March 29, 2003
Texas A&M head football coach Dennis Franchione put the Aggie football team through its first full scrimmage of the spring on a cool, blustery day at Kyle Field.
"We scrimmaged about 125 plays and for the first scrimmage, the eighth practice of the first year, I thought we didn't make too many dumb mistakes," Coach Fran said. "That's encouraging. I told the players I wanted them to play with great effort and be physical and show some mental toughness and I thought we accomplished that. We need to make sure and minimize the things that can beat a football team."
Coach Fran noted the play of several players including the three quarterbacks (Jason Carter, Dustin Long and Reggie McNeal), defensive backs Byron Jones, Jaxson Appel and Keelan Jackson, defensive lineman Johnny Jolly, wide receiver Terrence Murphy and redshirt freshman running back Courtney Lewis.
"This tape is a major teaching tool," Coach Fran said. "We've got a lot accomplished so far, but we have a lot to do. We're taking steps to get better. Compared to other first scrimmages I have been involved with, this was a very good day."
Some unofficial numbers from the scrimmage: Dustin Long completed 12-of-22 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown, a 22-yard touchdown pass to John Roberson. Reggie McNeal was 8-of-17 for 78 yards and one touchdown, a 23-yard scoring strike to Tim Van Zant. Anthony Wright led the way with four receptions for 21 yards, while Terrence Murphy caught three balls for 31 yards and Van Zant had two catches for 61 yards and one touchdown. L'Tydrick Riley caught one ball for 31 yards while several others had one catch including John Roberson's 22-yard catch for a touchdown. On the ground, Courtney Lewis carried 20 times for 74 yards. Derek Farmer gained 18 yards on 12 carries and Oschlor Flemming had 58 yards on 11 carries including a 36-yard romp. Placekicker Todd Pegram connected from 45 yards out and missed a 40-yard attempt while walkon placekicker Layne Neumann missed a 38-yard attempt.
The Aggies will return to the grass practice fields on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
The Maroon & White Game, presented by AT&T Wireless, is scheduled for two weeks on Saturday, Apr. 12 at Kyle Field with kickoff slated for 2 p.m. Advance tickets are $5 and tickets the day of the game will be $7. For more ticket information and to purchase season tickets, contact the athletic ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311, or access the spring football information at AggieAthletics.com.