Aggies secondary on hot seat

[TwelfthAG]

Aggies secondary on hot seat (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/072005dnspotamulede.176566f.html)

[CoolaidWade]

I can't read it... I'm on the secondary computer at work and it's dial up. :(

[TwelfthAG]

What a way for a cornerback to start his college football career. The blinding lights of a night game. The constant watch of the TV camera. The screams of the hostile fans. Everybody sees when you bite on a fake and the receiver cruises into the end zone.

That was Texas A&M redshirt freshman Erik Mayes' debut last year at Utah. Now that Mayes is gone, dismissed after a violation of team rules to leave an already inexperienced secondary even greener, will that be redshirt freshman Danny Gorrer in the opener at Clemson?

Coach Dennis Franchione and the veteran defenders who joined him at Big 12 media days Tuesday know better than to guarantee that talent will overcome a lack of seasoning, which it must do for the Aggies' cornerbacks this season. But the talent inspires reason for hope.

A&M started two seniors at cornerback last year in Byron Jones and Jonté Buhl. Their departures left the Aggies thin at that position even before the dismissal of Mayes, who saw significant action off the bench and started one game in 2004.

The players in the mix to start at corner – Gorrer, sophomore Broderick Newton of Aledo, senior Ronald Jones of Skyline and junior college transfer Marquis Carpenter – own zero career starts at the position.

Newton played quite a bit last season, making 24 tackles, breaking up four passes and forcing a fumble. Senior safety Jaxson Appel said Newton didn't receive enough attention for his contributions last year.

Jones started all 12 games at strong safety in 2003 but was a backup last season. The 5-10, 188-pounder switched to cornerback in the spring and drew raves from coaches. Franchione said his size and speed are a good fit for cornerback. Carpenter enrolled at A&M in January but missed spring practice because of surgery for an old leg injury.

Then there's Gorrer. Coaches like his size (6-0, 178). They like his speed (he was a high school track star). And they like his intelligence (he graduated from high school in three years).

"Danny is one of those kinds of guys where he wants to be good," senior linebacker Archie McDaniel said. "He wants to play on the next level. He wants to hold the top receiver in the nation if he could week in and week out. He has tremendous athletic ability."

Franchione acknowledged that the Aggies probably will have to take the redshirt off one of their incoming freshmen. A&M signed a class deep in highly rated defensive backs in February. Preseason practice will determine who will play.

But the best personnel news for the cornerbacks might have nothing to do with their position. The Aggies boast depth and talent on a defensive line that was a strength last year. The less time an opposing quarterback has to throw, the better the corners look.

"If you can get pressure on the quarterback with a four-man pass rush, which we are hopeful we can do more, then that's going to let those corners be a lot better in coverage," Franchione said.

E-mail rcohen@dallasnews.com

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I havn't read it yet, but here it is.

[polish]

Shes right, shes always dead on about the aggies