tim and Steve, buttressing
the Horn defense about the time the Tyler Rose won
the 1977 Heisman Trophy before he migrated to the
“Luv Ya Blue” Houston Oilers, the Pro Football Hall
of Fame and Texas gridiron immortality.
The silver and royal blue Lions of John Tyler High
have historically carried the banner of Tyler football
as one of America’s best schoolboy football programs, playing once again for a state 5A championship as recently as three years ago. Lately however, gradual population shifts within the town have
produced another looming specter on the East Texas
football battleground, the black and red Raiders of
Robert E. Lee High School and Coach Mike Owens.
The raw material and fuel of all great schoolboy
programs are great young athletes, and Tyler Lee is
perennially blessed with it in abundance. Blending
diverse mixtures of monumental size along the offensive line with ubiquitous speed and quickness on
defense and in the offensive backfield, Owens’ Red
Raiders have usurped the JT Lions as the new juggernaut of the ArkLaTex.
The Texas A&M coaching staffs have been uniquely attentive to the recent ebb and flow of Tyler football, and during the past four recruiting campaigns
the Aggies have become a prime beneficiary of Tyler
Lee’s talent bounty. With a longstanding and successful track record at John Tyler with Zach and
Keith Guthrie, Gary Jones, Mickey Jones and Linnis
Smith, the spigot at cross-town Tyler Lee remained
untapped until early in the 2000 recruiting campaign
with a pledge from middle backer, Brian Thompson.
Though Thompson was an ardent Aggie fan, the
timing of A&M’s first success at Lee was interesting
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
because it followed by only a few months the awkward and controversial public spectacle between star
Raider wide receiver, punter and Texas signee, Shane
Hudnall and Horn head honcho, Mack Brown.
Shane left the Texas program almost as soon as he
arrived in the spring of 2000 because Hudnall felt he
wasn’t given the opportunity as promised to compete
for playing time at wide receiver. Hudnall moved to
TCU and it could be unrelated, but it’s been nearly
all Texas A&M at Tyler Lee since “The Curse of
Shane”.
In addition to Thompson that year, the Aggies also
persuaded Colorado verbal commitment, Cody
Scates at the 11th hour to accompany Thompson to
A&M. Since then, Brian has retired from football
because of persistent back problems while Cody is
this year’s pre-season All-America punter and a
future NFL fixture. After Thompson and Scates
opened the Tyler Lee pipeline, the Red Raider talent
exodus to Texas A&M, along with 11-5A district
rival Lufkin, has produced more Aggie football
recruits than any other school.
The next year, star Raider runner Derek Farmer
signed on and Thomas Perry, Tyler Lee and Tyler
Junior College FB and grandson of Aggie Heisman
winner, John David Crow, also came aboard. In
2002, the Ags did not sign a player from Tyler Lee,
though huge Raider OLs Philip Walls, Grant Dickey
and Lance Lusk were strongly considered. Dickey
signed with Alabama, eventually transferred back to
Tyler JC and is still a Tyler Lee possibility to wear a
2004 Aggie uniform.
In the Class of 2003, the Aggies struck paydirt at
Tyler Lee as Coach Owens developed one of
America’s top linebacker prospects in Raider defensive stalwart, Justin Warren. The explosive 6’2” and
Quentin Gardiner shows the natural ability
to turn and run with receivers.
230-pound Warren, a cousin of legendary John Tyler
and Florida State defensive end David Warren,
shined in August drills and started his first collegiate
game for Texas A&M in this year’s Arkansas State
opener.
With Warren as a new shining star and a likely
four-year starter, the Aggies launched its 2004
recruiting campaign by directing its search again
toward Tyler, tapping the talented Raiders this time
for speed. Fleet corner man Quentin Gardiner, one
of the state’s very best, quickly agreed to follow the
well-established East Texas pathway toward
Aggieland, as did rugged, 200-pound full-service
running back Keondra Smith.
With rare quickness, Gardiner fills an important
Aggie need for a press-coverage coverback who can
excel in one-on-one, man-coverage situations. The
full-service Smith offers tough inside rushing ability
along with plenty of speed to exploit the flanks and
snag passes out of the backfield.
The Aggies even pursued a 2004 Tyler Lee trifecta,
recruiting the athletic Raider DE/LB Nic Redwine.
Many thought Redwine would be a natural to team
with Warren on the Aggie defense, but Nic surprised
Lone Star recruiting mavens this summer by
announcing his verbal intent to attend Texas. Verbal
commitments for 2004 are not binding until the first
Wednesday of next February, the day when a signed
letters of intent can be accepted by the schools pursuant to NCAA provisions.
And there may be even more at Tyler Lee this
year. On September 26, Tyler Lee invaded College
Station to test the A&M Consolidated Tigers.
Unveiling the No. 5 team in the statewide 5A ranks,
the Red Raiders squelched AMC, 23-0, with a sturdy
ground game and a speedy and suffocating defense.
In addition to Gardiner’s lock-down corner play
Ciron Black is a top line prospect for the
2005 class.
Ags Illustrated
Page 21
that included an impressive interception on a deep
pass and Smith’s 122-yard rushing effort on 14 carries, senior Raider defensive back Martel Van Zant
also showed why much of the Big 12 is recruiting
his exceptional 6’2” and 200-pound skills. With
peerless physical ability, Van Zant is a very special
player, as he competes as dominant coverage defender while totally deaf. Besides Van Zant, fellow senior rover back, DeMarcus Robinson also stands out
as a complete defensive player with exceptional
blitzing, coverage and tackling skills.
Next year, the Raider recruiting traffic is likely to
continue full-force. Diminutive 5’8” junior running
back, Tyrone Ross will continue the tradition of
slashing, productive Lee backs. Ross has been carrying the mail around the Rose Capital since his
sophomore season, and the recruiters are already lining up for Tyrone, perhaps as an A-Back for Coach
Fran’s multiple offense, or even as a nimble and fleet
cornerback.
And if one Van Zant weren’t enough problem for
opponents, this year Coach Owens is blessed with
two! Younger brother, Dominique, a ball-hawking
junior linebacker, approaches his defensive work
with a speed and fury that usually places him at the
top of the Raider tackling charts on a weekly basis.
A more experienced Dominique is likely to become
the enforcer in the 2004 Tyler Lee defense.
Lee’s premier power-position player Lee next year
will be big offensive tackle, Ciron Black. A 6’4” and
310-pound junior, Black is already collegiate size.
He’s also surprisingly agile for a big man, shows
equal acumen run or pass-blocking and will very
likely be one of the top offensive line recruits in the
Southwest next year. Be assured that the big Raider
bulwark has already earned A&M’s rapt attention.
The player pipeline from the Rose Capital to
Aggieland is definitely alive and well. With another
likely playoff run this season, Coach Owens has
again prepared several solid prospects for college
football, and Texas A&M has taken notice. The
Aggies have cultivated genuine and lasting relationships among coaches, players and families. The
groundwork for A&M’s East Texas recruiting bonanza was enhanced by the combined efforts of Aggie
assistant coaches Tam Hollingshead, Ken Rucker and
now Lee Fobbs. In his East Texas recruiting stint,
each coach continued to build positive Aggie goodwill among Texas high school coaches and won the
hearts and minds of many East Texas players and
parents.
Be on the alert next year for Tyrone Ross and
Ciron Black, while Quentin Gardiner, Keondra Smith
and perhaps even more Raiders join Justin Warren
and Derek Farmer on the 2004 Fightin’ Texas Aggie
team. When the Tyler Lee Raiders are involved, you
can be assured there’ll be great East Texas schoolboy
players, from the time of Charley Milstead to the
present day and into the future. And that means
Texas Aggie recruiters will once again be in a run for
the roses.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
AgTimes.com
The Defense didn’t lose this game people...
Mighty Kyle
Hall of Fame
Joined: 13 Dec 2002
Posts: 1591
Location: College Station
Posted: 28 Sep 2003 08:00 Post subject: Defense
didn't lose this game people
While the defense definitely didn't play well by
any means it played adequate enough to win
this game.
What lost us this game was poor execution on
special teams and really badly timed turnovers
by the offense.
The defense did its job twice only to have punt
returners fumble the ball inside our own twenty.
The defense didn't fumble the ball inside the 20yard line on a snap yet again on fourth and inches.
The defense didn't call back a touch down on a
phantom whistle.
Our defense didn't play great at all, but it was
adequate enough for us to win this game and in
several cases put us in position to win the game
only to have the offense, special teams, or the
refs blow it.
If you look at the fumbled punts, reggies fumbled snap, the called back touch down, pegrams
missed field goal that is about a 20 to 24 point
swing against us that the defense is not responsible for.
We know our defense isn't good right now and
to put them in the situations our special teams
did was the death nail.
No it wasn't our defense that let us down, it was
our poor execution on special teams and very ill
timed turnovers on offense with a little poor refereeing thrown in the mix.
Jumper
Starter
Joined: 06 Oct 2001
Posts: 188
Visit us at www.agtimes.com for the latest in Aggie
news, chat and message boards
Location: Lubbock, Texas
I can't argue with any of your points, but to kick
off the second half, our defense might as well
have stayed on the sideline while they went 80
yds. mostly on the ground, and took the lead.
There is blame in every area of our game but to
say that the defense played well enough for us
to win is laughable.
john1984
Hall of Fame
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2736
Location: 1/2 mile N of Easterwood Airport
MK, I think you meant to say that the defense
played well enough to win the first half.
The defense didn't play at all in the second half.
Pitt could have scored as many points as they
needed to in the second half.
_________________
"That would be absolutely, positively, and in all
other ways inconceivable." Vezzini, The Princess
Bride.
Mctoot
All Conference
Joined: 02 Jul 2000
Posts: 415
Location: Aggieland
Amen to that, John. Rutherford had time for a
Coke and three hands of cards before he needed
to throw the ball on virtually every pass. On the
first series of the second half, Pitt waltzed down
the field. No question that the turnovers and
penalties were devastating, but the offense had
544 yards. The defense did not get it done.
_________________
"No success can compensate for failure in the
home."
Ags Illustrated
Page 22
Agdad78
Starter
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 153
Location: Temple, TX
No pressure from the front 4, very little blitzing
that caused Pitt any problems and good
receivers were the downfall of the defense.
All the other things are true, MK, but the
defense didn't do enough to win the game in the
2nd half, either.
Plenty of lost opportunity all around. It's never
as easy as it looks on paper ... I guess that's why
AgTimes.Com Recruiting Video!!!
The AgTimes.com Class of 2003 Recruit Video, in addition to
ordering from this site on the banner above, is available at these
Houston and B/CS area businesses:
***For you thousands of Aggies living in the Motherland who
have not yet ordered the video (for whatever reason), they are
now conveniently available in your neighborhood.***
Pride Cleaners, all four locations in B/CS, owned and operated
by Will Simmen ‘86. Get your clothes laundered and pressed and
pick up the Class of 2003.
Dixie Chicken and Shadow Canyon at Northgate, and the
Chicken Oil Co. restaurant. Drink a beer, eat a burger and buy
this Recruit Video.
Briarcrest Country Club Pro Shop operated by Jim Beard ‘83.
Knock some balls in the water then buy some more and pick up
the Recruit Video at the register before you leave.
Wolf Creek Car Wash on Harvey Rd owned by Bill Trainor ‘82
and Sandra ‘83. Gas up, clean the car, buy the Recruit Video and
‘Be Happy’. Then tell your Aggie friends and neighbors where
they can get their very own Class of 2003 video.
Loupot’s stores, all three locations.
Rothers at Southgate.
IN HOUSTON AT:
Aggieland of Texas, 7526 FM 1960 across from Willowbrook
Mall.
Barcelona Sports, 10210 Old Katy Rd. between Gessner and the
Tollway.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
you play the game.
I'm still personally struggling with our 2nd
halfs. I really thought we would do better in the
2nd than the first. Some prognosticator I am.
(Not to mention speller...)
MK,
You are freakin' nuts! The defense played well
enough to win? Absolutely not! 478 yards and 37
points? And 3 drives over 80 yards? And the 3Q
of 21 points allowed? That's not well enough.
Can't stop the run, can't pressure the QB, gave
up some big plays in the passing game.
Oh, well...
Beat the Heck Outta tt!
SA68AG
All Conference
Joined: 02 Jul 2000
Posts: 425
Location: San Antonio
The defense did not play well enough to win.
They allowed a 95 yard drive and and 2 80 yard
drives. They could not make third down stops
and Pitt consistently made good yardage on first
down.
DanTanna86
Special Teamer
Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 487
Location: houston
Our DE's are extremely slooooooow, as pointed
out by the announcers and the score.
When we start landing blue chip athletes at
these positions is when I see us getting better.
That is what I'm most disappointed about.
Pitt pretty much scored at will in the 2nd half,
whether they had to march 80 yards or 18 yards.
It made no difference how far they started from
the endzone, a score was inevitable.
I'm going to stand by the team and laugh-off all
these losses (Sam-e and St. John's Wart helps).
_________________
The Best College Football POWER RANKINGS..
http://www.trigboy.com
clearman
AgTimes Legend
Joined: 15 Aug 2000
Posts: 7000
Did the offense play well enough to win? Well,
not with the way the defense and STs played,
but usually 544 yards and 26 points will keep
you in it. Yes, we attempted too many field
goals, the offense was not perfect.
It's a team game though; two fumbled punts, 478
yards 37 points, FG attempts instead of TDs.
_________________
With the year we had last year, we didn't expect
it. But respect is earned, not given, so I guess we
just have to go out and get it.
-Reggie McNeal
Big12Ag!
All Conference
Joined: 17 Oct 2001
Posts: 430
Location: Austin, TX
Well, defense gives up some plays and you can
say the offense should have picked up more first
downs and kept the D fresh and off the field. Or,
the special teams and offense should stop giving
the other team the ball and at times a short field.
Do the defensive stats look good? No. Did our
defense look good in the second half? No. But
they are certainly not the only problem from yesterday, and hopefully that was all MK was trying to point out. We really killed ourselves yesterday, and I find that very disappointing.
mattgid03
All Conference
Joined: 22 Apr 2002
Posts: 531
Location: College Station, TX
I've never seen 'em quit."
Pacing The Cage
All Conference
Joined: 20 Jul 2000
Posts: 565
Location: Georgetown, Texas
I disagree. I don't know what is wrong but the
absence of a respectable defense in the second
half of all of our games this season raises some
serious questions.
I've tried to look at it as youth, inexperience,
lack of depth, etc . . . . all of which are true.
However, the complete meltdown suggests that
there are other issues that are not being
addressed.
I can only hope that Coach Fran holds his coaches to the same level of accountability that he
holds his players to.
clearman
AgTimes Legend
Joined: 15 Aug 2000
Posts: 7000
The defense hasn't been existent in EITHER half,
not just the 2nd.
Look at the TOP and yardage by our offense in
the first half of the last two games. The offense is
on the field, so the defensive numbers won't
look as bad. They are still putting up similar performances when they are actually on the field.
I don't think you would see much difference in
yards/snap in each half of the last two games. I
might go calculate that later...
_________________
With the year we had last year, we didn't expect
it. But respect is earned, not given, so I guess we
just have to go out and get it.
-Reggie McNeal
The defense mad one significant play during the
game: the Jones INT. There was no rush, LB play
was average and secondary play was poor.
_________________
"I've seen 'em win, and I've seen 'em lose, but
Ags Illustrated
Page 23
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
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1a-5a ESPN Radio All Night
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Ags Pitt Stopped Ags Pitt Stopped

Transcription

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