Published Tuesday, September 13, 2011 12:26 AM
A&M head football coach Mike Sherman could have some delicate
decisions to make Saturday if his team performs up to expectations
against Idaho.
By ROBERT CESSNAThe Aggies are 361/2-point picks over the Vandals. And if ninth-ranked A&M builds a comfortable lead it likely will rest its starters in preparation for next week's Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State, which kicks off a brutal stretch where the Aggies could play five ranked teams in seven games.
A tricky part Saturday at Kyle Field could be how deep Sherman goes on his depth chart, especially when it comes to the true freshmen. Only four -- defensive back Deshazor Everett, strong safety Howard Matthews, and outside linebackers Tyrell Taylor and Shaun Ward -- played in the 46-14 victory over Southern Methodist. Matthews, Taylor and Ward are on A&M's two-deep chart, but they also contribute on special teams along with Everett. The quartet will play enough in the kicking game to warrant not being redshirted this season.
Another true freshman who could play this week is Ben Compton, who moved from center to defensive tackle. He'll back up senior Eddie Brown Jr. and sophomore Kirby Ennis. Depth at defensive tackle became a concern when junior college transfer LaMarc Strahan didn't make it to campus, and sophomore Stephen Barrera hasn't recovered from a hip injury that forced him to miss last season.
Sherman said he'll play freshmen if they can get enough snaps to warrant it. That's why Compton and punter Drew Kaser are strong candidates to play against Idaho, because defensive tackle and punter are areas of concern.
A couple of sophomores who might have benefited from a redshirt last season are Shep Klinke and Nate Askew. Klinke, who started at right guard over senior Evan Eike against SMU, played in only three games last year -- blowout victories over Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech and Kansas. Askew played in seven games, mainly on special teams. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Askew, who is looking for his first collegiate catch, is the backup to junior Uzoma Nwachukwu on the side opposite senior Jeff Fuller.
"I look at Shep Klinke and I feel terrible because last year I thought he'd play a lot more than he did," Sherman said. "Nate Askew, I thought he'd play a lot more than he did. I played them, and they didn't get the reps in games that I thought they were going to get, so they didn't play a whole lot and they lost that year of eligibility. So we're very, very careful on that."
This wasn't a problem in Sherman's first three seasons, as he didn't have any depth, which is why he played 27 true freshmen, including a school-record 18 in 2009. Now that's changed as A&M has eight redshirt freshmen on its depth chart.
A&M probably would have been 9-4 last season even if Askew and Klinke hadn't played, and odds are they would have been much more valuable as redshirt seniors in 2014, which is why Sherman and his staff will look long and hard before playing any freshman this season.
Not surprisingly, the Texas Longhorns played 18 true freshmen in Saturday's 17-16 victory over Brigham Young, which was the most in head coach Mack Brown's 14 seasons in Austin. The Horns, coming off a 5-7 season, need to win games now. Before, Brown would could pick and choose when he played freshmen.
*
Sophomore outside linebacker Damontre Moore will play against Idaho, Sherman said. Moore, who was arrested for marijuana possession in June, didn't suit out for SMU.
He'll be a welcome addition. Moore had 39 tackles last year, including 5.5 sacks.
"Damontre is going through a maturation process," defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. "He stubbed his toe and had to pay a penalty for it. He's a guy with really, really big upside, but he's a guy that has to be more consistent."
Moore will split time with junior Caleb Russell at the spot vacated by Butkus Award winner Von Miller.
DeRuyter said inside linebacker remains a position in flux after SMU running back Zach Line had 108 yards rushing on 15 carries in the first half. Senior Garrick Williams and sophomore Charlie Thomas will start with juniors Jonathan Stewart and Steven Jenkins the backups.
*
Junior Kyle Mangan is on the move again, back to fullback where he spent his redshirt freshman season before switching to defense at middle linebacker in a 4-3 alignment in 2009, then inside linebacker in the 3-4 last year.
Mangan, who was competing for a starting berth at inside linebacker, had two tackles against SMU.
He'll now compete at fullback with junior Tommy Dorman, who came to A&M as a quarterback, moved to linebacker and has been at tight end.
*
Don't expect to see junior tight end Michael Lamothe play against Idaho. Lamothe missed the second half of the SMU game with a concussion.
"We will keep him out of contact this week and then evaluate him to the latter part of the week," Sherman said.
Lamothe and sophomore Hutson Prioleau were listed as co-starters. Lamothe lined up at fullback a few times against SMU as the lead blocker for tailbacks Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael.
*
Junior Ryan Epperson is the starting punter, but the position remains up for grabs.
Sherman said he wanted to use Kaser against SMU, but A&M netted 39.5 yards the only two times it punted to tie for 35th in the country, a vast improvement from last year's 34.0, which was 99th in the country.
And if A&M dominates Idaho as expected -- only Alabama as a 46-point favorite over North Texas is a bigger favorite -- punting could be somewhat iffy heading into the Oklahoma State game.
*
SMU's Margus Hunt (6-8, 295), who blocked two extra points against the Aggies, blocked a 33-yard field goal in a 28-17 victory over UTEP.
"I've got to give the kid credit, he has a knack for doing it, but I don't think we were very good at what we were doing either," Sherman said.
Hunt has 13 career blocked kick (7 FGs, 6 PATs), which ties for third in NCAA history.
*
The A&M-Oklahoma State game will be televised by ABC at 2:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.
A&M-Idaho is on FSN's per-per-view.
* Robert Cessna's email address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com
No comments:
Post a Comment