#34 – Texas A&M Aggies 5-6 SU; 4-6 ATS
Fargo’s Take
- Head coach Dennis Franchione is in his
fourth season at Texas A&M and this is his
most important year. After coming through with
a solid 2004 campaign and a 7-5 record, expectations
were big last season especially with 17 returning
starters. The Aggies started the season 5-2 but
four straight losses ended the year earlier than
expected and put coach Fran on the hot seat. The
defense was a disaster last season, finishing
107th in the country in total defense and 94th
in scoring defense. That prompted the firing of
three defensive coaches and the hiring of former
Western Michigan head coach Gary Darnell as defensive
coordinator. There will be a new scheme in place
and things really have no where to go but up.
Offensively, Texas A&M must replace quarterback
Reggie McNeal but the unit should be just fine
as there are seven players returning along with
others who were injured most if not all of last
season. A bowl game is a must to save Franchione’s
job and that should not be a problem with a relatively
easy schedule to start the season.
Returning Starters
on Offense – 7 Replacing McNeal should
not be a problem as sophomore Stephen McGee takes
over after getting some crucial playing time last
year. Most of his experience came against Oklahoma
and Texas after McNeal went down with an injury
so getting thrown right into the fire will definitely
be beneficial. The offensive line returns four
starters and will be one of the best units in
the Big XII. Running behind that experienced line
will be senior tailback Courtney Lewis, who rushed
for 723 yards on a solid 6.6 ypc a season ago
and sophomore Jorvorskie Lane, who led the team
with nine touchdowns last year. The passing game
will benefit from the return of three players
who missed action in 2005, led by senior wideout
Chad Schroeder. Tight end Marellus Bennett is
a huge target and has the potential to be one
of the best in the conference at his position.
Returning Starters
on Defense – 6 Despite returning
eight starters last season, the Aggies struggled
on defense especially down the stretch as they
allowed 43.5 ppg in their final four games. Darnell
has brought in a 4-2-5 defensive package which
should be able to improve the passing defense
that finished 117th in the country last year.
Only two starters are back and the depth is very
thin in the secondary. Texas A&M allowed opponents
to complete over 60 percent of their throws, the
second time in three years it has allowed at least
60 percent so the new base defense was implemented
to cut that down. Even so, the unit is considered
the worst in the conference heading into the season.
The Aggies were solid against the run, finishing
43rd in the nation and with three starters returning
along the defensive line, they should be even
better. Leading returning tackler Justin Warren
returns at linebacker while the other spot will
be headed by 25-year old JUCO transfer Mark Dodge.
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Schedule
- If there is one thing that can get the Aggies
back to a bowl, it is the very soft schedule that
they possess. This team has the possibility of
winning its first eight games but it will have
to pull a couple minor upsets along the way. Texas
A&M starts the year with four home games and
a neutral site game against Army in San Antonio.
Besides Army, the other non-conference games are
against The Citadel, La-Lafayette and Louisiana
Tech. The Aggies will be 4-0 heading into their
Big XII opener at home against Texas Tech, a team
that destroyed them last year by 39 points. Three
of the next four games are on the road against
Kansas, Oklahoma St. and Baylor and all three
can be won. The end of the season is extremely
tough with back-to-back home games against Oklahoma
and Nebraska followed by the season finale the
day after Thanksgiving at Texas.
You can bet on…
With the setup of the schedule, if the Aggies
are not bowl eligible by the end of October, Franchione
might not even be around to see the end of the
season. Everything is in place for a quick start
and while 8-0 is a possibility, if the defense
can somehow show dramatic improvements, a 10-0
start is not that outlandish. The defensive improvement
is a big if however. As a road underdog, the Aggies
have been putrid, going 3-16 against the number
since 1999. Taking advantage of this might be
a problem this season as the Aggies have only
four true road games and the only game they will
definitely be getting points in is the last game
of the season against Texas. The road team has
covered only once in the last eight meetings in
the series against the Longhorns.
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