March 04, 1999
After two days of practice in shorts and helmets, the Texas A&M football team had a spirited two-hour workout in full pads Thursday at the grass practice facility.
"The guys were anxious to put on the pads, and it showed in the way they practiced today," Aggie head coach R.C. Slocum said. "We had some offense versus defense work, and there was a lot of good competition."
One of the things on the top of Slocum's "to-do" list this spring is finding a replacement for all-time leading tackler Dat Nguyen, who finished his A&M career with over 500 tackles. Nguyen also was a four-year starter at inside linebacker with a school-record 51 starts to his credit.
"We're not concerned with putting together a starting lineup in spring drills," Slocum said. "We're trying to give our young guys a lot of repetitions and let someone step up into the position. It's a big job and we're looking for someone to step up and be a leader."
Slocum said the Aggies did suffer some injuries on the first day of full pads.
"(Cornerback) Jay Brooks was taken in for x-rays and could have cracked ribs, and (wide receiver) Bethel Johnson missed the second half of the workout with a strained hip flexor," Slocum said.