November 24, 2003
Game notes for Friday's home finale against the Texas Longhorns at Kyle Field (for complete release click on the PDF link above)...
Texas LONGHORNS (9-2, 6-1 vs. Big 12)
at
Texas A&M AGGIES (4-7, 2-5 vs. Big 12)
KICKOFF --- 2:38 p.m., Friday, Nov. 28, 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). The game will also be broadcast nationally by Westwood One National Radio with Brad Sham (play-by-play) and Rick Walker (analyst) calling the action.
TV INFORMATION --- The game will be nationally televised by ABC. Calling the game will be Tim Brandt (host), Ed Cunningham (analyst) and Sam Ryan (sideline announcer).
SERIES INFORMATION --- The Texas A&M vs. Texas contest ranks as the third most-played game in college football, behind only Minnesota vs. Wisconsin and Kansas vs. Missouri. The 2003 game will be the 110th renewal of the rivalry ... Texas leads the all-time series between the schools, 70-34-5 ... Texas has won three straight over the Aggies ... In the last 10 meetings at Kyle Field, the Aggies have a 7-3 advantage over the Longhorns ... Texas hasn't won two in a row at Kyle Field since 1981-1983.
LEWIS REMAINS ON PACE FOR 1,000-YARD SEASON --- A serious candidate for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis ranks as the Big 12's top freshman in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also on pace to become A&M's first 1,000-yard rusher since Dant? Hall rushed for 1,024 yards in the Aggies' Big 12 Championship season in 1998. Lewis, from Houston Madison High School, has rushed for 940 yards and 11 touchdowns on 169 carries in 11 games in 2003. His 85.5 per game averags ranks No. 5 nationally among freshman, while his 11 touchdowns are No. 2 among national freshman. He ranks No. 2 on A&M's freshman rushing yards and rushing touchdowns list. He trails the freshman record marks of 1,216 and 12 touchdowns set by Greg Hill in 1991. He has reached the 100-yard mark in five games in 2003, including a career-high 171 on 26 carries against Oklahoma State. The school record for freshman 100-yard games is six by Hill in 1991. Lewis also set a school record for long run by a freshman with an 86-yarder against Baylor. It broke the previous long run of 82 yards by Bucky Richardson against Southern Mississippi in 1987.
WESTON MATCHES FRAZIER'S PBU SCHOOL RECORD --- Already the owner of A&M's freshman record for passes broken up (PBU) in a season, senior Sean Weston needs just one PBU against Texas to take sole ownership of the Aggies' career record for PBUs. Weston, a four-year starter at cornerback for the Aggies, has broken up 36 opponent aerials during his career which matches the school record originally set by Derrick Frazier from 1989-92. With two PBUs against Missouri last week, Weston raised his 2003 total to 10 and reached double-digits in season pass breakups for the second time in his career. He also posted a freshman record 15 in 2000.
APPEL STILL ON PACE FOR DB TACKLES MARK --- Sophomore Jaxson Appel remains on pace to break Carl Grulich's 26-year old A&M record for tackles in a season by a defensive back. With 124 tackles this season, Appel is on pace for a 135 tackle season, which would edge out Grulich's long-standing record of 132 tackles in 1977.
APPEL RANKS AMONG BIG 12'S TOP TACKLERS --- Sophomore Jaxson Appel is tied for No. 4 in the Big 12 Conference in total tackles with 124 in 11 games. Appel has produced double-digit tackle games seven times this season, including a career-high 18 stops vs. Virginia Tech. He has posted nine or more stops in 10 of 11 games, and his lowest tackle effort was seven against Baylor.
MURPHY NEARS MCELROY'S KICKOFF RETURN RECORD --- Junior Terrence Murphy needs just 10 kickoff return yards against Texas to break the school record for season kickoff return yards set by All-American returner Leeland McElroy in 1993. The Big 12 leader all season, Murphy has gained 581 yards on 20 returns and ranks No. 2 behind McElroy's school record of 590 yards on 15 returns.
MURPHY MAKING HIS MARK IN RETURN GAME --- Junior Terrence Murphy, who came into 2003 with just one career kickoff return, has emerged as one of the nation's best return men. Murphy ranks No. 4 nationally and leads the Big 12 with a 29.1 average.
MURPHY CONTINUES CLIMB UP AGGIES' RECEIVING CHARTS --- Junior Terrence Murphy is on pace to break A&M's school record for career receptions and receiving yards.
MURPHY NO. 2 NATIONALLY IN YARDS PER TOUCH --- Wide receiver/kickoff returner Terrence Murphy ranks No. 2 nationally in average gain per touch with an impressive 20.7 per touch average (among the nation's top 100 all-purpose yards producers). Murphy has 20 kickoff returns for 581 yards, 37 catches for 612 yards and 8 carries for 150 yards.
MONTGOMERY IMPACTS AGGIES' DEFENSIVE FRONT --- Junior Mike Montgomery, a transfer from Navarro Junior College, is making his presence felt on the Aggies' defensive front. In the past seven games, Montgomery has compiled 35 tackles, including seven for a loss of 23 yards. Montgomery missed the first two games and had just two stops in the next two games.
LATE ADDITION YOUNG SHINES AT PUNTER FOR AGGIES --- A late addition to the Aggies' fall camp 105-player roster, junior walkon Jacob Young has been one of the biggest surprises on the A&M squad in 2003. Young received a phone call from the Aggie coaching staff in August when preseason All-America punter Cody Scates had surgery for a sports hernia. When Scates wasn't ready for the season-opener against Arkansas State, Young calmly averaged 59.5 yards on two punts against the Indians. He's gone to see action in 10 of 11 games, and he's been the Aggies' starting punter in seven games. Young, who only started punting as a senior at Fairfield High School and had just 10 game-action punts prior to this season (all in high school), is averaging a respectable 38.1 yards on 38 boots and has deposited 11 punts inside the opponent's 20. He has a net average of 36.3 Of his 38 punts, only 14 have been have been fielded and just seven have been returned for positive yardage. Opponents have gained 70 yards after fielding a Young punt for an average return of 5.0 yards per return. In a "Up Close" questionnaire from last spring, Young's answer to the question: Which teammate will surprise people next fall? was "Hopefully me."
JOLLY GOOD PLAYER --- A bright spot on the Aggies' defensive front has been the play of first-time starter Johnny Jolly, who is the top tackler among the front seven and ranks No. 3 on the team in tackles with 81. He is the team leader in tackles for loss of yardage with 11 for minus-36.
JONES RANKS AMONG LEADERS IN PASSES DEFENDED --- Junior Byron Jones has emerged as one of the nation's top pass defenders. Jones ranks among the national leaders in passes defended with 13 after 11 games (12 passes broken up, 1 interception). Jones is the team leader in PBUs with 12 and has already surpassed his 2002 season total of nine PBUs.
BLACKCAT TRIO BOOSTS DEFENSIVE UNIT --- For the first time in anyone's memory, Texas A&M had three defensive starters from the same high school in the same game against Nebraska. The trio of former Bay City Blackcats - junior cornerback Byron Jones and sophomore linebackers Nurahda Manning and Archie McDaniel - combined to make 21 tackles, including 3 for loss of yardage, and forced a fumble. Another Blackcat, wide receiver John Roberson, made the trip but did not play. Earlier this season, another threesome from the same high school - Tyler Lee's Cody Scates, Derek Farmer and Justin Warren - started together at punter, running back and linebacker, respectively.
PLACEKICKER PEGRAM IS SOLID IN SECOND SEASON --- Sophomore placekicker Todd Pegram has been a consistent force for the Aggies in 2003 after a shaky first season in 2002. Pegram has righted the ship after starting off his A&M career just 5-of-12 in field goal attempts through2 the first six games of 2002. Since then, Pegram has connected on 23-of-30 field goal attempts, including 16-of-21 in 2003. Pegram ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 19 nationally in field goals per game with a 1.45 average.
SCHOOL RECORD NON-LOSING SEASON STREAK ENDS --- With a 4-7 record going into the Texas game, the Aggies are guaranteed of their first losing season since 1982, which ends a school-record streak of 20 seasons with a .500 or better record. Going into 2003, the streak was the nation's sixth-longest active streak and ranked as the 24th-longest such streak in NCAA Div. I-A history.
A&M'S 2003 SCHEDULE RANKS AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST --- A&M's overall schedule is rated the nation's third-toughest by the NCAA, just behind Alabama and Iowa State. The Aggies' past opponents rate as the fifth-toughest schedule.
10 OF 12 AGGIE OPPONENTS IN 2003 ARE BOWL-ELIGIBLE --- Ten of A&M's 12 opponents this season have reached the requisite six victories and are eligible for bowl participation.
TEAM EFFORT KEYS AGGIES' RUSHING GAME RENAISSANCE --- Led by a two-headed tailback, its most mobile quarterback since Bucky Richardson, and an improved offensive front, the Aggies have experienced a renaissance in its running game in 2003. The Aggies are averaging 182.4 rushing yards per game, which is the Aggies' best per game rushing average since 1997 when they gained 205.4 yards per game on the ground. The Aggies' season rushing total stands at 2,006 yards, marking the first time A&M has hit the 2,000-yard mark in season rushing yards since 1997. Redshirt freshman Courtney Lewis and junior Derek Farmer have combined to give the Aggies 1,272 rushing yards from its running back position, while sophomore quarterback Reggie McNeal has emerged as a rushing threat with 370 yards on the ground. Much credit also goes to a youthful offensive front that features just two returning starters.
A&M'S OFFENSIVE FRONT SHOWS UNCOMMON CONTINUITY --- A&M's starting offensive line fivesome of center Geoff Hangartner, guards John Kirk and Aldo De La Garza, and tackles Alan Reuber and Alex Kotzur have started in 10 straight games for the Aggies. The last time the Aggies were able to start the same five linemen for six straight games or more was 1998 when the starting five of Seth McKinney, Cameron Spikes, Semisi Heimuli, Rex Tucker and Andy Vincent started all 13 games for the Aggies.
MAKING A PUSH --- The Aggies' defensive line has started to make its presence felt in the opposing team's backfield. In the past six games, A&M defensive linemen have accounted for 30 tackles for loss of yardage.