April 05, 2003
The Texas A&M football team scrimmaged for close to two hours on Saturday at Kyle Field.
"We got better as the scrimmage wore on," Head Coach Dennis Franchione said. "We beat ourselves before the ball was snapped with some penalties early, but the offense rebounded with a 15-play drive to score and that was a good comeback. I thought we did some good things on both sides of the ball in our goal line work. We allowed the special teams to go full speed today."
One injury was sustained in the scrimmage, sophomore placekicker Todd Pegram dislocated a shoulder, but he was able to come back and kick later in the scrimmage.
"(Running back) Courtney Lewis is a young man who continues to catch everyone's eyes," Coach Fran said. "He makes people miss and turns what looks like a negative play into a positive gain. He has an exciting future."
Lewis, a redshirt freshman from Madison High School in Houston, gained 87 yards on 12 carries including a 25-yard scamper for a touchdown. Junior running back Derek Farmer, from Lee High School in Tyler, gained 37 yards on eight carries and had a five-yard touchdown run.
Sophomore quarterback Reggie McNeal, from Lufkin High School, was 13-of-23 for 131 yards and completed eight of his last nine pass attempts including the final play of the scrimmage, a 33-yard touchdown pass to Jamaar Taylor. Taylor, a senior wide receiver from Mission High School, caught three balls for 55 yards and Terrence Thomas, a junior from Washington High School in Houston, caught three balls for 43 yards. Junior quarterback Dustin Long, from Port Neches Groves High School, was 4-of-11 for 29 yards and one touchdown and he threw one interception.
The squad will watch film of the scrimmage and hit the weight room before returning to the practice field on Tuesday. The Aggies will also work out on Thursday. Practices are open to the public and start at 3:30 p.m.
The Aggies will conclude spring drills with a Maroon & White Game, presented by AT&T Wireless, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 12 at Kyle Field. The squad will conduct a draft on Wednesday of this week prior to the game.
Advance tickets are $5 and tickets the day of the game will be $7. For more ticket information contact the athletic ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311, or access the spring football information at AggieAthletics.com.