Aggies play host to Rice to open 2013 season

Courtesy of the Houston Chronicle

By Joseph Duarte

Rice will open the 2013 football season Aug. 31 against Texas A&M in College Station, marking the first meeting between the two schools since the breakup of the Southwest Conference.

“Rice and Texas A&M have a deep tradition on the football field and we are excited about the chance to renew this series next year,” Rice athletic director Rick Greenspan said. “I hear from so many of our fans who relish the memories of those great games in our history and I know how much it will mean to them to once again make the trip up to College Station to see us play.”

Rice and Texas A&M first met in football in 1914 and a year later the two schools were part of the original group of eight institutions that formed the Southwest Conference.

A&M beat the Owls 17-10 in their last meeting on Nov. 9, 1995, at Rice Stadium. The following season, the Aggies joined the Big 12 and Rice began play in the Western Athletic Conference.

The last time the Owls beat the Aggies was a 10-6 win Oct. 25, 1980, in College Station. A&M leads the all-time series 50-27-3.

The Owls will have to drop one of their existing four non-conference games. Texas A&M was originally scheduled to open the 2013 season Aug. 31 at Florida International.

Texas A&M notebook: Sumlin's practices have Ags amped up

By Brent Zwerneman

Updated 09:45 p.m., Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Courtesy of the Houston Chronicle

COLLEGE STATION - The voice rose above the din of Texas A&M's football drills, in perfect pitch with Jason Aldean's "Tattoos on This Town" blaring over four massive speakers lining the Coolidge practice fields.

For good measure, the Aggies' Dustin Harris, who knew every rollicking word of the Aldean anthem, threw in a few strums of air guitar before dropping into a cornerback's stance and grooving along with the next drill.

If the country crooner Aldean wasn't to everyone's liking during practice - and he wasn't - Eminem's "Not Afraid" was up next on the playlist, one of a heavy dose of rap offerings along Wellborn Road and the railroad tracks in a locale best known musically for the patriotic strains of the Aggie Band.

"It's enjoyable," senior linebacker Jonathan Stewartsaid of listening to music - loud music - throughout every practice. "It's different, but it gets more of a vibe going during practice. And when you get tired, music is a motivation."

New coach Kevin Sumlin began blaring music last year while with the Houston Cougars.

"And we won 13 games," he said, smiling.

There's a method to the music madness, with the idea that it also creates confusion on the field and helps players learn to communicate better in what Sumlin aptly described as the unsterile environment of a football game day. One key figure adjusting to the music is defensive coordinator Mark Snyder.

"Maybe I didn't hear it because the music was playing, but you want to hear communication out there so everybody is on the same page," Snyder said following the first day of practice in regard to what his defense needed to work on early.

As for the wide-ranging selections?

"That's coach Sumlin's iPod," said offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was with Sumlin at UH. "He does a good job with those."

'Whatever works ...'

Meanwhile, Billy Pickard, a retired facilities manager who's been around A&M football since the Bear Bryant days of the mid-1950s, said the music during practice is certainly "different." He added with a smile, "But whatever works …"

Sumlin and Kingsbury certainly vouch for its effectiveness.

"Especially during the dog days of summer, when the players hear a song and they get pumped up instead of there being quiet and a lot of panting going on," Kingsbury said.

There's been plenty of panting, too, over the first few days of practice, as the players adjust not only to the music but the up-tempo pace of the proceedings.

"It's been a shock," senior receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu said of the frenetic repetitions during a Sumlin practice. "But we've adjusted."

Pushing the plays

"The tempo is crazy compared to last year," offensive tackle Luke Joeckel said. "It feels like we're running a hundred plays a minute and trying to wear out the defense."

The good news is both sides have a wide variety of tunes helping push them along.

"The music amps everyone up," Joeckel said.

And offers a closet crooner like Harris, who hails from Livingston, the chance to revel in his country side.

brent.zwerneman@chron.com twitter.com/brentzwerneman

Texas A&M Football Notebook

By DAVID HARRIS
david.harris@theeagle.com
 
The Texas A&M football team practiced for more than two hours Tuesday afternoon on the Coolidge Practice Fields. The team wore full pads for the first time.
*
Quarterbacks moving along: In the limited time available to the media, A&M ran six live snaps. Johnny Manziel took three snaps with the first team. On his first pass, he completed a long pass to wide receiver Mike Evans. Freshman Matt Davis took three snaps with the second team. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said it's too early to tell anything, though he's impressed with how all four guys -- Manziel, Davis, Matt Joeckel and Jameill Showers -- are improving and settling in.
"We're feeling everybody out right now," Kingsbury said. "I think the system they had in before had some similar concepts, so it's been a smooth transition thus far. They're all competing hard and all have bought in."
Offensive tackle Luke Joeckel said he's been impressed with the maturation of the four young bucks.
"Watching them on film, they've been moving along very well," he said. "They're way ahead what any of us thought they would be."
Kingsbury went on to talk about the importance of the quarterback in his offensive system, saying the QB often decides at the line if it will be a run or pass play. That takes a smart player, and he gave Mike Sherman credit for increasing the players' knowledge of the position.
"With young quarterbacks, it will be a transition period," Kingsbury said. "But Sherman did a great job developing quarterbacks and they're a smart group."
*
Offensive tempo will be fast: Luke Joeckel was still huffing and puffing after he came off the practice field. He said it's something he has to get used to on the offensive side of the ball because Kingsbury's system is relentless.
"The tempo is just crazy," Joeckel said. "We run 100 plays every minute. We're trying to tire out the defense. It helps the tackles a lot because toward the end of the game, the pass rush will be a lot slower."
Kingsbury expects mistakes in the first few practices, but he's happy with the players' attitude regarding his system.
"It's a process. It's not going to hit right on," he said. "They're buying in and doing what we ask and that's all you can ask as a coach."
Joeckel's just as excited about confusing opposing defenses come Aug. 30.
"We're going to be so fast, they won't be able to get any rotation going."
*
Junior running back Christine Michael wore a black jersey, along with the quarterbacks. He participated in drills but didn't take any hits as he's recovering from a knee injury that ended his season in 2011. Junior defensive back Dustin Harris wasn't in pads but did participate in some individual drills with the cornerbacks.
*
The starting secondary at the beginning of Tuesday's practice included sophomores DeShazor Everett, Floyd Raven, and Howard Matthews, and senior Steven Terrell. That will likely change as both Harris and Senior Steven Campbell are out of action with injuries.

Football Season Tickets Sold Out

The Texas A&M athletics department announced today (March 27) that season tickets for the 2012 football campaign are sold out.

Courtesy: Texas A&M Athletics

Release: 03/27/2012

COLLEGE STATION, TX - The Texas A&M athletics department announced today (March 27) that season tickets for the 2012 football campaign are sold out. This is the earliest sellout of season tickets in school history. The 2012 season marks the inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for Texas A&M.  Kyle Field will play host to a six-game home schedule highlighted by visits from our conference foes Florida (Sept. 8), Arkansas (Sept. 29), LSU (Oct. 20) and Missouri (Nov. 24).
"As we enter the league of champions, Aggies are stepping up to support their school in the same fashion as our new peers," said Director of Athletics Bill Byrne. "We appreciate the investment that our former students and fans are making in our football program. The excitement and anticipation surrounding the 118^th season of Aggie football is at an all-time high heading into the SEC."
No additional season ticket inventory is available at this time for individuals wanting to purchase new seats.  If current season ticket holders do not renew their season tickets, those seats will be offered to 12th Man Foundation members in July.  For more information on joining the 12th Man Foundation, visitwww.12thmanfoundation.com or call toll-free (888) 826-1284.

Jackson returns to A&M to get players into better shape

Courtesy of aggiesports.com

By DAVID HARRIS
david.harris@theeagle.com 

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S.Villanueva

Former Texas A&M football player Larry Jackson is now the strength and conditioning coach for the Aggies.

Texas A&M strength and conditioning coach Larry Jackson had a short, succinct response when asked about his specific job description.

"My job is to make sure the other team gets tired first," he said adamantly from his perch in the Netum Steed Laboratory.

Jackson was a standout linebacker at A&M from 1991-1994 and went on to play in the NFL for three seasons. The former Rockdale High standout still looks the part. But in his office he's wearing glasses that give him the look of the wise, elder statesman returning to the same weight room he used.

Jackson loved to work out as a player. After his playing days were finished in 1998, Jackson hadn't the slightest idea what he wanted to do. He was invited back to mirror former A&M strength coach Mike Clark for a week, which was plenty of time for him to get hooked.

"After the second day, I knew it was what I wanted to do," he said.

It was as Clark's assistant in 2001 that Jackson met current A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, who was coaching Aggie wide receivers. The two immediately hit it off and Sumlin made a promise to Jackson.

"He told me if he ever got a head coaching job," Jackson said, "he wanted me to be his head strength and conditioning coach."

Sumlin was hired at Oklahoma after former A&M head coach R.C. Slocum was relieved of his duties following the 2002 season. Sumlin convinced OU head coach Bob Stoops to interview Jackson. Stoops had led the Sooners to two national championship games in four seasons, so Jackson listened. He also was enticed by the opportunity to work under Jerry Schmidt, one of the best in the business who was named the 1991 Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year by USA Fitness. Schmidt also had worked at Notre Dame, Nebraska and Florida.

"The strength coaches that are really good and really develop the players, their teams are winning and have been winning for while," Jackson said. "Everywhere [Schmidt] went, they won national championships."

Jackson's prospects brightened as Sumlin was promoted from special teams coordinator and tight ends coach to co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. That prepared him to be hired as head coach at the University of Houston when Art Briles left for Baylor. Sumlin was true to his word and took Jackson with him.

"I needed to become a head guy," Jackson said. "I needed to run my own program and prove to everybody else that I could run my own program."

Jackson's approach is predicated on building the core and the hips. To him, it is the engine of the locomotive that is a football player. Without it, everything else fails.

"When a player's hips get tired, the ability to play, to run around, to stay low, they lose that ability because their hips are weak," he said. "That's what ties the top and bottom together. You can bench or squat all you want, but if you can't tie it together you have no chance to win."

Jackson aims to prevents his teams from withering in the second half of games. He said anybody can play in the first half -- when the buildup, adrenaline and crowd contribute to a player's energy level. But the true testament to a strength and conditioning program is what happens after the teams come back out of the locker room.

"My number one goal is that my athletes outlast the other team," he said.

In Jackson's six seasons at Houston, the Cougars outscored opponents by a total of 486 points after halftime. Last season, as Jackson watched his alma mater collapse in the second half of five losses, Jackson couldn't help but get angry. Watching the Aggies get outscored by 47 points after halftime made him wince.

"It made me hungry," he said. "It made it personal for me because someone else was teaching my little brothers what I didn't think was right."

After Sumlin was hired by A&M, Jackson followed him back to Netum Steed.

"Getting the chance to come back here and train my little brothers and teach them how to fight, that's personal," he said. "Coming back to my alma mater, this is not business. It's personal."

Sumlin trusts Jackson. Before spring practice began Saturday, Jackson was in charge of the players for six out of eight hours allowed to the coaches each week. When the team breaks for the summer, Jackson will run another eight-week program while the other coaches can't have contact with the players.

"He's as important a coach as we have," Sumlin said.

Jackson is challenging the players in ways they've never been challenged. He's been surprised with how well they've adjusted. He said it helps that the players understand the challenge of getting ready to play in the Southeastern Conference, the country's most physical league that's produced the last six national champions.

"They know what they have facing them and they jumped right in," he said.

Linebacker Sean Porter calls Jackson a players' coach who's not afraid to discipline the guys. Porter said there's a certain amount of innate respect for a coach who has been there.

"It's good to have a coach who actually played football and played at a high level," Porter said. "It's good to have coaches around that have been through the things that you want to do."

Jackson is confident in his program because he's seen it work.

"He tells me we don't need to have a conditioning test when we start fall camp because he's had them for eight weeks [before then]," Sumlin said. "He said 'the test is me, if they're not ready to go, you let me go,' which is a pretty damn bold statement."

Want bold? Jackson assures the Aggie faithful that second-half collapses are not going to become habitual on his watch.

"We're not going to lose a game because we're tired," he said. 

Spring Football Notebook

By DAVID HARRIS 
david.harris@theeagle.com 
Courtesy of aggiesports.com

The skinny on practice No. 2: The Texas A&M football team was in shorts, jerseys and helmets and practiced for nearly two hours Monday on the Coolidge Grass Practice Fields.

*

Tempo, tempo, tempo: The biggest thing to come out of Saturday's first practice was the up-tempo style under first-year head coach Kevin Sumlin. The team seemed to struggle a bit, which was to be expected. Monday was better.

"They knew where they were going today," Sumlin said. "The tempo was better and it should be, on and off the field, getting lined up. We're installing new stuff on offense and defense, so that's part of it."

*

Senior wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu said the pace is fast, furious and relentless.

"It was a shock, I think we adjusted pretty well," he said. "The receivers, we're constantly running routes. There's no time taken off. It's about getting our bodies in shape to keep running routes and training our bodies to keep going."

Nwachukwu said there's another noticeable change, offensively, as the team participates in more drills that work on fundamentals.

"We have a lot more individual time to work on the fundamentals to work on getting off the ball," he said.

*

Pads Tuesday: The team will be in shoulder pads Tuesday afternoon.

"The sounds are different and there is actually collisions," he said. "Some guys play better, the game slows down for some guys and some guys disappear."

Sumlin is eager to see the team in pads.

"Tomorrow will be another deal where we have to learn to practice in pads," he said. "How you do that is as important as anything? You've got to be physical, pound on each other but not be unnecessary."

*

Limiting drops: Last season, A&M's receivers dropped nearly 60 passes.

"That's not an option and we've addressed that a whole lot," Nwachukwu said.

The receivers have been practicing by catching tennis balls after practice to help build fingertip strength. Another change from the past is that, for every drop, a receiver has to do five fingertip pushups and has to lead the offense in up-downs -- hitting the ground and bouncing back up -- after practice.

*

Et cetera: Freshman Matt Davis, sophomore Matt Joeckel, redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel and sophomore Jameill Showers are all battling for starting quarterback.

"We have to keep those guys positive," Nwachukwu said. "It's tough on them. They're kind of young and everybody's looking at them to make this play, not make this play. Keep them focused and mentally prepared because it is a struggle and there is a lot of pressure on those guys."

Sophomore offensive lineman Jarvis Harrison, senior defensive back Steven Campbell, freshman linebacker Kenneth Marshall, senior defensive back Dustin Harris, sophomore linebacker Tyrell Taylor and junior tight end Nehemiah Hicks were among those who didn't fully participate in Monday's drills. 

A&M starts spring football drills

Published Saturday, March 31, 2012 12:19 AM

Courtesy of Aggiesports.com

By ROBERT CESSNA
robert.cessna@theeagle.com

The Texas A&M football season that will kick off what's been dubbed a "100-year decision" as the Aggies head to the Southeastern Conference gets under way with spring drills Saturday that will fall in line with the theme of changes.

Kevin Sumlin is in as head coach, replacing Mike Sherman, who was fired after four seasons. Sumlin led the nation in total offense and passing two of the last three seasons at the University of Houston. Sumlin has embraced the opportunity for his wide-open attack going against the defensive-minded SEC, especially the Western Division. The Aggies will annually battle Alabama, Auburn and LSU, which have helped the SEC win the last six national championships, along with Florida, which will be at Kyle Field on Sept. 8 when the Aggies play their first SEC game.

In preparing for the rigors of the SEC, Sumlin delayed the start of spring training to allow his director of football sports performance, Larry Jackson, to spend eight weeks getting the players in the best possible shap, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when A&M lost second-half leads in five of six games, including 17- and 18-point deficits to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, respectively.

"The bigger and stronger that you are, the more confident you are, and you make pretty good decisions when you are not tired," Sumlin said.

Jackson came with Sumlin from Houston along with Clarence McKinney, running backs coach/recruiting coordinator; B.J. Anderson, offensive line coach; and Kliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. That will make the transition smoother, but A&M had good offensive numbers last season, averaging 490.2 yards per game which was seventh in the country, just over a hundred yards behind UH.

The big challenge for Sumlin is on defense where he's hired Mark Snyder as coordinator. Snyder is changing A&M's base alignment from a 3-4 to a 4-3. A&M led the nation in sacks last season with 51, but tied for 106th in turnover margin.

Aggie fans won't get to see all the new coaches and the new schemes until April 14, one of three scrimmages that will be open to the public. Sumlin is closing practices.

"It's a chance for us to really hone in what we want to do," Sumlin said.

Here are five areas the Aggies need major improvement in during A&M's spring drills.

1. Mental toughness: Head coach Kevin Sumlin noticed during the Meineke Car Care Bowl that after Northwestern cut A&M's 23-point lead to 30-22 in the fourth quarter there was an "oh, here we go again" feeling. He's right. It's been there for about a decade, really starting in 2002 -- his last year as an assistant here -- when A&M could beat top-ranked Oklahoma one week, then the next week lose to a Missouri team that was 1-5 in the Big 12. Sumlin, though, has seen the swagger when A&M went 90-32-1 from 1992-2001. He's also been part of Oklahoma's swagger (54-13 from 2003-07). Now he needs to bring that swagger to Aggieland to put behind a decade of underachieving (64-60).

2. Physical toughness: Forget the head coach. A&M needs to hire the country's best strength and conditioning coach. Former A&M head coach Mike Sherman got former strength and conditioning coach Dave Kennedy a $90,000 raise last year to $250,000 because he didn't want to lose him. Sumlin's in and Kennedy's out, though he's still owed money, and Sumlin pushes drills back to give his guy, Larry Jackson, time to get the players in shape for the country's most physical conference. This is nothing new. Dennis Franchione brought in two strength coaches, first Ben Pollard and then Rod Cole. It won't take long next season to see if Jackson is the best of the group.

3. Mark Snyder front and center: Everyone is talking about Sumlin's high-powered offense and who will be the next Case Keenum, but Aggies appreciate and demand good defense. The fan base seemed split on losing former defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who was hired as head coach at Fresno State. He was loved in 2010 as A&M went 9-4 and was 55th in total defense (364.3 ypg), a 50-spot improvement. But last year the Aggies slipped to 59th (378.2 ypg) and no one was saying Wrecking Crew. Snyder will have his hands full in getting A&M ready to compete in a league that had half the teams in the Top 10 last year in total defense -- No. 1 Alabama (183.6 ypg), No. 2 LSU (261.5 ypg), No. 3 South Carolina (275.0 ypg), No. 5 Georgia (277.2 ypg) and No. 8 Florida (299.4 ypg).

4. Find a starting quarterback: Sumlin said he probably won't make a decision on Ryan Tannehill's replacement until the fall, which is a good move. Competition sure helped Tannehill. It will be interesting to see how Sumlin handles a four-way battle. He said that's one reason he closed practice, allowing the players and coaches to focus.Eagle readers are giving Johnny Manziel the starting nod over Jameill Showers by about 100 votes. You can vote at Aggiesports.com. Some say this is the most pressing issue of the spring, but with a veteran offensive line and several good receivers, along with the expertise of Sumlin's offense, you just expect A&M to have a QB who throws for 5,000 yards.

5: The go-to receiver would be?: When you throw for 6,301 yards as Houston did last year, there's a slew of receivers with gaudy numbers -- three receivers had at least 87 catches, but Patrick Edwards, from Hearne, was clearly the go-to guy with 1,752 yards and 20 touchdowns. A&M thought it had a go-to guy last year in Jeff Fuller, but he was nagged by injuries and had a disappointing season. A&M's Ryan Swope (89 catches-1,207 yards, 11 TDs) had good numbers last year, but is he ready to elevate his game? And is he ready to take a beating from those physical SEC defenders?

A&M FOOTBALL

Spring schedule (all practices closed except for three scrimmages): March 31, April 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 14 (11 a.m. scrimmage), 16, 18, 20 (8 p.m. scrimmage), 23, 25, 26, 28 (1 p.m. Maroon & White Game).

Returning offensive starters: LT Luke Joeckel, 6-6, 310, jr. (26 career starts); LG Brian Thomas, 6-3, 315, sr. (25 career starts); C Patrick Lewis, 6-2, 306, sr. (35 career starts); RG Cedric Ogbuehi, 6-5, 292, soph. (5 career starts); RT Jake Matthews, 6-5, 305, jr. (20 career starts); TE Nehemiah Hicks, 6-4, 249, jr. (12 catches-106 yards); WR Uzoma Nwachukwu, 6-0, 194, sr. (50 catches-639 yards, 2 TDs); WR Ryan Swope, 6-0, 206, sr. (89 catches-1,207 yards, 11 TDs); RB Christine Michael, 5-11, 213, sr. (149 carries-899 yards,6.0 avg., 8 TDs)

Returning defensive starters: E Spencer Nealy, 6-5, 277, sr. (45 tackles, 8 TFL); E Damontre Moore, 6-4, 245, jr. (72 tackles, 17.5 TFL); LB Steven Jenkins, 6-2, 220, sr. (61 tackles); LB Jonathan Stewart, 6-4, 237, sr. (98 tackles); LB Sean Porter, 6-2, 230, sr. (79 tackles, 17 TFL)

Specialists returning: P Ryan Epperson, 6-2, 191, sr. (41.2 avg. on 52); Dustin Harris, 6-0, 175, sr. (18 PR-335 yards, 18.6 avg., TD and 16 KOR-374 yards, 23.4)

Texas A&M: Sumlin era begins with spring practice

By Brent Zwerneman

Updated 09:09 p.m., Saturday, March 31, 2012

Courtesy of The Houston Chronicle

 

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M football was awash in newness on Saturday - starting with the Southeastern Conference patch on the Aggies' practice jerseys.

"We take a lot of pride in that," receiver Ryan Swopesaid, noting the "SEC" on his shoulder. "It's going to be an exciting year, and we're excited to start new things here."

The newness also included the first spring practice under coach Kevin Sumlin, hired from Houston to refresh a program that had wallowed in mediocrity over the past decade.

"This is great for me, because I'm off the speaking tour," a smiling Sumlin said of finally starting spring drills. "Now I get to coach football and don't have to go all over the place. That's the reason I'm here - not to make speeches and do all of that stuff but to coach football.

"For me, personally, this was a lot of fun."

Sumlin had waited longer than nearly any coach in the country to start spring practice so new strength and conditioning coach Larry Jackson could spend as much time with the players over the past two months.

"That was as important as what happened today," Sumlin said. "Because if you don't (condition properly), the tempo and things we're trying to do become a waste of time because you're not in shape to do them."

Sumlin had more reason to smile with the somewhat unexpected return of senior running backChristine Michael to the field for the first time since he suffered a torn left ACL on Nov. 5. Michael was leading the team in rushing with 899 yards and averaging 6 yards a carry.

"He's way ahead of where I thought he would be," Sumlin said of Michael's rehabilitation. "I had to tell him to go sit down (during drills), and I look back up and he's in there. He wants to play."

Meanwhile, loud music signaled the start of the Sumlin era on Saturday.

"It's an energy booster, but it also creates confusion," Sumlin said of the perpetual tunes during practice. "We don't play football in a sterile environment. It's very loud and guys have to communicate, and we wanted to start that process today."

The Aggies have 14 practices remaining, including the annual Maroon & White game at Kyle Field on April 28.

brent.zwerneman@chron.com twitter.combrentzwerneman