September 21, 2003
Game notes for Saturday's matchup with 17th-ranked Pittsburgh at Kyle Field... (NOTE: For complete release click on the PDF link above)
Pittsburgh PANTHERS (2-1, 0-0 Big East)
at
Texas A&M AGGIES (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)
KICKOFF --- 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003
SITE (CAPACITY) --- Kyle Field, College Station, Texas (82,600 capacity)
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), Tim Cassidy (commentary) and Chris Valletta (sideline reports).
TV INFORMATION --- The game will be televised on a regional basis by ABC. Calling the game will be Brent Musburger (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analysis) and Jack Arute (sideline).
GAME INFORMATION --- The Aggies and Panthers enter Saturday's game at Kyle Field with identical 2-1 records after suffering road losses last week. The Aggies fell to then-No. 8 Virginia Tech, 35-19, while Pittsburgh lost to Toledo, 35-31. ... The series record is tied 1-1 with the Aggies winning 14-12 in Pittsburgh last year and the Panthers winning in 1989 in the John Hancock Bowl, 31-28.
PANTHERS MAKE FIRST-EVER TRIP TO KYLE FIELD --- Game 4 for the 2-1 Texas A&M Aggies will be the 2-1 Pittsburgh Panthers, who are making their first-ever trip to Kyle Field for Saturday's 2:30 p.m. meeting. It will be the first trip to Texas for the Panthers since 1997 when first-year Pitt head coach Walt Harris led Pittsburgh to a 35-24 victory over the University of Houston.
The game marks the return of former Aggie offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dino Babers, who coaches the running backs for the Panthers. Babers coached at A&M in 2001-2002.
WALKON IMPACT --- First-year Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione's first Texas A&M squad is receiving solid contributions from several non-scholarship players. In addition, Franchione awarded scholarships to three former walkons during the open week prior to the Virginia Tech contest.
VAN ZANT SHINES IN FIRST-EVER STARTING ASSIGNMENT --- Making his first career start with his freshly-awarded scholarship in his pocket, senior wide receiver Tim Van Zant responded with a huge game against Virginia Tech last week. Van Zant led all receivers with 7 catches for 102 yards and scored his first-career touchdown against the Hokies.
Prior to the VT game, Van Zant had played in every game but had not tallied a reception. In fact, his career statistics were 6 catches for 67 yards.
Voted a member of the Leadership Council by his teammates last spring, Van Zant was an all-district and all-South Texas pick for the Victoria Fighting Stingaree after making 53 catches for 920 yards as a senior.
AGGIES' SCHEDULE RANKS AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST --- Texas A&M's 2003 schedule ranks among the nation's toughest, according the NCAA. A&M's remaining schedule ranks third-toughest with the future opponents combining for a 25-7 record and a .781 winning percentage. A&M's full schedule also ranks third-toughest with all 12 opponents combining for a 32-10 mark and .761 winning percentage.
Among A&M's nine remaining opponents are three undefeated teams (Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri) and five teams ranked in the current AP Top 25 (Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas), including the top-ranked Sooners.
ACTION JAXSON CONTINUES DEFENSIVE TEAR --- Sophomore safety Jaxson Appel has been on a tackling tear this season, ranking among the national leaders in tackles with an impressive 15.0 average per game. Appel has posted a whopping 45 tackles in the Aggies' first three games, which is 23 more than A&M's second-leading tackler Ronald Jones.
Appel has posted double-digit tackles in all three games this season, including a career-best 18 stops against Virginia Tech. It was the most tackles by an Aggies since Wes Bautovich posted 18 against Kansas State in 2001.
A do-it-all defender, Appel also leads the team in interceptions with two, has broken up other passes and forced and recovered a fumble.
MURPHY PROVES DANGEROUS IN ALL PHASES OF THE GAME --- Junior Terrence Murphy has proven capable of making plays in all phases of the game. In 2003 Murphy is averaging 29.5 yards every time he touches the football (15 touches for 443 yards). He has 10 catches for 143 yards, one rush for 80 yards and 4 four KO returns for 220 yards. Also a member of the kick coverage unit, Murphy has also contributed a tackle.
MURPHY MAKING HIS MARK IN RETURN GAME --- A relative newcomer to kickoff returns, junior Terrence Murphy has started the 2003 on a record-setting pace. Through three games in 2003, Murphy, who had one previous kickoff return in his career, has gained 220 yards on four returns for a NCAA-leading 55.0 average.
MLB MORRIS INJURES KNEE, LOST FOR THE SEASON --- Senior middle linebacker Jared Morris had surgery to repair a torn patella tendon in left knee on Sept. 7 and will be lost for the season. His loss robs the Aggie defense of its most experienced defender in its front seven. A fifth-year senior, Morris had made 21 starts at linebacker and was the team's leading active tackler with 181 career stops.
Morris' loss leaves the Aggies with an inexperienced linebacker crew that has just seven career starts between them. Senior Scott Stickane, who was awarded a scholarship last week, replaced Morris in the starting lineup against Virginia Tech and responded with eight tackles.
A&M head coach Dennis Franchione indicated that sophomore strongside linebacker Archie McDaniel would move inside and true freshman TaTa Thompson would receive more repetitions in practice to shore up the position.
MCNEAL OFICIALLY NAMED STARTER AT QUARTERBACK --- After starting the first four of the last five games for the Aggies dating back to 2002, sophomore Reggie McNeal was officially named the Aggies' starting quarterback by head coach Dennis Franchione in his postgame radio broadcast following the Virginia Tech game.
McNeal has passed for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 30-of-52 pass attempts in 2003. He has also rushed for 74 yards on 30 carries. He was named the Aggies' Offensive Back of the Week by the A&M coaching staff after the Virginia Tech game.
RECORD-SETTING DUO --- Quickly becoming the most prolific wide receiver duos in school history, senior Jamaar Taylor and junior Terrence Murphy have combined for 176 catches and 2,621 yards in their three seasons together.
Taylor and Murphy were the first Aggie receiver duo to enter a season with more than 70 catches and 1,100 receiving yards each to their credit.
Both already rank among the top 15 in career receptions and receiving yards, and both are on pace to break the school records in both categories.
SCATES NAMED TO RAY GUY WATCH LIST --- Preseason All-American punter Cody Scates, who made his 2003 playing debut against Virginia Tech, was one of 32 punters named to the 2003 Ray Guy Award watch list by the Greater Augusta Sports Council.
Scates missed the first two games of the season due to hernia surgery, but returned to action against VT.
Scates is the Big 12's top returning punter after averaging 43.7 yards per boot in 2002. Last season Scates also dropped 17 boots inside the opponent 20-yard line and forced 11 fair catches.
Scates has a career average of 41.4 yards per punt with 54 coffin corner efforts and 34 fair catches.
An excellent all-around athlete, Scates also handles kickoff duties for the Aggies and has been the primary placekicker during his career. In punt and kickoff coverage Scates has compiled 19 career tackles.
NEARLY PERFECT IN RED ZONE --- Through three games this season, the Aggies are posting near perfect results when in the red zone. A&M has scored on 11-of-12 trips past the opponent's 20-yard line for a 91.7 percent success rate. The Aggies have split their 52 points between five touchdowns and six field goals. The lone missed opportunity came against Utah when fullback Keith Joseph fumbled at the goal line while attempting to reach the ball across into the endzone. Last season, the Aggies managed an 83.7 percent success rate on 41-of-49 attempts in the red zone. The difference is that the 2002 Aggies scored 32 touchdowns and only 9 field goals when in the red zone.
COACH FRAN RANKS AMONG THE WINNINGEST COACHES --- The 26th head football coach in Texas A&M history, Dennis Franchione is in his first season in Aggieland and his 21st season as a collegiate head coach.
With a career record of 157-74-2 as a head coach, Coach Fran ranks as the seventh-winningest active Div. 1-A head coach in college football (by total wins). His 67.8 career winning percentage ranks No. 8 among active head coaches with a minimum of five years of service.
Texas A&M is the seventh stop for Franchione as a collegiate head coach, and has coached previously at Southwestern (Kan.) College (1981-82), Pittsburg State (1985-89), Southwest Texas State (1990-91), New Mexico (1992-97), TCU (1998-2000) and Alabama (2001-02).He also served as an assistant coach at Kansas State (1978-80) and Tennessee Tech (1983-84).
The dean of Big 12 head coaches, Franchione has won eight conference championships and a divisional crown in his 20 seasons. Last season, Franchione's Alabama squad had the best record in the SEC West but were ineligible for the crown.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE --- Kyle Field has become one of the most feared destinations in all of college football. Since 1985, the Aggies have compiled a 95-14-1 record (86.8 winning percentage) on their home turf. Ten times during that span the Aggies were undefeated at Kyle Field.
COMPLETE STAFF JOINS COACH FRAN AT TEXAS A&M --- First-year Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione brought his entire staff from Alabama to Texas A&M, marking the first time the Aggie football program has had a completely new coaching staff since 1954 when Paul "Bear" Bryant brought most of his Kentucky staff to Aggieland.
Franchione's assistant average 24 years of coaching experience and they average five seasons of tenure with Coach Fran.
Three assistants - Stan Eggen, Jim Bob Helduser and Mark Tommerdahl - are in their fourth coaching stop under Franchione. Three others - Kenith Pope, Les Koenning and Chris Thurmond are entering their third stop with Franchione.
Helduser has the longest tenure as a member of Coach Fran's staff with eight seasons at Southwest Texas, TCU and Alabama.
Two members of Franchione's staff have collegiate head coaching experience - Helduser, who assumed the head position at Southwest Texas after Franchione went to New Mexico, and Carl Torbush, who served as head coach at Louisiana Tech (1987) andNorth Carolina (1998-2000). Torbush's 1987 Bulldog squad fell to the Aggies at Kyle Field 32-3.
ACADEMIC SCHOLARS --- Thirty-four members of the Aggie football team received Texas A&M/Verizon Athletics Scholar Awards at the annual CHAMPS Awards Banquet last spring. To be considered for the award, the student-athlete must achieve a cumulative GPR of 3.00 or higher or a semester GPR of at least 3.00.
GRADUATES --- A trio of Aggies enter their final season of eligibility with their degree already in hand.
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL --- Sixteen Aggies representing each position group were elected to the Leadership Council last spring by vote of their teammates.
AGGIES IN THE NFL DRAFT --- A record four Aggies - defensive lineman Ty Warren, cornerback Sammy Davis, wide receiver Bethel Johnson and defensive back Terrence Kiel - were selected in the first two rounds of the 2003 NFL Draft, including two in the first round (Warren and Davis). Two more Aggies, offensive lineman Taylor Whitley and deep snapper Chance Pearce, also were selected in later rounds bringing A&M's total number of draftees to six.
Warren was taken 13th overall by the New England Patriots and Davis was selected 30th overall by the San Diego Chargers. It marked the first since 1996 that an Aggie had been selected in the first round and the first timesince 1994 when two Aggies were picked in the first round.
Johnson was taken 45th overall by the Patriots and Kiel was grabbed by the Chargers with the 62nd pick. Whitley went in the third round (87th overall) to the Miami Dolphins, while Pearce will stay close to home after being selected in the seventh round by the Houston Texans.
A&M PRODUCES NFL TALENT --- With 43 former players in the National Football League, Texas A&M ranks as the second-most prolific producer of NFL talent in the Big 12 Conference, according to the NFL (as of June 2003).