September 25, 2006
Game notes for Saturday's Big 12 opener against Texas Tech at Kyle Field (PDF link to the right)...
GAME 5:
Texas Tech RED RAIDERS (3-1, 0-0 Big 12)
at
Texas A&M AGGIES (4-0, 0-0 Big 12)
| GAME INFO |
| Saturday, Sept. 30, 2:30 p.m. (CDT) Kyle Field (82,600), College Station Ticket Info: |
| RECORDS |
| Texas A&M: 4-0, 0-0 Big 12 Texas Tech: 3-1, 0-0 Big 12 |
| RANKINGS |
| A&M is receiving votes in both major polls. Texas Tech is ranked 24th in the USA Today coaches' poll and is receiving votes in the AP poll. |
| TELEVISION |
| ABC Sports (Regional) Gary Thorne, play-by-play Andre Ware, commentary Todd Harris, sidelines |
| RADIO |
| WTAW-AM 1620 (Local) Dave South, play-by-play Dave Elmendorf, commentary Tom Turbiville, sidelines (broadcast time 1:30 p.m. CDT) |
| INTERNET |
| Live Audio (Free): (Aggies All-Access) Live Stats: (aggieathletics.com) Live Postgame Press Conference Video (Free): (Aggies All-Access) |
| SERIES |
| A&M leads, 34-29-1 Last Meeting: (11/5/05) Last at Kyle: (11/13/04) |
| UP NEXT |
| A&M at Kansas Saturday, Oct. 7, 11 a.m. (CDT) Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kan. TV: FOX Sports Net Tickets: |
SERIES INFORMATION
Texas A&M leads Texas Tech, 34-29-1, in the series between the two schools that dates back to the first meeting in 1927 ... The Aggies have won eight of their last 10 encounters with Texas Tech at Kyle Field. The combined margin in the two losses is four points ... Franchione is 1-0 against the Red Raiders at Kyle Field ... The average attendance at the past three A&M-Texas Tech matchups at Kyle Field (since the completion of the Bernard C. Richardson Zone) is 84,133.
BIG 12 OPENER
Saturday's game will mark the Big 12 Conference opener for both Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Under Dennis Franchione, the Aggies have won their past two conference openers. Texas A&M is 14-6 in its past 20 conference openers and 6-4 since the formation of the Big 12. In conference openers against Texas Tech since 1985, the Aggies are 8-5.
Texas A&M's Big 12 Openers Year Opponent W-L, Score 2005 *Baylor W, 16-13 OT 2004 *Kansas State W, 42-30 2003 *at Texas Tech L, 59-28 2002 Texas Tech L, 48-47 OT 2001 Baylor W, 16-10 2000 Texas Tech W, 33-15 1999 at Texas Tech L, 21-19 1998 at Kansas W, 24-21 1997 at Colorado W, 16-10 1996 Colorado L, 24-10 * - Franchione era
TOUGH AT KYLE
Regarded as one of the nation's most intimidating road venues, Texas A&M's Kyle Field has been the home of the Aggies since 1905. During that time, the Aggies have compiled a 360-137-19 record on their home turf for a 71.6 winning percentage. Since 1985, the Aggies are 110-20-1 at Kyle for a 84.4 winning percentage.
Last 10 A&M-TT Games at Kyle Year W-L, Score Notable 2004 W, 32-25 ot M.Bullitt bats down OT pass 2002 L, 48-47 ot 7 passing TDs for D. Long 2000 W, 33-15 K.Kingsbury sacked 4 times 1998 W, 17-10 TT limited to 205 yards 1996 L, 13-10 S. Morris wheel route 1994 W, 23-17 A&M rallies from 10 down 1992 W, 19-17 T.Venetoulias hits FG winner 1990 W, 28-24 232 rushing for D. Lewis 1988 W, 50-15 420 yards/69 rushes by A&M 1986 W, 45-8 A&M races to 45-0 lead
300 FOR McGEE
Quarterback Stephen McGee became the fifth sophomore to surpass the magical 300-yard passing plateau with 318 yards against Louisiana Tech last week. McGee also set career highs with 28 attempts and three passing touchdowns against the Bulldogs.
McGee's 318 against LT was more than he passed for his entire freshman campaign (283 yards in eight games, one start).
Sophomore 300-Yard Passers Yards Passer Opponent, Year *399 Dustin Long at Kansas, 2002 385 Branndon Stewart Colorado, 1996 367 Dustin Long Texas Tech, 2002 332 Dustin Long Okla. State, 2002 318 Stephen McGee La. Tech, 2006 311 Mark Farris Baylor, 2000 309 Kevin Murray Tulsa, 1985 * - school record
MIDDLE QUARTERS
While A&M has outscored the opposition in every quarter, the Aggies have the greatest scoring success in the second and third quarters. The Aggies have outscored their opponents 107-24 in the middle quarters.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
Judging from the non-conference schedule, the Aggie defense has made significant strides against the pass from 2005 to 2006:
The Year After 2006 Category 2005 44.7% Completion % 60.6% 12.8 Completions/Game 21.9 28.5 Attempts/Game 36.2 4.5 Yards Gained/Attempt 6.6 30.6% Third Down Conversions 44.4 132.0 Yards/Game 304.6 79.95 Pass Efficiency 142.66
USING HIS WEAPONS
Led by first-year quarterback Stephen McGee, the Aggies have done a good job of using a variety of receiving targets in 2006. The Aggies have used 11 different receivers, a school record, in two games this season. A total of 15 receivers have at least one catch in 2006, which is one off the school record.
Spreading It Around Position Catches-Yards TD Wide Receivers (8) 37-562 4 Tight Ends (2) 17-231 1 Running Backs (5) 13-?46 2
TRIPLE THE FUN
With 33 pass attempts as a team last Saturday, the Aggies tripled the number of attempts from the Army game (11). It is the biggest game-to-game change in pass attempts since 2003 when A&M attempted 14 passes against Oklahoma and 43 in the subsequent game against Missouri.
KO RETURN IMPROVEMENT
Led by junior Kerry Franks, the Aggies have made a significant improvement with their kickoff return unit. The speedy Franks is averaging 28.7 yards on eight returns and the team is averaging 28.0 yards per return.
Starting Point 2006 Kickoff Returns 2005 28.0 Kickoff Return Average 17.5 28 Average Starting Position 21
MISTAKE-FREE McGEE
Quarterback Stephen McGee has attempted 90 passes in 2006 without throwing an interception. McGee's only career interception came in the first quarter of last year's Texas game. Since that pickoff, McGee has logged 110 pass attempts. The Big 12 record for consecutive pass attempts without a pickoff is 213 by Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal. McNeal's streak spanned from the 2003 season finale against Texas into the eighth game of 2004 against Baylor.
As a team, A&M has attempted 101 passes without a pickoff in 2006 (122 total attempts since most recent INT). During that span, McGee, Ty Branyon and Jorvorskie Lane have attempted passes.
A&M'S LEGION OF DOOM
The Aggies are using their tight ends more in 2006 than at any time in recent memory. The duo of sophomore Martellus Bennett and junior Joey Thomas, deemed the "Legion of Doom" by Bennett, have combined for 17 catches for 231 yards or an average of 4.7 catches per game, despite Thomas missing the Louisiana Tech and part of the Army game with an injury.
The most that A&M has ever utilized its tight end was in 1986 when Rod Bernstine led the Southwest Conference with 65 catches (5.9 catches per game) for 710 yards. Bernstine was the only tight end to catch a pass that year.
Utilizing the Tight End Year Top TE Pass Catchers Total Avg./G 1986 Rod Bernstine 65 5.9 2006 Ma. Bennett, J. Thomas 17 4.3 2002 Greg Porter 50 4.2 1983 Rich Siler 43 3.9 1989 Mike Jones 40 3.6
MR. TOUCHDOWN
In a strong return to the lineup, senior wide receiver Chad Schroeder has grabbed a team-high 14 catches for 265 yards and had a touchdown catch in each of the first three games. A clutch receiver, Schroeder has produced first downs on 10 of his 14 catches.
Schroeder missed the final three games of 2005 after suffering a broken leg in game 8 against Iowa State.
Schroeder now has 11 receiving touchdowns on just 46 career catches, which is tied for fourth-most in school history. Schroeder's touchdown to catch ratio of 1-to-4.1 is the highest of any Aggie with seven or more career touchdowns.
The average length of his touchdown catches is 31.9 yards. Adding to his touchdown legacy, Schroeder has also thrown a TD pass (vs. Oklahoma, 2004) and had a TD rush (vs. Texas State, 2005) as a holder on field goal placements.
Quick Strike TD Length Opp. Year 46 Army 2006 15 La.-Lafayette 2006 27 The Citadel 2006 5 Kansas State 2005 44 Texas State 2005 32 SMU 2005 15 SMU 2005 31 Clemson 2005 45 Oklahoma 2004 49 Baylor 2004 42 Baylor 2003 31.9-yard average on TD catches Up the Charts Rk Player, Years Rec. TDs 1. Bob Long, 1966-68 79 19 2. Tony Harrison, 1990-93 89 14 3. Albert Connell, 1995-96 98 13 4. Chad Schroeder, 2002- 46 11 Bethel Johnson, 1999-2002 117 11 Jeff Nelson, 1982-85 92 11 Don Jones, 1980-83 56 11 7. Terrence Murphy, 2001-04 172 10 Jamaar Taylor, 2001-03 108 10
PAYDIRT FOR J-TRAIN
NCAA scoring leader Jorvorskie Lane has pounded his way to 10 touchdowns in 2006, including nine in the past three games. At his current pace, Lane would score 30 touchdowns in the Aggies' 12-game regular season. The Aggies' school record for touchdowns in a season is 19 by Joel Hunt (1927) and Darren Lewis (1990).
Lane has rushed or passed for a touchdown in six straight games.
NCAA Scoring Leaders Rk Player Team Pts./G 1. Jorvorskie Lane Texas A&M 14.0 Kory Sheets Purdue 14.0 3. James Davis Clemson 13.5 Garrett Wolfe N. Illinois 13.5 Ray Rice Rutgers 13.5 Ian Johnson Boise State 13.5
DIFFERENCE-MAKER
Sophomore punter Justin Brantly, who doesn't have enough punts to qualify for NCAA or Big 12 statistics, is averaging an impressive 49.0 yards per punt and has helped the Aggies log a healthy 40.0 net punt average (No. 13 nationally).
Brantly has averaged over 40 yards in all four games this season, including three games with a 47-plus average. Eight of his 12 punts have traveled over 50 yards and four have been downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
DEFENSIVE STANDS
The Texas A&M defense has made critical goalline stands in each of the last two games.
Texas A&M's defensive stand to end the Army game was one of the most memorable series in school history.
After Army took the football on the A&M 27, the Aggie defense thwarted Army for 10 plays, including six from the 10-yard line or closer and three from the two-yard line.
Against Louisiana Tech, the Wrecking Crew turned back a play from the 5-yard line and two more from the 1-yard line. The Aggies thwarted the scoring chance when Devin Gregg pounced on a fumble.
Opponents have converted just 4-of-8 redzone chances against the Aggies' D-squad and have scored just three touchdowns.
GRID / HOOPS BENNETT
A&M sophomore Martellus Bennett is one of a handful of Div. I-A athletes to play football and basketball. Last year, Bennett became the first Aggie to letter in football and basketball since Billy Bob Barnett in 1969.
Div. 1-A Football-Basketball Stars Player Position School Martellus Bennett TE Texas A&M Rodney Hannah TE Houston Avery Holley WR Florida Atlantic Jordan Kent WR Oregon Travis Lewis WR Eastern Michigan Carl Sims WR Baylor Matt Trannon WR Michigan State Source: University of Houston
DODGE DEBUT
Twenty-five year old junior college tranfer Mark Dodge, who served in the U.S. Army for four years after high school, has made nine tackles with one forced fumble in 2006.
- Dodge's Background
- Joins former quarterback Mike Jay (1973-75) as the only scholarship Aggie players with a military background since the war years.
- Weighed 170 pounds as a receiver/safety at Yerington High School in Nevada, but gained 35 pounds of muscle while in the Army. Currently weighs in at 222 pounds.
- Dodge was in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, traditionally known as "The Old Guard" -- the Army's official ceremonial unit and escort to the President. The oldest active-duty infantry regiment in the Army, having served the country since 1784, participates in more than 6,000 ceremonies a year.
- Dodge, who earned the rank of sergeant in two years, attended state dinners, a Daytona 500 and an NCAA women's basketball Final Four. He has chatted more than once with President Bush and has met Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Hanks, Mariah Carey, John Travolta and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, among others.
- Was in the Pentagon filling out paperwork on his top-secret security clearance on Sept. 11, 2001 when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Dodge was called to assist in search-and-recovery efforts.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Three of Dennis Franchione's assistant coaches have been head coaches at some point in their careers: Gary Darnell at Western Michigan (1997-2004) and Tennessee Tech (1983-85); Bob DeBesse at Texas State (1997-2002); and Jim Bob Helduser at Texas State (1992-96).
Six of the nine assistants have coordinated offenses or defense prior to coming to Texas A&M: Darnell (DC at Texas, Notre Dame, Florida, Wake Forest and Kansas State); Les Koenning (OC at Alabama, Houston and Duke); Bill Clay (DC at Oklahoma State, UAB, UTEP, Mississippi State, Temple, SMU and Southern Miss); DeBesse (OC at Minnesota and TCU); Stan Eggen (DC at UNLV); and Mark Tommerdahl (OC at Wyoming).
WATCH LIST WATCH
Three Aggies have been mentioned on "watch lists" for various national awards:
Preseason Accolades Player Award (s) Red Bryant Bednarik Cody Wallace Rimington Justin Warren Bednarik, Butkus, Nagurski
NEWCOMER IMPACT
Ten members of the Aggies' 2006 signing class, including seven true freshmen, have seen action so far this season.
Junior college transfers Mark Dodge, Misi Tupe and Johnathan Batson have combined to make 24 tackles on defense.
True freshman that have seen action include running back Mike Goodson, placekicker Matt Szymanski, cornerback Jordan Pugh, wide receiver Cody Beyer, deep snapper Corey Gibas, wide receiver E.J. Shankle and linebacker Anthony Lewis.
THREE-YEAR TREND
Offensive balance has become a trend for Franchione's Aggies. During his three previous seasons at the helm of the Aggies, the offense has averaged 191.9 rushing and 227.6 passing yards per game.
Only seven teams nationally have achieved that sort of balance over the past three seasons:
Balanced Trend (190+/225+) Team Rush/G Pass/G Boise State 192.08 275.74 California 223.24 239.05 Louisville 222.51 280.41 Northwestern 193.19 233.78 Southern California 197.77 294.36 Texas A&M 191.94 227.60 Utah 191.69 257.39
LEADER LEWIS
The team rushing leader the past three years, senior Courtney Lewis could become just the second player to lead the Aggies in rushing four straight seasons. A&M's all-time rushing leader Darren Lewis (no relation) led the Aggies in rushing from 1987-90 and finished with 5,012 career yards.
LEWIS MOVES INTO TOP 10
Senior running back Courtney Lewis ranks in the top 10 in career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns
A&M's Career Rushing Yards List Rk Player, Years Yards 1. Darren Lewis, 1987-90 5,012 2. Curtis Dickey, 1976-79 3,703 3. Greg Hill, 1991-93 3,262 4. Rodney Thomas, 1991-94 3,014 5. George Woodard, 1975-77, 79 2,911 6. Bubba Bean, 1972-75 2,846 7. Dant? Hall, 1996-99 2,818 8. Johnny Hector, 1979-82 2,587 9. Courtney Lewis, 2003- 2,584 10. Roger Vick, 1983-86 2,471 A&M's Career Rushing TDs List Rk Player, Years TDs 1. Darren Lewis, 1987-90 44 2. Rodney Thomas, 1991-94 41 3. George Woodard, 1975-77, 79 35 4. Curtis Dickey, 1976-79 34 5. Greg Hill, 1991-93 33 6. Courtney Lewis, 2003- 30 Joel Hunt, 1925-27 30 Bucky Richardson, 1987-91 30 9. Leeland McElroy, 1993-95 29 10. D'Andre Hardeman, 1995-99 28
TURNOVER ADVANTAGE
During the Dennis Franchione era at Texas A&M, the Aggies are 15-1 in games with a turnover margin advantage. In games with an even or minus turnover margin, the Aggies are 5-18.
Games with Turnover Advantage, Fran Era Opponent Year Turn Take +/- Result Baylor 2003 -2 +4 +2 W, 73-10 Kansas 2003 -1 +3 +2 W, 45-33 Wyoming 2004 0 +3 +3 W, 31-?0 Clemson 2004 0 +4 +4 W, 27-?6 Kansas St. 2004 -1 +4 +3 W, 42-30 at Iowa St. 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 34-?3 at Oklahoma St. 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 36-20 Colorado 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 29-26 (ot) Texas Tech 2004 0 +3 +3 W, 32-25 (ot) SMU 2005 -1 +4 +3 W, 66-?8 Texas State 2005 -2 +3 +1 W, 44-31 Oklahoma State 2005 -2 +7 +5 W, 62-23 Kansas State 2005 -1 +3 +2 W, 30-28 at Oklahoma 2005 -1 +3 +2 L, 30-36 La.-Lafayette 2006 0 +2 +2 W, 51-7 Army 2006 -1 +3 +2 W, 28-24
PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12
Several Aggies have received preseason All-Big 12 Conference mention:
Player Honor Organization Red Bryant 1st-team The Sporting News SA Express-News 2nd-team CFN.com Courtney Lewis 2nd-team SA Express-News Justin Warren 1st-Team The Sporting News SA Express-News Dallas Morning News CFN.comAGGIE ADDITIONS - Franchione added three more scholarship players to his teams over the summer: placekicker Matt Szymanski from College Station; deep snapper Corey Gibas from Covina, Calif., and defensive back Will Harris from Lakewood, Ohio via Solano JC in California. PREP QBs AT WR - Texas A&M has several former prep quarterbacks excelling at wide receiver.
HS QBs Making Difference at WR 2006 Player Hometown (HS) Rec./Yds/TD Pierre Brown Duncanville (DHS) 4/23/0 Senior HS Stats: 1,734 total offense, 23 TDs Michael Corey Delta, Utah (DHS) 1/6/0 Senior HS Stats: L'Tydrick Riley Crockett (CHS) 4/36/0 Senior HS Stats: 1,717 total offense, 24 TDs Chad Schroeder Austin (Westlake) 9/121/2 Senior HS Stats: 3,436 total offense, 37 TDs
STARTING POINT
The Aggies have 41 players with at least one career start to their credit, including 16 with double digit starts. Leading the way is last year's conference tackle leader Justin Warren with 29 career starts.
A&M Active Career Starts Leaders Player Starts Justin Warren, LB, Sr. 29 Red Bryant, DL, Jr. 27 Kirk Elder, OL, Jr. 26 Jason Jack, DL, Jr. 22 Courtney Lewis, RB, Sr. 18 Melvin Bullitt, DB, Sr. 16 Chris Harrington, DL, Jr. 15 Corey Clark, OL, Jr. 15 Cody Wallace, OL, Jr. 15 Japhus Brown, DB, Jr. 14 Earvin Taylor, WR, Jr. 13 Yemi Babalola, OL, Jr. 12 Alex Kotzur, OL, Sr. 12 Chris Yoder, OL, Jr. 12 Chad Schroeder, WR, Sr. 11 Brock Newton, DB, Jr. 10 Martellus Bennett, TE, So. 9 Danny Gorrer, DB, So. 9 Devin Gregg, DB, So. 7 Marquis Carpenter, DB, Jr. 6 Jorvorskie Lane, RB, So. 6 Stephen McGee, QB, So. 5 Joey Thomas, TE, Jr. 5 Nurahda Manning, LB, Sr. 4 Michael Bennett, DE, So. 4 Pierre Brown, WR, So. 4 Howard Morrow, WR, So. 3 Bryce Reed, DL, Sr. 4 Grant Dickey, OL, Sr. 4 Jordan Peterson, Fr. 3 L'Tydrick Riley, Sr. 3 Travis Schneider, So. 3 Kerry Franks, WR, Jr. 2 Misi Tupe, LB, Jr. 2 Mark Dodge, Jr. 2 Amos Gbunblee, TE/DE, So. 1 Samson Taylor, RB, So. 1 Brandon Leone, RB, Sr. 1 Chris Alexander, FB, Jr. 1 Matt Featherston, Fr. 1 Arkeith Brown, So. 1
ACTIVE TACKLERS
The Aggies have 10 defenders with more than 50 career tackles, including Justin Warren and Melvin Bullitt who both have more than 100.
A&M Active Career Tackles Leaders Rk Player Tackles 1. Justin Warren, LB, Sr. 212 2. Melvin Bullitt, DB, Sr. 118 3. Brock Newton, DB, Jr. 94 4. Japhus Brown, DB, Jr. 91 5. Jason Jack, DL, Jr. 90 6. Red Bryant, DL, 2004, Jr. 73 7. Nurahda Manning, LB, Sr. 70 8. Chris Harrington, DE, Jr. 57 9. Bryce Reed, DL, Sr. 53 10. Devin Gregg, DB, So. 51
NFL Opening Day Rosters
#95 Sam Adams, DL, Cincinnati Bengals #99 Rocky Bernard, DL, Seattle Seahawks #89 Dan Campbell, TE, Detroit Lions #11 Jason Carter, WR, Minnesota Vikings (practice squad) #31 Sammy Davis, DB, San Francisco 49ers #95 Ron Edwards, DL, Kansas City Chiefs #89 Robert Ferguson, WR, Green Bay Packers #26 Aaron Glenn, DB, Dallas Cowboys Jason Glenn, LB, Minnesota Vikings #82 Dante Hall, WR, Kansas City Chiefs #63 Geoff Hangartner, OL, Carolina Panthers #57 Warrick Holdman, LB, Washington Redskins #13 Bethel Johnson, WR, New Orleans Saints (injured reserved) #93 Johnny Jolly, DL, Green Bay Packers #33 Keith Joseph, RB, New Orleans Saints #48 Terrence Kiel, DB, San Diego Chargers #9 Shane Lechler, P, Oakland Raiders #68 Seth McKinney, OL, Miami Dolphins #76 Steve McKinney, OL, Houston Texans #10 Reggie McNeal, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (practice squad) #96 Mike Montgomery, DL, Green Bay Packers #48 Don Muhlbach, DS, Detroit Lions #47 Boone Stutz, TE/DS, Atlanta Falcons #74 Rex Tucker, OL, Detroit Lions #94 Ty Warren, DL, New England Patriots #27 Jason Webster, DB, Atlanta Falcons #94 Pat Williams, DL, Minnesota Vikings #74 Billy Yates, OL, New England Patriots Aggies on NFL Coaching Staffs: Dennis Allen, Atlanta Falcons (Defensive Assistant) Johnny Holland, Houston Texans (Defensive Assistant) Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans (Head Coach) Gary Reynolds, Seattle Seahawks (Quality Control/Offense) Zerick Rollins, Seattle Seahawks (Def. Line/Quality Control)
FAMILY AFFAIR
The Aggies have a number of players with family connections to Texas A&M athletics.
Starting strong safety Melvin Bullitt's father, Jerry, lettered for the Aggies from 1980-83 and started at linebacker for three seasons. The elder Bullitt posted 222 tackles and 11 sacks during his career.
Melvin's uncle, Steve Bullitt, lettered for the Aggies from 1983-86.
Junior Chris Harrington is the nephew of former A&M two-sport All-American Dave Elmendorf. Elmendorf, who had an All-Pro career with the Los Angeles Rams, currently serves as the color analyst for the Aggie Radio Network.
Senior L'Tydrick Riley's uncle, Claude Riley ranks as one of the greatest basketball players in A&M history. The "Crockett Rocket" still ranks No. 6 in points and No. 3 in rebounds in the Aggie record book.
Junior Earvin Taylor's older brother, Jamaar, caught 108 passes for 1,705 yards from 2001-03.
Brothers Michael and Martellus Bennett are just one of a handful of brothers whose playing careers have overlapped at Texas A&M.
True freshman Jerrod Johnson's father, Larry, played split end for the Aggies in the late 1970s.
COACH FRAN RANKS AMONG THE WINNINGEST COACHES
The 26th head football coach in Texas A&M history, Dennis Franchione is in his fourth season in Aggieland and his 24th season as a collegiate head coach. Franchione has compiled a 20-19 record at Texas A&M.
With a career record of 175-92-2 as a head coach, Coach Fran is the sixth-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).
Franchione has won eight conference championships and a divisional crown in his 22 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 Wins 1. Bobby Bowden, Florida St. 362 2. Joe Paterno, Penn St. 356 3. Frank Beamer, Va. Tech 192 4. Jim Tressel, Ohio State 189 5. Chris Ault, Nevada 179 6. Dennis Franchione, A&M 175 7. Mack Brown, Texas 172 8. Fisher DeBerry, Air Force 166 9. Dick Tomey, San Jose St. 163 10. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 152