TwelfthAG
07-20-2005, 08:14 AM
http://www.aggiesports.com/football/news/072005mediadays.htm
The Texas A&M football team must find a way to negotiate a tough road schedule and learn to run the football against Top 20 defenses for success in 2005, said head coach Dennis Franchione at Tuesday’s 2005 Big 12 Conference Football Media Days.
A&M had the nation’s seventh-largest turnaround in 2004, going from 4-8 to 7-5. Improvement in protecting the football helped. A&M had only 13 turnovers in 12 games to tie for seventh in the nation in turnover ratio.
The seven victories, including five in the Big 12, earned the Aggies a Cotton Bowl berth, ending the program’s two-year bowl hiatus.
Bigger things are predicted this year for A&M, which has been picked in the Top 25 by six major preseason polls — Street & Smith’s (No. 17), Blue Ribbon Yearbook (No. 24), Lindy’s Football (No. 16), The Sporting News (No. 14), CBS Sportsline (No. 17) and Conference Call (No. 10).
For A&M to live up to those predictions, the ball protection must continue, and the Aggies need good play in tough environments along with an improved running game, Franchione said.
The Aggies open the season Sept. 3 at Clemson. Their other road games are Colorado, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
“ With our schedule, we can take the next step, and maybe not show it on our record,” Franchione said.
A more balanced offense might help.
A&M’s offense ranked second in the conference in passing yards per game, but only sixth in rushing.
“ We have to be able to get our share of the rushing yards against the top teams in the conference, I think, to put balance in our offense,” Franchione said. “[That] will keep really good defenses out of tune just a little bit, so we can have success moving the football, not just be one-sided so much.”
Oklahoma was sixth in the nation last year against the run, allowing only 94.6 yards per game. Texas was 16th at 107.4.
The Aggies averaged 167.2 yards per game rushing last year, which was 44th in the country.
But OU limited the Aggies to 129 yards on 40 carries, while A&M had only 31 yards rushing against Texas on 25 carries. Then in the Cotton Bowl the Ags were limited to 77 yards rushing on 18 carries. A&M lost all three of those games.
“ We weren’t the only ones having problems running against those teams,” Franchione said.
A&M is counting on a healthy Courtney Lewis at running back complemented by an offensive line with four returning starters helping the running game.
NOTES — A&M was the seventh straight program Franchione won more games in his second year. This is the fourth program that Franchione has stayed longer than two years. He won 11 games in his third year at Pittsburg State (Kan.), which was the same number of games he won in the second year. He slipped from six victories at New Mexico in the second year to five the following year. He improved from an eight-win season in his second year at Texas Christian to 10 victories.
Franchione said an improved kicking game and another year of solid team play are also needed for success. … A&M was almost a consensus third pick in the Big 12 South behind Texas and Oklahoma, which were Top 10 national picks. A writer asked Franchione if the Aggies were getting overlooked this year, because of UT and OU. “I kinda like where we are,” Franchione said. The writer then asked if A&M could be a surprise. “I don’t know if you can fly underneath the radar after going to the Cotton Bowl,” Franchione said.
Former A&M coach Jackie Sherrill was working Tuesday as co-host of the Big 12’s new radio show — Conference Call, which airs for three hours Monday through Friday. The show will be broadcast locally on KZNE (1150 AM) after the Astros’ season ends. … A lot of Tuesday’s conversations was about the South Division’s domination of the North last year since Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas were the other teams.
http://www.aggiesports.com/football/news/072005mediadaysnotes.htm
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney has found a remedy for those long, sleepless nights he once had — sophomore quarterback Bret Meyer.
“ I’m sleeping better at nighttime because of the guy sitting next to me,” McCarney said Tuesday, the first of three Big 12 media days. “The maturity and hunger of this guy is tremendous.”
Meyer threw for 1,926 yards and helped the Cyclones go from 2-10 in 2003 to 7-5 and a co-Big 12 North title last season. Iowa State was the second most improved team in college football last season, and McCarney thinks Meyer is the player to keep his team on that path.
“ The upside is that he has all kinds of room to improve,” McCarney said. “He’s learning to do the little things right.”
Meyer said he’s excited to enter the season with a year of experience.
“ I definitely have a lot more confidence going into the huddle,” he said. “I feel like I know where the ball needs to go and when it needs to get there.
“ I’m more comfortable with everything.”
THE MARRIED LIFE: Joel Klatt returns for his third year as starting quarterback for Colorado after an eventful offseason. The 23-year-old Klatt married the former Sara Ordway in May.
Klatt, a junior, has made great strides since joining the team as a walk-on after spending two seasons after high school in the San Diego Padres organization. He is on pace to break almost all Colorado passing records after helping the Buffaloes to their third Big 12 North title in four seasons last year.
He thinks his recent nuptials might be his secret weapon.
“ I think it will only help because my wife is such a support for me,” he said. “As opposed to coming home and wallowing in my own thoughts of what happened here or there at night, I can come home to my wife and rest a little bit from football, which I think will be an advantage.”
The Buffaloes also will be a year removed from the recruiting scandal that engulfed the program last season, but coach Gary Barnett said dealing with that situation actually gave his team an us-against-them attitude that was positive.
“ Yes, there was some adversity last year, but coaches thrive on adversity,” Barnett said. “If you don’t, you won’t be around very long. We weathered many storms … but we’ve continued to do what we’ve been doing all along, which is to always look for ways to improve.”
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JACK OF ALL TRADES: Multitalented junior Charles Gordon plays many roles for Kansas, but he hasn’t figured out how to be in two places at once.
The Jayhawks cornerback, receiver and punt returner was scheduled to travel to Houston on Tuesday but stayed in Lawrence at the urging of his academic counselor, who thought it would be a bad idea for him to miss his summer school class.
Gordon led the Big 12 with seven interceptions last season, and Kansas coach Mark Mangino will continue to use him primarily at cornerback.
“ Because he brings so much to our team at the corner position, he will play the majority of reps on defense,” Mangino said. “But he will play a reasonable amount of snaps on offense.”
But what’s a “reasonable” amount? Mangino said Gordon could play 10 to 25 snaps per game on offense. He had 15 catches and two touchdowns on offense last season.
“ Charles is a marvelous athlete,” Mangino said. “He’s special, he really is. We just want to continue on what he’s been doing for us.”
He is second in the Jayhawks’ record books for punt return yards with 601 yards and needs just 5 more to move into first.
n
UP NEXT: Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech are scheduled for Wednesday. Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas are set for Thursday.
The Texas A&M football team must find a way to negotiate a tough road schedule and learn to run the football against Top 20 defenses for success in 2005, said head coach Dennis Franchione at Tuesday’s 2005 Big 12 Conference Football Media Days.
A&M had the nation’s seventh-largest turnaround in 2004, going from 4-8 to 7-5. Improvement in protecting the football helped. A&M had only 13 turnovers in 12 games to tie for seventh in the nation in turnover ratio.
The seven victories, including five in the Big 12, earned the Aggies a Cotton Bowl berth, ending the program’s two-year bowl hiatus.
Bigger things are predicted this year for A&M, which has been picked in the Top 25 by six major preseason polls — Street & Smith’s (No. 17), Blue Ribbon Yearbook (No. 24), Lindy’s Football (No. 16), The Sporting News (No. 14), CBS Sportsline (No. 17) and Conference Call (No. 10).
For A&M to live up to those predictions, the ball protection must continue, and the Aggies need good play in tough environments along with an improved running game, Franchione said.
The Aggies open the season Sept. 3 at Clemson. Their other road games are Colorado, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
“ With our schedule, we can take the next step, and maybe not show it on our record,” Franchione said.
A more balanced offense might help.
A&M’s offense ranked second in the conference in passing yards per game, but only sixth in rushing.
“ We have to be able to get our share of the rushing yards against the top teams in the conference, I think, to put balance in our offense,” Franchione said. “[That] will keep really good defenses out of tune just a little bit, so we can have success moving the football, not just be one-sided so much.”
Oklahoma was sixth in the nation last year against the run, allowing only 94.6 yards per game. Texas was 16th at 107.4.
The Aggies averaged 167.2 yards per game rushing last year, which was 44th in the country.
But OU limited the Aggies to 129 yards on 40 carries, while A&M had only 31 yards rushing against Texas on 25 carries. Then in the Cotton Bowl the Ags were limited to 77 yards rushing on 18 carries. A&M lost all three of those games.
“ We weren’t the only ones having problems running against those teams,” Franchione said.
A&M is counting on a healthy Courtney Lewis at running back complemented by an offensive line with four returning starters helping the running game.
NOTES — A&M was the seventh straight program Franchione won more games in his second year. This is the fourth program that Franchione has stayed longer than two years. He won 11 games in his third year at Pittsburg State (Kan.), which was the same number of games he won in the second year. He slipped from six victories at New Mexico in the second year to five the following year. He improved from an eight-win season in his second year at Texas Christian to 10 victories.
Franchione said an improved kicking game and another year of solid team play are also needed for success. … A&M was almost a consensus third pick in the Big 12 South behind Texas and Oklahoma, which were Top 10 national picks. A writer asked Franchione if the Aggies were getting overlooked this year, because of UT and OU. “I kinda like where we are,” Franchione said. The writer then asked if A&M could be a surprise. “I don’t know if you can fly underneath the radar after going to the Cotton Bowl,” Franchione said.
Former A&M coach Jackie Sherrill was working Tuesday as co-host of the Big 12’s new radio show — Conference Call, which airs for three hours Monday through Friday. The show will be broadcast locally on KZNE (1150 AM) after the Astros’ season ends. … A lot of Tuesday’s conversations was about the South Division’s domination of the North last year since Colorado, Iowa State and Kansas were the other teams.
http://www.aggiesports.com/football/news/072005mediadaysnotes.htm
Iowa State coach Dan McCarney has found a remedy for those long, sleepless nights he once had — sophomore quarterback Bret Meyer.
“ I’m sleeping better at nighttime because of the guy sitting next to me,” McCarney said Tuesday, the first of three Big 12 media days. “The maturity and hunger of this guy is tremendous.”
Meyer threw for 1,926 yards and helped the Cyclones go from 2-10 in 2003 to 7-5 and a co-Big 12 North title last season. Iowa State was the second most improved team in college football last season, and McCarney thinks Meyer is the player to keep his team on that path.
“ The upside is that he has all kinds of room to improve,” McCarney said. “He’s learning to do the little things right.”
Meyer said he’s excited to enter the season with a year of experience.
“ I definitely have a lot more confidence going into the huddle,” he said. “I feel like I know where the ball needs to go and when it needs to get there.
“ I’m more comfortable with everything.”
THE MARRIED LIFE: Joel Klatt returns for his third year as starting quarterback for Colorado after an eventful offseason. The 23-year-old Klatt married the former Sara Ordway in May.
Klatt, a junior, has made great strides since joining the team as a walk-on after spending two seasons after high school in the San Diego Padres organization. He is on pace to break almost all Colorado passing records after helping the Buffaloes to their third Big 12 North title in four seasons last year.
He thinks his recent nuptials might be his secret weapon.
“ I think it will only help because my wife is such a support for me,” he said. “As opposed to coming home and wallowing in my own thoughts of what happened here or there at night, I can come home to my wife and rest a little bit from football, which I think will be an advantage.”
The Buffaloes also will be a year removed from the recruiting scandal that engulfed the program last season, but coach Gary Barnett said dealing with that situation actually gave his team an us-against-them attitude that was positive.
“ Yes, there was some adversity last year, but coaches thrive on adversity,” Barnett said. “If you don’t, you won’t be around very long. We weathered many storms … but we’ve continued to do what we’ve been doing all along, which is to always look for ways to improve.”
n
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Multitalented junior Charles Gordon plays many roles for Kansas, but he hasn’t figured out how to be in two places at once.
The Jayhawks cornerback, receiver and punt returner was scheduled to travel to Houston on Tuesday but stayed in Lawrence at the urging of his academic counselor, who thought it would be a bad idea for him to miss his summer school class.
Gordon led the Big 12 with seven interceptions last season, and Kansas coach Mark Mangino will continue to use him primarily at cornerback.
“ Because he brings so much to our team at the corner position, he will play the majority of reps on defense,” Mangino said. “But he will play a reasonable amount of snaps on offense.”
But what’s a “reasonable” amount? Mangino said Gordon could play 10 to 25 snaps per game on offense. He had 15 catches and two touchdowns on offense last season.
“ Charles is a marvelous athlete,” Mangino said. “He’s special, he really is. We just want to continue on what he’s been doing for us.”
He is second in the Jayhawks’ record books for punt return yards with 601 yards and needs just 5 more to move into first.
n
UP NEXT: Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech are scheduled for Wednesday. Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas are set for Thursday.