FootballOctober 13, 2002

GAME 7: Texas A&M (4-2) at Kansas (2-5)

A&M game notes for Saturday's match-up at Kansas... MATCHUP --- Texas A&M AGGIES (4-2, 1-1 B12) at Kansas JAYHAWKS (2-5, 0-2 B12) KICKOFF --- 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002 SITE (CAPACITY) --- Memori

October 13, 2002

Texas A&M game notes for Saturday's match-up at Kansas...

MATCHUP --- Texas A&M AGGIES (4-2, 1-1 B12) at Kansas JAYHAWKS (2-5, 0-2 B12)

KICKOFF --- 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002

SITE (CAPACITY) --- Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kan. (50,250 cap.)

RADIO INFORMATION --- The game will be broadcast by the 60-plus station Texas A&M Radio Network. For a complete list of stations, go to: AggieAthletics.com. Calling the game on the A&M Radio Network are Dave South (play-by-play) and former All-America cornerback Kevin Smith (commentary).

TV INFORMATION --- The game will not be televised.

JAYHAWKS-AGGIES SERIES --- The Aggies lead the all-time series with Kansas 4-1, and have won four consecutive games against the Jayhawks ... This will be just the third meeting between the two schools since the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 ... The Aggies have won both meetings as Big 12 members ... The last time in Lawrence, the Aggies rallied for a hardfought 24-21 victory which seemed to spur the Aggies to the 1998 Big 12 Championship.

TIME OF POSSESSION IMPROVEMENT --- In the last three games, the Aggies have held possession of the football for an average of 32:43, which is also a marked improvement over the first three games when the offense held the ball for 29:55.

The Aggies have run more than 70 plays in three consecutive games, including twice against Big 12 opponents. Last season, the Aggies only hit the 70-play mark in one of eight conference contests.

A&M PASS DEFENSE LIMITS BIG PLAY --- The Aggie defense ranks among the nation's best in terms of limiting the big play in the passing game. A&M allows just an average of 9.3 yards per opponent completion, which ranks No. 3 nationally.

 YARDS ALLOWED PER COMPLETION Rk School YA/C 1. Miami (Fla.) 8.84 2. Louisiana State 8.93 3. TEXAS A&M 9.38 4. Clemson 9.44 5. Memphis 9.51 6. Florida 9.78

PICKOFFS APLENTY --- Few teams have been better at posting interceptions than the Aggie defense in 2002. Through six games, the Aggies have grabbed 14 pickoffs, which is tied for third-most in the nation and leads the Big 12 Conference.

The high-water mark of interceptions gained during the R.C. Slocum era is 19 in 1989.

 MOST INTERCEPTIONS GAINED Rk School INT 1. San Jose State 15 Tulane 15 3. Texas A&M 14 Arizona State 14 Oregon State 14

TURNOVER MARGIN A PLUS --- The Aggies lead the Big 12 in turnover margin and are tied for third nationally with a plus-2 turnover per game average. The Aggie defense has 22 takeaways (14 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries), while the A&M offense has just 10 turnovers (6 INTs, 4 fumbles lost).

 TURNOVER MARGIN Rk School TO Margin 1. Virginia Tech +2.50 2. Wake Forest +2.43 3. TEXAS A&M +2.00 Wisconsin +2.00 5. California +1.86

A&M "O" IMPROVES ON 3RD DOWNS --- In the last three games, the A&M offense has been successful on 16-of-32 third down situations (50.0 percent), which is a marked improvement over the first three games when the offense converted 16-of-51 chances (31.4 percent).

FASTEST TO 1,000 --- Sophomore Dustin Long reached the 1,000-yard mark in career passing in just six games, which is the fastest in school history. The previous fastest to 1,000 yards passing was Kevin Murray, who reached the 1,000-yard barrier in his seventh career game.

 LONG GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Opponent Comp-Att % Yds TD INT LP LA Lafayette 3-12 .250 45 0 2 26 Pittsburgh 9-18 .500 119 0 0 37 *Virginia Tech 13-28 .464 111 0 1 18 *Louisiana Tech 13-26 .500 205 1 0 38 *Texas Tech 21-37 .568 367 7 1 82 *Baylor 13-31 .419 169 2 1 43 TOTAL 72-152 .474 1,016 10 10 82 * - games started at QB

TAYLOR EMERGES --- Junior wide receiver Jamaar Taylor emerged as the Aggies' "go-to" receiver. He leads the team in receptions (29) and receiving yards (481), and he's produced a pair of 100-yard receiving games this season.

For his career, Taylor has three career 100-yard receiving games, which is tied for third-most in school history behind the four century receiving games posted by Albert Connell (1995-96) and Tony Harrison (1990-93). Taylor is tied at three with Jimmy Teal, Mike Whitwell, Robert Ferguson and Shane Garrett.

 TAYLOR'S 100-YARD DAYS Opponent Year Yds (Catches) Colorado 2001 146 (9) Louisiana Tech 2002 118 (5) Texas Tech 2002 128 (6)

PORTER PRODUCES FIRST DOWNS--- Senior tight end Greg Porter doesn't lead the Aggies in receptions or receiving yards, but his value to the A&M offense is without question. Fourteen of Porter's 23 receptions have produced first downs.

 1st Dn Opponent Rec/Yds Catches LA Lafayette 5-59 3 Pittsburgh 4-31 2 Virginia Tech 2-10 0 Louisiana Tech 4-43 2 Texas Tech 6-79 6 Baylor 2-47 1

FARMER LOOKING FOR 1,000 --- Sophomore running back Derek Farmer is just 16 yards short of becoming just the 11th A&M sophomore to hit the 1,000-yard barrier in career rushing. After 14 career games, Farmer's career rushing total stands at 984.

 QUICKEST TO 1,000 Rk Player Year(s) Games 1. Greg Hill 1991 8 t2. George Woodard 1975-76 13 Curtis Dickey 1976-77 13 4. Darren Lewis 1987-88 14 5. Dante Hall 1995-96 15

SCATES CLIMBS PUNT LIST --- Junior punter Cody Scates has taken his game to a new level after averaging just over 40 yards per punt as a freshman and sophomore. This season Scates is averaging 45.7 yards per boot and has deposited 13 of his 38 boots inside the opponent 20-yard line. He ranked No. 3 nationally in punting and No. 2 in the conference.

 SEASON PUNT AVERAGE LIST Rk Player Year No-Yards Avg. 1. Shane Lechler 1997 56-2,631 47.0 2. Shane Lechler 1997 60-2,787 46.5 3. Cody Scates 2002 38-1,736 45.7 4. David Davis 1992 70-3,067 43.8 5. Shane Lechler 1998 80-3,485 43.6 NCAA PUNT AVERAGE LIST Rk Player, Team No-Yards Avg. 1. Mark Mariscal, Colorado 32-1,579 49.3 2. Matt Payne, BYU 26-1,215 46.7 3. Cody Scates, Texas A&M 38-1,736 45.7 4. Greg Johnson, Vanderbilt 29-1,318 45.5 5. Damon Duval, Auburn 23-1,045 45.4

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN--- The Aggie offense has surged forward in the past three games.

 First Three Games --- 2002 Opponent RUSH REC TOTAL PTS LA Lafayette 179 244 423 31 Pittsburgh 82 199 281 14 Virginia Tech 38 188 156 3 Average 99.7 187.0 286.7 16.0 Last Three Games --- 2002 Opponent RUSH REC TOTAL PTS Louisiana Tech 206 238 444 31 Texas Tech 150 367 513 47 Baylor 138 257 395 41 Average 164.6 287.3 450.7 39.7

SEASON TRENDS/NOTES---

The Aggies have held four of six opponents under 100 yards rushing in 2002. Virginia Tech rushed for an opponent season high of 129 yards on 48 carries (2.7 per carry).
The Aggies have not allowed an opponent to rush for 200 yards as a team since Kansas State rushed for 258 yards in 2001, a span of 10 games.
Over the past 39 games, the A&M defense has allowed more than 200 yards rushing just twice.
In just his third career start at quarterback, sophomore Dustin Long became the most prolific single game touchdown passer in Texas A&M and Big 12 Conference history with seven touchdown aerials vs. Texas Tech. Long's seven TD passes broke Gary Kubiak's 21-year old school record of six TD passes against Rice in 1981. Long also broke the Big 12 record of six TD passes set by Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury earlier this season.
Long's 367 yards vs. Tech rank No. 3 in A&M's record book behind Branndon Stewart's 385-yard effort vs. Colorado in 1996 and Edd Hargett's 376-yard performance vs. SMU in 1968.
Nine of the Aggies' top 10 single game individual passing efforts came in the R.C. Slocum era.
Long shared Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors with Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury after his seven-TD, 367-yard performance against Tech.
Aggie defensive end Ty Warren was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after posting 12 tackles, including four behind the line, and five third-down stops against Virginia Tech.
Mark Farris began the season as starter at quarterback but was supplanted in the lineup by sophomore Dustin Long. Farris had started 26 straight games and compiled a 17-9 record as a starter.
Head Coach R.C. Slocum announced on Sept. 24 that assistant head coach Kevin Sumlin would be responsible for the offensive play-calling and the overall direction of the Aggie offense.
After a season and three games of playing fullback exclusively, senior Joe Weber has seen spot duty at tailback this season.
With a pair of wins over teams from the state of Louisiana in 2002, the Aggies improved their record against teams from the Pelican State to 15-2 in the R.C. Slocum era (since 1989).

TOUGH VS. THE RUN, PART I --- The Wrecking Crew has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 19 straight regular season games dating back to Oklahoma State RB Reggie White's 112-yard effort in the ninth game of the 2000 season.

 Opponent Top Rusher Att./Yds Baylor Rashad Armstrong 10/54 Texas Tech Taurean Henderson 9/46 Louisiana Tech Luke McCown 11/53 Virginia Tech Lee Suggs 13/51 Pittsburgh Brandon Miree 14/63 UL Lafayette Eric Rekieta 2/22 Texas Cedric Benson 27/79 Oklahoma Quentin Griffin 20/76 Texas Tech Ricky Williams 18/48 Iowa State Ennis Haywood 18/69 Kansas St. Ell Roberson 13/77 Colorado Cortlen Johnson 14/64 Baylor Jonathon Golden 12/28 Notre Dame Julius Jones 7/31 Oklahoma St. Tatum Bell 22/94 Wyoming Nate Scott 13/72 McNeese St. Aaron Pierce 11/47 Texas Hodges Mitchell 25/89 Oklahoma Quentin Griffin 17/70

TOUGH VS. THE RUN, PART II --- Since 1999, A&M has allowed only five 100-yard rushers in 39 regular season games.

 Year Player, School Att/Yds 2002 none 2001 none 2000 Reggie White, OSU 19/112 1999 Hodges Mitchell, TEX 24/102 1999 Eric Crouch, NEB 15/137 1999 Dan Alexander, NEB 20/135 1999 Reggie Skinner, OU 15/106

SLOCUM AND TEXAS A&M --- Only four Div. I-A head coaches have been at their respective school longer than 14th year Aggie head coach R.C. Slocum.

Only Joe Paterno of Penn State, Bobby Bowden of Florida State, Fisher DeBerry of Air Force and Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech have been head coaches at the same school for more seasons than Slocum.

Slocum's presence has been a constant on the A&M sideline for 30 of the past 31 years with the only exception being 1981 when he served as defensive coordinator for John Robinson's USC squad.

 Longest Active Tenures at Same School 1. Joe Paterno 37th season at Penn State 2. Bobby Bowden 27th season at Florida State 3. Fisher DeBerry 19th season at Air Force 4. Frank Beamer 16th season at Virginia Tech 5. R.C. Slocum 14th season at Texas A&M Bill Snyder 14th season at Kansas State Sonny Lubick 14th season at Colorado State Mike Price 14th season at Washington State

ZONE IMPACT --- Texas A&M has shattered its season home attendance record in each of the last three seasons since the completion of the Bernard C. Richardson Zone complex in 1999. Prior to "The Zone," A&M's home average attendance record was 66,623 in 1987, but since then the record has risen to 73,126 in 1999, 77,579 in 2000 and 82,711 in 2001.

Texas A&M is in the midst of 14-game streak of 70,000-plus crowds at Kyle Field. Prior to the beginning of the streak, A&M has produced a total of 13 70,000-plus crowds in this history.

HOME SWEET KYLE --- In 14 seasons with R.C. Slocum as head coach, the Aggies have compiled a sparkling 71-10-1(.872) record at Kyle Field. The Aggies have posted eight undefeated home records during that time, including seven perfect 6-0 home worksheets. Prior to Slocum's tenure, A&M had posted just eight undefeated season records at Kyle.

 Undefeated home records at Kyle Slocum era Year Record 1990 5-0-1 1991 6-0-0 1992 6-0-0 1993 6-0-0 1994 6-0-0 1997 6-0 1998 6-0 1999 6-0 Before Slocum Year Record 1927 5-0 1939 5-0 1951 2-0-2 1956 4-0 1974 5-0 1975 5-0 1985 6-0 1986 6-0

PROTECTING THE HOME FIELD --- Under R.C. Slocum, the Aggies have fashioned the two longest home-winning streaks in school history.

 Winning Streaks at Kyle Games Coach Years Ended by: *29 R.C. Slocum 1990-95 Texas 22 R.C. Slocum 1996-00 Colorado 16 Emory Bellard 1973-76 Texas Tech 15 Homer Norton 1938-41 Texas 14 Jackie Sherrill 1984-86 LSU 10 Jackie Sherrill 1987-88 Alabama 8 Paul Bryant 1956-57 Texas * - Unbeaten for 32 games dating back to 1989

CLIMBING THE CHART --- The Aggies haven't had a losing season since 1982 or 19 consecutive seasons.

 Active Consecutive .500 or Better Seasons Rk Team Seasons 1. Nebraska 40 2. Michigan 34 3. Brigham Young 27 4. Florida State 25 Washington 25 6. Florida 22 7. Texas A&M 19 8. Marshall 18 9. Syracuse 15 10. Tennessee 13

COVERBOY CAPSULES --- Here's a quick rundown on the seven Aggies featured on the cover of the 2002 football media guide:

SAMMY DAVIS, CB
Last week: Posted an interception and broke up another opponent aerial while playing a team-high 65 defensive snaps. Had a pair of tackles, including a TFL.
General: A member of the Thorpe and Nagurski awards' "watch lists," Davis is the Big 12's active career leader in INTs with 11. His career PBU total is 25. His 11 career INTs are the most by an Aggie since current A&M radio analyst Kevin Smith collected 20 pickoffs from 1988-91.
MARK FARRIS, QB
Last week: Did not see any action.
General: Former Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand's record as a starter stands at 17-9. Was the No. 11 overall selection by the Pirates in the 1994 MLB draft.
BRIAN GAMBLE, ILB
Last week: Posted 6 tackles, including 3 solo hits while playing 50 snaps. Produced 3 third-down stops and had a QB pressure.
General: A Butkus Award watch lister, Gamble leads the team with 269 career tackles (7.2 per game).
BETHEL JOHNSON, WR
Last week: Had 3 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns.
General: A ruptured spleen ended his 2000 season after two games, but is back at full speed in 2002. Johnson has 91 catches for 1,333 yards for his career.
TERRENCE KIEL, SS
Last week: Posted 8 tackles, including 7 solo hits while facing 63 defensive snaps. Also had an interception and a PBU.
General: Rated the nation's No. 3 "assassin" (strong safety) by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, Kiel is A&M's second leading active tackler with 218 stops.
JARROD PENRIGHT, OLB
Last week: Made 3 tackles, including a QB sack and a tackle for loss of yardage. Made 3 third-down stops.
General: Member of Butkus and Nagurski watch lists, Penright might be defense's most disruptive player. Has 7 forced fumbles during his career.
TY WARREN, DE
Last week: Posted 5 tackles, including a quarterback sack.
General: Has 38 career tackles for losses. Member of watch lists for Lombardi and Outland awards. Earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors after making 12 tackles and 4 TFLs vs. Va. Tech.

SENIOR CITIZENS --- The 15-member senior class of 2002 might be the most accomplished senior class at Texas A&M since 1998 when Dat Nguyen and crew won the Big 12 crown.

Here are some facts:

2002 seniors have started a combined 275 games during their careers (an average of 18.3 starts per senior).
Fourteen of 15 have started at least one games on offense or defense. The other senior, Chance Pearce, has been the Aggies' starting deep snapper for 42 straight games.
Eleven seniors have 10 or more career starts to their credit, led by three-year starter Brian Gamble's 40 starts.
The class features nine fifth-year seniors.
The seniors have compiled a 27-15 overall record, including a 17-5 mark at Kyle Field.
The seniors have gone bowling three straight seasons. If the Aggies qualify in 2002, the '02 seniors will be the sixth senior class to go bowling all four years of their careers ('78, '92, '93, '00, '01).

EXPERIENCED AGGIES --- A whopping 31 players on the 2002 roster have started at least one game during their A&M careers.

 CAREER STARTS LIST Player Pos Starts Brian Gamble ILB 41 Sammy Davis CB 32 Taylor Whitley OG 30 Terrence Kiel SS 29 Mark Farris QB 26 Sean Weston CB 27 Ty Warren DL 25 Jarrod Penright OLB 19 Bethel Johnson WR 19 Billy Yates OG 18 Jamaar Taylor WR 16 Jared Morris ILB 15 Dwain Goynes* RB 13 Joe Weber RB 13 Derek Farmer RB 13 Andr? Brooks OT 12 Jami Hightower OT 12 Thomas Carriger TE 11 Marcus Jasmin NG 10 Terrence Murphy WR 8 Linnis Smith DE 7 Alan Reuber OT 6 Geoff Hangartner OC 6 Jaxson Appel FS 6 Jesse Hunnicutt OLB 5 Byron Jones CB 4 Greg Porter WR 4 Dustin Long QB 4 Keith Joseph RB 3 Oschlor Flemming RB 1 Terrence Thomas WR 1 Stacy Jones FB 1 * First 12 starts came at wide receiver

SAMMY DAVIS AND THE RAT PACK --- Headlined by two-time All-Big 12 cornerback Sammy Davis Jr., and fellow three-year starters Terrence Kiel and Sean Weston, the Aggies' defensive secondary might rank as one of the best groups of the R.C. Slocum era.

Here's a closer look at the A&M DBs:

Sammy Davis, CB ---

Terrence Kiel, SS ---

Sean Weston, CB ---

Jaxson Appel, FS ---

Byron Jones, CB ---

CHANGES IN 2002--- Shifting positions since the 2001 season were: senior Dwain Goynes from wide receiver to running back; and redshirt freshman Bryant Singleton from wide receiver to defensive back.

Players who saw action in 2001 with new jersey numbers are: junior Jamaar Taylor from #82 to #2 and junior Tim Van Zant from #49 to #83.

The Aggies had a late addition to the team when freshman WR Anthony Wright joined the team in August.

Retiring from the team were sophomore TE Joey Perot, junior DB Richard Whitaker and junior DB Dawon Gentry.

BACK IN ACTION --- After sitting out the final 10 games of the 2001 season, there was probably no player on the Aggie roster more anxious to hit the field this season than wide receiver Bethel Johnson.

The senior from Corsicana, Texas was supposed to the Aggies' bellcow at wide receiver in 2001, but instead Johnson fell victim to a ruptured spleen in the second game of the season.

Johnson is the first Aggie to enter his senior season with more than 75 catches and 1,000 receiving yards to his credit.

 A&M Receptions/Receiving Yards List Rk. Player Catches 1. Keith Woodside 110 2. Rod Bernstine 105 3. Albert Connell 98 4. Shea Walker 98 5. Jeff Nelson 92 t6. Bethel Johnson 91 Rk. Player Rec. Yds. 1. Tony Harrison 1,576 2. Albert Connell 1,525 3. Shea Walker 1,411 4. Rod Harris 1,395 5. Mike Whitwell 1,372 6. Chris Cole 1,363 7. Bethel Johnson 1,333

TOP NOTCH COACHING --- Members of R.C. Slocum's coaching staffs have a history of being hot coaching commodities, as evidenced by four of Slocum's former coordinators serving as head coaches at the NFL or college level.

Fifteen of Slocum's former staffers hold positions in the NFL, ranging from general manager to position coach to player personnel to scout.

Last year's A&M coaching staff, which featured four new assistants, returns intact in 2002, which hasn't happened since the 1996 season.

Here's a list of former assistants and their current position (* - member of Slocum's original staff in 1989):

 College Phil Bennett Head Coach, SMU Kirk Doll* Asst. Head Coach, LSU Jim Helms* RBs, Illinois Greg Mattison* DL., Notre Dame John Pearce* QBs, UCLA Larry Slade DBs, Tennessee Bob Toledo* Head Coach, UCLA Tommy Tuberville Head Coach, Auburn Trent Walters DBs, Notre Dame NFL David Culley WRs, Philadelphia Eagles Robert Ford* WRs, Miami Dolphins Pete Hoener TEs, Arizona Cardinals Bill Johnson DL, Atlanta Falcons Larry Kirksey WRs, Detroit Lions Steve Kragthorpe QBs, Buffalo Bills Gary Kubiak Off. Coord., Denver Broncos Steve Marshall OL, Houston Texans Ron Milus DBs, Denver Broncos Mike Sherman GM/Head Coach, GB Packers

SLOCUM AT A GLANCE ...

In his 14th season as the Aggies' head coach, R.C. Slocum (McNeese State, '67) has compiled a 121-43-2 (.735), ranking him No. 6 in winning percentage among active Div. I-A head coaches and A&M's all-time winningest coach.

Slocum is 76-24-2 (.755) in conference games, 71-10-1 (.872) in games at Kyle Field and 45-24 (.652) in road games.
Slocum, a four-time Coach of the Year, has led the Aggies to one Big 12 Conference crown, three SWC Championships, two Big 12 South Division titles and 11 bowl games, including five on Jan. 1st.
Ten of Slocum's 13 teams have finished the season ranked in the Top 25.
Slocum's teams compiled a 29-game SWC unbeaten streak running from 1991-95.
This is the 30th year he has been associated with A&M football, the longest of any football coach in school history. He was an assistant from 1972-80 and once again from 1982-88, interrupted only by a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at USC in 1981.
With the Aggies' win over Texas in 1997, Slocum became A&M's winningest head coach by passing Homer Norton, who posted 82 wins from 1934-47 and won the 1939 national championship.
He closed out the Southwest Conference ranked as the No. 1 coach in SWC history in overall and SWC winning percentage.

 Slocum's Record at Texas A&M Year W-L-T Pct. W-L-T Pct. Bowl 2002 4-2 .667 1-1 .500 2001 8-4 .667 4-4 .500 Gallery 2000 7-5 .583 5-3 .625 Indy 1999 8-4 .667 5-3 .625 Alamo 1998 11-3 .786 7-1 .875 Sugar 1997 9-4 .692 6-2 .750 Cotton 1996 6-6 .500 4-4 .500 - 1995 9-3-0 .750 *5-2-0 .714 Alamo 1994# 10-0-1 .954 *6-0-1 .929 Ineligible 1993# 10-2-0 .833 *7-0-0 1.000 Cotton 1992# 12-1-0 .923 *7-0-0 1.000 Cotton 1991# 10-2-0 .833 *8-0-0 1.000 Cotton 1990 9-3-1 .731 *5-2-1 .808 Holiday 1989 8-4-0 .667 *6-2-0 .750 Hancock Total 120-43-2 .733 75-24-2 .752 11 Bowls # - Coach of the Year * - Southwest Conference Winningest Active Div. I-A Coaches by Percentage (5-Year Minimum) Rk Coach, School Yrs. Record Pct. 1. Bob Pruett, Marshall 7 73-12-0 .859 2. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee 11 99-22-0 .818 3. Bobby Bowden, Florida St. 37 328-93-4 .776 4. Joe Paterno, Penn State 37 331-98-3 .770 5. Lloyd Carr, Michigan 8 71-21-0 .763 6. R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M 14 121-43-2 .735 7. Dennis Erickson, Oregon St. 17 140-55-1 .717 8. Rick Neuheisel, Washington 8 63-26-0 .708 9. Bill Snyder, Kansas State 14 110-50-1 .686 10. Dennis Franchione, Alabama 20 149-72-2 .673 Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse 16 126-61-1 .673

AGGIES SINCE 1989 --- Since taking over the Texas A&M football program in 1989, head coach R.C. Slocum has developed the Aggies into one of the nation's winningest teams.

 Nation's Winningest Teams during the Slocum era (since 1989) Rk. School Conf. Record 1. Florida State ACC 142-22-1 Bobby Bowden 2. Nebraska Big 12 142-24-1 Tom Osborne, Frank Solich 3. Florida SEC 132-35-1 Galen Hall, Gary Darnell, Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook 4. Tennessee SEC 131-31-3 Johnny Majors, Phil Fulmer 5. Miami (Fla.) Big East 130-29-0 Dennis Ericksen, Butch Davis, Larry Coker 6. Michigan Big 10 123-36-3 Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr 7. Texas A&M Big 12 121-43-2 R.C. Slocum 8. Ohio State Big 10 119-42-3 John Cooper, Jim Tressel 9. Penn State Big 10 119-43-1 Joe Paterno 10. Colorado Big 12 114-43-4 Bill McCartney, Rick Neuheisel, Gary Barnett

SLOCUM IN GOOD COMPANY --- R.C. Slocum's 117-41-2 record in his first 13 seasons ranks as the eighth-fastest start in Div. I-A history, and puts him on a list with some pretty heady company. Nebraska's Tom Osborne, who won 127 games in his first 13 seasons, tops the list and is followed by Oklahoma's Barry Switzer, Penn State's Joe Paterno, Florida's Steve Spurrier, Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson, BYU's Lavell Edwards, the legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg and Slocum.

 Div. I-A Best Career Starts by Wins (After 13 seasons) Coach, Teams Seasons Record Tom Osborne 1973-85 127-30-2 Nebraska Barry Switzer 1973-85 126-24-4 Oklahoma Joe Paterno 1966-78 123-25-1 Penn State Steve Spurrier 1987-99 122-35-2 Florida, Duke Bud Wilkinson 1947-59 121-13-3 Oklahoma LaVell Edwards 1972-84 118-37-1 Brigham Young Amos Alonzo Stagg 1890-02 118-45-12 Chicago, Springfield R.C. Slocum 1989-01 117-41-2 Texas A&M Dennis Erickson 1982-94 113-40-1 Idaho, Wyoming, Washington St., Miami (Fla.) Bob Neyland 1926-34, 36-39 109-13-8 Tennessee

SLOCUM PACES BIG 12 COACHES --- Aggie head coach R.C. Slocum has won four conference championships, which is more than any other coach in the Big 12 Conference. Slocum won three Southwest Conference crowns from 1991-93 and also won the 1998 Big 12 Championship.

 Coaching Champions Head Coach, Schools Coached Yrs. Titles R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M 14th 4 Gary Barnett, Colo., NWstrn, Ft. Lewis 12th 3 Gary Pinkel, Missouri, Toledo 12th 1 Frank Solich, Nebraska 5th 1 Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 4th 1 Kevin Steele, Baylor 4th none Dan McCarney, Iowa State 8th none Mark Mangino, Kansas 1st none Bill Snyder, Kansas State 14th none Les Miles, Oklahoma State 2nd none Mack Brown, Texas, UNC, Tulane, App. St. 19th none Mike Leach, Texas Tech 3rd none

SLOCUM KEEPS ON WINNING --- In his 14th season at Texas A&M, head coach R.C. Slocum is one of the few coaches who has never felt the sting of a losing campaign. Among coaches with 10 or more years experience, only Slocum and Tennessee's Phil Fulmer have never had a losing season. Slocum's .500 or better streak of 13 seasons ranks No. 3 nationally behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden (24 seasons) and Syracuse's Paul Pasqualoni (15 seasons).

 Consecutive .500 or Better Seasons 1. Bobby Bowden, Florida St. 24 2. Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse 15 3. *R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M 13 4. Mack Brown, Texas 12 5. *Phil Fulmer, Tennessee 10 t6. Dennis Erickson, Oregon St. 9 Bill Snyder, Kansas St. 9 Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 9 Joe Tiller, Purdue 9 10. Four coaches 8

* - Slocum and Fulmer are the nation's only 10-year coaching veterans to never experience a losing season.

SLOCUM SINCE 1990 --- Texas A&M's R.C. Slocum is the nation's second-winningest coach since 1990 behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden.

 Winningest Div. I-A Coaches since 1990 1. Bobby Bowden, Florida St. 132-21-1 2. R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M 113-39-2 3. Joe Paterno, Penn State 111-41-0 4. Mack Brown, Texas/North Carolina 110-40-1 5. Bill Snyder, Kansas State 109-40-1 6. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 102-44-1 7. Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee* 99-21-0 8. Fisher DeBerry, Air Force 99-53-0 9. John Smith, Louisville/Idaho/Utah St. 96-53-0 10. Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse 92-44-1