July 28, 2004
| Listening to a discourse by d-line coach Stan Eggen, you hear phrases like "gap integrity," "heel line," "quick twitch," "flash," "get-off integrity," and "pad level." They all were points of emphasis in the spring while building on a good nucleus of seasoned returning players balanced by an equal number of newcomers pushing them.
Coming out of spring practice Eggen indicated that his trenchmen "made good progress" in all of the emphasized areas. One of the most encouraging points was how the group played faster. "That's because we have a better understanding of our responsibility, and the addition of redshirt freshmen," Eggen said. "We still don't have the flash we want off the end, but we should be better there because of athleticism and experience." The Jolly Giant of the Forest, junior Johnny Jolly from Forest Brook HS in Houston, anchors the line at 6-3, 292. He made the most big plays along the DL last year, including two sacks and a dozen other tackles behind the line of scrimmage among his 94 tackles (53 solo). Bryce Reed backs him up, and incoming freshman William Morrisey could possibly see some time behind Jolly. Senior Marcus Jasmin played steadily better as last season wore on, moving into the starting lineup seven games. He was pushed at nose tackle by two newcomers, converted tight end Tommy Carriger and redshirt freshman Red Bryant, who displayed remarkable athleticism for a man 6-4 and 316 pounds. Mike Montgomery transferred in from a junior college in '03 and sat out a couple of games while having a heart ailment repaired. Once he hit the field he was a force at times, improving steadily as he picked up the system. All spring he showed strong leadership traits and more improvement. He was an outstanding basketball player, too. David Ross, with whom Montgomery rotated, hopes to shake back problems and sustain the effort that earned him a start in all 12 games. RS freshman Chris Harrington and incoming freshman Chris Smith also will push for playing time at that end. The leading candidate to replace departed senior Linnis Smith at the other end is redshirt freshman Jason Jack. He caught everybody's eye in the spring. Jorrie Adams, the other converted TE who also is a second-year freshman, works at the same position. With seven players back and promising newcomers the d-line moved forward in the spring, but remember, this was often a porous unit last year -- ineffective on pass rush and yielding on the ground (4.8 a carry, 225 yards a game, 31 TDs). Sacks and forced fumbles were scarce. "We still need a more physical presence and to develop more depth," Eggen said. "We played more physical and with disruption in the spring, but we need a stronger physical presence and more aggressiveness at the point of attack, more consistency, more mental toughness. It was critical to make tremendous strides in the weight room from May to July." AggieAthletics.com's 2004 football preview will bring you right up to the "beginning" of football season, when the players report to campus on Aug. 8.
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