August 13, 2005
The Texas A&M football team held its first of five two-a-day practice sessions Saturday at the grass practice facility adjacent to Kyle Field.
The squad practiced in full pads in the morning before donning shoulder pads, helmets, and shorts for the evening workout. Each session lasted about two hours.
"Our guys did a great job," A&M coach Dennis Franchione said. "They had a great attitude and great work habit, and pressed through it. This being our sixth day they have a little bit of fatigue because we've gone hard. They really did a nice job and I was proud of how they approached this afternoon's practice with the temperature and having gone this morning."
Part of the morning practice featured a goal line scrimmage.
"It was very physical," Franchione said. "I thought the first (defense) and first (offense) did some good things. Second (offense) and (defense) had some highlights, but they also had some busted assignments and little things like that that kept them being as successful on both sides as they could have been. All-in-all it was probably a little ahead of what you would expect for the first time to really go hard in a scrimmage.
The coaching staff worked the younger players more than usual in the latter portions of the evening practice, and Franchione was pleased with the way the players have learned the team's plays.
"We've just about put in everything offensively and defensively and for what they've had to absorb in six days they've executed some of their plays pretty well," Franchione said.
New NCAA rules prohibit teams from practicing on Sunday's and from conducting two-a-day workouts on consecutive days during the fall camp. Franchione says the format should help the recovery of the players between practices.
"I like the way this new schedule is set up by the NCAA," Franchione said. "We've had our first two-a-day and now we get the day off from anything other than some lifting and things like that tomorrow. That's a good day for the player's to recover a bit. We've gone six straight days pretty hard and our practices are high tempo. We get a lot a reps so a day away, I think, is good for everybody and their legs."
Additional NCAA rule changes allowed incoming freshmen to attend summer school as part of their athletic scholarship and be a part of the voluntary summer workout program. Franchione says his freshmen, many of whom attended two summer school semesters, are further along in the classroom and on the playing field because of the rule change.
"I don't think there is any doubt that these freshmen are further along in every respect," Franchione said. "I think that deals primarily with them physically. They are farther along so they don't get as fatigued and lose focus in practice. Trying to do it on their own, they really don't know what it means to be in shape for two-a-days at this level. You don't get in shape, you report in shape."
The Aggies have junior Courtney Lewis as a returning starter at running back. Franchione noted the good progression the other A&M running backs are making.
"Jorvorskie Lane has really made an impression the last couple of days, in the scrimmage today and this afternoon," Franchione said. "Brandon Leone has been solid. Samson Taylor has done some nice things. And I can't not say something good about Jay Lucas either, so I guess I'm saying that there is not a separation there."
The Aggies will not practice on Sunday. The team will hold a single workout on Monday morning before conducting a two-a-day workout on Tuesday. The Monday workout is slated to be held inside Kyle Field and focus on more scrimmage-type play.
Practices are closed to the public.
A&M, which is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Top 25, opens the season at Clemson on Sept. 3 in a game televised by ABC Sports.