Summer gridiron report: A&M makeover mandatory

Posted by Eric Sorrentino June 19, 2009 at 5 a.m.

The last time the Texas A&M football team stepped on the field, it was embarrassing. The Aggies were trounced, 49-9, in their last game of the season at Texas.

A&M rushed for minus-24 yards at UT last Nov. 27. That simply won't get it done. Of course, in the Big 12, teams don't have to run the football with the dedication of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it's good to keep defenses guessing.

A&M didn't do that last season. The Aggies struggled mightily on the ground. They were statistically the sixth-worst team in the country in rushing offense last year. A&M averaged a mere 2.91 yards per carry.

I started thinking about that number. It really doesn't add up when you consider the personnel first-year coach Mike Sherman put on the field. When you have Mike Goodson, a guy with 4.54-speed in the 40-yard dash and a future NFL selection by the Carolina Panthers, how does a team average 2.91 yards per rush?

When Jorvorskie Lane, who holds the school record for rushing touchdowns with 49, returns for a senior season and only averages 2.7 yards per rush, something's missing. Sure, Lane switched from tailback to fullback last season, but 2.7?

That leaves only one area of concern: Offensive line. A&M must improve on the offensive line this fall, which is why Sherman encouraged as much competition as possible in the spring. The Aggies return four starters from the O-line. That's usually a good thing; perhaps not here. Sherman, a former O-line coach at A&M, UCLA and Holy Cross, surely has a keen eye for talent up front. It's safe to say those four returning starters won't just walk into summer workouts with guaranteed starting spots.

If the O-line doesn't significantly improve, the Aggies will finish last in the Big 12 South again.

Welcome to the latest edition of Conference Chatter's summer gridiron report. Here's a schedule of when each Big 12 team was/will be featured:

Big 12 North

June 1: Missouri
June 3: Kansas State
June 5: Iowa State
June 8: Colorado
June 10: Nebraska
June 12: Kansas

Big 12 South

June 15: Oklahoma State
Wednesday: Baylor
Today: Texas A&M
Monday: Texas Tech
June 24: Oklahoma
June 26: Texas

Let's keep things moving with A&M, which finished last season 4-8 overall (2-6 conference).

Biggest question mark: Offensive line.

There should be more depth at the position in 2009 with junior Lucas Patterson switching over from defensive line, and LSU transfer Matt Allen becoming eligible. But this unit must improve on generating running lanes for talented backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael, and it must protect quarterback Jerrod Johnson. Last year, the Aggies gave up 39 sacks, far and away the worst in the Big 12.

Biggest strength: Wide receiver.

Jeff Fuller and Ryan Tannehill might be the most underrated tandem of receivers in the Big 12. Fuller posted 50 catches for 630 yards last year as a freshman. His nine TD grabs proved he's a serious red zone threat as well. Tannehill posted a 55-844-5 line and should improve on those numbers with the continued development of QB Johnson.

Breakout player: Senior defensive end/linebacker Von Miller.

ku_fbc_tam_04.jpg

Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

The terrorizing Miller has reportedly been unblockable in spring drills. Some of that could have to do with the aforementioned struggles of the A&M O-line, but Miller's new "Jack" position — a hybrid of defensive end and linebacker — has done wonders to increase his value on the field. His 3.5 sacks from last year should balloon to somewhere near 10 this season.

Coaching stability: Sherman is the No. 1 coach in the nation under the most fire, according to coacheshotseat.com. I'm not sure I buy that. OK, so the season-opening loss to Arkansas State last year was rough. I also remember watching A&M struggle just to beat Army, a team that finished last year 3-9. But Sherman has some nice skill players and if A&M sneaks into a bowl, there's no way he's on any sort of hot seat. He's still entering only his second year.

A&M's schedule

Sept. 5: vs. New Mexico
Sept 19: vs. Utah State
Sept. 26: vs. UAB
Oct. 3: vs. Arkansas in Arlington, Texas
Oct. 10: vs. Oklahoma State
Oct. 17: at Kansas State
Oct. 24: at Texas Tech
Oct. 31: vs. Iowa State
Nov. 7: at Colorado
Nov. 14: at Oklahoma
Nov. 21: vs. Baylor
Nov. 26: vs. Texas

Fearless forecast: 6th in South.

If the Aggies sweep their non-conference schedule, they could sneak into a bowl game with just two conference victories. A&M didn't draw Kansas or Nebraska in the North, which helps, but I simply don't see this team being better than any of the other five South teams.

As always, discuss.

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Raider (anonymous) says…

My my, how the mighty have fallen. I predict a 4-8 season for the good old Ags. They'll get trounced by Arkansas in the non-con and then beat ISU (only b/c it's at home). The rest of the Big XII is going to run ruffshod over Aggy.

They have to go to Lubbock, where they haven't won since 1993, and they travel to Norman where they once lost 77-0.

This will be a brutal season for the Ags.
June 19, 2009 at 8:25 a.m.
AB2004 (anonymous) says…

Depth wasn't the issue with the O-line, it was injuries. Injuries so widespread that any NCAA or NFL football team would be severely handcuffed on offense.
There were plenty of times where we were down to 2 "healthy" (read: walking) starters for an entire game.
Lee Grimes played for half the season on injuries that should by all rights keep someone benched, and he often had to play out of position.
Do a little research, because the injury issue was covered extensively last year.
June 19, 2009 at 9:49 a.m.
esorrentino (Eric Sorrentino) says…

I realize the Ags were decimated by injuries on the O-line, and that was truly unfortunate. But at some point, don't injuries and depth correlate?

And make no mistake: A&M wasn't alone. Take Colorado for instance. The Buffs were also depleted on the O-line (lost three to season-ending injuries, two more to academic problems). Colorado didn't average 2.91 yards per rush, even when their most productive running back last season, Rodney Stewart, had a season-ending injury on Nov. 1.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. They hit some teams (A&M, Colorado) harder than others. It's fair to say we'll learn a lot about the A&M offensive line this season. I hope it's better because I'd love to see what those skill players can do with a rock solid line.
June 19, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.