|
RB
Courtney Lewis |
|
|
2005
Statistics |
Coach:
Dennis Franchione
16-19,
3 years |
2005
Record: 5-6 |
|
at
Clemson |
LOST
24-25 |
SMU |
WON
66-8 |
TEXAS
STATE |
WON
44-31 |
BAYLOR |
WON
16-13 (OT) |
at
Colorado |
LOST
20-41 |
OKLAHOMA
STATE |
WON
62-23 |
at
Kansas State |
WON
30-28 |
IOWA
STATE |
LOST
14-42 |
at
Texas Tech |
LOST
17-56 |
at
Oklahoma |
LOST
30-36 |
TEXAS |
LOST
29-40 |
|
2005 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2006
Outlook |
Texas
A&M’s “12th man”,
like any other fanatical group who
adamantly loves to trumpet its annual
potential, hate the term “rebuilding”.
But that's exactly what has been going
on seemingly for the past few seasons.
As the Aggies struggle to build a
team capable of competing at the top
of the Big XII again, it looks as
if they are finally getting closer
to that dream. Never underestimate
the ability for head coach Dennis
Franchione to turn a team around (remember
‘Bama?). He has the all-around
talent now to really do some damage.
Despite
possessing nice size all over the
field, the ’05 Aggies fought
injuries that caused a glaring lack
of speed on defense and special teams.
With strong recruiting and coaching,
Texas A&M has started to develop
the kind of players that can turn
a game in the blink of an eye. The
addition of Gary Darnell as defensive
coordinator will also make team results
better, guaranteed. His 4-2-5 alignment
can make up for the lack of DB strength
and the inexperienced youth surge
here.
The
future looks to be steadier with QB
Stephen McGee at the helm. He has
to do what Reggie McNeal couldn’t
– manage the game instead of
trying to win it single-handedly –
and if he can do this, offensive consistency
will appear, especially with so much
potential at the talent positions.
Courtney Lewis is a big-time running
back who just needs to stay healthy,
and their WR corps is too stacked
not to produce, especially in A&M’s
creative multiple-receiver sets. Defensively,
their keys to recovery are a consistent
edge pass rush and the ability to
keep pass plays in front of them to
avoid the big plays that toasted them
in ‘05. The talent at LB should
tie together any marginal/weak areas.
It
is highly probable that these things
can all happen, so the move back to
the level(s) of Oklahoma and Texas
will continue. Least of all, the Aggies
will be much more competitive week-in
and week-out. This team isn't quite
good enough to get to the Big XII
title game just yet in such a tough
conference half, but the heads of
the College Station faithful will
be held much higher by December, and
a decent bowl game (only one bowl
appearance in past four campaigns)
will then loom.
Projected
2006 record: 7-5
|
|
TEXAS
A&M
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3 |
DL
- 4 |
RB
- 4 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 2.5 |
OL
- 4.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Stephen McGee, 53-24-1, 283 yds.,
2 TD
Rushing: Courtney Lewis, 109
att., 723 yds., 7 TD
Receiving: Chad Schroeder,
20 rec., 335 yds., 5 TD
Scoring: Jorvorskie Lane, 9
TD, 54 pts.
Punting: Justin Brantly, 46
punts, 43.2 avg.
Kicking: Layne Neumann, 0-2
FG, 0-0 PAT, 0 pts.
Tackles: Justin Warren, 95
tot., 34 solo
Sacks: Chris Harrington, 4
sacks
Interceptions: Marquis Carpenter,
4 for 45 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Courtney Lewis,
5 ret., 20.4 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Jordan Chambless,
8 ret., 11.1 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
DB
Melvin Bullitt |
|
|
|
TEXAS
A&M |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 7 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 8 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Reggie McNeal-QB, DeQawn Mobley-WR,
Jason Carter-WR, Boone Stutz-TE, Dominique
Steamer-OG, Jami Hightower-OG, Aldo
DeLaGarza-OG, Todd Pegram-K |
DEFENSE:
Johnny
Jolly-DT, Renuel Greene-SLB, Lee Foliaki-SLB,
Archie McDaniel-ROV, Ronald Jones-CB,
Jaxson Appel-FS |
|
|
2006
OFFENSE |
Quarterback
Senior Ty Branyon and sophomore Stephen
McGee will be vying to take over the controls
for the Aggies. Branyon is a big guy who
can survey the field well and is especially
adept at throwing stuff underneath, whereas
McGee (same 6’3” size) has the
potential to be a bigger playmaker and the
coaches hope he seizes the spot. The Aggies
feel McGee can become an elite college player
with a little more experience. He played
in eight games last year to start his “seasoning”
and has good proven movement skills (ex-track
star), but the key will be his consistency
and ability to make the basic throws over
and over again. The Burnet-native has had
some problems with his accuracy, though
he didn’t throw an INT his senior
year of prep. Senior T.J. Sanders returns
as the third option but the Kansas native
is not regarded as anything more than an
emergency option.
Running
Back
Senior Courtney Lewis has had trouble staying
healthy throughout his career and has been
underutilized, but that should change with
a less experienced signal caller at the
controls. Lewis has a good size-speed ratio
(4.37 seconds in the 40) and has shown the
ability to wear down a defense. He is one
of the strongest of all Aggie skill players,
and though not used too much as a receiver,
he has shown good hands and much YAC in
the flat. Better yet, 265 pound sophomore
Jorvorskie Lane will be bruising more bodies
coming in as the third leading rusher. At
223 pounds, Brandon Leone is a big guy with
amazing speed. The former-DB moved over
to running back just last season and it
remains to be seen if the former high school
track star (10.37 second in the 100) has
the vision and cutback ability to be a consistent
contributor. Sophomore Samson Taylor will
be pushing Leone for reps. Taylor is a more
natural runner. At fullback will be the
massive Chris Alexander. The 246-pound junior
is a top-tier lead blocker, but the Humble-native
needs more touches as he has a good feel
for the lead draw play (no yards lost on
his eight carries). Also keep an eye on
freshman Mike Goodson. Considered the top
RB recruit in Texas and No.4 nationally
(Rivals.com), Goodson is an explosive, versatile
player who can break one on any play. This
unit is about as strong as any RB group
in the conference, so 2005’s 10th-ranked
rushing offense should remain a major offensive
dimension.
Receiver
This is a big, deep receiving corps with
several homerun options. The massive Earvin
Taylor returns after a broken ankle and
will be looking to finally become a viable
option. At 6-3 and 244 pounds, Taylor is
a physical receiver who can get off the
line and dominate. He also has shown the
speed to run away from defenders, which
is why he has played since his true freshman
campaign. Junior Kerry Franks got his feet
wet last season and should be the top choice
at the team's H spot. Franks' strength is
his blazing speed (4.38 in the 40) and therefore
his ability to stretch the field, though
his average per catch (six yards) will allow
him to “fly” under most enemy
radar until it is too late. Sophomore Pierre
Brown (ex-QB) is a superlative athlete who
is still adapting to the receiver position.
The Duncanville-native also has big-play
potential in the open field. Senior Chad
Schroeder is another super-quickster who
runs good routes and shows a feel for sitting
down just right in zones. Schroeder had
the team’s best per catch average
(16.8) for those with 10+ touches and is
a go-to type. No secondary can cover them
all in the Aggies four-WR sets, so A&M
has huge reason to put as many on the field
at once as they can.
Tight
End
This oft-used position (27 total touches
in ’05) seems strong. The main weapon
is sophomore Martellus Bennett, the nation's
top TE-recruit last year. This 6-7 former
prep all-American is a great athlete (also
plays basketball for A&M), excellent/proven
receiver, and also has the frame to develop
into a dominant blocker. Junior Joey Thomas
is an average blocker but a better receiver.
A couple of sophomores back these guys up
and are better blockers than receivers.
Overall, a good unit, but with role players,
Bennett has to become well-rounded so foes
cannot predict the play-call via who is
on the field.
Offensive Line
Four juniors with starting experience return
to give this unit the cohesion needed so
all dimensions can flourish. Cody Wallace
will return to lead the line at center.
This junior from Cuero is a smart technician
who excels as a run blocker and can play
any of the positions, if needed. Classmate
Kirk Elder handles the quick guard spot.
The 6-5, 315-pound Elder is a good athlete
and pulls very well. Chris Yoder had a great
freshman season at center, but since Wallace
is better suited at the pivot and Yoder
can move around, he will be entrenched at
the guard position backing up Grant Dickey,
who is more experienced as a senior. Corey
Clark is a prototypical strong tackle with
the wing span to keep opposing defensive
ends at bay. Look for 6-foot-8 sophomore
Travis Schneider to get a good look at the
other tackle spot, though junior Bryan-native
Yemi Babalola will probably start there
after a great spring. Schneider has been
steadily improving and shows the kind of
desire that coaches like to reward, so he
will see reps somewhere. With so much quality
depth, this unit should be able to push
against any quality of foe well into the
fourth quarter.
OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
This offense has rung up some decent numbers
the past few years, but it has lacked consistency.
With Reggie McNeal gone, a new signal caller
can tone down the improvisation that often
led to marginal showings/results. There's
enough experience on the line to make any
of their stacked dimensions work well, and
though a ball control type offense may put
up a few less points, such (at least to
start) will definitely ring up more wins.
Unlike under (raw passer) McNeal, we need
to see a signal-caller who can manage the
game, not force it. There is just too much
potential at the talent positions to think
that distributing the ball all around won’t
work. With McGee’s dual-threat ability
and seeing as he is the future in College
Station, he should get the call and will
lead this team back to where it belongs
in the top 25.
|
|
OG
Kirk Elder
|
|
|
TEXAS
A&M 2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Stephen
McGee-So (6-3, 207) |
Ty
Branyon-Sr (6-3, 213) |
FB |
Chris
Alexander-Jr (5-11, 246) |
Greg
Boothe-Sr (6-1, 221) |
RB |
Courtney
Lewis-Sr (6-0, 204) |
Jorvorskie
Lane-So (5-11, 274) |
WR |
Chad
Schroeder-Sr (6-1, 181) |
Howard
Morrow-So (6-0, 215) |
WR |
Kerry
Franks-Jr (5-10, 185) |
Cody
Beyer-Fr (6-1, 180) |
WR |
Earvin
Taylor-Jr (6-3, 244) |
Pierre
Brown-So (6-1, 203) |
TE |
Martellus
Bennett-So (6-7, 248) |
Joey
Thomas-Jr (6-5, 248) |
OT |
Yemi
Babalola-So (6-4, 308) |
Alex
Kotzur-Sr (6-5, 290) |
OG |
Kirk
Elder-Jr (6-4, 312) |
Michael
Shumard-Fr (6-5, 299) |
C |
Cody
Wallace-Jr (6-4, 296) |
Kevin
Matthews-Fr (6-3, 296) |
OG |
Grant
Dickey-Sr (6-5, 313) |
Chris
Yoder-Jr (6-3, 318) |
OT |
Corey
Clark-Jr (6-6, 311) |
Travis
Schneider-So (6-7, 298) |
K |
Layne
Neumann-Sr (6-0, 175) |
Richie
Bean-So (6-0, 180) |
|
|
2006
DEFENSE |
Defensive
Line
Expect Texas A&M to go with a three-man
rotation at end. Junior Chris Harrington
has turned into a nice base end. The 263-pounder
is not a natural pass rusher, yet his four
sacks were second-most in ’05. This
all-academic (Big XII Honorable Mention
2004) Houston-native’s motor never
stops and he is top-notch against the run.
Junior Jason Jack is a big, rangy 275-pound
end who also holds up well against any size
OLmen but isn't the kind of guy who will
scare you from the edge. Sophomore Cyril
Obiozor is unquestionably the team's top
pass rusher. The 270-pound end looks unblockable
at times but isn't consistent enough, especially
against the run…yet. Inside, junior
Red Bryant has developed into one of the
nation's best. At 330 pounds, Bryant can
tie up two blockers, fight through the trash
and make plays. He's quick in the middle
and athletic enough to get after the quarterback.
The Aggies need someone to step up next
to Bryant and the guess here will be senior
Bryce Reed, who is more experienced than
massive sophomore William Morrisey. At nearly
360 pounds, Morrisey showed the ability
to stuff the run in limited reps last season.
Career reserve Marques Thornton is versatile
and will back up at both end and tackle.
Like most of the Aggie defensive lineman,
Thornton is much better versus the run,
though, than as a pass rusher. With the
dearth of pass rushers on the team, expect
early playing time for top recruit Cody
Williams, who projects to be an excellent
speed rusher.
Linebacker
A&M feels this will be a very good group
- with two of their three starters gone,
the new blood will hopefully improve this
underachieving area. But they switch to
a 4-2-5, so someone is SOL. Senior Justin
Warren is the lone starter returning and
is a good all-around player with excellent
quickness and a nose for the ball. Warren
is steady and rarely out of position. This
Butkus Award watch-list candidate needs
more spectacular plays to achieve those
next needed steps. Many who expected junior
Stephen Hodge to handle the other spot were
surprised as juco-transfer Mark Dodge grabbed
it up on spring. Dodge and Hodge are undersized,
and ex-DB Hodge brings blazing speed and
can slip by blockers. Both will be expected
to add more of a big play element to the
defense (Hodge is a proven special team’s
maven). Matt Featherston adds the size needed
for Big XII LBs to have impact in run stopping.
Senior Nurahda Manning has fought through
academic issues and injuries (hand, knee),
and this Bay City-native should be line
for many reps via rotation. The versatile
247-pound senior can play anywhere coaches
put him, and he should be in often. Look
out for RS freshmen Jodie Richardson, another
king-sized backer who is a form tackler
with decent speed. This year’s class
is also stacked, so depth is there and just
needs to be broken in. By working as a cohesive
corps, this unit can overachieve and make
the Aggie’s D amazing again.
Defensive
Back
This area has to improve from finishing
dead-last in the entire country (117th in
pass defense), so hard lessons learned have
to pay off, or the D will again suffer.
Juniors Brock Newton and Marquis Carpenter,
along with sophomore Danny Gorrer, all return
starting experience to the corner spots.
Newton had a big freshman season as at nickel
and is a decent cover-corner with good size
and the ability to support the run (solid
recovery speed). Gorrer is slight but has
blinding speed and is one of the keys to
this defense. JUCO-transfer Carpenter is
a true shutdown corner who will enable Texas
A&M to employ more blitzes to help its
shaky pass rush. RS frosh Jordan Peterson
surged in spring practices and has seemingly
displaced all of these experienced guys,
but a youth trend will occur since they
do not trust many returners from such a
dismal showing. Junior Japhus Brown is back
at field safety. A quick playmaker that
excels in coverage, this former second-team
freshman all-American has also become a
steady tackler but is recovering still during
spring from a blown knee. The leader of
the secondary will have to be senior Melvin
Bullitt from other safety spot. Garland-native
Bullitt has been a key reserve over the
last three seasons and stepped up with so
many injuries last campaign to finally fulfill
his potential. He can play either safety
position but is better suited to strong
safety because he supports the run very
well. Alton Dixon and Devon Gregg both had
big (true) freshman efforts and will rotate
in early and often to keep the secondary’s
legs fresh (Gregg’s huge spring could
have him starting in front of Brown). WHIP
Arkeith Brown has surged, and this former
prep all-American will prove much his sophomore
season in this extra position Keeping the
play in front of them has to be one of those
attributes for this extra-manned area so
as not to give up as many big plays.
DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
This area has marginally progressed, but
there are still significant problems from
last year’s 107th-ranked D. Gary Darnell
has been brought in from Western Michigan
(2004 MAC Head Coach of the Year) to fix
things, and, along with his stint at Texas
as DC from 1994-96, reflects a proven winner
who will make this area formidable once
again. Moving to a 4-2-5 will keep the play
in front of the marginal secondary. The
line is still not that fast and lacks pass
rushers and upper-echelon coverage guys,
though the corners are potentially strong.
There's good size in the front four and
some serious hitters in the back seven,
but that/they all has/have to translate
into better third down results than allowing
foes a 48% conversion rate. The real keys
are the pass rush (Obiozor) and the secondary
(which has nowhere to go but up). What brings
these two elements together? The LBs, and
they’re good enough (Warren is a third
team all-American to us) to be able to lead
the Aggies out of their funk. Before injuries
took them apart, this was a decent crew
that just never recovered from the losses.
Personal resolve and character are what
have to be tapped – four hard losses
to end 2005 (allowed 30+ points in each)
can be overcome by individual talent pooling
together so that 4+2+5 = way more than 11,
like it has in the past. This conference
will expose any/all weaknesses, but four
easy non-con tune-ups will allow the D to
get ready for a favorable Big XII slate
(starts with Tech). With Oklahoma, Nebraska,
and (at) Texas as the three enders, things
are stacked nicely for A&M to bring
their stopping efforts back to Aggie standards
in time to really make this a better season.
|
|
LB
Justin Warren
|
|
|
TEXAS
A&M 2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Chris
Harrington-Jr (6-5, 263) |
Jason
Jack-Jr (6-4, 275)
Chris Smith-So (6-5, 270) |
DT |
Bryce
Reed-Sr (6-1, 304) |
Henry
Smith-Jr (6-3, 318) |
DT |
Red
Bryant-Jr (6-5, 330) |
Marques
Thornton-Sr (6-1, 288) |
DE |
Cyril
Obiozor-So (6-4, 270) |
Michael
Bennett-So (6-4, 263) |
LB |
Mark
Dodge-Jr (6-2, 219) |
Stephen
Hodge-Jr (6-1, 230) |
LB |
Justin
Warren-Sr (6-3, 245) |
Matt
Featherston-Fr (6-2, 250) |
WHIP |
Arkeith
Brown-So (6-0, 175) |
Chevar
Bryson-Fr (6-0, 186) |
CB |
Danny
Gorrer-So (6-0, 182) |
Marquis
Carpenter-Jr (6-0, 179) |
CB |
Jordan
Peterson-Fr (5-10, 192) |
Brock
Newton-Jr (5-11, 189) |
SS |
Melvin
Bullitt-Sr (6-1, 204) |
Alton
Dixon-So (5-11, 207) |
FS |
Devin
Gregg-So (5-11, 195) |
Japhus
Brown-Jr (5-11, 203) |
P |
Justin
Brantly-So (6-3, 232) |
Richie
Bean-So (6-0, 180) |
|
|
|
2006
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
There are a couple freshman, David De La Fosse
and Kyle Davis, along with kickoff specialist
Layne Neumann and backup punter Richie Bean battling
for the job . If ever there was a true competition,
this is it. Whoever performs better this spring
will get the job. Neumann certainly has the leg
and has some FGAs already (missed both from outside
the 40 in ’05, though he had the team’s
longest – 46 yards – in ’04,
but these few tries aren’t a fair gauge
knowing his prep success). So, if he can show
any accuracy, he's the choice. Coverage here will
also improve.
Punter
Sophomore Justin Brantley was exceptional in his
rookie campaign (ranked 14th with a 43.2 average
per boot) and could be one of the nation's best.
But this strong-legged Sealy-native has to learn
not to out-kick his coverage, and, likewise, must
improve directional skills so A&M doesn’t
finish anywhere near their 86th-ranking in net
results. Improvements in defensive (DB) depth
(fewer injuries there, too) will go a long way
toward achieving this goal.
Return
Game
Kerry Franks and/or Courtney Lewis look to produce
most of the KR efforts, but don't be surprised
if Goodson gets a shot here (the Aggies are anxious
to see what he can do). Carpenter has the first
shot at the PR duties, but the bevy of new recruits
has too many quick guys to think one cannot emerge.
We will keep you posted.
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