SB Nation - Trent Hunter

Thoughts On All-Big 12 Football Team

Beergut — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:25:36 -0000

by Jerry Larson - AP

Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Christine Michael. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune-Herald, Jerry Larson)

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I thought Jordan Shipley should have been named Offensive Player of the Year instead of Colt McCoy. McCoy had a poor first half of the season; Shipley was remarkably consistent game-in and game-out this year, and I thought that should count for something.
Mack Brown getting Big 12 Coach of the Year is something of a joke, in my opinion. texas was favored to win the Big 12 South and the conference in the preseason, and they....won the Big 12 South and will play for the conference championship this weekend. What about Paul Rhoads, who took a team picked to finish last in the Big 12 North to a fourth place finish and bowl contention?
I don't agree with the pick of Jeron Mastrud for all-conference TE over Jamie McCoy at all. McCoy had better numbers (31 receptions, 328 yards, 1 TD vs. 21 receptions, 233 yards, 1 TD), and was versatile enough to play some H-back and FB.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Christine Michael make Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. I thought he had a terrific season, but I figured the coaches would take the easy way out and give it to Landry Jones, who did receive some votes.

I think it is interesting that outside of Earl Thomas, texas had no other players make the first team defense. I thought Lamarr Houston deserved some serious consideration, although I can't argue against including Jared Crick, Ndamukong Suh, or Gerald McCoy at the DT position.
It was a surprise to see Michael Hodges receive some votes for Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
I am also happy some coaches think Jerrod Johnson deserved to be Offensive Player of the Year.
Von Miller received votes for both Defensive Lineman of the Year AND Defensive Player of the Year. With a freak of nature like Suh in this conference, you knew he wouldn't win either award, but the recognition of his performance this year is nice.
This conference is ridiculously loaded at wide receiver; show me another conference that can name a talented trio like Ryan Broyles, Kerry Meier, and Brandon Banks as their SECOND team.
I think Trent Hunter should be on the first team over Larry Asante, but I guess I'll have to be happy with a second-team selection. I think Asante had an easier job, since heplayed behind Suh and Crick, and just had to clean up on a lot of play. Hunter had to be a playmaker for us a lot more often, as attested by the 87 tackles he had on the season.
It is baffling to me that Sergio Kindle makes second team DL while Sam Acho did not. If you look at their play on the field or their statistics, Acho is obviously a better player, and this while playing on the strongside, so often facing double-teams.
It is nice to see that Uzoma Nwachukwu received some consideration for Offensive Freshman of the Year.

Five Questions with I Am The 12th Man

TB — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:03:28 -0000

In an attempt to garner more information about this week's K-State opponent, I posed five questions to Beergut of the Texas A&M blog I Am The 12th Man. You can also check out my answers to his questions here.

BOTC: The Aggies are much improved this year on the offensive side of the ball. What's been the biggest change?

12th Man: Maturation of our keys players at the skill positions. Jerrod Johnson was a redshirt sophomore last year, Cyrus Gray was a true freshman, Jeff Fuller was a true freshman, Ryan Tannehill was a redshirt freshman, etc. All of those guys are a year older and a year more mature, physically and mentally.

A switch to a no-huddle attack has helped immensely, too, helping us get more plays on offense and wear down the opposing defenses. We're averaging a little over 86 plays per game on offense, which is a lot of opportunities to move the ball.

Mike Sherman has also done a good job recruiting on offense; true freshman Uzoma Nwachuwu and Christine Michael have been key contributors as true freshmen this season.

BOTC: Despite the offensive improvement, the offensive line play has been atrocious at times. What's the primary factor?

12th Man: Last season, we entered the year with 6 scholarship offensive linemen, so we had no depth. We are still trying to create some depth, while putting a capable line on the field, and it has been a struggle. I think we're still a year away from having a competent offensive line. Our biggest issue has been youth at key positions. We've started a true sophomore or a true freshman at LT in all of our games this season. That menas at times we're playing an 18 year old five months removed from high school against 21-22 yr old men; the physical difference along is staggering.

BOTC: Texas A&M is mired in a historically bad stretch of football right now. What is the time frame for the Aggies getting back to being competitive with Oklahoma and UT in the South?

12th Man: I think we expect to be competing with and possibly beating both of those teams by next season, at the latest. I think expecting to compete for the South division title in the third year of a coaching regime is not an unrealistic expectation, and I think that is where we will be in 2010.

BOTC: Other than Von Miller and Jerrod Johnson, give us a player on each side of the ball to keep an eye on Saturday.

12th Man: Offense: Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR

He is simply an athletic playmaker with ridiculous leaping ability. He has 16 receptions for 309 yards and 4 TDs on the season so far, with a rushing TD to his credit.

Defense: Trent Hunter, SS

He is the best strong safety in the Big 12, and one of the best in the nation.

BOTC: In lieu of a score prediction, give us some keys for Texas A&M to win this game.

12th Man: We need to stop your running game early. I expect Snyder to try to run the ball as much as possible, especially against our defense. We need to stop the run, and force y'all to pass the ball. It would be very helpful if we can get some early scores on the board, and force y'all to play catch up.

On offense, we need to spread the ball around in the passing game, and get it into the hands of our playmakers like Nwachukwu, Jamie McCoy, Ryan Tannehill, and Christine Michael. Keeping Jerrod Johnson upright and keeping the defensive pressure off of him is imperative.

Statistical Preview Of Kansas State

Beergut — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:52:12 -0000

Time to move on and take a look at our next opponent, the Kansas State Wildcats. KSU is currently 3-3 on the season, with wins over Massachusetts, Tennessee Tech, and Iowa State, and losses to Louisiana-Lafayette, UCLA, and Texas Tech. Let's take a look at their stats:

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Carson Coffman	5	60.0	66	111	59.7	815	163	8.2	2	4	50	68	13.6	1.4	2	-	-
Grant Gregory	5	93.0	23	37	62.2	0	0	7.1	2	1	36	97	19.4	2.7	2	-	-
Collin Klein	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Brandon Banks	6	4	34	5.7	8.5	0	24	294	49	12.3	1
Jarell Childs	1	5	26	26	5.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Carson Coffman	5	50	68	13.6	1.4	2	0	0	0	0	0
Grant Gregory	5	36	97	19.4	2.7	2	0	0	0	0	0
Adrian Hilburn	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daniel Thomas	6	127	578	87.3	4.6	4	16	180	30	11.3	0
Keithen Valentine	6	30	265	44.2	8.8	2	1	7	1.2	7	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Brandon Banks	6	24	294	49	12.3	1
Lamark Brown	4	10	128	32	12.8	1
Jeron Mastrud	6	14	144	24	10.3	1
Sheldon Smith	3	3	27	9	9	0
Attrail Snipes	5	14	242	48.4	17.3	2
Travis Tannahill	1	1	16	16	16	0
Daniel Thomas	6	16	180	30	11.3	0
Keithen Valentine	6	1	7	1.2	7	0
Brice Vignery	2	3	27	13.5	9	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Josh Cherry	2	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	100.0%	5	5	100.0%	8

Kansas State averages 22 points per game, while giving up 25.5 points per game. They average 176 yds per game rushing and 181.3 yds per game passing for a total of 357.3 yards per game total offense. They give up an average of 126.3 yds rushing and 219.5 yds per game passing for a total of 345.8 yds per game total defense. KSU is fairly pedestrian on offense, relying on its running attack to move the ball. Their main ballcarrier is Daniel Thomas, who has 127 carries for 578 yds, a healthy 4.6 yards per carry average, and 4 TDs. State likes to run the option, and they'll use Thomas in their option attack. Sixth year senior Grant Gregory seems to be the better runner at QB in their option attack, but KSU has also started Carson Coffman at QB. Coffman is the better passer, Gregory seems to be the better runner. Gregory started in their conference win over Iowa State, and in their loss to Texas Tech. Coffman finished off the loss to Tech. It is anyone's guess who we will see under center on Saturday, since their depth chart lists both of them at QB, but my guess is that Gregory will start. This indecision at QB is one of the reasons for their offense's pedestrian stats, but the pedestrian play at quarterback is part of the reason no permanent decision on a starter has been made. I want State to start Coffman, because I think he is a poor passing QB, so we should be able to take advantage of his deficiencies.

K-State's gamebreaker is WR Brandon Banks, who also returns punts and kicks. Banks has two kickoff returns for TD this season, and with our issues on special teams, particularly on the kickoff team, this is a major concern. We need to keep Terrence Frederick and Trent Hunter focused on blanketing Banks, and that should help us shut down State's passing game. Offensively, State is a lot like we were last season, with some skill positon talent, but their line is better than ours was last year. I think their line might be better than our is this year, although that isn't saying much. We should be able to get some pressure on their QBs and hopefully we'll have some success stopping their running game. They are solid running the ball, but they aren't Oklahoma State.

Defensively, State runs a 4-3 defense, although they used some 3-4 against Texas Tech. Whether that is how Snyder plans to attack all spread offenses he faces or they just tried that out for the Tech game, I don't know. I can see why State would want to use an odd front to confuse blocking assingments up front, and against our o-line, I wouldn't blame them for employing an odd front. It will allow them to get more speed off the edge coming after Jerrod Johnson, and since we haven't shown we can protect him well, it would seem to be an optimal strategy for the Wildcats. Senior Jeff Fitzgerald leads their pass rush from his defensive end spot; he has two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 17 total tackles on the season. You know how I always say if your secondary leads your team in tackles, that is a bad sign? Well, K-State's leading tackler is FS Emmanuel Lamur, their third leadng tackler is S Tysyn Hartman, and their fourth leading tackler is CB Joshua Moore. That means three of their four leading tacklers are starters in their defensive secondary; that is bad.

Offensively, I think State will be able to run the bal on us, probably to the tune of somewhere around 180-200 yds for the game. I think they'll probably end up with somewhere around 100-120 yds passing, and we'll end up giving up a little over 300 yds total offense for the game. State should be pumped up, especially playing at home after that embarrassment on the road last week, but I still think our offense can outscore their offense, and that will be what decides the game.

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable - 2009 Season - Week 5

Beergut — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:19:49 -0000

This is the fifth installment of the 2009 Big 12 Roundtable, a weekly feature during the season. Each week, an SB Nation Big 12 blogger will host the Roundtable and submit a series of questions to all Big 12 bloggers. This week, the Roundtable is being hosted by Rock M Nation. Listed below are I Am The 12th Man's answers.

1. Is it time for the Big 12 to collectively pour one out for the departure of Baylor quarterback Robert "Hot Tub" Griffin? Even if your team benefits from his injury, are you sad to see one of the conference's premier playmakers done for the season?

I think most Big 12 bloggers have already mentioned Griffin's injury, and sent along their condolences in their own way. As I have already pointed out, Griffin's season-ending injury means my pick for first team All-Big 12 QB is done, and my pick for the upset of the year, Baylor over Texas Tech in Waco, lost its foundation. Griffin is a thrill to watch on the field when he is playing, and I think all Big 12 bloggers are college football fans at heart, regardless of our team affilitation, so we are all sad to see him out for the year. I think it is also important to note that despite Griffin's freakish athletic ability, he wasn't a brash or cocky person who talked trash or made you hate him; he let his play on the field do the talking for him, in an example of class I wish more athletes would follow. This makes Griffin's injury doubly sad, because he is a positive role model of how exceptional star athletes should act.

2. Play the role of Mythbusters for us. If you could dispel one national perception of your team, what would it be?

Really not sure how to answer this one, because I'm not sure what myths are out there about our team. I think most people regard our team as an enigma, not sure what to think of us because we've rolled up some astronomical offensive numbers on some weak defenses, so they're not sure if we're for real or not. The only myth I can think of that might exist about the football program is that Coach Sherman is on the hot seat; that simply isn't true, and it wasn't true before the beginning of this season.

3. Give us the name of one player on each side of the ball on your team that everyone else in the conference may not know about or fully appreciate.

Jamie McCoy, Tight End: I think most Big 12 bloggers know of McCoy to some degree, but I don't know if they appreciate what he does for our team. The coaches move him around a lot, and since we often operate out of 10 personnel, Jamie is sometimes asked to come in motion frm the slot and act as a wingback, and kickout a defensive end, or motions over to fullback, and blocks in the I-formation. This is in addition to being our team leader in receptions, with 13 for 169 yds on the season so far. With the injury to Jermaine Gresham, I think a legitimate case can be made for McCoy as the Big 12's best tight end.

Trent Hunter, Strong Safety: Obviously, Big 12 bloggers don't know about or appreciate Trent Hunter, because none of them voted for him for All-Big 12 on our preseason all-conference team. Am I bitter? Damn right I am. Hunter is the second-best safety in the nation, right behind that Eric Berry fellow from Tennessee, who really should win the Heisman. Hunter currently leads our team in tackles, with 20 on the season so far. Is calling Hunter one of the best safeties in the nation hyperbole? No. Watch him play, and I defy you to disagree with me.

4. OU vs. Da U: Who ya' got?

Oklahoma, all the way. I'd root for OU just out of conference pride, but I think Oklahoma's defensive front is going to be a nightmare for Jacorey Harris. If Miami can't handle Virginia Tech's defense, Oklahoma is going to make for a long night. Miami is playing at home, so I think they might keep it close, and OU's secondary is still questionable, in my mind, but I still think OU takes this one.

5. Give us your Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Storyline of the Week for last week.

Offensive Player of the Week: Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M.

You can call me biased, and I really don't care. Jerrod had 3 TDs rushing and 3 TDs passing, and that is simply a phenomenal individual effort. The Big 12 Conference chose Iowa State's Alexander Robinson and Missouri's Danario Alexander as Co-Offensive Players of the Week, after Robinson rushed for 127 yds and scored 3 TDs against Army. Alexander had 9 receptions for 170 yds and 2 TDs against Nevada. Now, Alexander's performance against Nevada was impressive, so I don't want to take anything away from him, but Johnson scored more TDs than those two combined. I really don't understand the media. Colt McCoy throws another pick-six against UTEP, and the pundits fall all over themselves declaring him back in the Heisman race; if he had a statline like Jerrod last Saturday, they''d be calling him better than Tim Tebow. Jerrod puts on an incredible performance, though, and nary a peep. Like I said, you can call me biased, but I don't care. Someone needs to give Jerrod recognition for what he did last Saturday.

Defensive Player of the Week: Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri

Missouri played a legitimate opponent in Nevada, and going up against the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the Year in Colin Kaepernick, they had their work cut out for them. 'Spoon had 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss in helping his defense control Nevada's explosive Pistol offense.

Storyline of the Week: It has to be Kansas' football team fighting with Kansas' basketball team. While basketball players aren't always known for their intelligence, you'd think they'd be able to do simple math: 85 scholarships versus 13 scholarships means they're outnumbered and will lose every time. Furthermore, football players train to do violence multiple times a minute for 60 minutes every Saturday in all types of weather. Basketball players train to put a ball through a hoop indoors; you'd think this would occur to these hoopster brainiacs, but apparently it didn't. It did make for some fun television and some nice discussion of Mark Mangino's disciplinary hold on the Kansas team (are they off that 2006 probation yet?).

6. Power Poll! Rank the teams 1-12 based on who would win on a neutral field.

texas longhorns
Oklahoma Sooners
Missouri Tigers
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Kansas Jayhawks
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Baylor Bears
Iowa St Cyclones
Kansas St Wildcats
Colorado Buffaloes

Quick Thoughts After Watching The New Mexico Game

Beergut — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:48:21 -0000

by Dave Einsel - AP

Texas A&M's Kenric McNeal (81) runs past New Mexico's Frankie Baca on the way to a 44 yard touchdown reception in A&M's 41-6 victory over New Mexico.

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I haven't received my game DVD in the mail yet, but I watched the A&M-New Mexico game online at Aggies All-Access. Some people have e-mailed me with questions where they can watch the game online: you can either go to Aggies All-Access online, click on Featured Events, and click "Watch" for the New Mexico game, or you can click on this link here. I should warn you that the direct link contains some typos in the title pages, and also has a chunk of a series repeated in the second half, as I note below.

To read my thoughts on the game, click on through the jump.....

Dustin Harris needs to read his blocks and go on punt returns; no dancing around.
Danny Baker really struggled out there in the first half; he played better in the second half.
Jeff Fuller is a man among boys out there. He makes us look a lot better than we are.
Our tackling is much improved. We gang-tackle, and the first guy actually wraps up and makes the play.
First sack of Johnson is because Christine Michael completely missed on his block; looked like he didn't know who to pick up. That will come with experience.
I am impressed with our no-huddle attack. We get the plays in and are ready to go quickly. Only one delayed game penalty that I saw.
We had to go for a field goal inside the 20 to make it 10-0 because we don't have a power running game to pound it in.
Garrick Williams is starting to look good. Had a great tackle on the screen pass on the series right after we went up 10-0. Most LBs don't make that play.
We're very multiple on defense, switching from an even to an odd front often, going from a 4-2-5 to a 33 Stack to an Eagle 40 to a true 3-4. We seem to do better when we were in an odd front, not surprising considering UNM probably practiced against a 4-3 during their camp.
Jonathan Stewart, the true freshman LB from Louisiana (Byrd HS) was the man on our goal line stand to end the second half. New Mexico had the ball on our four yd line due to a pass interference call, and Stewart tackled the RB out of the backfield for no gain, got a QB hurry (and almost a sack) to force Porterie to throw the ball away on second down, and assisted on the tackle of the TB on third down. Three plays, no yards, UNM settles for a FG. Great series for Stewart right there.
I like the shotgun split-back sets with Kenny Brown in the backfield as a blocker. Brown is a pretty good lead blocker, although I'm not sure how much of a runner he is.
Good, efficient, business-like drive to start the second half. Drive right down the field and score, let UNM know they really aren't in this game.
The defensive pass interference call on Jordan Pugh on third down on UNM's first series of the second half was bogus. That was just good defensive play.
Terrence Frederick and Trent Hunter may be the two best defensive backs on our team, and two of the best in the conference. What is scary is that both of them are just sophomores.
This officiating crew really enjoyed tossing the laundry. I don't think I've ever seen so many penalties called on one team in a game.
The halfback pass didn't work, but I like the idea. We ran it out of the same formation we run that power sweep from that was so effective. Good packaging by the coaches.
The beautiful thing about Johnson's 44 yd TD pass to Kenric McNeal is that he has two defenders barreling down on him, yet he stood there and made the throw. Excellent poise by Johnson.
49 of New Mexico's 231 yards of total offense came on the drive after we went up 41-6 in the fourth quarter, and was against our 2nd and 3rd teamers. This means that our starters allowed about 189 yards of total offense on the night; not too shabby.
There is a mistake in the video, where they repeat Fuller's catch from our 39 to their 44 twice, where he fumbles the ball after being down. The series is replayed from that point all the way to Fuller's reception to give us a first and goal at the UNM 4.

Overall: I like what we're doing on defense. We seemed to go with odd fronts often to tempt New Mexico to run, just so we could stuff their running game. Our use of multiple fronts meant the UNM offensive line had problems picking up their blocking assignments, which meant we were able to get more pressure on their QB, something that was missing last season.

Offensively, we seem to be doing as much as we can to de-emphasize the importance of the offensive line on some plays, a practice that may be a necessity until our line matures and gels as a unit. We're nowhere near where we need to be as an offensive line.

Team Chemistry An Early Key, Per Sherman

Beergut — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:04:29 -0000

by Dave Einsel - AP

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson (1) dives over New Mexico's DeShawn Mills, bottom, for a 16-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of Texas A&M's win over New Mexico. Johnson has been a key part of embracing the youth movement on A&M's team. (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

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I've read several articles that have reviewed A&M's 41-6 rout of New Mexico, and all of them contain a similar theme coming from Sherman: the team chemistry has really helped so far.

From the DMN:

A total of 18 freshmen played for A&M and the Aggies produced their most complete victory since Mike Sherman became the head coach in November 2007. Sherman said the veterans deserve credit for embracing the newcomers in August camp and developing strong team chemistry.
"It could easily be an environment of hierarchy around here, where the kids have to wait to feel accepted," Sherman said. "We have an unselfish group and they really help the freshmen along."

From the AAS:

"The story's really not about them as much as it is the older guys who embraced the freshmen and brought them into the fold," Sherman said. "They've made them feel a part of things."

Several "veterans" — if you consider sophomores as veterans — also played well. Receiver Jeff Fuller caught 10 passes for 111 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown.

From the FWST:

"I think the story is not about the freshmen as much as it is about the older guys that have embraced the freshmen and brought them into the fold," Sherman said after watching 15 members of his 2009 signing class make their college debuts. "They have really helped the freshmen along."

What Sherman's quotes on current team chemistry has left unsaid is that this obviously wasn't always the case, and we're talking about issues with last year. What I am really impressed with is the fact that the underclassmen like Trent Hunter and Jeff Fuller are taking a leadership role on this team, and doing everything they can to embrace their fellow underclassment to help the tea win. Sherma has created an inclusive environment where the best players can play immediately if they will help the team win games, and playing 18 freshmen on Saturday underscores that fact.

What I like about Sherman's "all hands on deck, everyone in the boat" approach is that it is similar to what we've seen from Pete Carroll at USC, where he lets the best players play, regardless of class year or experience. Carroll starting true freshman Matt Barkeley to open the season against San Jose State is just another example of this approach to team-building. Thankfully, we don't have to start a true freshman at QB this season, and I am not saying we're going to become the next USC, but for models to follow, the USC program isn't a bad one to look at.

I'm not sure some realize the sacrifices some of these players are making, all in the name of winning. It takes a very unselfish person to say, "I have put in 2 (or 3 or 4) more years of off-season conditioning and in-season work than this true freshman coming in, but he is more talented and can become a better player than I am, so I am going to help him become the best player he can be, even if it means he might eventually take my starting spot."

To get all of the players to buy-in and embrace the youngsters is a credit to Sherman and the rest of the coaching staff.

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: Texas A&M

Beergut — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:31:32 -0000

SB Nation Big 12 Preview: In conjunction with The Ralphie Report, all Big 12 blogs are previewing their teams. The conference preview will run over at The Ralphie Report tomorrow, but A&M's preview is running today.

Texas A&M Offense: A&M returns 8 starters on offense, with virtually all of their skill position talent returning. QB Jerrod Johnson will be leading the offense for his second season, and WRs Jeff Fuller, Ryan Tannehill, Terrence McCoy will lead our passing attack. Tight end Jamie McCoy also returns, as does offensive linemen Evan Eike, Kevin Matthews, and Lee Grimes. Top backup RB Cyrus Gray will be the starter in the offensive backfield next to Johnson, although he may share playing time with Christine Michael. The offense averaged 5.3 yds per play last season, and a poor 340.9 yds per game total offense. If A&M is to have a winning season and go to a bowl, those numbers have to improve.

The Running Game: A&M averaged a pathetic 2.9 yds per carry on the season, while averaging 88.5 yds rushing per game, good for last place in the Big 12 in rushing offense. On the season, A&M rushed for a total of 1062 yds; to put that in perspective, Oklahoma had two running backs (Chris Brown and Demarco Murray) who gained more yds rushing than that individually. The return of three starters on the offensive line would seem to be an advantage for our rushing attack in 2009, but when it was some of the same players who manned a poor line last season, you have to question how much of an advantage that returning experience is. Right now, the starting offensive line in Fall Camp is Lucas Patterson and Lee Grimes at tackle, Mike Shumard and Matt Allen at guard, and Kevin Matthews at center. There has been some movement of Patterson from let tackle to right tackle on different days in camp, so it is unknown yet exactly who will start where. With the return of Gray and redshirt sophomore Bradley Stephens, and the addition of true freshman Christine Michael, A&M has the talent at running back to have an effective rushing attack. The question is whether or not we will have the blocking up front to get the job done on the ground.

The Passing Game: A&M returns record-setting starting QB Jerrod Johnson, who currently holds the records for most TD passes in a season (21), and most passing yards in a game for an A&M QB (419 yards vs. Kansas State). A&M also returns two record-setting wide receivers in freshman Jeff Fuller (most TD receptions for an A&M WR, with 9) and Ryan Tannehill (freshman record for receptions in a season, with 55). With John Mackey Award candidate Jamie McCoy returning at TE (43 receptions, 500 yds, 5 TDs), and senior Howard Morrow, freshmen Kenric McNeal, and Uzome "EZ" Nwachukwu providing quality depth at WR, A&M's passing game looks to continue to excel in 2009. The Aggies averaged 252.4 yds passing per game last season, a number that should rise with the return of so much skill position talent, and the implementation of a no-huddle spread attack this season.

Texas A&M Defense: Texas A&M was horrific on defense last season, no other way to put it. If the Aggies can improve to just being an average defensive team this season, i.e. giving up an average of 250 yds per game passing and 150 yds per game rushing, so giving up right at 400 yds per game in total offense, we will win enough games to be in a bowl game. The defense returns only 5 starters, but that may not be a bad thing, considering we gave up an average of 462 yds and 37 points per game last season.

Defensive Line: The Aggies lost both defensive ends as Michael Bennett and Cyril Obiozor used up their eligibility. They will be replaced by junior college transfer Matt Moss on the strongside, and hybrid Jack linebacker Von Miller on the weakside. Walk-on defensive end Spencer Nealy may also see significant time this season. On the interior line, A&M returns two players who saw extenisve action in 2008, with Eddie Brown returning at defensive tackle, where he started two games, and Tony Jerod-Eddie returning at nose tackle, where he started seven games last season. Redshirt freshman Rod Davis will provide key depth inside. As I have noted before, the key to improvement on our defense starts up front.

Linebackers: Von Miller is expected to be the Aggies' biggest playmaker this season, coming from his Jack linebacker position. Former MLB Matt Featherston will back up Miller at the Jack position. The middle of our linebacking corps will be manned by freshman Kyle Mangan, nicknamed "Ice Cream" by his teammates. Garrick Williams and Ricky Cavanaugh are battling for the other outside linebacker position. Linebacker is one area where an infusion of young talent and speed can really help us.

Secondary: A&M returns safety Trent Hunter and cornerback Jordan Pugh in the secondary, although Pugh has now been moved to safety. Backup Justin McQueen is currently running first team at one cornerback, and Jordan Peterson has moved from free safety, where he started last season, to compete for the spot with McQueen. True sophomore Terrence Frederick is the starter at the other CB spot and has had a very strong camp. I would argue that we were actually okay in the secondary last season, because Trent Hunter is a difference-maker at safety. Considering the fact that our cornerbacks and safeties had to stop the run AND cover the opposing receivers all the time, they didn't do too badly last year. With the improvement in the front seven of our defense this season, there is reason for hope for a solid season from our secondary. I don't look for us to be world-beaters, but we should be okay, and Trent Hunter should receive serious consideration for some post-season awards.

Overall prediction for A&M: I think we'll finish 4th or 5th in the Big 12 South, going 6-6 or 7-5. Is that overly optimistic? Maybe. I am a fan, after all. I think wins over Iowa State, Colorado, Kansas State, and Baylor can be expected in conference. Swing games that will define our season are aganst Arkansas in Arlington, Texas Tech in Lubbock, and texas in College Station.

Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus // Texas A&M Aggies

Seth C — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:00:11 -0000

2009 Texas Tech Opponent Prospectus

Game 1: North Dakota Fighting Sioux // Game 2: Rice Owls // Game 3: Texas Longhorns // Game 4: Houston Cougars // Game 5: New Mexico Lobos // Game 6: Kansas State Wildcats // Game 7: Nebraska Cornhuskers // Game 8: Texas A&M Aggies

Head coach Mike Sherman is in year two of the rebuilding project that is the Texas A&M Aggies. After the past two years, there's no doubt in my mind that Dennis Franchionne left the program in complete shambles and now Sherman is left cleaning up the pieces.

Join me after the jump for a closer look at Texas A&M.

General Information

Opponent	Texas A&M University
Nickname	Aggies
Location	College Station, TX
Enrollment	38,430 (Undergraduates)
Conference	Big 12
Head Coach	Mike Sherman
2008 Record	4-8 (2-6)
Starters Returning/Lost	16/6
Blogs	I Am The 12th Man Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order
Links	2009 Media Supplement (pdf) 2009 Spring Game Wrap-Up

Statistics


Statistic	Texas A&M	Texas Tech
Pass Offense	252.42 (27)	413.15 (1)
Rush Offense	88.50 (114)	117.84 (94)
Total Offense	340.92 (78)	531.00 (4)
Scoring Offense	25.00 (64)	43.77 (3)
Pass Efficiency	135.25 (35)	158.76 (9)
Sacks Allowed	3.25 (115)	1.00 (4)
Pass Defense	242.67 (95)	242.23 (94)
Rush Defense	219.25 (114)	140.38 (61)
Total Defense	461.92 (114)	382.62 (79)
Scoring Defense	37.42 (114)	27.85 (74)
Pass Efficiency Defense	144.41 (108)	130.56 (72)
Sacks	1.33 (100)	2.62 (18)
Tackles For Loss	4.83 (97)	4.85 (95)
Turnover Margin	-0.83 (104)	0.62 (22)

Top Returners

Category	Player
Rushing	Cyrus Gray (75 / 389 yds / 1 TD)
Passing	Jerrod Johnson (194-326 / 2,435 yds / 21 TD / 10 Int)
Receiving	Ryan Tannehill (55 rec. / 844 yds / 5 TD)
Tackles	Matt Featherston (94)
Sacks	Von Miller (3.5)
Interceptions	Trent Hunter (3)

A Few Things

Young Defense: The defense returns seven players, and although the Aggies weren't great defensively (a lot of teams were in the Big 12, including your Red Raiders) I think there's always something to be said for experience and as a team with good talent, that experience eventually pays off. The nice thing about the TAMU defense is that the Aggies aren't having to replace an entire unit (i.e. defensive line, linebacker, and secondary), which give the some consistency to this unit. Perhaps the biggest need for this unit is to force more turnovers. The offense could do a better job of holding onto the ball, but defensively, the Aggies probably need to force the issue a bit and with second year defensive coordinator, Joe Kines, I think that will eventually happen.
Rushing Duo: Returning running back Cyrus Gray and true freshman Christine Michael should prove to be a formidable rushing duo. Gray didn't necessarily light the world on fire last year (75/363/1 TD), behind incumbent Mike Goodson, but he did finish just under 5 yards per attempt. Michael is being touted as one of the top freshman in the country and despite the contempt for the Aggies, don't dismiss the fact that they do have talented players and Michael should be one of them.
Building a Line: The Aggies return four starters from last year, replacing their right tackle, and most of these guys were fairly young. Again, the concept that although the line wasn't very efficient last year, only 2.91 yards rushing and giving up 39 sacks (good for 115th in the nation) last year there's the potential for improvement. Of those players returning, OG Lee Grimes will be a senior, C Kevin Matthews will be a senior, OG Evan Eike will be a sophomore, and OT Michael Shumard will be a senior, so it appears that right now, TAMU will need to replace at least two starters next year.
Receiving Threats: TAMU returns their top three receiving threats from last year, and I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I really like both of the Aggies' wideouts, Ryan Tannehill (55/844/5 TD) and Jeff Fuller (50/630/9 TD). Not to mention, TE Jamie McCoy had a pretty good year, catching 43 passes for 500 yards and 5 TD's.
Getting to the QB: Getting pressure on the quarterback, including sacks and tackles for a loss, is a big problem for the Aggies. TAMU only mustered 16 sacks for the year in 2008, which was good for 100th in the nation. The bad part is that the Aggies return Von Miller, but lose three of the top four pass rushers in Cyril Obiozor, Danny Gorrer and Johnathan Baston. That's 7 of TAMU's 16 sacks for the year gone due to graduation.
Pressure on Johnson: Personally, I like Jerrod Johnson at quarterback for the Aggies and think that he's a pretty good quarterback. When it was known that WR Ryan Tannehill was going to push Johnson at QB, I wasn't sure if this as the best use of Tannehill's talents, especially after seeing him catch 5 passes for 104 yards against Texas Tech. I don't know that I know Mike Sherman, but I can understand the concept of needing to push players at every position. This is something that Mike Leach often does, which is make it known that his starting quarterback is being pushed by the backup, although most of us know that there's little chance of the backup having much of a chance. It's artificial pressure, but I get the feeling that this can affect the player. In any event, I have no doubt that Tannehill is a talented QB, he seems like the kind of guy that is good at just about anything, but I think it would take a monumental push from Tannehill to unseat the incumbent, Jerrod Johnson.

Poll

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most worried and 1 being the least worried, how worried are you about the Texas A&M Aggies?

1

186 votes

2

136 votes

3

84 votes

4

21 votes

5

34 votes

461 votes | Poll has closed

Team Leadership And Chemistry Important To Winning

Beergut — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:28:11 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson is interviewed during Big 12 football media days in Irving, Texas, Johnson is slowly growing into his role as team leader of the 2009 Aggie football team. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Browse more photos »

Chuck Carlton did a story on Jerrod Johnson's continued maturation at quarterback, and how he is growing as a leader. Carlton mentions two times where Johnson has shown leadership:

Johnson has already shown leadership skills beyond waking his teammates for early-morning passing drills.

Late in the Aggies' spring practice, Johnson's grandmother, Edna Johnson, died in the Houston area. Coach Mike Sherman gave Johnson permission to miss the annual Maroon and White scrimmage, which was the same day as the funeral.

Instead, Johnson paid his respects and returned to play the same day.

"It was tough for me, tough for my family," Johnson said. "I wanted to be back with the guys. I think I owed it to them. They put in a lot of time for me. I think it's only right that I was there for them.

While I don't want to rip Calrton for writing what is really a fine article, I think he isn't looking deep enough here. In Carlton's preview of Texas A&M, he briefly makes one mention of problems with team dissension last season

Mike Sherman has already addressed locker room issues that divided last year's team. This year's group seems to have bought in.

Coach Sherman talks a lot about players being "in the boat" and "buying in" to their program, and he is correct in that we need total buy-in from the players in order to be successful. However, that isn't the whole story. Trent Hunter has mentioned before that we had some selfish players on last year's team, players who were more interested in their own stats and their own glory than they were in winning games. A big part of leadership is quashing such "me-first" attitudes. Another big part of leadership is holding teammates accountable, which is also a big part of team chemistry.

Team chemistry is often the most important (but overlooked) part of a winning team. If you have good team chemistry, everyone is willing to do their job to make sure the team wins. If you have good leadership, you have people who are able to hold everyone else accountable when they fail to do their job. Often, the team leaders are your best players, but they also have to be people who are willing to be vocal. Whenever I see a star player say, "I lead by example", I know that player isn't a leader. A leader has to be willing to speak up and hold his teammates accountable when they are holding up their end of the bargain. Often, a team leader is the leader in other places besides on the field, because he has earned his teammates' respect off the field. If you have busted your butt all offseason long in the weight room and in conditioning workouts, you have the right to call out your teammates when they are slacking. If you give it all in practice and in games, you have a right to call out a teammate who is taking plays off. If you are a leader, you're willing to be the person to call that player out.

In 1998, A&M had a team that averaged right at 150 yds per game rushing and 150 yds per game passing, but they won 11 games. They won the Big 12 Championship with a team that scored just enough to win, and then shjut down the opposition with special teams and defense. They were able to win so many games simply because they had great team chemistry and great leadership. The players trusted each other to do their jobs and to do what it took to win games. That team had players like Randy McCown, Dat Nguyen, and Dan Campbell, players who weren't afraid to call out others if they got out of line, and needed to be pushed back to the straight and narrow.

In the 2009 season, we will need players like Trent Hunter, Jerrod Johnson, Jeff Fuller, and Ryan Tannehill to take ownership of this team, and to take on the leadership mantle for this team. While Hunter and Fuller are young (both are true sophomores), they have the talent and production on the field to demand their teammates' respect; they also both have worked hard in the offseason, and as younger members of the team, have a bigger stake in the future of the program beyond this season. It will be up to Johnson and Tannehill to help lead the offense, because as the starting QB and a starting WR/backup QB, both are playing positions that will be looked to for leadership, and both have produced as a level which gives them authority to push their teammates to rise up and match their production.

We have the talent on this team to improve on last season, have a winning season, and go to a bowl game. We just need to see if our team leadership will step up, and if we can develop the chemistry necessary for a winning team. Our first game is September 5, but we'll know what we really have as a team and as a program after we face some adversity this year.

10 Things That Need To Happen For A&M To Make A Bowl Game

miketag — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:07:32 -0000

I have been reading all the articles coming out of the Big 12 Media Days that predict doom and gloom for the Ags. While I understand that the media always bases this season off of what happened on the previous season, it is somewhat humorous to read of the pessimistic outlook for A&M. While I recognize that we have some tremendous challenges facing us, I see reason for optimism and not pessimism. That is probably why I am a fan. I felt compelled to compile a list of ten things that we need to happen this season in order for the Ags to improve on their record from last year and qualify for a bowl.

10. Rod Davis needs to step up. After redshirting last year, Davis looked very poor in the first half of the spring game but did step it up in the second half. He may be one of those players who only turns it on, on gameday. He needs to live up to his recruiting hype and provide quality depth on the DL if we are going to have any kind of ability to stop the run this year.

9. No sophomore slumps. We saw a bunch of true freshmen step into important roles on the year last season and excell. We need those players to continue to progress as they get more experience and develop into team leaders. This is especially important on defense where at some positions (DT) the sophomores are the most experienced at the position.

8. Maintain the good chemistry. Much has been made about last years upperclassmen not buying into what the coaches were preaching. One of the advantages of having the youngest team in America, is that the younger guys are more willing to buy into a program they are going to be a part of for the next 4-5 years. The word coming out of Aggieland is that this team has developed very good chemistry. We need to maintain that chemistry because during the season, there is going to be adversity during some games. The players on the field are going to have to fight for one another if they are going to get through the adversity and see success.

7. Lucas Patterson needs to be the answer at LT. There may not be a more important position for A&M this season than LT. Jerrod Johnson spent all of last season running for his life. It is amazing that he put up the numbers he did considering how poorly out OL played. We need Patterson to develop into a good LT so we can keep Shumard at LG and turn a bad OL into a possibly decent one.

6. Jeff Fuller needs to become a dominant WR. Fuller showed during the offseason why he was the best football player on the team. Now he needs to show the rest of America why he is a future first round draft pick. We need Fuller to draw double coverage to open up the rest of the offense.

5. Bradley Stephens needs to hold onto the ball. Cyrus Gray is going to be the starting RB against New Mexico. Christine Michael may end up being a star in the making. However, you need three good RBs in college football today because invariably you have injuries at the position. No one has ever quationed Stephen's ability, he just needs to hold onto the ball so he can see more playing time. His inability to do so last year during practice was why he rode the bench.

4. A freshman WR has to step up. We really need one of the freshmen WRs to step up and give us someone with gamebreaking speed in the rotation. Fuller, Tannehill, and McCoy make for a fine rotation but are not going to break 4.5 in the 40. We need Easy Nwachukwu or Ryan Swope to step in and be the speed guy right away.

3. Freshmen have to play like upperclassmen. The old football axiom is that you will lose one game for every freshman that you have in the starting lineup. Considering that 15 freshmen will likely see extensive playing time this year, that cannot be the case. We need freshmen like Dustin Harris, Spencer Nealy, Ryan Swope, and Christian Michael to play like Trent Hunter did last year. We need better athletes on the field making plays, and the freshmen are going to have to provide it.

2. Beat someone we are not expected to. We need to win at least one game no one gives us a chance in. Right now my best guess would be possible wins at Tech, home vs. OSU, home vs. tu, or Arkansas at Jerryworld. We need to win a game that no one expects us to win in order to arrive at the magical number of 6 to qualify for a bowl.

1. Stay healthy. We simply cannot afford to have injuries like we did last year. We do not have enough depth especially at positions like the OL. We are going to have to have some luck with the injury bug if we are going to succeed on the field this year.