Terrence Takes Off!

Transcription

Terrence Takes Off!

AgsIlllustrrated
d
AgsIllustra
ated
Volume 13, No. 8
September 8, 2003
Terrence Takes Off!
Terrence Murphy KKeys
eys AAggies’
ggies’ 228-26
8-26 VVictory
ictory
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
Aggie Defeat Utah .................................................................................4-11
Game Photos.........................................................................................12-13
Virginia Tech Preview.. ....................................................................14-15
Soccer and Volleyball 2003................................................................16-17
Coach Fran and Virginia Tech ........................................................18-19
Baseball Recruiting.............. .............................................................20-23
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In our next issue . . .
Pitt Preview Issue
VOLUME 13,
NUMBER 8
September 8, 2003
EDITOR
Scott Clendenin
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Angela Clendenin
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
Jason Lincoln, Ed Watson,
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Brice Clendenin
Texas A&M SID
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AGGIE
INSIDER
LB Jared Morris Out for the Season
Texas A&M Head Football Coach Dennis
Franchione announced today middle linebacker
Jared Morris, a senior from Brownwood, Texas,
suffered a knee injury and will miss the rest of
the 2003 season.
"It is very disappointing to lose Jared to this
knee injury because he is a fifth-year senior,"
Coach Fran said. "Jared worked so hard in the
spring and off-season and played extremely
well in the first game and a half. He is one of
our leaders and we will look into every possibility of extending his eligibility."
Morris recorded 14 tackles in the season
opener against Arkansas State including one
behind the line of scrimmage. In Saturday's
game against Utah, Morris recorded four stops
and was named by the Aggie coaching staff as
the Special Teams Player of the Game.
Morris underwent surgery late Sunday to
repair a torn patella tendon in his left knee.
sented the Aggies on the all-tournament team.
The Aggies, who posted a season-low .129
hitting percentage in a three-game loss to
Michigan on Saturday, rebounded to hit a season-high .311 against the Racers.
“The team got the wake-up call last night,”
A&M coach Laurie Corbelli said. “This was a
huge match for us in terms of emotionally and
mentally after having such a flat performance.”
The Aggies led the entire first game and
were up 19-16 when they took command as
Lexy Beers (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) served
A&M to 10 unanswered points. The Aggies hit
.433 and posted five blocks in the 30-18 win.
Kendra Felder (Corpus Christi, Texas) led A&M
with six kills in the game, one shy of her career
high for kills in an entire match.
“We’ve never started a match as aggressively as we did today, and that set the tone for an
aggressive atmosphere and more determination
on the court,” Corbelli said. “That made the difference in the match.”
Aggie Baseball Fall Practice Schedule
Aggie Soccer Tops Utah 1-0
Fall practice starts on Sept. 18 and continues
until the Fall World Series in October.
Here is the tentative schedule for the FWS.
Kat Krambeer scored in the 76th minute on
Friday night to lead No. 6 Texas A&M over
Utah, 1-0, in front of a season-high 2,106 fans at
the Aggie Soccer Complex.
Krambeer, a native of Brooklyn Park, Minn.,
received a through ball from Laura Probst at the
top of the 18-yard box. With a couple of touches
she beat the keeper and scored from the left side
of the box into an open net.
The goal was the first of the freshman forward's career. Probst was credited with the
assist - her first of the season.
"With the speed that we have everywhere, I
think we are pretty good counter-attacking
team," commented A&M head coach G
Guerrieri. "Speed kills, and tonight it was Kat's
speed that proved to be the difference in the
match."
With the win the Aggies improved to 3-0 on
the season, while Utah dropped to 2-1. The win
marked the 19th in a row for Texas A&M at the
Aggie Soccer Complex.
"This was a great win over a quality opponent," Guerrieri said. "I can clearly see why they
are picked to win the Mountain West
Conference."
October 16th, double-header, both games seven innings. 5
p.m.
October 17th, double-header, both games seven innings. 5
p.m.
October 18th, Old-Timer game featuring former Aggie
Baseball Players, Time TBA (Night Game)
October 19th, single nine-inning game. 2 p.m.
If you are not traveling to the Nebraska
Football game you should start making plans to
be in College Station to attend the 2003 Alumni
game. The 2001 game featured over 130 former
players including Ryan Rupe, Kelly Wunsch and
Trey Moore.
The 2004 spring schedule is now posted on
the A&M website.
Aggie Volleyball finishes Second
Texas A&M defeated Murray State, 30-18,
30-22, 27-30, 30-25, to take second place at the
Michigan/Pepsi Challenge at Cliff Keen Arena
with a 2-1 record. Melissa Munsch (Columbus,
Texas) and Laura Jones (Arlington, Texas) repreFind this and other info on www.agtimes.com
Ags Illustrated
Page 3
AGS
I L L U S T R AT E D
MESSAGE
Dear Subscribers:
It's here. After all of the dust has settled,
here is your first issue of the restored Ags
Illustrated magazine. Without your
patience and support, this would not have
been possible. For that we are most appreciative.
As I explained in the boards on
AgTimes.com, Scott and I have decided to
move forward with the production of a
magazine that is what Aggies are looking
for. We have listened to the comments and
know that good solid recruiting coverage,
inside information, in-depth athletic department coverage and excellent commentary
are what Aggie fans everywhere want. We
are prepared to deliver that to you.
For those of you who have been long-time
supporters, and those of you who have just
discovered us in the last year, please be
assured that your commitment to us in the
form of subscriptions will be honored into
this year.
Unfortunately, the finances are not there to
continue doing the slick magazine-style format that we attempted to introduce last
year. However, what's inside Ags
Illustrated will remain the same quality
journalism that Ags Illustrated fans have
become accustomed to. As support from
advertising and subscriptions grows, we
will make improvements to the magazine
as we are able.
Thank you for your support and understanding. Re-discover Ags Illustrated and
enjoy the first issue of the Fran era! We
look forward to having you continue as a
part of our family!
Sincerely,
Ed Watson
Scott Clendenin
Owners
Ags Illustrated
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Game Report 2003
Two Close a Shave...
Ags Hold on for 28-26
Victory over Utah
by Jason Lincoln
photos by Brice Clendenin
Reggie McNeal and the Aggie offense jumped on top 21-0
Ags Illustrated
Page 4
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M has a
new coach, a new season and the same struggles to close out games. Except there was one
difference. With the game on the line in the
fourth quarter, A&M came through, stopping a
two-point conversion and holding on for a 2826 victory.
“It was just gut wrenching watching it,” A&M
receiver Jamaar Taylor said. “It’s like watching
your favorite soap opera, not knowing what’s
going to happen at the end.”
The soap opera that is A&M’s 2003 season has
been rocky enough to rival any “Days of Our
Lives” episode, but thus far has yielded a pair
of victories.
“If I had any dark hair it’s all gone now, that’s
for sure,” A&M coach Dennis Franchione said.
“That was a hard fought game.”
The Texas A&M football team has long held
the reputation of playing down to their competition level. The season opener’s 26-11 victory
over Arkansas State lived up to that reputation
as A&M looked anything but sharp in its debut
under Franchione.
For the first 20-minutes of week two, it looked
like A&M would break out of that mold as they
jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Utah with quarterback Reggie McNeal starting with a 9-9, 104
yard passing performance.
Meanwhile, Utah’s offense struggled with
fumbles and lackluster performances when
playing in A&M territory.
That was the in the first half, before momentum shifted thanks to three critical A&M
turnovers in the third quarter that allowed Utah
to cut the lead to 21-13. Before it was said and
done, Utah outscored A&M 26-7 in the second
half.
The Utes (1-1) also had 97 plays of offense for
415 yards, while holding A&M to just 56 plays
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
and 368 yards.
The final score was a 45-yard pass from Utah
quarterback Brett Elliott to John Madsen with
just eight seconds left. Elliott went for the twopoint conversion on a run outside, but Jonte
Buhl stopped him short with a hit that left the
Utah quarterback limping off the field and the
Utes limping home 2-points shy of the victory.
“I told the team that college football games
usually come down to a handful of plays,”
Franchione said. “We played hard every snap
and in the end we made one more play. I think
we had a good first half and a bad third quarter.
We need to get smarter and better with the football.”
A&M (2-0) enters the off week with lots of
room for improvement, particularly five fumbles, three of which resulted in turnovers. But it
appears, at least for the time being, they will
enter the off week knowing who their starting
quarterback is.
Reggie McNeal started under center for the
second straight week, starting with a 9-9 passing performance and playing all 22:37 that the
A&M offense was on the field. McNeal finished
the game 12-18 with 145 yards and one touchdown.
“During the week the coaches were pretty
much doing the same thing, telling us we were
both going to play,” McNeal said. “They didn’t
name a starter until Friday night when we got
into the hotel. I must have played good for
them to keep me in.
“Anytime you can get a lot more snaps you
can get into a comfort zone. You can just go out
and play your game. With all the playmakers I
have around me, that helps too because I can
just get the ball to them and they’ll make
plays.”
Courtney Lewis also distinguished himself as
the go-to back, getting 16 carries for 100 yards.
Starter Derek Farmer had five carries for 36
yards.
A&M’s offense may not have pulled out all
the stops yet, but they pulled out enough to
make sure to get an early edge on the Utes.
On the Aggies’ second possession of the
game, McNeal handed off to wide receiver
Terrence Murphy. Murphy came around from
the left side and went untouched for 80 yards
down the right sideline.
The score came just one week after Murphy
was robbed of a kickoff return for a touchdown
when A&M’s Jamaar Taylor tripped him in the
open field, 30 yards shy of the endzone. This
time Murphy made sure no one, not even his
own teammates could catch him as he sprinted
into the endzone with over a 10-yard gap on the
next closest player.
“We worked on that play all week and knew
we had a shot to make something happen,”
McNeal said. “Getting the ball to Murph, the
Photo by Brice Clendeninj
Even the 12th Man Anthony Squillante was called upon to stop the Utah Rushing Attack
Ags Illustrated
Page 5
playmaker that he is, we knew he could have a
big impact.”
The receiver’s run equaled the 13th longest
run in A&M history and longest since 1997
when Sirr Parker took the ball 80 yards against
Iowa State.
Utah moved into A&M territory for the first
time midway through the first quarter, getting
inside the 30 when Marcus Jasmin stripped the
ball from Bo Nagahi on a shuffle pass. Bryant
Singleton jumped on the ball for the Aggies.
On the very next play with the Aggies backed
up on their own 16, McNeal found Murphy
again, this time 50-yards down field where
Murphy pulled in the pass with a diving, fingertip grab to put A&M in scoring position
again.
Lewis and McNeal ran the ball down to the 3yard line before McNeal and Murphy tried to
hook up again. This time Utah was called for
holding Murphy on the pass play and gave
A&M first down at the 1-yard line. Keith Joseph
plowed it up the middle on the next play to
give A&M the 14-0 edge.
The Wrecking Crew defense had an even bigger fumble recovery in the second quarter. After
a Jacob Young punt pinned the Utes on their
own 6-yard line, Utah’s Steve Savoy mishandled a pitch on 3rd and 1 at the 15 and the ball
sailed all the way to the 4-yard line where
defensive end David Ross jumped on the ball.
On the very next play, McNeal found tight
end Quinlin Germany in the back of the endzone for a 4-yard touchdown pass and a 21-0
lead with 10:41 left in the first half.
A&M did not score again while the Wrecking
Crew defense turned back two drives into A&M
territory to keep the shutout intact throughout
the first half.
Utah came out of the gates in the second half
with an offensive surge sparked by quarterback
Elliott. Elliot turned a key fourth down conversion with a run up the middle and another conversion on third down with a 13-yard pass to
Lynzell Jackson for Utah’s first trip inside the
redzone.. Elliott added eight and six yard runs
to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Brandon
Warfield. Utah missed the extra point, leaving
A&M up 21-6.
"I'm disappointed we didn't get the win,”
Warfield said the Crockett native after the game.
“But I was glad my family could come see me
play.”
Murphy fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving
Utah the ball back at the 24-yard line, but fourplays later Utah kicker Bryan Borreson missed
his second kick of the night as the 39-yard field
goal attempt sailed wide-left.
The Aggies’ next possession only lasted two
plays before a fumbled snap gave Utah a short17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
field again. Corey Dodds recovered the fumble
on the 18-yard line for the Utes.
Utah scored four plays later on a six-yard run
by Warfield. Borreson made the extra point to
cut the lead to 21-13.
“The offensive and defensive lines did a great
job playing in the atmosphere against a good
team,” Urban Meyer said after the game. They
couldn't stop us running the ball. But there were
a lot of positives, like the work of the o-line.”
Murphy responded with another big play
returning the next kickoff 67-yards into Utah
territory. A&M could not convert, attempting a
fake field goal run by Dustin Long that fell
short.
Murphy racked up 251 all-purpose yards on
just eight touches with an 80-yard run, four
catches for 76 yards, two kickoff returns for 85
"That was a gut-check for our team. We
needed to stay level-headed. We let them
back into the game but nobody panicked.
We still have a lot of work to do. Each week
we have to go through practice and be
ready to play."
Aggie QB Reggie McNeal
yards and one punt return for 10 yards.
Utah got no where on its next possession and
tried a fake punt by Eric Weddle, who fumbled
the ball at the Utah 41. Jaxson Appel recovered
the ball for A&M and took it down to the Utah
25.
A&M coughed the ball up again, this time on
1st and goal at the 1-yard line when Keith
Joseph lost the ball before crossing the goal line.
The play marked the 13th fumble of the game
between the two teams and A&M’s third
turnover.
A&M did not convert a third-down until the
fourth quarter when McNeal hit Murphy for a
21-yard pass. On the next play, Lewis ran 27yards untouched for the score, giving A&M a
28-13 lead. The play marked A&M’s first score
since 10:41 in the second quarter. A&M had
scored on three of its first four possessions of
the game.
Warfield answered with his third touchdown
of the night, capping off a 14-play, 76-yard drive
for Utah and cutting A&M’s lead back down to
eight.
Warfield plagued A&M in the second half,
carrying the ball 27 times for 141 of his 180
yards total rushing, but the Utes came up two
yards short in the finish.
A&M closed out the narrow victory to
improve to 2-0 entering an off week prior to facing a pair of ranked opponents in Virginia Tech
and Pittsburgh.
“We got it done. This is the second game
under Coach Fran and the first time we’ve had
a close game like this,” senior linebacker Scott
Stickane said after an 11-tackle performance in
place of the injured Jared Morris. “I think it was
great. In spite of the fact that it was a 2-point
game, it was a win.”
Of fensive Player of the Game
Terrence Murphy
251 all-purpose yards,
one touchdown.
80-yard touchdown run,
4 catches - 76 yards,
2 kickoff returns - 85 yards.
Defensive player of the Game
Jaxson Appel
2nd straight 13-tackle performance
5 Solo, 8 Assists,
1 fumble recovery, 10 yards,
1 pass broken up
Photo by Brice Clendenin
Utah’s Brandon Warfield ran hard all night for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
Ags Illustrated
Page 6
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
✓
Aggies Report Card
QUARTERBACKS
C+
Reggie McNeal started and played
the whole game this week. He was
efficient in his passing but did not
break any big plays on the ground. He
lost two fumbles on the center
exchange, and that hurt the Aggie
offense. He finished the game completing 12-of-18 passes for 145 yards with a
touchdown and without throwing an
interception. He gained three yards on
nine carries
Dustin Long had one carry on a fake
field goal for five yards.
SECONDARY
B
With the exception of one big play,
the Aggie secondary had a fine effort
against Utah. With the trouble the
front seven had tackling Brandon
Warfield, the secondary had too many
tackles on the hard charging running
back. Ron Jones had a team high 14
tackles and his safety teammate,
Jaxson Appel was second with 13 tackles. Byron Jones had ten tackles as well
as forcing a fumble but he was flagged
for interference in the endzone on a
third down play..
RUNNING BACKS
by Scott Clendenin
A-
The Aggie rushing attack was a key
to the victory. Courtney Lewis took a
big step toward establishing himself as
one of the Big 12’s best freshman running backs after picking up 100 yards
on 16 carries, including a 28-yard
touchdown run. Derrick Farmer
picked up 35 yards on five carries but
28 came on one play.
Keith Joseph had a one-yard touchdown run but his fumble inside the
two yardline cost the Aggies another
score in the third quarter.
LINEBACKERS
RECEIVERS
Terrence Murphy dominated the
ballgame with returns, receptions and
runs. He scored on an 80-yard reverse
for the Aggies’ first touchdown. He
gained 76 yards on four receptions and
his kickoff returns gained another 85
yards. Jamaar Taylor led the team with
six receptions for 59 yards. Aggie tight
end Quintin Germany caught a fouryard touchdown pass to put the team
up 21-0. Another freshman, Earvin
Taylor, had his first reception as an
Aggie for six yards.
C+
The defense only started two linebackers against Utah to match-up
against their wide open offense. The
key for the ballgame was an apparent
knee injury to starting MLB Jarred
Morris. He was injured in the third
quarter after making four tackles. His
replacement Scott Stickane had 11 tackles, including an assist on the two
point conversion that would have tied
the game with only six seconds to play.
Archie McDaniel bounced back from a
slow start in game one to make 7 stops.
B+
DEFENSIVE LINE
C
The defensive front may take a lot of
blame when a running back totals 181
yards, but others contributed in the
total as well. The defensive line had
plenty of plays with penetration into
the backfield that did not result in tackles for loss. When the line was
engaged, Warfield ran through the linebackers who were free and ready to
make some tackles. Linnis Smith had
eight tackles with two for loss and
Marcus Jasmin had seven tackles of his
own.
Ags Illustrated
Page 7
OFFENSIVE LINE
B+
After struggling against Arkansas
State, the Aggie line was up to the challenge against the much more talented
Utes defensive front. Playing together
as a group is very important and having
it grow between game one and two in
the offensive line is almost expected.
Geoff Hangartner started at center and
his return to the middle of the line solidified the offensive front. They opened
up holes that led to the Aggies picking
up 223 yards rushing and not allowing a
single sack in the ballgame.
SPECIAL TEAMS
B
The Aggie special teams benefited
again from the outstanding play of
Terrence Murphy and he looks to take a
kickoff return for a touchdown this season. Jason Carter did not allow lost
yardage by letting punts hit the ground
and continue to roll.
Jacob Young averaged 35 yards a
punt but most were punts where he
tried to keep it in the redzone. Cody
Scates participated in practice this week
and should return to the starting lineup
against the Hokies of Virginia Tech.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Editorial
Diamonds in the Rough
Utah is pretty good
and where to find the
unknown recruit...
by Scott Clendenin
Looking at the Utah game a week ago, I thought “I
sure am glad this is year one of Urban Meyer at Utah
and not year two.” That kind of advantage might
have tipped the scaled in the Utes’ favor as the
Aggies held on to a 28-26 victory. Utah is a good
football team that has a chance to be very good
because of Urban Meyer, just like the Aggies are a
good football team that has a chance to be very good
because of Coach Fran. The real difference is that
Meyer will win in the Mountain West Conference
because a team with great coaching and good talent
can win that league’s championship. Coach Fran is
in a league where great coaching needs great talent
to win a championship.
Hopefully the two main injuries that came out of
the game will not affect both teams past their next
games. On the two point conversion, QB Brett Elliot
broke his left (non-throwing wrist) and will miss
their Thursday night match up with California. The
only way that a month from now that non-coaches,
because the coaches must think highly of Utah after
moving the Aggies into the top 25 after the narrow
win, will give any respect to Utah is if they win
games against Cal, Oregon or Colorado State.
Now the Aggies will have to wait and find out if
MLB Jarred Morris is out for any significant time
after hurting a knee against Utah. The thinnest position on the team was middle linebacker and this may
set in motion a series of events that could lead to one
and possibly two true freshmen linebackers taking
off their redshirts and playing this season. The only
redeeming factor to this injury is that the Aggies do
have extra time to prepare for Virginia Tech and they
don’t have to face the talented Hokies this weekend.
Speculating on who would take over for Morris,
either of the Bay City Boys could move from outside
linebacker to the middle linebacker spot. With the
emergence of Justin Warren as a true freshman
starter, that would keep him in a position where he
is having an impact and it would keep the Aggies
from starting two true freshmen if TaTa Thompson
R. C. Slocum only had to watch one tape of Terrence Murphy to see his potential
moves up the depth chart and surpasses a gritty
Scott Stickane.
Losing Morris had a definite impact on the ballgame. With Morris out in the second half, senior
running back Brandon Warfield exploded and kept
the Utes in the game by himself. He rushed 29 times
for 141 of his 181 yards after halftime and scored
three touchdowns. Eleven of the fourteen plays on
the drive that pulled the Utes to within 28-20 with
6:13 remaining were Warfield rushing plays primarily from the shotgun and right at the Aggies’ middle
linebacker.
It is strange to have to take time to apologize for
the Aggie victory this week, but after you see
Warfield and company run over other opponents
you will begin to realize that they were not just
another road kill opponent, and having this team dig
down deep to pull out the victory only made the
Aggies a stronger team. It also exorcised some of
last year’s demons with the memory of fourth quarAgs Illustrated
Page 8
ter failure fading from the returning starters’ memory banks.
Too Deep in Talent
The best two players on the field were two lightly
recruited east Texas stars. Brandon Warfield and
Terrence Murphy show the depth of talent in the
state of Texas and how diamonds in the rough are so
abundant that you can find a super star all over the
state.
I was the only person to rank Brandon Warfield as
a top 100 recruit his senior year, and if not for academic deficiencies he would have ended up at a nice
four year school where he would have started by his
junior season. He was Crockett’s team captain as a
senior and led them to a 11-1 record, scoring 541
points in those games. He caught my eye as I
watched when future Aggie L’Tydrick Riley,
Warfield’s cousin, started to emerge at quarterback
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
for the Bulldogs. Warfield was named district MVP
and was second-team all-state before signing with
Kilgore JC. He saw limited action his freshman season with only 350 yards rushing and three touchdowns to his credit before exploding on the scene his
sophomore season. He was named first-team allconference and conference MVP after rushing for
1,460 yards and 22 touchdowns his while leading
Kilgore to conference title and 2001 Red River Bowl
championship. Kilgore had not made the playoff
since 1992 and were predicted to finish no higher
than fourth before Warfield changed all that. Kilgore
was ranked No. 2 in the nation for junior colleges
and Warfield was named 2001 J.C. Grid-Wire secondteam All-American. No one from Texas recruited
after that tremendous season and he chose Utah over
BYU.
When Utah lost their leading rusher for the second
straight season Warfield was called upon to rescue
the Utes. He was set to redshirt that year and did
not even suit up during the first two games, but he
played in the remaining nine games, making five
starts. Texas A&M is not the first team to see him
wear down a defense either, in the five games where
he had at least 20 carries, he averaged 150.0 ypg. He
finished the year rushing 201 times for 919 yards and
team high nine touchdowns earning second-team allconference honors.
Compare that story to Aggie Terrence Murphy and
it will show you how it takes just one look. Murphy
&
NEWS
NOTES
from the game
Quarterback Reggie McNeal had 10 straight
completions dating back to the Arkansas State
game before he threw his first incompletion
midway through the second quarter. It was the
third-longest streak of completions in school
history (record is 14 by Mark Farris vs.
Colorado in 2000). McNeal started tonight's
game with nine straight completions.
McNeal finished with 145 passing yards (12-of18), the second most of his career behind his
191-yard performance last year against
Oklahoma.
Dustin Long played but did not attempt a pass
for the first time since the 2001
Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.
The Aggies took a 21-0 lead into halftime
against the Utes, marking the first time A&M
held their opponent scoreless in the first half
was lightly recruited in high school as Tyler Chapel
Hill had fallen from a one time football power and
state championship team to the lower ranks of their
own district. Murphy earned offensive MVP honors
at quarterback as he passed for over 1,100 yards and
rushed for 512 yards and seven touchdowns his senior season. He committed to Baylor, but when Coach
Slocum took a look at his highlight tape as a favor to
a coaching friend, he knew that Murphy had the talent to play and play earlier at wide receiver in the
Big 12. I may crow a bit today talking about
Warfield being on my top 100 list, but Murphy flew
under my radar as well. The main difference was
Slocum’s eye for talent had already produced a load
of All-Confernce players that were unknown on
signing day, so I never batted an eye when the
Aggies pulled him away from the Baylor Bears.
Murphy started even before suiting up for his first
game. Practicing with the team during the summer,
the buzz was all about the freshman from Tyler. It
wasn’t limited to practice as he set freshman records
at A&M with his 36 receptions for 518 yards and
three touchdowns and then followed that up with 36
more receptions for 599 yards and four more scores
despite playing with a broken hand the first half of
the season.
He has dominated both games this year, featuring
an all purpose attack. He leads the Big 12 and is seventh in the nation in all-purpose yardage at 195 per
game. He has 80 yards rushing (and it was a touch-
down), 95 yards receiving and 220 yards in kick off
returns. His 55-yard kickoff return average is the
best in the nation and it would even be higher if not
for a trip by teammate Jamaar Taylor as Murphy was
breaking free with only the endzone in his way.
Murphy was a solid Big 12 candidate before the season but now, even in a conference that has two wideouts ticketed to be taken in the first ten picks of next
year’s NFL draft, he has moved up the ladder and is
now considered as dangerous as any player in the
Big 12.
Now don’t stop paying for the good recruiting info
because most of the best players do get some attention, but realize that knowing what schools the
superstars are looking at is their prime concern.
Meeting and chatting a bit with Adrian Peterson
after this week’s Aggie game, you can see the young
man carries himself as well off the field as on it. He
is not a diamond in the rough, but the last great running back in this state, LaDainian Tomlinson sure
was and it never slowed him down under Coach
Fran at TCU. Peterson is a superstar, but watch
three years from now when the players that had
recruiting “experts” scratching their head, also make
significant impacts on the college game, just like
Murphy and Warfield.
since the Kansas game in 2002 (24-0 in
Lawrence).
Tight end Quinlin Germany grabbed his first
career reception and touchdown on a 4-yard
pass from McNeal. The touchdown also
marked McNeal's first touchdown pass since
the last year's win against No. 1-ranked
Oklahoma.
Keith Joseph's 1-yard touchdown plunge was
his first touchdown since the Texas game in
2001, a span of 14 games.
A 6-yard reception by true freshman Earvin
Taylor in the first quarter was the first of his
career.
Representing the A&M student body on the
12th Man Kickoff team against Utah was
Anthony Squillante, a junior defensive back
from Southlake Carroll High School.
A&M Captains were: junior Derek Farmer, senior Cody Scates, junior Byron Jones and sophomore Ronald "Ray Ray" Jones.
Utah had 97 offensive plays. The most ever by
an A&M opponent was 99 (78 run, 21 pass, 391
yards) by Texas in 1968.
A&M had just 56 offensive plays for 368 yards,
an impressive 6.6 yards per play.
Ags Illustrated
Page 9
Only Grades Limited Brandon Warfield
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
QUESTIONS
4
Scott
Clendenin
answers
four key
questions
after the
game.
Utah Game
The Aggies faced a very dangerous
opponent in the Utah Utes, dangerous
because they are strangers to the players
and fans in Texas, dangerous because they
had no fear of the Aggies and dangerous
because when they picked up momentum
in the second half, they knew how to
exploit a weakness.
1
Did the offense gain any confidence
after struggling against Arkansas
State last week?
The offense must have picked up confidence
since they mashed Utah in the first half and
had a 21-0 lead. Turnovers were the big problem, but two of those came on exchanges
between center and quarterback and the other
lost fumble was so close to being a touchdown
that it might be considered controversial.
The offensive front returned to the lineup
that was expected before game one and Geoff
Hangartner had a very solid game against
another set of hard charging defensive tackles.
2
How have the special teams made
such a leap in performance since
last season?
The question really has two answers because
they really go together. A&M has benefited
from coach Mark Tommerdahl and his positive
approach to the special team units.
The other factor is talent, and last season saw
the special teams drained of talent due to
injuries. Coverage units are made up of linebackers and defensive backs, but last year the
dearth of injuries in the secondary were a drain
on coverage teams as the year went along. Also
no one ever questioned Todd Pegram’s resumé
so his return to form is really not that surprising
this season.
3
What do the Aggies need to work
on the most in the break between
the Utah and Virginia Tech ballgames?
Did the Aggie offense gain confidence this week?
Coach Fran talked about his plan to break the
season down into separate stages and the first
stage is now complete. He expects to have the
majority of the offense in place by Virginia Tech,
and if they were holding anything back in
games one and two, it will be used for sure
against the Hokies and the following week
against the Pittsburg Panthers at Kyle Field.
Carl Torbush’s defense has had plenty of time
to get ready for an active quarterback since the
Aggies will also see them in droves once Big 12
play starts. The defense must tackle better and
continue to run hard to the ball.
4
Are the Aggies “lucky” to have
started the season 2-0, and will it
take luck to continue the strong
start?
Ags Illustrated
Page 10
The Aggies were not lucky to win the first
two games, they made the plays needed to win.
Moving into the Coaches’ Top 25 shows the
respect that the coaching fraterity has for Urban
Meyer and his ability to coach at Utah.
The Aggies were unlucky with the injury to
MLB Jarred Morris, and it will take a raised
level of play from the rest of the defense to
make up for his departure even if it is long
term.
Many will consider the Aggies “lucky” if
they are able to pull out victories against both
of the remaining non-conference teams on the
docket. You can make your own luck and a ball
bouncing the Aggies way would certainly go a
long way toward erasing the past two injuryfilled and “unlucky” seasons in Aggieland.
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Number Name Pos Ht., Wt, Class, Hometown School
1 Eric Green CB 5' 11" 189 r-Jr. Clewiston, Fla. Clewiston
2 Jimmy Williams FS 6' 3" 217 So. Hampton, Va. Bethel
3 Bryan Randall QB 6' 1" 221 Jr. Williamsburg, Va. Bruton
4 DeAngelo Hall CB/FL 5' 11" 195 Jr. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
5 Marcus Vick QB 6' 0" 208 r-Fr. Newport News, Va. Warwick
6 Vegas Robinson LB 6' 0" 250 r-Sr. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
8 Vincent Fuller CB 6' 1" 191 r-Jr. Baltimore, Md. Woodlawn
9 Vince Hall LB 6' 0" 255 Fr. Chesapeake, Va. Western Branch
11 Xavier Adibi LB 6' 2" 209 Fr. Hampton, Va. Phoebus
12 Richard Johnson FL 5' 10" 189 r-Jr. Baltimore, Md. Milford Mill Aca.
14 Fred Lee FL 5' 9" 180 r-Fr. Harrisburg, Pa. Bishop McDevitt
15 Josh Hyman SE 5' 11" 180 Fr. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
16 Chris Clifton SE/QB 6' 4" 195 r-So. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
17 Garnell Wilds CB 6' 0" 200 r-Sr. Tampa, Fla. Hillsborough
18 Mike Hinton CB 6' 2" 200 Fr. Burlington, N.C. Hargrave
19 Ernest Wilford SE 6' 4" 220 r-Sr. Richmond, Va. Armstrong/Franklin
20 Mike Imoh TB 5' 7" 194 So. Fairfax, Va. Robinson
21 Michael Crawford ROV 5' 11" 202 r-Sr. Baltimore, Md. Patterson
22 James Griffin ROV 6' 1" 191 Jr. Memphis, Tenn. East
23 Nic Schmitt PK/P 6' 1" 238 So. Salem, Va. Salem
24 Ryan Hash CB 5' 9" 172 Fr. Springfield, Va. Robert E. Lee
25 Kevin Jones TB 6' 0" 221 Jr. Chester, Pa. Cardinal O'Hara
27 Justin Hamilton SE 6' 3" 217 r-So. Clintwood, Va. Clintwood
28 Corey Gordon FS 6' 2" 213 Fr. Gainesville, Fla. Gainesville
29 Brian McPherson CB 5' 10" 184 r-Fr. Madison Hts, Va. Amherst Ct
30 Cary Wade ROV 5' 10" 175 So. Fairfax, Va. Robinson
31 Mike Daniels FS 6' 0" 209 r-Jr. Fairfax, Va. Fairfax
32 Cedric Humes TB 6' 1" 232 r-So. Virginia Beach, Va. Princess Anne
33 Chad Cooper LB 6' 2" 215 r-Jr. Herndon, Va. Oakton
36 Aaron Rouse LB 6' 3" 207 r-Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. First Colonial
37 Steve Canter FB 6' 0" 236 r-Sr. Virginia Beach, Va. Kempsville
38 Vinnie Burns P 5' 11" 199 r-Jr. New Orleans, La. St. Augustine
39 John Kinzer FB 6' 2" 230 Fr. Fairfax, Va. Robinson
40 Blake Warren LB 6' 3" 239 r-So. Clifton, Va. Centreville
41 Jordan Trott LB 6' 4" 247 r-So. Torrance, Calif. Loyola
42 James Anderson LB 6' 2" 220 r-So. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
43 Doug Easlick FB 5' 11" 238 r-Sr. Marlton, N.J. Cherokee
44 John Candelas TB 6' 0" 209 So. Blacksburg, Va. Blacksburg
45 Mikal Baaqee LB 5' 11" 240 r-Jr. Columbia, Md. DeMatha
48 Brandon Manning LB 6' 0" 214 r-Jr. Harrisburg, Pa. Central Dauphin
49 Carter Warley PK 5' 11" 195 r-Sr. Richmond, Va. Fork Union
50 Mike Parham C 6' 0" 274 r-Fr. Petersburg, Va. Petersburg
51 Matt Welsh OG 6' 4" 288 Fr. Clifton, Va. Centreville
52 Jimmy Martin OT 6' 5" 291 So. Fairfax, Va. Chantilly
53 Nick Leeson LB/DS 6' 1" 237 r-Fr. Abingdon, Va. Abingdon
54 Bob Ruff DE 6' 1" 231 Jr. McMurray, Pa. Peters Township
55 Darryl Tapp DE 6' 1" 257 So. Chesapeake, Va. Deep Creek
56 Jonathan Lewis DT 6' 1" 299 So. Richmond, Va. Varina
57 Tripp Carroll OT 6' 4" 306 Fr. Charlotte, N.C. Andrew Jackson (Fla.)
58 Chris Pannell OT 6' 3" 279 r-So. Staunton, Va. Robert E. Lee
59 Barry Booker DT 6' 3" 266 Fr. Amherst, Va. Amherst
60 Jacob Gibson OG 6' 4" 299 r-Sr. Rocky Mount, Va. Franklin County
61 Reggie Butler OT 6' 6" 345 So. Keswick, Va. Monticello
62 Travis Conway DS 6' 4" 256 r-Jr. Richmond, Va. J.R. Tucker
63 Andrew Fleck C 6' 3" 286 r-Fr. Edmond, Okla. Santa Fe
64 Jake Grove C 6' 3" 300 r-Sr. Forest, Va. Jefferson Forest
65 Carlton Powell DT 6' 2" 281 Fr. Chesapeake, Va. Great Bridge
66 Will Montgomery OG 6' 3" 298 r-So. Clifton, Va. Centreville
68 Robert Ramsey C 6' 3" 307 r-Jr. Coraopolis, Pa. Montour
69 Danny McGrath C 6' 2" 300 So. Herndon, Va. Herndon
70 Kevin Lewis DT 6' 1" 292 r-Jr. Richmond, Va. Varina
71 Tim Sandidge DT 6' 1" 307 r-So. Madison Hts, Va. Amherst County
72 Jason Murphy OG 6' 2" 296 r-So. Baltimore, Md. Edmondson West.
74 Brandon Frye OT 6' 4" 280 r-Fr. Myrtle Beach, S.C. Myrtle Beach
75 Kory Robertson DT 6' 2" 296 Fr. Martinsville, Va. Magna Vista
76 James Miller OG 6' 6" 300 Jr. Pompano Beach, Fla. Ft. Lauderdale
77 Brandon Gore OG 6' 5" 332 r-Fr. Warrenton, Va. Liberty
79 Jon Dunn OT 6' 7" 343 r-Jr. Virginia Beach, Va. Tallwood
80 Robert Parker FL 6' 1" 209 r-Fr. Chesapeake, Va. Oscar Smith
81 Chris Shreve FL 5' 11" 183 r-Sr. Mouth of Wilson, Va. Grayson County
82 Lance Goff FL 5' 11" 199 r-Jr. Wytheville, Va. George Wythe
82 Brenden Hill SE 6' 1" 200 r-Fr. Newport News, Va. Warwick
83 Nathaniel Adibi DE 6' 3" 263 r-Sr. Hampton, Va. Phoebus
85 Jared Mazzetta TE 6' 4" 258 r-Jr. Flemington, N.J. Hunterdon Central
86 Keith Willis TE 6' 5" 261 r-Sr. Norfolk, Va. Norview
87 David Clowney FL 6' 1" 170 Fr. Delray Beach, Fla Atlantic
88 Michael Malone SE 6' 3" 202 r-Fr. Friendswood, Texas Friendswood
89 Robert Peaslee H/P 6' 0" 202 r-Sr. Pulaski, Va. Pulaski County
90 Jeff King TE/FB 6' 5" 256 r-So. Pulaski, Va. Pulaski County
91 Jason Lallis DT 6' 0" 264 r-Jr. Mitchellville, Md. DeMatha
92 Mike Brown LB 6' 2" 205 Fr. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. P. Beach Gard
93 Duane Brown TE 6' 4" 256 Fr. Richmond, Va. Hermitage
94 Chris Ellis DE 6' 4" 234 Fr. Hampton, Va. Bethel
95 Jim Davis DE 6' 3" 255 Sr. Highland Springs, Va. Highland Springs
96 Noland Burchette DE 6' 2" 253 r-Fr. Richmond, Va. Highland Springs
97 Isaac Montgomery 6 DT 6' 4" 297 r-Jr. Princeton, W. Va. Princeton
99 Cols Colas DE 6' 0" 241 r-Sr. Plantation, Fla. South Plantation
Christopher Albright FL 6' 1" 184 Fr. Grantville, Pa. Lower Dauphin
Jesse Allen FB 6' 0" 227 r-Fr. Monson, Mass. Pathfinder Regional
Mason Baggett OT 6' 1" 263 Fr. Richmond, Va. James River
Chris Ceasar SE 5' 10" 178 r-Fr. Delray Beach, Fla. Spanish River
Josh DeMaury DE 6' 3" 260 Fr. Troutville, Va. Lord Botetourt
Jud Dunleavy PK 5' 9" 172 Fr. Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Roanoke Rapids
Rashad Ferebee OG 5' 8" 271 So. Norfolk, Va. Granby
Alexay Hairston QB 5' 11" 203 Fr. Martinsville, Va. Magna Vista
Omar Hashish DE 6' 2" 229 Fr. Vienna, Va. James Madison
John Hedge PK 5' 9" 167 Fr. Pulaski, Va. Pulaski County
Stevie Ray Lloyd LB 6' 0" 219 Fr. Lynchburg, Va. Jefferson Forest
Thomas McClelland TB 5' 11" 191 Fr. Fredericksburg, Va. Stafford
Bart McMillin DS 6' 0" 213 Fr. Bristol, Tenn. Tennessee
Roland Minor CB 6' 0" 181 Fr. Washington, D.C. H.D. Woodson
Brandon Pace PK 5' 10" 191 r-Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. Kellam
Ross Pinkett DS 6' 0" 224 Fr. Williamsburg, Va. Lafayette
Cory Price - FL 5' 10" 168 Fr. Blacksburg, Va. Blacksburg
Matt Roan 1 - TE 6' 4" 248 Fr. Dublin, Va. Pulaski County
Winston Roett - QB 6' 2" 205 So. Vienna, Va. O'Connell
Carlton Weatherford - FB 5' 10" 201 Fr. Danville, Va. Tunstall
Virginia
Tech
Ags Illustrated
Page 11
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Above: The Corps react to to a bad call
Right: Brandon Warfield would not be denied the
Zone
Below: Coach Fran is Fired up.
Facing page:: Terrence Murphy Scores!!!
Coach Fran and Reggie Plan it out
Football is a war in the Trenches
photos by Brice Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 12
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Ags Illustrated
Page 13
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Scouting
VA TECH
3 Keys
Depth Chart Notes
to the Virginia Tech Game
by Scott Clendenin
Frank Beamer (Va. Tech '69), whose teams
have averaged nine victories a year over the last
10 seasons, is in his 17th year as the head football
coach at Virginia Tech. Beamer has guided the
Hokies to a 118-69-2 record. He became Tech's
winningest football coach in 1997 when the
Hokies defeated Arkansas State, 50-0.
Under Beamer, Tech football has enjoyed
unprecedented success with 10 consecutive bowl
appearances, three BIG EAST Conference titles
and a trip to the national championship game.
Tech won the BIG EAST title in 1999 and 1995
and shared it in '96.
Beamer was voted BIG EAST Coach of the
Year by the league's coaches each of those seasons. In 1997, he was inducted into The Virginia
Tech Sports Hall of Fame, and following the 1999
season, he earned eight national coach of the
year honors. Last season, the Hokies posted a 104 record, including a victory over Air Force in the
San Francisco Bowl. During the 2000 season, the
Hokies posted an 11-1 record that included a 4120 win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl. In 1999,
Tech marched to an 11-0 regular-season mark
before losing a hard-fought 46-29 game to
Florida State for the national title in the Sugar
Bowl. The Hokies ended the '99 season ranked
No. 2 by AP.
1
WillVirginia Tech continue to throw
the ball or will they return to their
running ways?
Despite featuring one of the best running backs in
the courntry in Kevin Jones, the Hokies went to the
air to win their season opener.
Quarterback Bryan Randall was named the BIG
EAST Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the UCF game. Randall completed 22 of 28
passes in the game for 278 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 18 yards on the ground. The
junior signal-caller directed Tech on scoring drives of
80, 62 and 76 yards in his first three series. He also
directed a key 67-yard drive in the final quarter.
Virginia Tech set a school record with 36 first
downs during the UCF game. The previous record
was 34 against Akron in 1991.
Juniors Richard Johnson and DeAngelo Hall, sophomore Justin Hamilton and true freshman David
Clowney posted their first collegiate TD catches
against Central Florida
2
How can the Aggies contain all the
All-Star Candidates that are featured
on this season’s Hokie squad?
Only three players startered for the first time in
Virginia Tech’s opening game. This team has allstar potential across the lineup. Randal is up for
the Doak Walker award and RB Kevin Jones is on
the Doak Walker list for the best running backs.
Center Jake Grove is up for all the offensive line
awards this year as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, both defensive
ends are candidates for the Lombardi and
Hendricks awards. DeAngelo Hall is a pre-season
Thorpe Award winner and can be an All-American
at defensive back and return specialist as well.
Punter Vinnie Burns is a Ray Guy candidate,
along with Aggie punter Cody Scates,
3
How do the Hokies have a quarter back conterversy on their hands with
the competition between Bryan
Randall and Marcus Vick ?
Texas A&M and Virginia Tech have a similar situation at quarterback. Even with an established
returning starter up for national awards, Hokie fans
are enthralled by a redshirt freshman named
Marcus Vick.
Vick, the younger brother of former Tech and current Atlanta Falcons' phenom Michael Vick, made
his Tech debut during the UCF game. The younger
Vick played two series against the Golden Knights
and led Tech on a pair of 80-yard scoring marches.
He finished the game 7-for-10 passing for 102 yards
and tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass.
The Hokie fans were calling for Vick to hit the
field the same way Aggie fans were calling for
Reggie McNeal last season in the season opener and
will again against the Aggies.
Ags Illustrated
2003 Record: 10-4 (3-4)
Offense: Multiple
Defense: 4-3
Coach: Frank Beamer
Conference: Big East
Stadium: Indian (65,500)
Page 14
As the season
progress, the coaches
have decisions to
make on playing
someone or not playing them and using
the season as a redshirt. Several of the
freshmen may be
listed on the depth
chart and travel with
the team despite not
playing.
The Aggies have
had several offensive
linemen, Seth
McKinney and
Calvin Collins are
examples, that
Va Tech
would have been
first in line to
assume a position if
a serious injury
knocked a starter out
for the season.
Jon Roberson was
not on the 105-man
roster before the start
of school, but after
passing all the courses needed to keep his
eligibility, he
rejoined the team
and could see action
at slot receiver and
on special teams
very soon. He was
explosive this spring.
Depth Chart
Texas
A&M
SE 19 Ernest Wilford (6-4, 220, r-Sr.)
81 Chris Shreve (5-11, 183, r-Sr.)
LT 52 Jimmy Martin (6-5, 291, So.)
61 Reggie Butler (6-6, 345, So.)
LG 60 Jacob Gibson (6-4, 299, r-Sr.)
66 Will Montgomery (6-3, 298, r-So.)
C 64 Jake Grove (6-3, 300, r-Sr.)
68 Robert Ramsey (6-3, 307, r-Jr.)
RG 76 James Miller (6-6, 300, Jr.)
77 Brandon Gore (6-5, 332, r-Fr.)
RT 79 Jon Dunn (6-7, 343, r-Jr.)
58 Chris Pannell (6-3, 279, r-So.)
TE 86 Keith Willis (6-5, 261, r-Sr.)
90 Jeff King (6-5, 256, r-So.)
QB 3 Bryan Randall (6-1, 221, Jr.)
5 Marcus Vick (6-0, 208, r-Fr.)
TB 25 Kevin Jones (6-0, 221, Jr.)
32 Cedric Humes (6-1, 232, r-So.)
FB 43 Doug Easlick (5-11, 238, r-Sr.)
90 Jeff King (6-5, 256, r-Jr.)
FL 12 Richard Johnson (5-10,189,r-Jr.)
27 Justin Hamilton (6-3, 217, r-So.)
PK 49 Carter Warley (5-11, 195, r-Sr.)
DE 99 David Ross 6-2 268 So-1L
95 Mike Montgomery 6-5 275 Jr-TR
DT 97 Johnny Jolly 6-3 287 So-1L
93 Ju Parks 6-1 356 Fr-RS
DT 59 Brian Patrick 6-5 293 So-1L
or 91 Marcus Jasmin 6-5 318 Jr-2L
DE 88 Linnis Smith 6-4 288 Sr-3L
98 Marques Thorton 6-2 275 Fr-RS
SLB 10 Justin Warren 6-3 220 Fr-HS
41 Arch. McDaniel 6-1 227 So-1L
MLB 57 Scott Stickane 6=1 238 Sr-3L
44 Ta Ta Thompson 6-4 236 Fr-HS
ROV 49 Nur. Manning 6-2 230 So-SQ
42 Everett Smith 6-2 229 Sr-3L
LCB 31 Sean Weston 5-10 180 Sr-3L
26 Jonte Buhl 5-10 171 Jr-2L
RCB 11 Byron Jones 5-10 178 Jr-2L
6 Bryant Singleton 5-11 187 So-1L
SS 23 Ronald Jones 5-10 179 So-1L
33 Keelan Jackson 6-1 219 Jr-2L
FS 19 Jaxson Appel 5-10 196 So-1L
40 Kevin Mangum 5-11 191 Jr-2L
P 20 Cody Scates 6-1 205 Sr-3l
DE 99 Cols Colas (6-0, 241, r-Sr.)
96 Noland Burchette (6-2, 253, r-Fr.)
DT 70 Kevin Lewis (6-1, 292, r-Jr.)
71 Tim Sandidge (6-1, 307, r-So.)
DT 56 Jonathan Lewis (6-1, 299, So.)
91 Jason Lallis (6-0, 264, r-Jr.)
DE 83 Nathaniel Adibi (6-3, 263, r-Sr.)
55 Darryl Tapp (6-1, 257, So.)
ILB 6 Vegas Robinson (6-0, 250, r-Sr.)
40 Blake Warren (6-3, 239, r-So.)
ILB 45 Mikal Baaqee (5-11, 240, r-Jr.)
41 Jordan Trott (6-4, 247, r-So.)
OLB 48 Brandon Manning(6-0,214,r-Jr)
36 Aaron Rouse (6-3, 207, r-Fr.)
BC 4 DeAngelo Hall (5-11, 195, Jr.)
8 Vincent Fuller (6-1, 191, r-Jr.)
ROV 21 Michael Crawford
(5-11,202,r-Sr.)
22 James Griffin (6-1, 191, Jr.)
FS 2 Jimmy Williams (6-3, 217, So.)
31 Mike Daniels (6-0, 209, r-Jr.)
FC 17 Garnell Wilds (6-0, 200, r-Sr.)
1 Eric Green (5-11, 189, r-Jr.)
P 38 Vinnie Burns (5-11, 199, r-Jr.)
WR 5 Terrence Murphy 6-1 191 Jr-2L
9 Earvin Taylor 6-3 217 Fr-HS
ST 73 Alan Reuber 6-7 310 Sr-3L
70 Cody Wallace 6-5, 282 Fr-HS
SG 76 A. De La Garza 6-3 317 So-1L
64 Kirk Elder 6-4 307 Fr-HS
C 66 Geoff Hangartner 6-5 300 Jr-1L
54 James Milkavich 6-2 274 Sr-SQ
QG 50 John Kirk 6-4 295 Sr-3L
71 Quentin Holman 6-2 349 So-SQ
QT 67 Alex Kotzur 6-4 284 Fr-RS
74 Dominique Steamer 6-5 310 So-SQ
TE 85 Taylor Schuster 6-5 260 Fr-RS
82 Patrick Fleming 6-5 271 So-1L
SLT 3 Terrence Thomas 5-9 180 Jr-2L
80 L’Tydrick Riley 6-2 223 So-1L
FLK 2 Jamaar Taylor 6-1 194 Sr-2L
or 83 Tim Van Zant 6-1 195 Sr-2L
QB 17 Dustin Long 6-3 205 Jr-1L
or 16 Reggie McNeal 6-2 191 So-1L
A 7 Jason Carter 6-0 197 Jr-1L
30 Nick Rhodes 6-0 202 Fr-HS
FB 34 Keith Joseph 6-2 241 Jr-2L
24 Chris Alexander 5-11, 242, Fr-HS
TB 1 Derek Farmer 5-11 202 Jr-2L
25 Courtney Lewis 5-10 187 Fr-RS
K Todd Pegram 5-11 201 So-1L
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Game 3
Texas A&M vs. VA Tech
at Lane Stadium • TV: ESPN • Kickoff: 6:30 CST
Overview
One of the toughest venues in college
football, traveling to Blacksburg will
test the Aggies like no other spot on
the schedule, until they travel to
Norman to face OU.
EDGE: VIRGINIA TECH
Keep An Eye On
By The Numbers
Texas A&M
Offense Rank
Offense
With NFL talent at quarterback,
Total
running back and wide receiver the
Hokies present as balanced an attack
as Carl Torbush’s defense will see this Rushing
season.
EDGE: VIRGINIA TECH
Passing
Defense
Central Florida exposed the Hokie
defense with a controlled passing
attack to negate their pass rush.
A&M has faced a similar offense in
Utah.
EDGE: EVEN
85
Virginia Tech
YPG
Offense Rank
YPG
312.5
Total
509.5
10
46
177.0
Rushing
21
227.5
105
135.5
Passing
27
282.0
Defense Rank
YPG
Defense Rank
YPG
Total
39
311.5
Total
13
239.0
Rushing
75
159.5
Rushing
7
47.0
Special Teams
Passing
20
152.0
Passing
47
No team in the country has had the
success that the Hokies have on spe- * Ratings are for the 2003 season. Pass defense rated by yards.
cial teams. They count on points
every game and nothing fires their
home crowd up more than a score.
EDGE: VIRGINIA TECH
192.0
Five To Consider
Coaching
A matchup between two of the best 1.
coaching staffs in the country with
both teams having a week off to set
up gameplans specific for each team. 2.
Expect a low scoring ballgame.
EDGE: EVEN
3.
Intangibles
The Aggies could have topped
4.
Virginia Tech last season, and the
confidence instilled by the new
coaching staff has the players believ5.
ing they can pull the upset.
EDGE: TEXAS A&M
Can the Aggies blunt the special teams magic that
fires up the Virginia Tech crowd?
Can the Aggies break the 14-game winning streak
the Hokies have in non-conference home games?
How will the Aggies contain Kevin Jones, one of
the most explosive backs in the country?
Will the Aggie quarterback job be settled by the
time the Aggies hit the field against VT?
Will Coach Fran’s magic after an off-week travel
with him?
Ags Illustrated
Page 15
QB Bryan Randall
Was named Big-East
player of the week
after week one. Was
MVP of the San
Francisco Bowl last
season and is a Davey
O’Brien candidate.
QB Marcus Vick
Younger brother of
Michael Vick has the
whole Hokie nation
excited about the
future, despite having
one of the best QBs in
the nation starting.
RB Kevin Jones
Needs to answer the
question “Can he
carry the whole load”
after splitting time the
past two seasons.
Preseason AllAmerican candidate.
DE Nathan Adibi
Picked up nine sacks
last season and added
another in the season
opener. Adibi has
appeared on Lombardi
and Hendricks Award
“watch” list.
DB DeAngelo Hall
First two way player at
VT since 1997 and
could be the first to
start both ways in the
last 40 years. Teams
avoid his side of the
field like the plague.
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Aggie
Soccer,
Volleyball
Face
Challenges
This
Season
Katie Jo Spisak will be a force to reckon with on the
Aggie D.
Photo by A&M SID
By Jason Lincoln
Ags Illustrated
With the tenured leadership of coaches like G.
Guerrieri and Laurie and John Corbelli, the
Aggie soccer and volleyball teams are constant
contenders in the Big 12 and NCAA spotlights.
Corbelli’s volleyball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the
10th straight season in 2002, and Guerrieri’s soccer teams have gone to the postseason eight
straight years dating back to 1995, including
back-to-back appearances in the elite eight.
The soccer team has higher expectations as
ever, entering the season with a No. 6 ranking
and starting off with three convincing victories.
The volleyball team is unranked and picked to
finish fourth in the Big 12, but typically rise to
their competition, especially in Big 12 action.
While the two teams will find it hard to match
their recent accomplishments, the potential is
there and the two teams dominate when playing in Aggieland.
No. 6 Texas A&M Soccer
Don’t tell Coach G. Guerrieri and the No. 6
Texas A&M soccer team that rebuilding years
are supposed to mean taking a step backward.
Despite having to put four true freshmen in
the starting lineup, the Aggies are off to a 3-0
start with wins over TCU, No. 22 SMU and
Utah. Furthermore, A&M has yet to trail this
season.
The Aggies are coming off a 2002 Big 12 regular season championship and a season that saw
A&M ranked as high as third. During the
course of 2002, A&M suffered three straight
early-season losses before rallying to post 16
straight wins up to the Big 12 Tournament
championship where A&M fell 1-0.
Guerrieri’s squad then rallied off three NCAA
tournament victories, including penalty kick
victories over SMU and UCLA to advance to the
quarterfinals before losing to second-ranked
North Carolina, 3-0.
This year, A&M faces No. 1 North Carolina
Ags Illustrated
Page 16
again in non-conference action on Sunday,
September 14, in Spring, Texas.
While facing the No. 1 team in the nation, just
five games into the season poses the biggest
challenge on the Aggies’ 2003 schedule, A&M
has much more to be concerned with – particularly its youth.
Fortunately for the Aggies, a solid mix of
experienced leadership is mixed in with its four
newcomers in the starting lineup.
Up front, the Aggies are led by junior forward
Emma Smith. The team’s third leading goal
scorer in 2002, is now the primary offensive
weapon with the loss of All-Americans Linsey
Woodard and Heather Ragsdale. She posted 11
goals and eight assists last season.
Already this season she leads the team in
points with two goals and one assist. All five of
Smith’s points came against No. 22 Southern
Methodist as she had a hand in all of A&M’s
goals in the 3-1 victory. The victory was key for
A&M as both 2002 matchups between the two
teams went into overtime.
Smith, who Guerrieri has often referred to as
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the fastest player A&M has ever had, is joined
by true-freshman Kat Krambeer. Krambeer, who
scored the Aggies’ only goal in Friday’s victory
over Utah, might just be faster than her junior
counterpart up front.
Krambeer is the latest in a trend of speedy
forwards recruited by Guerrieri as A&M
appears to concentrate on developing superior
speed. The 2003 front line may be the fastest in
A&M history.
Three games into the season it appears to be
working as A&M has scored on 20-percent of its
shots, scoring 10 goals in three games on just 51
shots. Meanwhile, A&M’s opponents have combined for just 19 shots.
In the midfield, A&M is anchored by its lone
senior, Kristen Strutz. The central midfielder is
the key to Guerrieri’s offense and Strutz has
typified the position for the past three seasons.
In the opening game, a 6-0 victory over Texas
Christian, Strutz scored two goals, both assisted
by Shannon Labhart. Strutz led the Aggies in
assists in 2002 with 10.
Amanda Burke and Laura Probst adds
strength to the midfield position. Burke has two
assists already this season, and Probst has a
goal and an assist.
The newcomer to the midfield is freshman
Madison Klovstad who scored in the season
opener and has two assists since then.
A&M’s defense is anchored by its keeper, 2002
Freshman All-American Kati Jo Spisak. The 6-2
sophomore has been characterized by Guerrieri
as the best in the country. So far this season she
is 3-0 with two shutouts and just six saves.
Her low numbers are thanks to A&M’s solid
back line which features Burke playing at stopper and Labhart on the left side. Freshmen
Linda Pierson and Annie Burnett have earned
their way into the starting lineup in the backfield to close out the starting 11.
Pierson is the younger sister of former A&M
place kicker John Pierson. The 17-year old freshman scored A&M’s first goal of the season on a
direct kick just outside the penalty box.
A key to A&M’s season is their home schedule. The Aggies are 92-10-0 at home and hold a
19 match home winning streak dating back to a
4-2 loss to Nebraska in 2001. Key games for the
Aggies this season are Sunday’s game against
North Carolina in the Adidas Classic, home
games against Washington State and Nebraska
and the regular season finale on the road,
October 31st against Texas.
receiving votes in the polls.
The Big 12 promises to have one of its
strongest volleyball seasons to date with three
teams in the Top 25 – No. 5 Nebraska, No. 14
Kansas State and No. 18 Missouri. Texas is sixth
among teams receiving votes in the polls.
The schedule will provide plenty of challenges for the Aggies who have a strong mix of
experience but lack an individual standout
player.
A&M has a home match against defending
national champion Southern California on
Saturday, September 13 at 7 p.m. to conclude
the McDonald’s A&M Invite. A&M will then
have to travel to No. 5 Nebraska to kick off Big
12 action.
Previous Corbelli teams have been characterized by one or two dominating players. This
year’s squad will rely on depth and experience.
In the middle A&M is anchored by fifth-year
senior Tara Pulaski. At 6-2, Pulaski is known for
her defense and is one of the best blockers in
the league.
Melissa Munsch and and Kendra Felder will
also see action in the middle, except in more of
an offensive role than Pulaski.
A&M brought in just one heralded freshman
in 2003, middle blocker Christi Hahn from
Photo by A&N SID
Texas A&M Volleyball
The 2003 Aggie volleyball squad enters the
season unranked, but is fourth among teams
Leander, Texas.
On the outside, 6-2 outside hitters Laura Jones
and Carol Price lead the Aggies offensive attack.
Jones posted 74 kills in A&M’s first four matches. Jones was the 2002 Big 12 Freshman of the
year with 3.77 kills per game, leading A&M’s
offense.
Running the Aggies offense is a two-person
job for the time being. Junior Lexy Beers and
sophomore Kari Kelley have shared time so far,
both averaging over seven assists per game.
Senior Rebbecca Wynalda will be the team’s
designated libero this season.
A&M started off the season winning the Duke
Invitational at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Jones
was named the tournament MVP, posting three
consecutive double-doubles to get A&M out to
a 3-0 start.
The Aggies traveled to the Michigan/Pepsi
Challenge where they improved to 4-0 before
suffering a 3-0 loss to Michigan. A&M came
back to conclude the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Murray State, improving A&M to 5-1.
The Aggies kick off their first three of 13
home matches this season when they face
Southwest Missouri State, Centenary and
Southern Cal in the McDonalds/A&M Invite at
G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Laura Jones is set to dominate in 2003.
Ags Illustrated
Page 17
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Coaching Match Up
How Fran will Beat Frank
by Ed Watson
Now that two weeks are in the books, there
are still big questions in Aggieland, and a lot of
them. What were supposed to be coming-out
parties for Dennis Franchione and the new era
of Texas A&M football have instead produced
two squeamish home wins over Arkansas State
and Utah, two brave roadshows not necessarily
steeped in gridiron glory and winning tradition.
The disturbing Aggie rushing malaise in the
opener are joined by defensive problems in
stopping the run against the Utes. This is not
what Woody Hayes or disciple Bill Parcells had
in mind.
And if that weren’t enough, next enter upon
the Aggie stage Coach Frank Beamer, the trail
boss of the Virginia Tech Hokies, one of the
ruggedest, meat-and-potatoes football teams in
college football. Frank and Fran are fundamentally alike in one profound respect – they
believe in physical toughness. Beamer largely
disdains the current rage of vertical, pitch-andcatch pyrotechnics in favor of the blue-collar
blast and sweep packages of an “in your face”
Power I formation, liberally infused with Veer
option-styled quarterbacking by a versatile and
highly-skilled athlete. Athletic quarterbacks
and big-time tailbacks have been standard fare
under Beamer, as names such as Jim
Druckenmiller, Ken Oxendine, Lee Suggs, Kevin
Jones and Michael Vick will clearly attest.
On offense and defense, the Hokies are not
fancy or tricky; they win largely by out-hustling
and out-hitting people, and that includes special
teams where VaTech is annually among the
nation’s leaders in blocked punts and has
blocked more punts than anyone in the nation
since 1990. Both kickers return after solid 2002
seasons. In the return game, the Hokies may be
even better, as All-America DeAngelo Hall,
reportedly graced with 4.15 speed, averaged 16
yards on 22 punt returns including two for TDs.
It gets worse. In addition to the two kickers,
Beamer welcomed back eight returning starters
on offense and nine on defense, including his
entire front-seven package. QB Bryan Randall
and the 210-pound TB with 4.3speed, Kevin
Jones, will spearhead next Thursday’s Hokie
offense. When the Hokies throw, 6’4” and 221pound senior WR Ernest Wilford usually catchFind this and other info on www.agtimes.com
Virginia Tech may be Coach Fran’s Toughest Opponent Yet
Photos by Brice Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 18
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es it. Wilford caught 51 last season for 875
yards and six TDs, including the back-breaker
last season against the Aggies. Just for fun,
compare Wilford’s 875 receiving yards to the
Texas A&M single-season yardage record.
On defense, Virginia Tech will attack and keep
attacking, with senior DE Nathaniel Adibi, a
255-pound All-Big East performer with 4.5
speed and 17 career sacks. Along with Hall, a
junior and also an All-Big East 200-pound CB,
the Hokies’ defense is led by ILB Mikal Baaqee
and his team-leading 112 tackles, 11.5 for losses.
Virginia Tech’s offense has opened the 2003 season with 49 and 43-point artillery bombardments.
The last seven seasons find the Hokies at 6316, including the four losses in last year’s
“rebuilding season”, and Beamer is a beastly 5210 in Blacksburg in the last ten seasons, each a
Virginia Tech bowl season. Though they experienced a few defensive problems late last season
against Pitt, Syracuse and Miami, the Hokesters
had no problem squelching R.C. Slocum’s
offense in last year’s 13-3 win at Kyle Field, the
first non-conference home loss for the Aggies in
six years.
Some time back, the smart money in Las
Vegas concocted the cumulative homefield edge
factor in points, adjusted frequently to reflect
the current and overall fortunes of a program.
To give you an idea of the challenge confronting
our Aggies in Blacksburg next Thursday, here
are some Vegas homefield point factors for a
few elite programs with redoubtable homefield
advantages: Ohio State –4, Michigan -3.5,
Nebraska –4, Florida –5, LSU –4, OU –4.5, Texas
–3.5, Texas A&M –5, Notre Dame –4, Virginia
Tech –6. In short, Vegas says stay away from
Blacksburg! And for you Aggies clinging to any
final vestige of confidence, Virginia Tech coincidentally opened with Arkansas State last year.
The final score was 63-7.
Got the picture? This slugging match will be
an extremely tough and physical test, an uphill
struggle for a painfully youthful Texas A&M
team that got even younger and more inexperienced with the loss for the year of 5th-year senior and starting three-year linebacker, Jared
Morris, to a torn patellar tendon. The Aggies
must play much, much better than they’ve
played since last year’s OU game. They must
play with fury but they also must play with
intelligence and guile. How can the Aggies
win; how will Fran beat Frank?
The Aggies must begin their mission where
every successful team lays the winning foundation – and that’s with the kicking game. Last
year, Tech blocked seven punts, but that number
next Thursday must be zero, so Cody Scates or
Jacob Young must be quick with the punting.
PK Todd Pegram also must be poised and accurate, as a field goal might easily be the difference in a tight defensive game like last year’s.
Aggie coverage units must play aggressive and
flawless, yet the Ags will probably need another
big return or two from T Murph or Jamaar
Taylor. Kicking away from DeAngelo Hall may
be the better and smarter part of Aggie valor.
On offense, the Aggies learned last year from
our 28 rushes for 38 yards output that challenging the Hokies with a frontal assault is frustrating and fruitless. The Hokies love to be physically challenged. It is Virginia Tech’s game, and
when an opponent machos it up to play power
ball with the Hokies, they might generate similar to the three points the Ags did last year at
Kyle.
Guile and trickery must be the offensive order
of our day next Thursday. We must spread the
rugged Hokie defense and run them off the LOS
and out of the box. Pre-snap motion could set
up advantageous match-ups downfield for
Murphy and Taylor, and the Ags must use their
playmakers when plays are needed to move
chain and maintain possession. We must not be
afraid to throw the ball, as the Hokies surrendered more than 200 yards passing nine times
last year, and lost three of those games.
First-down possession passing could be effective at keeping the fleet Hokie OLBs off the LOS
and their safeties patrolling the backline and not
up in the box pinching the Aggie running game.
Courtney Lewis must have running lanes, so
the vertical dispersion of the Hokie defense is a
basic requirement. As well, McNeal could have
deep opportunities here as the Hokie pass
defense got scalded last year for 300 yards by
the ‘Canes on only 12 completions and 403
yards by Syracuse on 24 aerials. Looks like the
Hokies can be had in the intermediate and deep
zones.
Offensive balance and creative playcalling is a
must for the Aggies, along with controlling the
most vital stat in football besides the score, and
this is Turnover Margin. Last season, the Aggies
turned over the ball twice more than the Hokies
and lost by 10. They must reverse that TO margin this year, and that begins by hanging onto
the ball. Reggie must put all the center
exchange problems behind him and the skilledposition ball handlers must protect the ball
against an obviously opportunistic and veteran
Hokie defense. TO margin will again be key!
With Morris’s departure along with the sudden porosity in the Aggie front seven, the Aggie
defense suddenly is under the police lamp with
the Hokies. Beamer will attempt to grind the
young Aggie rushing defense into bone meal.
Last year the Hokie offense averaged 48 rushing
attempts per game while they passed an averAgs Illustrated
Page 19
age of 19 times per contest. It’s no secret that
the Hokies will run the football, with Kevin
Jones banging between the tackles and wide,
and QB Bryan Randall probing Carl Torbush’s
option defense on the flanks. In option situations, the youthful Aggie DEs and OLBs must
play solid and consistent assignment football,
and they must tackle much better than they’ve
tackled in our first two outings. In short, the
Wrecking Crew must grow up quickly and summon a physical and herculean performance to
stuff a powerful Hokie rushing attack.
Only one way to beat the Hokies physically,
and that’s to help the young DL by selling out
the LBs and safeties to stop the run. Those 4819 run/pass numbers tell us what needs our
attention. CBs Sean Weston and Byron Jones
must be entrusted to lock down the Hokie WRs
leaving the Aggie safeties or nickel to “fly
around” and make big plays blitzing or stuffing
Jones or Randall before they can find any daylight. Unpredictable safety help, however,
would probably be wise to assist on the backline with Wilford, sometimes deep and then
sometimes in the short hook and hitch zones in
the mid-seams. A big step-up and a pick from
Jaxson Appel could spell the difference here.
Our young DL will be physically assaulted by
the VaTech rushing attack, so in light of this certain and imminent assault, the Wrecking Crew
may as well decide that we will be the assaultor
and not the assaultee! Fran has taught toughness every day since he’s been at A&M, and
now is the time for a progress review of this
new tenet. Tested, we will be, as this game will
be a no-nonsense confrontation of physical
wills. Read on to find out who accomplished all
this!
If a young Aggie defense can stiffen against a
sledgehammer Hokie rushing attack, the VaTech
passing game has been highly inconsistent, generating more than 200 yards on only two occasions all last season. Our pals at Pitt, 14-12 losers to the 2002 Aggies at Heinz Field, have had
Beamer’s number two years in a row. After winning 38-7 at Heinz in 2001, the Panther defense
last year again arrested the Hokie running game
for only 130 yards on 45 carries, and then covered downfield well enough to limit Virginia
Tech to only 145 yards on 12 completions, while
recording seven sacks. Pitt ran a balanced
275/208 offense, outgained VaTech 483 to 275,
broke even on TO margin and won the game in
Blacksburg, 28-21.
As we see, all this can be achieved by mortal
men. But our youthful Aggies must grow up in
a frenzied hurry and play tough and smart
beyond their years.
So how will Fran beat Frank? Easy …. he’ll call
Pitt head coach Walt Harris!
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Reload!
Aggie Hardballers Load
Up at Key Positions
Kyle Nicholson is no stranger to Olsen Field, and will lead a strong recruiting class
that should contribute early on the Aggie diamond.
Photo by Scott Clendenin
Ags Illustrated
Page 20
The Aggies look to fill few offensive holes
with the class of 2004, but adding depth on the
pitching mound was a prime concern. The
Aggies had to withstand a late push by MLB
teams as school started later than normal, and
those draft picks were the focus of the teams
that had their rights until they stepped foot in
their first class in Aggieland. Another important matter was RF Cory Patton turning down a
large offer from the San Diego Padres to return
to school. Patton was only one of four juniors
that were drafted in the first ten rounds that is
returning to school. His return gives the Aggies
returning starters at each and every position
from last season.
One of the Aggies’ top signees was left-handed pitcher Doug Frame. Frame was told shortly
after the draft that if L. A. couldn’t sign Cory
Van Allen (a Baylor signee) he would be in line
for a larger signing bonus. After failing to come
to terms with third round pick Van Allen, the
Dodgers turned first to Grayson sophomore SS
Andy LaRoche, paying the 39th round pick one
million dollars and using up much of their draft
money on the potential Rice Owl. They made
that late push for Frame, but the Dodgers did
not break the bank to attract the talented lefthander. He still turned down a six-figure signing bonus to stay on board with the Aggies.
“We are excited about getting started with a
good mix of experienced players and talented
new players,” commented Johnson. “We lost a
lot of players to the draft last season, and we
had a couple of others being pursued by professional baseball who decided to come back to
school. Obviously, we are happy about that.”
The Aggies needed help on the mound, and
this recruiting class certainly brought in talented arms. Seven of the pitchers are left-handed
and seven of them have been drafted by major
league baseball before coming to Aggieland.
With the money Texas A&M had set back for
two players who eventually signed, Kyle Parcus
and Scott Beerer, the Aggies were able to fill the
last two roster spots with JC All-American outfield Travis Bartek and LHP Zach Jackson.
Bartek was the best center fielder in
California this past season. Playing at Feather
River JC, the Golden Eagles advanced to the
final four for the first time ever, and Bartek was
a big reason why. He batted cleanup this season
and hit a team high .399-7-54 with six triples
and 19 doubles while walking 12 times and
only striking out 16 times in 208 at-bats. He led
all of California with 35 steals and was only
caught stealing ONCE all season long. As a
freshman he hit .341-3-34 with four triples, nine
doubles while stealing 8-of-12 bases.
LHP Zach Jackson will move to the top of the
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pitching rotation next spring. At 6-5 and 220
pounds, he will be the biggest left-handed
pitcher for the Aggies since Kelly Wunch left
after the 1993 season. Named Freshman AllAmerican after going 10-3 at Louisville, his performances on the mound were even better last
season as a sophomore but his record ended up
being 7-6. This summer he pitched in the Cape
Cod League where he went 6-0 with a 1.88
ERA. He pitched in the All-Star game and led
his team to the playoffs. He was rated as the
league’s third best left-handed pitcher and was
the league’s 16th best prospect. He has a fastball
that tops out at 92 mph and a great change up.
Coach Lawler will work on tightening up his
breaking ball as he changes arm speed to tip off
hitters just a touch. He struck out 48 in 52.2
innings of work while walking only ten this
summer and will compete with Robert Ray for
the Friday night starting assignment next
spring. Jackson will be the top pitching transfer
pitcher to enter the Big 12 this season and the
Aggie coaches hope to see as much success as J.
P. Howell had with Texas last year and Aaron
Marsden did with Nebraska the past two years.
Last season as a sophomore with the
Cardinals, Jackson was 7-6 with a 4.31 ERA, setting school records for starts (19) and innings
pitched (112.2). He had 75 strikeouts and 29
walks. He might have been the victim of too
much work last year at U of L, pitching several
weeks on the weekend as well as mid-week.
When he was in a rhythm he dominated, in six
of his starts he pitched seven plus innings while
allowing two earned runs or less.
Once again the Aggies enrolled top 100 high
school talent. In addition to Frame, the Aggie
coaches were ecstatic RHP/SS Austin Creps
made it to campus this fall. Both players were
rated among the nation’s top 50 prospects (by
Teamone Baseball and Baseball America respectively) when the season began. Returning
starter Robert Ray was also a top 50 player
entering his senior season. Creps was on the
USA Junior National team last year and is
another two-way star in the making for the
Aggies. Battling a sore shoulder this spring and
his intentions to attend A&M pushed him out of
the draft this spring. Concerns about his shoulder were dismissed when he pitched in the
upper eighties and lower nineties at the THSBCA All-Star game in June. He went 7-1 and a
save with 100 strikeouts and eight complete
games.
Frame was rated as a second to fifth round
pick before the draft by Baseball America, and
Austin Creps will play a key role next spring at Olsen Field
Ags Illustrated
Page 21
not being drafted on the first day was one of the
biggest surprises in the draft. Pro scouts normally don’t let a lefthander that hits 92 mph
drop in the draft, but the Aggies certainly benefit from their oversight. He went 8-2 this year
with more than 100 strikeouts.
RHP/SS Kyle Nicholson is very familiar to
Brazos Valley baseball fans; he was the closer
this year for A&M Consolidated. He will
remind fans of Cliff Pennington, a great fielder
with a cannon arm and a competitive desire
that is overlooked by pro scouts since both
players were less than six feet tall. Nicholson
was the best player on the best team in the
state, and the he will be on the field early as an
Aggie, either on the mound or in the field. He
hit .337 with 10 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .405 while on the mound he posted a
3-1 record and nine saves with a 1.56 ERA in 34
2/3 innings.
Other newcomers who will contribute on the
mound are William Blackmon (thirty-ninth
round pick of Toronto), Brett Jackson (30th
round draft and follow by the Yankees in 2002),
Kyle Marlett (draft and follow 36th round pick
of New York Yankees in 2002 as well), and
Franco Cardinale.
Blackmon went 7-1 this season and had an
ERA of 1.66 with 98 strikeouts and only four
walks. Blackmon went 10-3 as a junior, his first
season on the varsity for Arlington Heights. He
is a strike thrower like former Aggie star Matt
Ward, making up for average speed with outstanding control. Cardinale is very similar to
Blackmon; he went 5-5 this year while striking
out 59 batters in the hitting rich Western JUCO
league.
Jackson, from the left side and Marlett from
the right had to turn down significant money
from the Yankees this year and went undrafted
in 2003 after turning down the Yankees. The
Bronx Bombers made a strong run at Marlett
after he shut down Walter’s Junior College 9-1
to advance San Jac to the championship game in
this year’s tournament. He struck out eleven,
only allowing just six hits in a ballgame against
a hot hitting team that had scored 31 runs in
their first four games. He struck out at least one
batter in every inning to improve to 9-3 on the
season. As a freshman he went 6-2 for the
Gators. Jackson went 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA as a
freshman was an All-Conference selection in
2002 and named to the 2003 Texas JUCO AllStar Team. He was named to the 2003 Academic
All-Conference Team and the 2003 Academic
All-American Team with a cumulative 3.84
grade point average. This year he was 8-1 with
a 4.04 ERA. He has the school record in career
wins with 18 and winning percentage of .857
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Above: Kyle Nicholson could also be a factor at the plate
Below: Jarrett Turner is already a terrific athlete
(18-3). He also finished in the top five of innings
pitched in a career with 137.3. He was also a
member of the USA JUCO National Team along
with future teammate Cory Patton that topped
the Chinese National Team last summer.
Jackson won the game he started which helped
the USA Team to a series victory.
RHP Blake Rampy, a teammate of Frame at
Tomball High, also signed up with the Aggies
this spring. He originally signed with San
Jacinto last fall. Rampy was used as the closer
for Tomball with Frame and junior LHP Troy
Patton (rated as high as the #2 pitcher in next
year’s class) starting most of the season. He
went 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA while striking out 32
in 30 innings pitched. He threw a no-hitter
against Mineral Wells right before district play
started for Tomball. Last year he went 5-1, with
a 1.70 ERA. Rampy has a fastball that touches
91 mph and a good changeup that will remind
fans of Logan Kensing. Seattle drafted Rampy
in the thirty-third round this summer.
Even with an emphasis on pitching, the posiFind this and other info on www.agtimes.com
Ags Illustrated
Page 22
tion players give the recruiting class great balance, and veterans will face stiff competition to
keep starting positions with such a talented
group coming on board. Creps and Nicholson
will get a chance in the field as well as on the
mound and Bartek could push Ruggiano to left
next season.
Austin Boggs, a tremendous third base
prospect, is the son of former #2 overall pick
Tommy Boggs (who signed with Texas out of
high school). The elder Boggs runs the Austin
Slam summer league baseball program and is a
great ambassador for the amateur game and is
the biggest fish in the pond for central Texas
summer league programs. Austin is a smooth
switch hitter with a great knowledge of the
game. He played shortstop in high school
before this season, but his future was at the hot
corner and he is a year ahead of the curve following a tremendous senior season. He led
Connally to the high school playoffs for the first
time ever this year and they lost to Brenham in
three games in the regional final. Boggs showed
in that series the glove, arm and bat that will
have him on the field early in Aggieland and he
also has that competitive desire, playing quarterback and leading Connally deep in the football playoffs as well.
Jarrett Turner played on a surprisingly poor
Pine Tree team this year out of Longview. He
was the team, literally. He earned all-state honors while hitting .558-4-9 while stealing 13
bases. He batted leadoff (hitting over .600 in
district play) and that is why he only had nine
RBI while hitting four homeruns. At the THSCA
All-Star game, he was easily one of the most
impressive athlete on the field. He turned a
Cory Van Allen 90+ fastball around and hit the
fence halfway up at the 407 sign in right center
field, and he later missed a long homerun down
the foul line in right. MLB.com’s preview before
the draft said he would be a Major League right
fielder in the future. The son of former Aggie
baseballer Buster Turner, the scouts would have
drafted him very high if not for his ties to
Aggieland.
Andrew Baldwin, Steven Holdren, and Todd
Stroud are three additional junior college players with a similar pedigree to last season’s
JUCO stars Beerer, Justin Ruggiano and Patton.
Baldwin and Stroud were named to the JUCO
World Series all-tournament team and each hit
more than 15 homeruns this year and both hit
over .450 in the JUCO World Series. Baldwin
played quarterback and catcher at Bryan High.
He was newcomer of the year as a sophomore
in the Round Rock district. He started two seasons in right field for the always talented San
Jacinto team. Baldwin hit .314 with 43 RBI as a
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
Austin Creps and Austin Boggs were teammates this summer at the THSCA All-Star game
freshman. Stroud, while
catching, was honorable
mention freshman AllAmerican at New Mexico
after he hit .392-5-26. He
moved to outfield this
year and showed his
power the second half of
the season for Grayson as
they returned to the
World Series. Holdren is a
left-handed hitter that
might move first base to
give balance to the Aggie
lineup. He hit .378 this
season with 17 doubles,
five triples, and 13 home
runs. He led the nation
with 64 walks and had an
on base percentage of
.583.
2003-2004 Aggie Baseball Recruiting Class
Name
OF
OF
LHP
INF
LHP
LHP
RHP/INF
LHP
C
INF
LHP
LHP
RHP
RHP/INF
C
RHP
LHP
OF/C
OF
Yr-Exp B/T
Andrew Baldwin, Jr-TR R/R
Travis Bartek,
Jr-TR R/R
Will Blackmon,
Fr-HS L/L
Austin Boggs,
Fr-HS S/R
Franco Cardinale, Jr-TR L/L
John Michael Cline, Jr-TR L/L
Austin Creps,
Fr-HS R/R
Doug Frame,
Fr-HS L/L
Lee Harughty,
Fr-HS R/R
Stephen Holdren, Jr-TR L/R
Brent Jackson,
Jr-TR L/L
Zach Jackson,
Jr-TR L/L
Kyle Marlatt,
Jr-TR R/R
Kyle Nicholson,
Fr-HS R/R
Grady Norton,
Fr-HS R/R
Blake Rampy,
Fr-HS R/R
Tyler Soeder,
Fr-HS L/L
Todd Stroud,
Jr-Tr R/R
Jerrett Turner,
Fr-HS R/R
Ht Wt
6’1 200
6’0 180
6’6 215
5’10 185
5’11 185
6’ 170
6’2 170
6’ 225
6’ 180
6’ 210
6’4 190
6’5 220
6’3 215
5’11 185
5’11 190
6’2 170
6’1 160
6’2 210
6’2 195
Ags Illustrated
Page 23
Hometown (HS/Transfer)
Bryan, Texas (Bryan/San Jacinto JC)
Sparks, Nev. (Reed/Feather River JC)
Arlington, Texas (Heights)
Pflugerville, Texas (Connally)
Lafayette, La. (St. Thomas More/Frank Phillips CC)
Palestine, Texas (Elkhart/Tyler JC)
Spring, Texas (Klein)
Tomball, Texas (Tomball)
Spring, Texas (Spring)
Overland Park, Kan. (Shawnee South/Butler CC)
Henderson, Texas (Henderson/North Central CC)
Cranberry Twp., Penn. (Seneca Valley/Louisville)
Enid, Okla. (Enid/San Jacinto JC)
College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated)
College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated)
Tomball, Texas (Tomball)
The Woodlands, Texas (The Woodlands)
Weatherford, Texas (Weatherford/Grayson CC)
Longview, Texas (Pinetree)
17 Issues for 42.90 979-690-9278
w
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th rm ow
a h
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tc W e S s
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C gie am ay
Ag e-G urd m.
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Pr Sa 0 a
1
The Zone Monday thru Friday Line-up
1a-5a ESPN Radio All Night
5a-9a The Mike & Mike show from ESPN
9a-11a The First Word w/Louie Belina
11a-2p The Jungle w/Jim Rome
2p-5p Dan Patrick Show
5p-7p Chip Howard’s SportsTalk
Te
xa
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to
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us
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Bi
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Terrence Takes Off!

Transcription

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