GAME 1: Texas A&M (0-0) at Utah (0-0)
Aug 30, 2004 | Football
August 30, 2004
Texas A&M's game notes for Thursday's season opener at No. 19 Utah (a PDF version is available on the link to the right)...
Texas A&M AGGIES (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
at
#19/20 Utah UTES (0-0, 0-0 MWC)
THE DETAILS:
KICKOFF --- 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004
SITE (CAPACITY) --- Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017 capacity), Salt Lake City, Utah
RADIO INFORMATION --- The game will be broadcast regionally 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), former NFL All-Pro Dave Elmendorf (commentary) and Tom Turbiville (sideline reports). The game will be broadcast nationally by Westwood One with Tony Roberts (play-by-play) and former Notre Dame running back Allen Pinkett (analyst) calling the action. Texas A&M's broadcast will also be available on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 138. For more information on Sirius Satellite Radio, visit .
TV INFORMATION --- The game will be nationally televised by ESPN. Calling the game will be Mike Tirico (host), Lee Corso (analyst), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Jill Arrington (sideline announcer). A&M's all-time record on ESPN is 23-6 (.793).
SERIES INFORMATION --- Texas A&M leads the all-time series with Utah, 2-0, with victories in 1936 and 2003 ... It will be A&M's first football trip to the state of Utah since 1996 when the Aggies fell to Brigham Young, 41-37, in the Pigskin Classic in Provo ... Franchione has compiled a 4-3 record against the Utes (3-3 at New Mexico from 1992-1997/1-0 at Texas A&M) ... Franchione is 1-2 against Utah in Salt Lake City.
MIDNIGHT YELL PRACTICE:
Texas A&M's Midnight Yell Practice will be held at midnight the night before the game:
- The Gallivan Center
Salt Lake City
UTAH GAME CAPTAINS:
A&M game captains for the Utah game will be: sophomore Ty Branyon, senior Keith Joseph, senior Mike Montgomery and junior Ronald Jones.
LAST YEAR:
The Aggies surged to a 21-0 half-time lead and held at least an eight-point lead for the majority of the final two quarters, but Utah clawed back to get within two points with eight seconds remaining. Then the Aggie defense sewed up the victory with Jont? Buhl's smashing tackle of quarterback Brett Elliott on a two-point conversion attempt. The tackle gave the Aggies a hard-fought 28-26 victory over the Utes.
GAME NOTES: Utah ran a whopping 97 offensive plays against the Aggies and held a decided 37:23-22:37 time of possession advantage ... A&M's Courtney Lewis posted the first of five 100-yard rushing games in 2003 with an even 100 yards on 16 carries ... Utah was one of 10 bowl teams the Aggies faced in 2003 and the Aggies were 2-8 in those contests.
MURPHY'S TOUCHDOWN:
Terrence Murphy set the tone early with an 80-yard touchdown run on A&M's second drive against Utah in 2003. Strangely, however, it was the only touchdown of the season for Murphy who went on to set a school record for all-purpose yards by a wide receiver. Murphy averaged 20.0 yards per touch in 2003 and had 23 "explosives," which are 10-yard-plus rushes or 15-yard-plus receptions.
THE FRAN PLAN, YEAR II:
Second-year Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione earned a reputation as a rebuilder of football programs because of his ability to show immediate improvement from Year 1 to Year 2.
Franchione's First Two Seasons School Yr 1 Yr 2 +/- Southwestern (Kan.) College 5-5-2 9-2 +4 Pittsburgh (Kan.) State 8-2 11-1 +3 Texas State 6-5 7-4 +1 New Mexico 3-8 6-5 +3 TCU 7-5 8-4 +1 Alabama 7-5 10-3 +3 Average Victory Improvement +2.5
LEWIS ENTERS SOPH SEASON WITH 1,000-YARD SEASON UNDER HIS BELT:
Courtney Lewis will be the second Texas A&M player to enter his sophomore season with more than 1,000 rushing yards already to his credit.
- Lewis, from Madison High School in Houston, rushed for 1,024 yards on 186 carries as a freshman in 2003, which ranked as the second-best total by a first-year player behind Greg Hill's school record of 1,216 in 1991.
- Lewis matched Hill's freshman record for rushing touchdowns with 12 scores last season.
- He set a freshman standard with an 86-yard run against Baylor. It broke the previous long run of 82 yards by Bucky Richardson against Southern Mississippi in 1987.
- Lewis produced five 100-yard rushing 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 posted the second-best all-purpose yardage total by an A&M freshman with 1,115 yards in 2003.
- Lewis ranked as the Big 12's top freshman in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
A&M Freshman Season Rushing Yards Rk Player, Year Yards Avg/G 1. Greg Hill, 1991 1,216 110.6 2. Courtney Lewis, 2003 1,024 85.3 3. Curtis Dickey, 1976 726 66.0 4. Darren Lewis, 1987 668 60.6 5. Dant? Hall, 1996 642 53.5 6. Leeland McElroy, 1993 613 55.7 7. George Woodard, 1975 604 54.9 8. Derek Farmer, 2001 503 62.9 9. Richard Whitaker, 2000 455 45.5 10. Robert Wilson, 1988 425 38.6 Roger Vick, 1983 425 70.8 A&M Freshman Rushing TDs Rk Player, Year TDs 1. Greg Hill, 1991 12 Courtney Lewis, 2003 12 3. Robert Wilson, 1988 10 4. Darren Lewis, 1987 8 Curtis Dickey, 1976 8 A&M Freshman Game Rushing Yards Rk Player, Year Att-Yds Opponent 1. Greg Hill, 1991 30-212 LSU 2. Darren Lewis, 1987 16-194 at TCU 3. Dant? Hall, 1996 17-184 Texas Tech 4. Courtney Lewis, 2003 26-171 Oklahoma St. 5. George Woodard, 1975 32-167 at Rice 6. Greg Hill, 1991 25-160 Houston 7. Courtney Lewis, 2003 12-158 Baylor 8. Greg Hill, 1991 24-137 at Texas Tech Bucky Richardson, 1987 8-137 at Rice 10. Derek Farmer, 2001 17-133 Iowa State A&M Long Runs by Freshman 1. Courtney Lewis 86 vs. Baylor, 2003 2. Bucky Richardson 82 vs. Southern Miss, 1987 3. Leeland McElroy 81 vs. Houston, 1993 4. Darren Lewis 80 vs. TCU, 1987 5. Joe Weber 77 vs. Missouri, 1999
RUSHING RENAISSANCE:
Lewis' 1,000-yard effort in 2003 also signalled the return to a powerful rushing attack that had been eluding the Aggies for several seasons.
Lewis' 1,000-yard campaign was the first by an Aggie since 1998 when Dant? Hall rushed for 1,024 yards in A&M's Big 12 Championship season.
Lewis keyed an A&M offense that averaged 177.2 rushing yards per game, which was the most by the Aggies since averaging 205.4 yards in 1997.
He averaged 5.5 per carry, which was the highest per rush average by a team rushing leader since Hall set the school record with a 7.3 average in 1997.
Year by Year Rushing Average Year Rushes Yards Avg/G Avg. 2003 479 2,546 177.2 4.4 2002 421 1,771 118.2 3.4 2001 387 1,541 114.0 3.2 2000 421 1,830 146.4 3.8 1999 467 1,892 145.6 3.4 1998 594 1,985 152.7 3.3 1997 492 2,465 205.4 5.0 A&M's 1,000-Yard Rushers Rk Running back, Year Att-Yds Avg/P Avg/G 1. Darren Lewis, 1988 306-1,692 5.5 153.8 2. Darren Lewis, 1990 291-1,691 5.8 140.9 3. Greg Hill, 1992 267-1,339 5.0 111.6 4. Bob Smith, 1950 199-1,302 6.5 144.7 5. Greg Hill, 1991 240-1,216 5.1 110.6 6. George Woodard, 1976 239-1,153 4.8 104.8 7. Curtis Dickey, 1978 205-1,146 5.6 104.2 8. Leeland McElroy, 1995 246-1,122 4.6 112.2 9. George Woodard, 19772 245-1,107 4.5 100.7 10. Courtney Lewis, 2003 186-1,024 5.5 85.3 Dant? Hall, 1998 243-1,024 4.2 78.8
MURPHY SHATTERS McELROY'S KICKOFF RETURN RECORD:
In his first season as a kickoff returner, Terrence Murphy posted the most prolific season ever by an A&M return man in 2003.
Murphy gained 626 yards on 23 returns which broke the school record of 590 yards on 15 returns by All-American Leeland McElroy in 1993.
A&M's Season KO Return Yardage List Rk Player, Year KO Ret Yds (No.) 1. Terrence Murphy, 2003 626 (23) 2. Leeland McElroy, 1993 590 (15) 3. Dave Elmendorf, 1970 457 (23) 4. Hugh McElroy, 1971 439 (17) 5. Carl Roaches, 1973 426 (15)
RECORD-SETTING MURPHY:
Already the school record holder in receiving yards, Terrence Murphy is within reach of virtually every receiving mark in the Aggie record book.
After three seasons at A&M, Murphy ranks No. 2 in career receptions (116), No. 1 in receiving yards (1,879), tied for No. 13 in receiving touchdowns (7), No. 1 in career 100-yard games (6).
A&M's All-Time Receptions List Rk Player, Years Catches 1. Bethel Johnson, 1999-02 117 2. Terrence Murphy, 2000- 116 3. Keith Woodside, 1983-87 110 4. Jamaar Taylor, 2000-03 108 5. Rod Bernstine, 1983-86 105 6. Albert Connell, 1995-96 98 Shea Walker, 1983-86 98 8. Jeff Nelson, 1982-85 92 9. Barney Harris, 1967-69 91 10. Tony Harrison, 1989-93 89 A&M's All-Time Receiving Yards List Rk Player, Years Rec. Yards 1. Terrence Murphy, 2000- 1,879 2. Bethel Johnson, 1999-02 1,740 3. Jamaar Taylor, 2000-03 1,705 4. Tony Harrison, 1989-93 1,576 5. Albert Connell, 1995-96 1,525 6. Shea Walker, 1983-86 1,411 7. Rod Harris, 1985-88 1,395 8. Mike Whitwell, 1978-81 1,372 9. Chris Cole, 1996-99 1,363 10. Chris Taylor, 1997-00 1,316
MURPHY MADE MOST OF HIS TOUCHES IN 2003:
Wide receiver/return specialist Terrence Murphy ranked No. 2 nationally in average gain per touch with an impressive 20.0 per touch average last season (among the nation's top 100 all-purpose yards producers).
Murphy had 23 kickoff returns for 626 yards, 44 catches for 762 yards and 10 carries for 162 yards.
NCAA Yards per Touch Leaders Rk Player, School Avg./Play 1. Brandon Middleton, Houston 22.9 2. Terrence Murphy, Texas A&M 20.0 3. Greg Jennings, Western Michigan 19.1 4. Charles Estes, La.-Monroe 18.9 5. Johnnie Morant, Syracuse 18.1
APPEL BREAKS LONGTIME DB TACKLES MARK:
Thorpe Award watch lister Jaxson Appel broke Carl Grulich's 26-year old A&M record for tackles in a season by a defensive back in 2003. Appel posted a whopping 135 stops in 2003 to edge out Grulich's 1977 team-leading total of 132 tackles, which had stood for more than a quarter of a century.
A&M's DB Season Tackles List Rk Def. Back, Years Tackles 1. Jaxson Appel, 2003 135 2. Carl Grulich, 1977 132 3. Larry Horton, 1990 117 4. Larry Horton, 1989 102 5. Terrence Kiel, 2002 95 Patrick Bates, 1992 95
APPEL RANKED AMONG BIG 12'S TOP TACKLERS:
Jaxson Appel finished 2003 as the Big 12 Conference's No. 3 tackler with an average of 11.2 stops per contest. Appel produced double-digit tackle games eight times, including a career-high 18 stops vs. Virginia Tech. He posted nine or more stops in 11 of 12 games, and his lowest tackle effort was seven against Baylor.
Big 12 Tackle Leaders Rk Player, Team, Pos. Tackles Avg. 1. Josh Buhl, Kansas State, LB 184 12.3 2. Barrett Ruud, Nebraska, LB 149 11.5 3. Jaxson Appel, Texas A&M, DB 135 11.2 4. James Kinney, Missouri, LB 144 11.1 5. Maurice Lane, DB 129 10.8
PEGRAM LED BIG 12 IN THREE-POINTERS PER GAME IN '03:
Placekicker Todd Pegram led the Big 12 Conference in field goals made per game (1.42) and connected on 77.3 percent of his three-point tries. Pegram's 17 field goals ranked in a tie for fifth-most in a season by an Aggie and his season field goal percentage ranked sixth-best in school history. Pegram's best game was a 4-for-4 effort against Arkansas State in the season-opener, which tied for No. 4 on A&M's single game field goals list.
Big 12 Field Goal Leaders (based on FGM per game) Rk Player, School FG-FGA Pct. FG/G 1. Todd Pegram, Texas A&M 17-22 .773 1.42 2. Trey DiCarlo, Oklahoma 19-22 .864 1.36 3. Luke Phillips, Oklahoma State 16-18 .889 1.23 4. David Dyches, Nebraska 14-21 .667 1.17 5. Joe Rheem, Kansas State 12-17 .706 0.80
MONTGOMERY EXCELS DOWN THE STRETCH IN 2003:
Mike Montgomery made his presence felt on the Aggies' defensive front in 2003, especially as the season progressed.
In the final eight games of 2003, Montgomery compiled 43 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.
Down the Stretch Opponent Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds Arkansas State did not play Utah did not play at Virginia Tech 0 1 1 0/0 Pittsburgh 0 1 1 0/0 ---------------------------------------------- First 4 Total 0 2 2 0/0 Opponent Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds at Texas Tech 2 4 6 0/0 Baylor 3 2 5 2/ -7 at Nebraska 1 1 2 0/0 Oklahoma State 5 2 7 1/ -2 Kansas 5 1 6 3/ -7 at Oklahoma 3 2 5 0/0 at Missouri 2 2 4 1/ -7 Texas 3 5 8 0/0 ---------------------------------------------- Last 8 Total 24 19 43 7/ -23
LATE ADDITION YOUNG SHINES AT PUNTER FOR AGGIES:
A late addition to the Aggies' fall camp 105-player roster in 2003, junior walkon Jacob Young was one of the biggest surprises on the A&M squad last season.
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 went on see action in 11 of 12 games, and he was the Aggies' starting punter in eight games.
Young, who only started punting as a senior at Fairfield High School and had just 10 game-action punts prior to last season (all in high school), averaged a respectable 37.0 yards on 45 boots and deposited 13 punts inside the opponent's 20.
JOLLY GOOD PLAYER:
A bright spot on the Aggies' defensive front last season was the play of first-time starter Johnny Jolly, who was the top tackler among the front seven in 2003 and ranked No. 2 on the team in tackles with 94. He was the team leader in tackles for loss of yardage with 12 for minus-37.
It was the most tackles by an A&M defensive lineman since Sammy O'Brient produced 95 tackles in the Aggies' conference championship season in 1987.
JONES AMONG THE BIG 12'S TOP PASS DEFENDERS IN '03:
Junior Byron Jones emerged as one of the conference's top pass defenders in 2003. Jones finished No. 4 in the Big 12 in passes defended with an average of 1.17 per contest. Jones posted 14 passes defended last season with 13 passes broken up and 1 interception.
Big 12 Passes Defended Leaders Rk Player, School PD Avg. 1. Nathan Vasher, Texas 32 2.5 2. Darrent Williams, Oklahoma St. 23 2.1 3. Josh Bullocks, Nebraska 17 1.3 4. Byron Jones, Texas A&M 14 1.2 5. Derrick Strait, Oklahoma 14 1.1
RETURNING STARTERS:
Twenty-two players on the Aggie roster have started at least one game during their career, including 13 who have started at least 12 games. Leading the way is senior Geoff Hangartner who has started 24 straight games (23 at center, one at guard) over the past two seasons. The 22 players with at least one start combine for 239 starts.
YOUTH MOVEMENT:
The Aggies' depth chart going into the Utah contest is dotted with 22 newcomers, including one four-year transfer, 13 redshirt freshmen, three junior college transfers and five true freshmen.
The depth chart reveals as many as five newcomers could make their starting and playing debuts against Utah.
FALL CAMP ATTRITION:
A pair of Aggie veterans retired from football during the 2004 fall camp --- senior defensive lineman Thomas Carriger and senior linebacker Anthony Squillante. Carriger, a 19-game starter at tight end before moving the D-line last spring, retired due to chronic shoulder problems.
PRESEASON ACCLAIM:
Three Aggies --- senior Geoff Hangartner, junior Jaxson Appel and junior Todd Pegram are on "watch lists" for various major awards.
Hangartner (New Braunfels, Texas), a two-year starter at offensive center, is on the watch lists for the Rimington Trophy (top center) and the Lombardi Award (top lineman).
Appel (Friendswood, Texas), the team's top tackler last season, is on the Thorpe Award (top defensive back) list.
Pegram (Plano, Texas), the 2003 Big 12 leader in field goals per game, is on the Lou Groza Award (top placekicker) watch list.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT:
The Aggies are expecting immediate impact from five junior college players that joined the squad this year. The Aggies added linebackers Aaron Brown, Lee Foliaki and Renuel Greene, wide receiver DeQawn Mobley and offensive lineman Grant Dickey in the 2004 signing class.
Signing five junior college players in one year will be the exception rather than the rule as far as future A&M recruiting goes, A&M coach Dennis Franchione said.
"We would not have signed the junior-college guys if we didn't need them to come in and make an impact. We would have signed freshmen," Franchione said. "It's never been my trend to sign very many junior-college players. This is probably a little more than normal. If you have your choice, you'd always rather have freshmen for four or five years."
DID YOU KNOW?
- Freshman walkon Adam Matthiesen's grandfather, Homer Norton, coached the Aggies' 1939 National Championship team.
- First-year offensive lineman Grant Dickey's uncle Jim Dickey gave Dennis Franchione his first collegiate coaching job at Kansas State in 1978.
- Center Geoff Hangartner might be the team's best golfer. In fact, legend has it, Hangartner once beat former A&M teammate Dustin Long on a hole using only his putter.
- The OL projected starters' combined squat is 3,090 pounds, which is slightly more than the weight of a 2004 Volkswagon Beetle (3,005 pounds)
NUMBER CHANGES:
Player, Pos. Current 2003 Ty Branyon, QB 19 13 Reggie McNeal, QB 1 16 Archie McDaniel, LB 31 41 Nurahda Manning, LB 42 49 Taylor Schuster, OL 65 85 Earvin Taylor, WR 2 9 Marques Thornton, DL 94 98
SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED:
Four walk-on members of the Texas A&M football team were awarded scholarships during fall camp.
Receiving scholarships were seniors Blake Kendrick and Jacob Young, and sophomores Ty Branyon and Marques Thornton.
"One of the really satisfying parts of this job is rewarding players for their commitment, dedication and hard work," Franchione said. "One way we do this occasionally is to award a scholarship. This fall, with our new players on scholarship falling under the NCAA limit, we were able to put four walk-ons on a grant-in-aid without using an initial counter. This is a tribute to how they have become a valuable part of the team and found ways to help the team become successful."
A&M PRODUCES NFL TALENT:
With 41 former players on National Football League rosters, Texas A&M ranks as the most prolific producer of NFL talent in the Big 12 Conference, according to the AlumniTracker on CBS Sportsline.com (as of June, 2004).
Big 12's Top Producers of NFL Talent School Players Texas A&M 41 Nebraska 33 Kansas State 32 Colorado 31 Texas 24 Oklahoma 21 Oklahoma State 14 Iowa State 13 Kansas 12 Baylor 11 Missouri 8 Texas Tech 8 Arizona Cardinals Cameron Spikes, G Atlanta Falcons Jason Webster, CB Baltimore Ravens Don Muhlbach, SN Buffalo Bills Sam Adams, DT Ron Edwards, DT Pat Williams, DT Chicago Bears Rex Tucker, T Cleveland Browns Warrick Holdman, OLB Michael Jameson, FS Dallas Cowboys Dan Campbell, TE Dat Nguyen, OLB Detroit Lions Tim Van Zant, WR Green Bay Packers Robert Ferguson, WR Houston Texans Aaron Glenn, CB Steve McKinney, G Chris Taylor, WR Jacksonville Jaguars Linnis Smith, DT Kansas City Chiefs Dante Hall, WR Sean Weston, CB Miami Dolphins Ronald Flemmons, DE Seth McKinney, C Taylor Whitley, G Billy Yates, G Minnesota Vikings Alan Reuber, T New England Patriots Bethel Johnson, WR Cody Scates, P Ty Warren, DT New Orleans Saints Jerry Fontenot, C New York Giants Jamaar Taylor, WR New York Jets Wes Bautovich, SS Jason Glenn, OLB Ray Mickens, CB Oakland Raiders Shane Lechler, P Chris Cole, WR Pittsburgh Steelers Chance Pearce, SN St. Louis Rams Rich Coady, DB San Diego Chargers Sammy Davis, CB Terrence Kiel, SS Seattle Seahawks Rocky Bernard, DE Brandon Mitchell, DT Tennessee Titans Jason Matthews, T
2004 LEADERSHIP COUNCIL:
The Leadership Council, which head coach Dennis Franchione first established as the head coach at New Mexico, consists of players who serve in an advisory role.
- Jaxson Appel, DB
Ty Branyon, QB
Joseph Bryant, DL
Aldo De La Garza, OL
Jami Hightower, OL
Johnny Jolly, DL
Byron Jones, DB
Ronald Jones, DB
Keith Joseph, RB
Archie McDaniel, LB
Mike Montgomery, DL
Terrence Murphy, WR
COACH FRAN RANKS AMONG THE WINNINGEST COACHES:
The 26th head football coach in Texas A&M history, Dennis Franchione is in his second season in Aggieland and his 22nd season as a collegiate head coach.
With a career record of 159-81-2 as a head coach, Coach Fran ranks as the seventh-winningest active Div. 1-A head coach in college football (by total wins).
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 21 seasons. In 2002, Franchione's Alabama squad had the best record in the SEC West but were ineligible for the crown.
Winningest Active Div. I-A Coaches (by Victories) Rk Coach, School Yrs. Record 1. Bobby Bowden, Florida St. 38 342- 99-4 2. Joe Paterno, Penn St. 38 339-109-3 3. Lou Holtz, South Carolina 32 243-127-7 4. Frank Beamer, Va. Tech 24 167- 97-4 5. Ken Hatfield, Rice 25 164-122-4 6. Chris Ault, Nevada 19 163- 63-1 7. Dennis Franchione, A&M 21 159- 81-2 8. Fisher DeBerry, Air Force 20 156- 88-1 9. Mack Brown, Texas 20 145- 92-1 10. Paul Pasqualoni, Syracuse 18 135- 70-1 Career Conference Crowns by current Big 12 Coaches Head Coach, School Yrs. Titles Dennis Franchione, Texas A&M 21 8 Gary Barnett, Colorado 14 3 Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 5 2 Gary Pinkel, Missouri 13 1 Bill Snyder, Kansas State 15 1 Bill Callahan, Nebraska 0 none Mark Mangino, Kansas 2 none Guy Morriss, Baylor 3 none Les Miles, Oklahoma State 3 none Mike Leach, Texas Tech 4 none Dan McCarney, Iowa State 9 none Mack Brown, Texas 19 none
