COLLEGE STATION -- Above one of the entrances to Kyle Field, there is a list of championships won by the Texas A&M football program. The most prominent item acknowledges the school's 1939 national title.
By January, linebacker Garrick Williams believes an update could be in order.
"It absolutely can happen this year. We have the senior leadership," said Williams, one of nine seniors among 18 returning starters from a 9-4 team that harbors hope of winning the BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9 in New Orleans. "We all think that this season could be beyond special."
The key, said Williams -- A&M's top returning tackler (112) -- rests with how much the Aggies embrace a sense of urgency.
"It's my job to come out there and be the one that sets the tone and brings energy every day," Williams said. "We're trying to get the senior mentality to spread throughout the whole team."
Key senior proponents of that message on offense include Cyrus Gray, A&M's top returning rusher (1,133 yards, 12 TDs); Jeff Fuller, the Aggies' top returning receiver (1,066 receiving yards, 12 TDs) and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has heard plenty from fans about his unique situation as a senior starter.
Tannehill, who posted a 5-1 record in six starts last season, is slated to become A&M's fifth senior starter at quarterback in the past decade. The first four struggled, with A&M failing to post winning records in the senior seasons of Mark Farris (6-6 in 2002), Reggie McNeal (5-6 in 2005) and Stephen McGee (4-8 in 2008). The Aggies finished 9-4 last season in large part because Tannehill replaced incumbent Jerrod Johnson, who was 4-3 at the time of his benching.
Tannehill dismissed fans' concerns about a "curse" impacting an A&M quarterback's senior season.
"I've heard it but I don't believe in curses, or anything like that," Tannehill said. "It's just a matter of taking what comes to you and making the best of it ... We want to have a great season and winning nine games again is not great. The goal is to win all 12 games. We're excited about the opportunity we have."
Without question, the Aggies, who last won a Big 12 title in 1998, have issues to solve. No Big 12 offense had more turnovers last season than A&M (30). The special teams struggled.
But the offensive line is solid, there is a deep collection of play-making receivers and tailback Christine Michael, who missed the team's last five games with a broken tibia in 2010, is back to share carries with Gray. Both players envision topping the 1,000-yard rushing mark this season, cementing their status as one of the nation's top tailback tandems.
"I don't want to jinx anybody or ourselves," said Gray, a senior from DeSoto. "But we're looking forward to that challenge. We share carries and don't even care who gets them. We motivate each other."
Barring injuries, the A&M offense has the difference-makers to exceed last year's average of 31.2 points per game. If the defense, which returns eight starters, can cut into last year's scoring average (21.9), the Aggies could emerge as players on the national stage.
"We all have the goal to be national champions," said Damontre Moore, one member of a multi-player rotation to replace defensive end/linebacker Von Miller, the Big 12 sack leader the past two seasons. "When we're in meetings, we talk about that."
Especially the seniors, who are enjoying their first taste of heightened preseason expectations in their fourth season at the school.
"I feel like the sky is the limit for us this year," Fuller said. "It definitely feels good to have people say nice things about you. The focal point is to prove it this year."
Jimmy Burch, 817-390-7760
Five storylines to watch
2. Ryan Tannehill seeks to reverse a recent trend that has seen A&M's past four senior QBs struggle in their final seasons in Aggieland (Mark Farris, Reggie McNeal, Stephen McGee, Jerrod Johnson).
3. A&M seeks improvement on special teams, an area of weakness last season and during its spring game. The Aggies finished last in net punting (34.0 avg.) among Big 12 teams in 2010.
4. A&M must retool its pass rush without LB/DE Von Miller, the Big 12 sack leader in 2009 (17) and 2010 (10.5).
5. Although A&M knocked off two Top 10 teams last November in College Station (Oklahoma, Nebraska), the Aggies are 0-6 against Top 25 opponents when playing away from Kyle Field under Sherman.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/23/3308945/am-has-two-goals-one-a-national.html#ixzz1VuDPoYRb
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