Big 12: Kevin Matthews
Going:
Lee Grimes, Kevin Matthews and Michael Shumard, OL
Texas A&M isn't lacking for talent at the skill positions. They have the best combination of backs, receivers and quarterback in the conference. But if one thing derails the Aggies' offense, it will be the departure of Grimes, Matthews and Shumard, three linemen who helped Christine Michael, Cyrus Gray and Jerrod Johnson, among a few others, rush for 2,394 yards in 2009, second-most in the conference, behind Oklahoma State. If Johnson doesn't have consistent time against in the pocket to throw -- or gets hurt -- against the conference's best teams late in the season, the Aggies can forget any dreams they have of stealing the South for the first time since 1998.
Jordan Pugh, S
Pugh was Texas A&M's second-leading tackler last season, with 84 tackles. Though Texas A&M's defense brings back nine starters, Pugh isn't among them. A three-year starter in the secondary (both corner and safety), he earned All-Big 12 honors for his senior performance. He picked off a team-high three passes and made 2.5 tackles for loss.
Staying:
Jerrod Johnson, QB
Johnson is no stranger to the Big 12 Blog, but the conference's best quarterback has his eyes set on a South title -- and more -- after a 6-7 season in 2009. Johnson has plenty of receivers to help him improve on his Big 12-best 30 touchdown passes. His impressive speed helped him rush for 506 yards and eight touchdowns, too, but his arm and size (6-foot-5, 243 pounds) are what's attracted the attention of NFL scouts.
Trent Hunter, S
It's hard to talk about the Aggie defense without mentioning Von Miller, but Hunter could blossom into a household name alongside Miller in 2010 after leading the team in tackles as a sophomore last season. He was named to The Sporting News' Freshman All-America team, and earned a second-team All-Big 12 nod last season, setting the stage for a big 2010 season for an Aggie defense hoping to improve under new coordinator Tim DeRuyter.
Coming:
Luke Joeckel, OT
Mike Sherman's highest-rated recruit from 2010 couldn't have been much more impressive. Joeckel enrolled early at Texas A&M and by the end of spring, had earned the status of starting left tackle heading into fall camp. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Arlington native looks ready to kick off a possibly special career in College Station this fall, helping plug the holes left behind by the guys listed in the "Going" section.
Toney Hurd Jr., CB
One of three Aggie recruits who earned a spot on the ESPNU 150, Hurd could help improve a pass defense that ranked last in the Big 12 and 105th nationally last season. Hurd hails from Missouri City, Texas, stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 179 pounds. He ranked as the No. 11 cornerback in the nation and the No. 125 overall prospect.
More Revolving Door:
2009 conference record: 3-5
Returning starters: Offense (8), Defense (9), P/K (2)
Top returners: QB Jerrod Johnson, LB Von Miller, WR Jeff Fuller, RB Christine Michael, RB Cyrus Gray, DT Lucas Patterson, DB Trent Hunter, WR Uzoma Nwachukwu
Key losses: S Jordan Pugh, OL Michael Shumard, OL Kevin Matthews, OL Lee Grimes
2009 statistical leaders (*returners)
Rushing: Christine Michael* (844 yards)
Passing: Jerrod Johnson* (3,579 yards)
Receiving: Uzoma Nwachukwu* (708 yards)
Tackles: Trent Hunter* (95)
Sacks: Von Miller* (16.5)
Interceptions: Jordan Pugh (3)
Three spring answers
1. Found a place for Von Miller. Von Miller will play the “Joker” position, a hybrid defensive end/linebacker spot in new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s 3-4 alignment. It seems like a natural fit for the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder who led the nation in sacks last season.
2. Embracing DeRuyter’s schemes. After fielding the worst defense in the Big 12 last season and ranking 104th nationally in scoring defense, the Aggie D was ready for a change. It cam in the form of DeRuyter, who coached Air Force’s defense last season into the national top 10. Texas A&M’s defenders were clearly receptive to DeRuyter’s new approach and are ready to erase a forgettable year.
3. Joeckel can’t hide. Texas A&M is replacing three offensive linemen from last year’s team, but its new left tackle might be true freshman Luke Joeckel. The Arlington, Texas product and No. 83 on the ESPNU 150 enrolled early as the nation’s No. 6 offensive tackle prospect. He drew rave reviews from coach Mike Sherman—reluctantly, Sherman admitted—and left the spring as the starter. If the Aggies make it back to Joeckel’s hometown for the Big 12 title game, he’ll be a reason why.
Three fall questions
1. Will the defense be good enough? The offense scored the third-most points in the Big 12 last season, but still won just six games. The easy culprit is the defense, which gave up over 40 points on five occasions in 2009, and 60-plus in a pair of other losses. The offense still returns eight starters, so they won’t need to be dominant, just better. We won’t know how much better until the fall.
2. Will the offense repeat its performance behind a new line? Oklahoma experienced it last season, and Texas A&M could be a candidate in 2010. The best way to derail a dominant offense is replacing starters on the offensive line. Oklahoma went from the best offense in the history of college football to fourth in the Big 12. If the turnover process doesn’t go better for the Aggies, they could see a similar drop.
3. Is this “The Year?” Texas A&M is the only team other than Texas or Oklahoma to represent the South in the Big 12 title game, but they haven’t done it since winning the Big 12 title in 1998. Is this the year the Aggies make it back? They’ll have their best team under Sherman, and unlike Oklahoma State a year ago, they won’t begin their campaign with Oklahoma and Texas entering the season as frontrunners for the national title. If they’re going to sneak up and snatch the South, this will be their best chance in awhile.
'The Punisher' plays big in Texas' victory in Nation All-Star Game
Antoine produced two tackles and an assist for the Texas team, which rolled to a 36-17 victory over the Nation at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
Several other former Big 12 players participated in the fourth annual February all-star game.
Here's a look at what the Big 12 players accomplished in the game. All of them played for the Texas team.
- Texas A&M FB Jamie McCoy: Rushed twice for 12 yards and produced one catch for 5 yards.
- Iowa State P Mike Brandtner: Two kicks for a 33.0 yard average. His longest was 43 yards and he had one pooch kick inside the 20.
- Baylor S Jordan Lake: Two assists, a shared tackle for a loss and one pass broken up.
- Missouri WR Jared Perry: One reception for 16 yards.
Several players who appeared on game rosters earlier in the week did not participate. Among those who were missing included Baylor wide receiver David Gettis, Oklahoma State guard Andrew Lewis, Texas A&M center Kevin Matthews, Texas Tech defensive end Brandon Sharpe and Texas Tech tackle Marlon Winn, according to the official statistical game book that was posted at the game's web site.
After the game, organizers told the El Paso Times that they were disappointed with an announced crowd of 26,041 for the game. That attendance was down significantly from last season's attendance of 42,000.
Game CEO Kenny Hansmire told the Times the game could be headed for San Antonio or Dallas because of the attendance decline.
Six Big 12 schools represented in all-star game
The Big 12 will be represented by a group of players looking to make some pre-draft buzz.
Here's a look at the prospects representing the Big 12 schools, who will participate on the Texas team in the game.
Baylor
WR David Gettis
S Jordan Lake
Iowa State
P Mike Brandtner
Missouri
WR Jared Perry
Oklahoma State
S Lucien Antoine
G-C Andrew Lewis
Texas A&M
FB-H-back Jamie McCoy
C Kevin Matthews
Texas Tech
DE Brandon Sharpe
T Marlon Winn
Former Dallas Cowboys standout Bill Bates and Florida Atlantic University head coach Howard Schnellenberger will serve as the coaches at Saturday's game.
A&M's offensive line inspired by watching Ali's mastery
Old boxing films must appeal to the toughness of football players and particularly offensive linemen everywhere.
Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman realized his team was a huge underdog heading into its game against Texas Tech. In order to provide a teaching point, Sherman had his team watch Muhammad Ali’s stunning upset knockout over George Foreman in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight.
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| Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images | |
| The inspired play of Texas A&M’s offensive line boosted quarterback Jerrod Johnson in a win over Texas Tech. |
"I really challenged those linemen," said Sherman, whose career started as an offensive line coach. "I was on them during practice and really backed them into a corner and they came out swinging."
Suitably inspired, the Aggies’ offensive line played the game of the season by shredding Texas Tech’s No. 24 ranked run defense for 321 rushing yards and six touchdowns to help power an impressive 52-30 victory over the Red Raiders.
It was only a week removed from an atrocious performance at Kansas State, where the Aggies produced minus-13 yards rushing and allowed six sacks in a 62-14 thumping to the Wildcats.
"I told the guys during the week that this game was more about them as a man, than as a football player,” Sherman said after the game. “I'm proud of them, both as men and football players."
The performance was noteworthy to quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who appealed to the line’s sense of honor before the game by saying he had unflagging confidence in them despite their earlier struggles.
“My hat is off to them,” Johnson told the San Antonio Express-News. “I’m more happy for those guys, especially the seniors. They’ve taken a lot of flack every week. Their parents been calling them, media’s been pretty tough on them. I’ve been telling them ‘Look, I got a lot of faith in you guys. We’re all we got. Just go out there and keep fighting, keep battling.’”
Johnson was sacked only once by the Red Raiders, who came into the game ranked eighth nationally with 23 sacks.
The stunning turnaround in the offensive line’s performance was the major reason the Aggies were able to win in Lubbock for the first time since 1993, scoring the most points in the 68-game history of the series with the Red Raiders. .
Sherman made a tactical move in terms of personnel before the game, inserting redshirt sophomore Evan Eike and freshman Patrick Lewis into the starting lineup at guard to go along with senior starters Lee Grimes and Michael Shumard at tackle and Kevin Matthews at center. And they didn’t get away from the run, repeatedly mashing the Red Raiders at the point of attack.
"I'm not a big guy on moving offensive linemen around. I hate it," Sherman said. "It's been out of necessity because we've had to find the right combination."
The moves worked as the Aggies caught fire from the beginning of the game. A&M produced 15 plays of 10 or more yards in the first half to spark the surge. The Aggies had 334 yards in the first half after produced just 301 the previous week against KSU. That sparked a run of 24 straight A&M points that blew the game open.
The line’s confidence was bolstered by Sherman electing to run the ball more.
A&M’s play-calling ideas built on the line's strong work as Cyrus Gray ran for 131 yards and Christine Michael chipped in with 121 yards – both career bests. They became the first pair A&M running backs to both rush for more than 100 yards since Derek Farmer and Courtney Lewis did it in 2003 against Baylor.
“A lot of us were recruited primarily for a running offense,” Shumard said. “I love running the ball. There’s nothing better, or demoralizing than when the running game is working”
And that big effort proved something to doubters everywhere.
“We were just trying to right the ship. We knew we would get things going in the right direction eventually,” Shumard said. “I heard a lot of talk about how we needed a miracle. That they were going to put 100 points on (us). But that's why the game is played.”
What a difference a week makes. The Aggies came into the game after losing their last three games by an average of 27 points per game. But after beating Tech, the 4-3 Aggies now have solid bowl hopes if they can muster two more victories this season starting with Saturday’s game against Iowa State at Kyle Field.
And even with the strong performance at Tech, Sherman expects more improvement in the offensive line as the season continues.
“It wasn’t a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination, but we protected our quarterback and we were able to mix it up with the run and pass, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to call the game,” Sherman said. “They did a nice job. They’ll continue to get better. They are a work in progress but there are a lot of things we need to fix.”
UT, OU off to fast early starts in 2010 recruiting rankings
ESPN's Scouts Inc. unveiled its latest recruiting rankings and three Big 12 teams are ranked among the nation's top 11 teams in the 2010 class.
Texas and Oklahoma -- as usual -- are high in the rankings with Texas at No. 2 and Oklahoma at No. 8.
The Longhorns have picked up 10 commitments among ESPNU's top 150 among their 19 commitments. It's a typical Texas class, heavy on defensive help keyed by top defensive tackle prospects Taylor Bible of Denton, Texas (Guyer High School) and Ashton Dorsey of Tyler, Texas (John Tyler High School).
Quarterback Blake Bell of Wichita, Kan. (Bishop Carroll High School) is the key prospect in Oklahoma's 23-player list that includes five top 150 commitments. The Sooners' reach has been truly national with key prospects like running back Roy Finch from Niceville, Fla., and heralded running back Brennan Clay from San Diego (Scripps Ranch High School).
But the Big 12's biggest early surprise in recruiting has been Texas A&M. Coach Mike Sherman has intensified his recruiting interest and it's paid off with three top 150 commitments among his 20-player class. The key recruit is tackle Jake Matthews of Missouri City, Texas, (Elkins High School), the son of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews and the younger brother of current A&M starting center Kevin Matthews.
Oklahoma State is listed among the teams "on the cusp" of the top 15.
It's still early and the grades for teams will continue be shuffled. But it appears that the Big 12 South has another big edge in this year's recruiting.
You can check out the complete recruiting scorecard to see how all of the Big 12 teams rank.
Patterson's switch aided by 'nasty disposition'
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
IRVING, Texas -- There's something about playing football that brings out a different side in Texas A&M junior Lucas Patterson.
And that might be an understatement. Once the 6-foot-4, 308-pounder puts on the pads, he has a different attitude.
"I'm a laid-back, quiet kind of guy except when I get on the field," Patterson said. "But coach said I have a mean streak and I kind of want to rip the head off the guy in front of me."
That disposition helped convince Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman to move Patterson from defensive tackle to offensive tackle, where he's penciled in as the Aggies' starting left tackle.
That position speaks to the athleticism that Sherman believes Patterson will bring to the position, where his major job will be protecting quarterback Jerrod Johnson's blind side.
"When I look at a football team, I look at a pass-blocker as pretty important," Sherman said. "If he was a dominant pass-rusher, unblockable and can change context of the game, I would probably keep him on defense. But if he's not playing left tackle, the other guy could probably change the context of the game against us.
"I think that Lucas is a guy, athletically, if he would probably be more ready to play than defense. He has the confidence and a 'Cool Luke' attitude. He doesn't get flustered and is very smart and tough and gives us a certain amount of credibility to that group by joining them."
Johnson said he has no hesitation about Patterson, despite his recent lack of experience on offense. The A&M quarterback remembers his contributions as an offensive lineman when both were freshmen players.
"I have the ultimate confidence in Lucas," Johnson said. "He played offensive line then and held his own every day."
Patterson produced 34 tackles in 11 starts at defensive tackle last season.
That move will enable A&M to move Michael Shumard to left guard. Lee Grimes will move to right tackle and several players are competing for the right guard position with Kevin Matthews at center.
"I think it makes us stronger," Sherman said. "On offense, if we can keep the ball longer on offense we can help our defense. I thought long and hard about that. It does weaken us a little in the defensive line. But I feel like Lucas can be a good offensive lineman and really help us."
These Big 12 positions need the most help
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
All questions aren't settled during the course of spring practice as teams still have much work to upgrade their weaknesses heading into the season.
Obviously, some will receive a boost from incoming freshmen who will arrive later. But here's how each team's biggest liability shakes out heading into the summer.
Baylor: The Bears are desperately looking for help at offensive tackle after losing No. 2 overall draft pick Jason Smith and Dan Gay as their starters. Former Canadian firefighter Danny Watkins has established himself at Smith's old position protecting Robert Griffin's blind side. And on the right side, junior Chris Griesenbeck and redshirt freshmen Cameron Kaufhold are competing for the starting job with Tyler Junior College's Phillip Blake and Blinn College's Marquis Franklin set the arrive later this summer.
Colorado: Wide receiver has been a question mark for the Buffaloes throughout Dan Hawkins' coaching tenure. The Buffaloes return four scholarship wide receivers and had a chance to work out several new players with Scotty McKnight injured during the spring. Josh Smith and Markques Simas are the top playmakers coming out of the spring. Non-scholarship players like Jason Espinoza and Ryan Maxwell emerged, but the Buffaloes definitely need a big upgrade at the position from their arriving freshman class.
Iowa State: The Cyclones will be facing a big hole at left tackle, where two-year starter Doug Dedrick departs. It could be filled by Matt Hulbert, who started two games last season when Dedrick was hurt. Or it could be massive 354-pound junior Hayworth Hicks or freshman Brayden Burris at the position. Whoever emerges will face a huge challenge in filling Dedrick's experience as he protects the blind side of the Iowa State quarterbacks.
Kansas: Coach Mark Mangino will be facing a few huge rebuilding job at linebacker, where the Jayhawks lose key contributors Joe Mortensen, Mike Rivera and James Holt from last season. Mangino is talking about using a two-linebacker set as his base defense with fifth-year senior Jake Schermer and senior Arist Wright getting the starting jobs leaving spring practice. Sophomore Steven Johnson and converted running back Angus Quigley were competing for playing time during the spring and another boost is expected when junior linebacker Justin Springer, who is recovering from a torn ACL last season, returns in the fall.
Kansas State: Carson Coffman appeared to have claimed the starting job at quarterback -- at least for a few weeks -- after a strong effort during the latter stages of spring practice. But Coffman's late binge has to be tempered considering he is playing against the weak Kansas State secondary. So it's fair to say there are some lingering questions at the position. Coffman apparently has beaten back the challenge of challengers Collin Klein, Joseph Kassanavoid, Trey Scott and Milton McPeek. But the arrival of South Florida transfer Grant Gregory and heralded junior-college transfer Daniel Thomas will mean more competition in the summer.
Missouri: The Tigers will be facing a challenge of replacing NFL first-round draft pick Evander "Ziggy" Hood at defensive tackle to play opposite nose tackle Jaron Baston. Redshirt sophomore Terrell Resonno appeared to have claimed the job out of the spring, with Dominique Hamilton, Chris Earnhardt and converted linebacker George White perhaps earning their way into the rotation.
Nebraska: After the graduation of top receivers Todd Peterson and Nate Swift from last season, the Cornhuskers need to fill both positions. Leading returning receiver Menelik Holt appears to have a hammerlock on one position, but Niles Paul lost a chance to take a big step forward after missing the spring after he was suspended for driving under the influence. Antonio Bell was the biggest surprise, but converted I-back Marcus Mendoza, Chris Brooks, Wes Cammack and Curenski Gilleylen all showed flashes during the spring.
Oklahoma: There was concern before spring practice, considering the Sooners were replacing four-fifths of their starting offensive line with only Trent Williams back from last season's starters. And it got worse when Bob Stoops called out the young replacements because of their lack of diligence in their preseason conditioning. Williams emerged at left tackle with Brian Simmons and Stephen Good at guards, redshirt freshman Ben Habern at center and either LSU transfer Jarvis Jones or Cory Brandon at right tackle. The depth took a hit when center Jason Hannan left early in training camp and sophomore guard Alex Williams chose to leave after spring practice. The group struggled against the Sooners' talented defensive line, allowing Sam Bradford to be touch-sacked twice in three possessions in the spring game and produced only 27 rushing yards in 52 carries.
Oklahoma State: The loss of veteran center David Washington produced a huge hole in the center of the Cowboys' interior line. Andrew Lewis returns to his natural position, leaving Oklahoma State needing two new starters at guard. Noah Franklin and Jonathan Rush have staked claims to the starting positions with Anthony Morgan and Nick Martinez getting repetitions inside. This group needs to improve if it hopes to equal the standards of previous seasons, when the Cowboys led the Big 12 in rushing each of the last three seasons.
Texas: The tight end was rarely used for the Longhorns after Blaine Irby dislocated his kneecap last season against Rice. He still wasn't ready to go during the spring as Greg Smith, Ahmard Howard, Ian Harris and D.J. Grant all got work. None of them emerged. And with Irby's return remaining iffy, it means the Longhorns again could reduce the use of the tight end and utilize four-receiver sets when they want to move the ball. Don't look for the Longhorns to use the tight end much unless this production improves.
Texas A&M: T
he Aggies were wracked with injuries during the spring as projected starters Lee Grimes, Kevin Matthews and Lucas Patterson were sidelined all spring as A&M was down to only nine healthy offensive linemen for some practices. It still doesn't excuse the lack of offensive production for A&M's starting unit, which produced only 9 yards rushing on 24 carries against Texas A&M's first-string defense. Coach Mike Sherman will be counting on immediate production from an impressive group of incoming freshman at fall practice, but it's fair to characterize the Aggies' offensive line as the team's biggest spring concern -- especially after allowing 39 sacks last season and ranking last in the conference in rushing yards per game.
Texas Tech: The loss of productive starters Daniel Charbonnet and Darcel McBath left a gaping hole at safety for the Red Raiders. Junior Franklin Mitchem earned the free safety position leaving spring practice and redshirt freshman Cody Davis emerged at strong safety. Jared Flannel, Brett Dewhurst and converted linebacker Julius Howard also got some snaps at safety. It will still be a challenge to combat the explosive Big 12 defenses with such an inexperienced group at the position.
Five Big 12 players named to first Rimington watch list
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
Five Big 12 offensive linemen have been named to the initial watch list created for the Rimington Trophy.
Among the nominees include Missouri junior Tim Barnes, Texas senior Chris Hall, Nebraska senior Jacob Hickman, Texas A&M senior Kevin Matthews and Baylor senior J.D. Walton.
Hall and Walton made the watch list last season, which is sponsored by the Boomer Esiason Foundation to support research and treatment of cystic fibrosis and given to the most outstanding center in college football. Last year's winner was A.Q. Shipley of Penn State.
A couple of the Big 12's inclusions were a little surprising. Hickman moved to right guard in spring practice to enable Mike Caputo to work his way into the lineup. And Matthews was among three starting Texas A&M offensive linemen who missed spring practice recovering from injuries.
The Big 12 has had one Rimington winner since presentation of the award began in 2000. Dominic Raiola of Nebraska won the first Rimington in 2000.
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Aggies show flashes of promise during practice
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Sorry about the delay in getting my practice report up after this afternoon's work. My wireless stick didn't work so I hurried back home as soon as I could to file this missive.
During my time at Texas A&M, I was impressed with the enthusiasm the Aggies brought to their workouts. The practices were open to current A&M students and faculty members, invited guests and former A&M students with an Aggie ring. It resulted in a crowd of about a hundred people on a sun-splashed afternoon with ideal conditions for the practice.
Here are some of my observations after watching A&M work:
- The Aggies' offense likely has had better days of work than its outing Tuesday afternoon.
Quarterback Jerrod Johnson had what would have been sacks on three straight plays, followed later in the practice by an interception and a fumble. The offense never maintained any sense of real continuity throughout the two-hour workout.
"We did a good job, but once we got going, we gave up a sack or a pressure and started falling apart a little bit," A&M coach Mike Sherman said.
Despite the struggles, Sherman said the Aggies are making good progress with two weeks left in practice before their April 18 spring game at Kyle Field.
"We're working hard and we're making progress," Sherman said. "It's never as much as I would like and probably anyone would like at this point. But as long as they work hard, we'll get better and make the progress we need to make. I'd like to be further ahead, but we're not very far from where I'd like us to be."
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
After struggling through a disappointing 4-8 season that was Texas A&M's worst since 2003, coach Mike Sherman has redoubled efforts in his first full recruiting season with the Aggies.
Sherman has seen some strong results with increased athleticism from several top early commitments, most notably breakaway running back Christine Michael from Beaumont, Texas -- the program's first five-star recruit at the position in the past decade.
Michael's arrival is important as the Aggies lose Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson opted to declare for the NFL draft as a junior. The Aggies have little experience at the position as sophomores-to-be Cyrus Gray and Bradley Stephens and Keondra Smith will likely be battling Michael for immediate playing time. Any improvement would be noticeable after the Aggies ranked 114th nationally in rushing last season.
The Aggies' passing game looks in good shape with the return of quarterback Jerrod Johnson, freshman receiver Jeff Fuller and redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Tannehill. There's a need for an upgrade in the offensive line considering last season's struggles and the fact that starting tackle Michael Shumard, starting guard Lee Grimes and starting center Kevin Matthews all will be seniors in 2009.
The defensive line will take a hit as starting defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cyril Obizor and top substitute Amos Gbunblee all were seniors last season. But the development of freshman tackles Eddie Brown and Tony Jerod-Eddie will make the need less immediate inside.
An upgrade is also needed in the secondary after the Aggies lost starting cornerback Arkeith Brown and rover Devin Gregg and the top two substitutes at the position as seniors. And it behooves the Aggies to develop some young players quickly with starting cornerback Jordan Pugh and starting free safety Jordan Peterson both entering their senior seasons in 2009.
The Aggies ranked no better than 108th in any of the four major defensive statistical categories as they finished with losses to all of their South Division rivals for the first time in school history. So an immediate upgrade of defensive talent is mandatory after those struggles.
A&M's offensive line aims to dispel the doubters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Most observers believe that Texas A&M's offensive line is the team's biggest question mark heading into the season.
Senior tackle Travis Schneider has heard some of the concern from A&M fans. But he said that the retooled offensive line will be ready to surprise some doubters when the Aggies open the season Aug. 30 against Arkansas State.
"I don't read a lot of preseason stuff, but I come from a big college town so you're going to hear it regardless," Schneider. "I'm not surprised. We had four great guys leave us. But the guys we have filling that role will show people they can play. I'm not worried about offensive line at all."
The Aggies return jet-quick running back Michael Goodson, quarterback Stephen McGee, bruising fullback Jorvorskie Lane and heralded redshirt freshman Bradley Stephens to highlight one of the nation's deepest backfields. The lack of returning talent along A&M's offensive front are prompting the questions of whether the Aggies will be able to match last season's average of 211.6 rushing yards -- good for 13th nationally -- if they don't have any holes to run through.
A&M's new line will be anchored by junior Kevin Matthews, son of NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews. He is expected to be flanked by junior guards Lee Grimes and Vincent Williams. Schneider and junior Michael Shumard are the leaders at tackle heading into fall camp.
Gone from last season are all-Big 12 center Cody Wallace and guard Kirk Elder and tackle Corey Clark -- who both earned honorable mention for conference honors. Wallace and Clark both were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft.
"We had four guys leave from last year who played a lot of games for us and there's no doubt they will be hard to replace," Schneider said. "But we have some young guys with the right attitude about them. We do a lot of stuff together as a unit and these guys will show people they can play."
New A&M coach Mike Sherman will change A&M's basic offensive philosophy from an option-based attack favored by former coach Dennis Franchione to a pro-style attack that will feature more play-action passing and running between the tackles.
The change would be daunting -- even if Sherman's new group had much returning experience.
"Regardless of what you do, whether you're an option team or a West Coast offense or a spread offense, it's a challenge," Sherman said.
The transformation of the unit to a more physical, aggressive offensive attack has suited the new A&M line.
"We're more like a pro-style offense now running the ball between the tackles and it's good," Schneider said. "It's kind of a fresh breath for us to start playing with it. We're rolling. This offense lets us play more aggressively. We're a better football team."
The lack of star power or returning experience isn't necessarily a liability, Sherman said.
Earlier in his career, Sherman has developed a cohesive offensive line that wasn't necessarily composed of the best athletes or most heralded players. He has 13 years of previous experience as a college offensive line coach, including seven seasons at A&M from 1989-93 and 1995-96 under R.C. Slocum.
"I think an offensive line is measured collectively -- how well they work well collectively," Sherman said. "I've had lines with the star player that didn't mesh very well. So our goal is to get these guys to play well together. We have to accelerate the learning curve as soon as we can get our hands on them in a couple of weeks."
Schneider now serves as his group's leader and says he revels in his new role. The offensive line is also thriving because of Sherman's arrival.
"Change is good," Schneider said. "I'm looking forward to it and the rest of the team has too. We're all in this together and I think we'll do good."
ABOUT THIS BLOG
David Ubben
Ubben joined ESPN.com in March 2010 after covering Big 12 football for two seasons at the Columbia Missourian and The Oklahoman. Ubben, a native of Springdale, Ark., lives in Dallas.
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