Texas A&M's game notes for the home opener against Lamar at Kyle Field...
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- It will be the first game in the redeveloped Kyle Field with a temporary capacity of 106,000. The stadium record crowd is 90,079 from the 2010 Nebraska-Texas A&M game (W, 9-6).
- Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy will serve as analyst on the SEC Network broadcast for #LAMvsTAMU. A graduate of Southlake Carroll HS, McElroy went to the same high school as Aggies Kenny Hill and Sabian Holmes.
- It will be the Aggies' third straight game against a team they've never faced before (Duke, South Carolina, Lamar)
- Texas A&M has won 23 of its last 25 Kyle Field openers.
- After last week's win over No. 9 South Carolina, Aggies were named FWAA Team of the Week and jumped 12 spots to No. 9 in AP Top 25. A&M received first-place votes in AP poll for first time since 1995.
SETTING THE SCENE
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
- Site: Kyle Field, College Station (106,000 capacity)
- rankings:
- Lamar (N/A FCS)
- Texas A&M (No. 9 - AP / No. 13 HC)
- Television: SEC Network (Dave Baker/PxP, Greg McElroy/CC; Niki Noto/SL)
- Radio: Texas A&M Sports Network (Dave South/PxP, Dave Elmendorf, CC, Will Johnson/sideline); Spanish Network (Pedro Vela Almaguer/PxP, Alberto Rodriguez, CC)
- SIRIUS XM: Texas A&M Spanish Network on channel 551; Texas A&M game call located on Sirius 137 / XM 192.
- Series: First meeting
KING OF THE HILL
- Texas A&M sophomore Kenny Hill's remarkable starting quarterback debut against South Carolina was rewarded with Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors from the Southeastern Conference. It was Hill's first SEC weekly honor.
- Hill's 511 passing yards set the overall school record, the starting debut record and the season-opener record.
- Hill became the sixth QB in SEC history to surpass the 500-yard passing mark in a game.
Texas A&M Single Game Passing Yards
Player Yards Opponent Date
Kenny Hill 511 at South Carolina Aug. 28, 2014
Johnny Manziel 464 Alabama Sept. 14, 2013
Johnny Manziel 454 Auburn Oct. 19, 2013
Johnny Manziel 453 Arkansas Sept. 29, 2012
Ryan Tannehill 449 Texas Tech Oct. 30, 2010
Texas A&M Single Game Completions
Player Cmp Opponent Date
Kenny Hill 44 at South Carolina Aug. 28, 2014
Jerrod Johnson 40 at Oklahoma State Sept. 30, 2010
Ryan Tannehill 36 Texas Tech Oct. 30, 2010
Ryan Tannehill 35 Missouri Oct. 29, 2011
Branndon Stewart 34 Colorado Sept. 28, 1996
Texas A&M Single Game Attempts
Player ATT Opponent Date
Ryan Tannehill 64 at Oklahoma Nov. 5, 2011
Branndon Stewart 64 Colorado Sept. 28, 1996
Jerrod Johnson 62 at Oklahoma State Sept. 30, 2010
Kenny Hill 60 at South Carolina Aug. 28, 2014
Jerrod Johnson 58 vs Georgia Dec. 28, 2009
SEC 500-yard Passers
Player, School YDS Opponent Year
Eric Zeier, Georgia 544 Southern Miss 1993
Jared Lorenzen, Kentucky 528 Georgia 2000
Rohan Davey, LSU 528 Alabama 2001
Peyton Manning, Tenn. 523 Kentucky 1997
Kenny Hill, Texas A&M 511 South Carolina 2014
Tyler Wilson, Arkansas 510 Texas A&M 2011
SEC single game completions
Player, School CMP Opponent Year
Tim Couch, Kentucky 47 Arkansas 1998
Tim Couch, Kentucky 44 Vanderbilt 1998
Kenny Hill, Texas A&M 44 South Carolina 2014
Eli Manning, Ole Miss 42 Arkansas 2002
Tim Couch, Kentucky 41 Georgia/LSU 1997
MALCOME IN THE MIDDLE
On the receiving end of many of Kenny Hill's aerials was senior WR Malcome Kennedy, who had a career day against South Carolina. Kennedy reeled in 14 catches for 137 yards, which were both career highs.
TExas A&M single game catches
Player ReC. Opponent Date
Albert Connell 18 Colorado Sept. 28, 1996
Malcome Kennedy 14 at S. Carolina Aug. 28, 2014
Ryan Swope 13 SFA Sept. 4, 2010
Ken McLean 13 Texas Nov. 25, 1965
Barney Harris 13 at SMU Nov. 9, 1968
Maroon Goons, Part III
- Calling themselves the Maroon Goons since 2012, the 2014 group might be the best of the Sumlin era despite producing a top 10 NFL Draft pick the past two seasons.
- The 2014 Aggies ranks as one of the biggest offensive fronts in school history, and features an offensive tackle that has been projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
- The starting lineup against South Carolina of tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Germain Ifedi, guards Joe Cheek and Garrett Gramling and center Mike Matthews weigh in at 1,540 pounds, or 308 pounds per goon.
- Offseason shifts included Ogbuehi moving from right tackle to left tackle, and Ifedi from right guard to right tackle.
Here's the Beef
(Starters/Possible Starters by career starts)
Goon HT WT Starts
Jarvis Harrison 6-4 330 31
Cedric Ogbuehi 6-5 305 31
Germain Ifedi 6-5 325 14
Mike Matthews 6-2 290 14
Garrett Gramling 6-6 310 3
Joseph Cheek 6-7 310 1
1st/2nd-year Players
- Of the 56 players that saw action against South Carolina, an incredible 32 of them were in their first or second season of action at Texas A&M.
True Freshmen (9)
DE Myles Garrett,
OL J.J. Gustafson,
DB Nick Harvey,
WR Frank Iheanacho,
DE Jarrett Johnson,
WR Speedy Noil and
DB Armani Watts.
Redshirts/Transfers (5)
CB Victor Davis (redshirt),
WR Josh Reynolds (JC transfer),
WR Ricky Seals-Jones (redshirt),
OL Jeremiah Stuckey (redshirt JC transfer) and
LB A.J. Hilliard (four-year transfer).
Second-Year Players (18)
DL Jay Arnold (true sophomore)
RB Tra Carson (second-year transfer)
TE Cameron Clear (second-year JC transfer)
DB Tavares Garner (true sophomore)
WR LaQuvionte Gonzalez (true sophomore)
DE Daeshon Hall (true sophomore)
QB Kenny Hill (true sophomore)
OL Germain Ifedi (redshirt sophomore)
LB Jordan Mastrogiovanni (true sophomore)
QB Conner McQueen (redshirt sophomore)
WR Boone Niederhofer (redshirt sophomore)
WR Ed Pope (redshirt sophomore)
LB Tommy Sanders (second-year JC transfer)
DB Alex Sezer Jr. (true sophomore)
WR Jeremy Tabuayo (true sophomore)
DL Hardreck Walker (true sophomore)
DB Jonathan Wiggins (true sophomore)
RB Brandon Williams (second-year transfer)
Texas A&M Attendance Notables
- The largest crowd for any Texas A&M football game is 104,802 from the Texas A&M-Michigan game (L, 41-3) at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 1, 1977.
Biggest crowds to watch Aggie Football
- at Michigan, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich. Oct. 1, 1977 104,802
- at Alabama, Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Nov. 10, 2012 101,821
- at Texas, Darrell K Royal-Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas Nov. 25, 2010 100,752
- at Texas, Darrell K Royal-Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas Nov. 27, 2008 98,621
- at LSU, Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La. Nov. 23, 2013 92,949
- The stadium record crowd at Kyle Field is 90,079 from the Texas A&M-Nebraska game (W, 9-6) on Nov. 20, 2010. (top 10 Kyle Field crowds list on page 9).
- The current state of Texas record crowd for a college football game is 101,851 from the West Virginia-Texas game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas in 2012.
- The largest crowd at a football game (pro or college) in the state of Texas is 105,121 from the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game at Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) on Sept. 20, 2009.
Top 10 Road win #2
- The Aggies' 52-28 win over then-No. 9 South Carolina marked the second win over an Associated Press top 10 team on the road of head coach Kevin Sumlin's tenure at Texas A&M. He is just the third Aggie head coach with two or more road wins over top 10 opponents, joining Emory Bellard (2) and Paul “Bear” Bryant (2).
- It was the 24th win over an AP top 10-ranked opponent in program history, and was just the 11th away from Kyle Field.
Sumlin's offense
- Texas A&M has ranked in the top 25 nationally in passing and total offense in each of the past five seasons since shifting to fast-paced no-huddle offense in 2009.
- Under Sumlin, Texas A&M has led the SEC in passing, scoring and total offense the past two seasons. Before 2012, the last time A&M led the conference in any of those three statistical categories was 1991 when the Aggies led the now-defunct Southwest Conference with a 36.5 scoring average.
- In six seasons as a head coach, Kevin Sumlin's offense have averaged less than 500 total yards per game just once (480.5 in 2010), and have ranked in the top five nationally in total yards/game five of six seasons (UH ranked No. 11 in 2010).
- A&M has broken and rebroken its passing record four times in five seasons (both average and cumulative passing yards). Under Sumlin, the Aggies have averaged 300-plus passing yards in each of the past two seasons. Prior to his arrival, A&M's program best was 281.6 passing yards per game.
- Texas A&M has scored 500-plus points in three straight seasons, including the top two 13-game scoring efforts in SEC history (578, 2012/575, 2013). Prior to 2011, A&M's top cumulative scoring season was 427 in 2009.
- The Aggies set the SEC record for total yards in a season with 7,261 in 2012 and fell just a yard short of back-to-back 7,000-yard season with 6,999 in 2013.
- After two seasons in the SEC, the Aggies hold team conference records for season passing yards (4,593 in 2013), season total offense (7,261 in 2012), season yards/game (558.5 in 2012), season passing first downs (204 in 2013) and season total first downs (357 in 2012).
Texas A&M Offense since 2009
(since moving to no huddle)
Year Pass Score Total
*2013 353.3 (#7) 44.2 (#5) 538.4 (#4)
*2012 316.5 (#14) 44.5 (t#4) 558.5 (#3)
2011 291.1 (#18) 39.1 (#11) 490.2 (#7)
2010 276.8 (#20) 31.2 (t#34) 441.8 (#23)
2009 281.6 (#16) 32.8 (#19) 465.8 (#5)
* -- Coached by Kevin Sumlin
Sumlin's Offenses
(at Texas A&M/Houston)
Year Pass Score Total
*2013 353.3 (#7) 44.2 (#5) 538.4 (#4)
*2012 316.5 (#14) 44.5 (t#4) 558.5 (#3)
#2011 450.1 (#1) 49.3 (#1) 599.1 (#1)
#2010 327.3 (#5) 37.7 (#13) 480.5 (#11)
#2009 430.9 (#1) 42.2 (t#1) 563.2 (#1)
#2008 401.1 (#2) 40.6 (#10) 562.8 (#2)
* -- at Texas A&M # -- at University of Houston
ROAD WARRIORS
- Texas A&M has compiled a 11-2 record in games away from Kyle Field during the Kevin Sumlin era.
- In the previous five seasons before Sumlin's arrival, the Aggies were 10-19 away from Kyle Field.
- The last winning record away from Kyle Field prior to Sumlin's arrival in 2012 came in 2006.
Special specialists
Texas A&M is the only team in the nation that returns a punter averaging over 44.0 yards per boot, a placekicker that connected on 80 or higher on his field goal attempts and a kickoff returner that averaged 25.0 or more per attempt.
Player, Position Stats Avg./PCT.
Drew Kaser, punter 44/2,085 47.4
Josh Lambo, placekicker 8-10 .800
Trey Williams, KO returner 28/706 25.2
“Fast start”-ers
- One of the opening periods of head coach Kevin Sumlin's practices is called “fast start.” Occurring just after warmups, “fast start” features several live-action 11-on-11 series just like a game situation. He started implementing the period when his teams at the University of Houston were getting off to slow starts.
- In 27 games under Sumlin, the Aggies have scored at least 14 first-quarter points 14 times.
- Texas A&M has scored first in 24 of 27 games under Kevin Sumlin.
- On opening offensive series under Sumlin, the Aggies have scored 19 of 27 times with an impressive 18 touchdowns.
- In first quarters under Sumlin (27 games), the Aggies have outscored their opponents 311-134 or an average of 11.5-4.9.
- Mark Snyder's Aggie defense has forced a punt, turnover or turnover on downs on 19 of 27 opening series.
Offense under sumlin
- The Aggies have gained 400 or more yards in 24 of 27 games under Sumlin.
- The Aggies have hit 500 total yards in 19 of 27 games under Sumlin.
- During the Sumlin era, Texas A&M has scored 70 points once, 60 or more points three times, 50 or more 12 times, 40 or more points 20 times and 30 or more 22 times in 27 games.
Sumlin vs. Top 25
In his seventh season as a head coach, third-year Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin has a career record of 9-7 against ranked teams (Associated Press poll).
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at TAMU)
Opponent, Year AP rank Result
Florida, 2012 No. 24 L, 20-17
vs. Louisiana Tech, 2012 No. 22 W, 59-57
LSU, 2012 No. 6 L, 24-19
at Mississippi State, 2012 No. 17 W, 38-13
at Alabama, 2012 No. 1 W, 29-24
vs. *Oklahoma, 2013 No. 11 W, 41-13
Alabama, 2013 No. 1 L, 49-42
Auburn, 2013 No. 24 L, 45-41
at LSU, 2013 No. 18 L, 34-10
at Missouri, 2013 No. 5 L, 28-21
vs. Duke No. 22 W, 52-48
at South Carolina, 2014 No. 9 W, 52-28
Sumlin vs. the AP Top 25 (at UH)
at East Carolina, 2008 No. 23 W, 41-24
Tulsa, 2008 No. 25 W, 70-30
at Oklahoma State, 2009 No. 5 W, 45-35
Southern Miss, 2011 No. 24 L, 49-28
Sumlin among nation's winningest coaches
With a 56-23 record as a head coach, third-year Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin stands in a tie for No. 13 on the NCAA Winningest Active Coaches list (by percentage).
Winningest Active Coaches
BY PERCENTAGE (Minimum five years as FBS head coach / Record at four-year colleges only)
Coach, College Yrs. W L T Pct.
1. Chris Petersen, Washington 9th 93 12 0 .886
2. Urban Meyer, Ohio St. 12th 129 25 0 .838
3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 15th 161 39 0 .805
4. Nick Saban, Alabama 18th 166 57 1 .746
5. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 24th 209 72 2 .742
6. Mark Richt, Georgia 13th 127 45 0 .738
7. Bobby Petrino, Louisville 9th 83 30 0 .735
8. Les Miles, LSU 13th 124 45 0 .734
9. Gary Patterson, TCU 14th 121 44 0 .733
10. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 24th 219 80 2 .731
11. Larry Coker, UTSA 9th 80 30 0 .727
12. Bo Pelini, Nebraska 7th 59 24 0 .711
13. Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 9th 83 34 0 .709
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M 6th 56 23 0 .709
15. Charlie Strong, Texas 5th 38 16 0 .704
“Big five” Head coaches vs. AP Top 25
Entering the 2014 season, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin was one of just 12 coaches from the so-called “Big Five” conferences (plus Notre Dame) with a winning record against ranked opponents, according to research by Stats LLC and the Wall Street Journal.
Coaches with winning records vs. Top 25
Head Coach, School Record Pct.
David Shaw, Stanford 14-4 0.778
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 50-23 0.685
Urban Meyer, Ohio State 25-12 0.676
Chris Peterson, Washington 8-4 0.667
Jimbo Fisher, Florida State 9-5 0.643
Gus Malzahn, Auburn 5-3 0.625
Nick Saban, Alabama 50-35 0.588
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 15-11 0.577
Les Miles, LSU 40-31 0.563
Steve Spurrier, South Carolina 62-52-1 0.543
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M 8-7 0.533
Mark Richt, Georgia 34-31 0.523
Source: Stats LLC, WSJ research
- In his third season at Texas A&M. His 20 wins after his first two seasons were a record for an Aggie head coach. The previous record was 18 victories by National Football Foundation Hall of Fame coach D.X. Bible in 1917 and 1919.
- 2012 SEC Coach of the Year by the AP, SEC Co-Coach of the Year by the league head coaches
- Was a 2009, 2011 and 2012 “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year finalist, and a AFCA Coach of the Year finalist in 2011.
- Seventh season as a college head coach.
- Earned his degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Purdue University in 1988.
- Standout linebacker for the Boilermakers from 1983-86.
- Was hired at Texas A&M on Dec. 10, 2011 after four highly successful seasons as head coach at the University of Houston.
- Compiled a 35-17 record at UH, and led the Cougars to three bowl games in his four seasons.
- Served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M from 2001-02. Was hired as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, and he added offensive coordinator to his responsibilities early in the 2002 season after the offense struggled early in the season. With Sumlin calling the plays, the Aggie offense flourished, averaging 33.0 points and 419 yards per game for the remainder of the season after posting just 16.0 points and 286 yards per game previously. A highlight of the season included a 30-26 win over top-ranked Oklahoma with the Aggies gaining 404 total yards to key the victory.
- Other assistant coaching stops for Sumlin include: Oklahoma (2003-07), Purdue (1998-2000), Minnesota (1993-97) and Wyoming (1991-92). He got his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Washington State from 1989-90.
- As an assistant coach, Sumlin served under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M, Joe Tiller at Purdue and Wyoming, Jim Wacker and Glen Mason at Minnesota and Mike Price at Washington State.
- Sumlin has coached in 14 bowl games, including all four Bowl Championship Series games (2002 Rose Bowl, 2004 Sugar Bowl, 2005 Orange Bowl, 2007 and 2008 Fiesta Bowls). Also played in Peach Bowl (now Chick-Fil-A Bowl).
- Sumlin is a native of Indianapolis, Ind., and attended high school at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep. Was born Aug. 3, 1964 in Brewton, Ala.
KYLE FIELD
- Home of the Aggies since 1905.
- Capacity of Kyle Field for 2014 only is 106,000.
- Stadium record crowd is 90,079, set vs. Nebraska in 2010 (9-6 win by the Aggies) ... school record 22 straight sellouts
- Kyle Field is named for former A&M Dean of Agriculture Edwin Jackson Kyle, who donated a 400 x 400-foot area of the southern edge of campus that had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments. It became the home of the Aggies.
- Phase I of a $450 million redevelopment of Kyle Field is nearing completion. Phase II, which includes the demolition of the west side, will begin in earnest after the conclusion of the 2014 home schedule. The entire project will be finished in time for the 2015 season.
- With 30,000 Texas A&M students at football games, Kyle Field hosts the largest student crowd in the nation.
kYLE fIELD rECORD cROWDS
1. 90,079 vs. No. 8 Nebraska (2010) W, 9-6
2. 88,645 vs. No. 25 Texas (2011) L, 27-25
3. 88,504 vs. Mississippi State (2013) W, 51-41
4. 88,253 vs. No. 12 Texas (2007) W, 38-30
5. 87,596 vs. No. 1 Alabama (2013) L, 49-42
6. 87,555 vs. No. 5 Texas (2001) L, 21-7
7. 87,429 vs. No. 6 LSU (2012) L, 24-19
8. 87,361 vs. Baylor (2011) W, 55-26
9. 87,358 vs. No. 6 Oklahoma State (2011) L, 30-29
10. 87,206 vs. Notre Dame (2001) W, 24-3
Kyle Field rECORD season averages
1. 87,183 2011 610,283/7 games
2. 87,125 2013 697,003 / 8 games
3. 87,014 2012 522,083 / 6 games
4. 82,711 2001 496,268 / 6 games
5. 82,477 2010 577,338 / 7 games
6. 82,207 2007 575,450 / 7 games
7. 82,193 2008 575, 351 / 7 games
8. 80,198 2002 561,389 / 7 games
9. 79,732 2005 478,389 / 6 games
10. 77,578 2000 465,471 / 6 games