April 05, 2001
The Texas A&M football team concluded spring drills on Thursday with a two-hour scrimmage at Kyle Field.
"We had a little more consistency with our offensive and defensive units today," Aggie Head Coach R.C. Slocum said. "We worked first team players against each other. I thought the players gave good effort."
"Overall, I was pleased with the spring workouts," Slocum explained. "One of the most important things is we did not lose any player to a major injury. No one who got hurt this spring should miss the fall. Another real plus was the new coaches getting together with the players and I thought that went well."
Slocum recognized the players who had made it through the entire spring drills without missing a practice.
"We had quite a number of players not miss a single workout," Slocum said. "There were times when I am sure they could have taken a day with a minor injury, but to their credit they came out and continued to try and get better."
"I thought Mark Farris got better this spring," Slocum said. "Seth McKinney and Billy Yates (offensive linemen) have picked up where they left off last fall. (Running back) Keith Joseph has shown he can help our team and Joe Weber has showed signs that he will help us at fullback ."
Defensive lineman Evan Perroni was held out of the scrimmage due to a sprained neck, but defensive lineman Rocky Bernard saw some action today. Bernard has been limited as he looks to rebound after undergoing ACL surgery last fall.
The Aggies will open the 2001 season on Sept. 1 against Coach Slocum's alma mater, the McNeese State Cowboys. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Kyle Field.