#34 Texas A&M Aggies Preview
Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview. #34 – Texas A&M Aggies 5-6 SU; 4-6 ATS Fargo’s Take Head coach Dennis Franchione is in his fourth season at Texas A&M and this is his most important year. After coming through with a solid 2004 campaign and a 7-5 record, expectations were big last season especially with 17 returning starters. The Aggies started the season 5-2 but four straight losses ended the year earlier than expected and put coach Fran on the hot seat. The defense was a disaster last season, finishing 107th in the country in total defense and 94th in scoring defense. That prompted the firing of three defensive coaches and the hiring of former Western Michigan head coach Gary Darnell as defensive coordinator. There will be a new scheme in place and things really have no where to go but up. Offensively, Texas A&M must replace quarterback Reggie McNeal but the unit should be just fine as there are seven players returning along with others who were injured most if not all of last season. A bowl game is a must to save Franchione’s job and that should not be a problem with a relatively easy schedule to start the season. Returning Starters on Offense – 7 Replacing McNeal should not be a problem as sophomore Stephen McGee takes over after getting some crucial playing time last year. Most of his experience came against Oklahoma and Texas after McNeal went down with an injury so getting thrown right into the fire will definitely be beneficial. The offensive line returns four starters and will be one of the best units in the Big XII. Running behind that experienced line will be senior tailback Courtney Lewis, who rushed for 723 yards on a solid 6.6 ypc a season ago and sophomore Jorvorskie Lane, who led the team with nine touchdowns last year. The passing game will benefit from the return of three players who missed action in 2005, led by senior wideout Chad Schroeder. Tight end Marellus Bennett is a huge target and has the potential to be one of the best in the conference at his position. Returning Starters on Defense – 6 Despite returning eight starters last season, the Aggies struggled on defense especially down the stretch as they allowed 43.5 ppg in their final four games. Darnell has brought in a 4-2-5 defensive package which should be able to improve the passing defense that finished 117th in the country last year. Only two starters are back and the depth is very thin in the secondary. Texas A&M allowed opponents to complete over 60 percent of their throws, the second time in three years it has allowed at least 60 percent so the new base defense was implemented to cut that down. Even so, the unit is considered the worst in the conference heading into the season. The Aggies were solid against the run, finishing 43rd in the nation and with three starters returning along the defensive line, they should be even better. Leading returning tackler Justin Warren returns at linebacker while the other spot will be headed by 25-year old JUCO transfer Mark Dodge. Schedule If there is one thing that can get the Aggies back to a bowl, it is the very soft schedule that they possess. This team has the possibility of winning its first eight games but it will have to pull a couple minor upsets along the way. Texas A&M starts the year with four home games and a neutral site game against Army in San Antonio. Besides Army, the other non-conference games are against The Citadel, La-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech. The Aggies will be 4-0 heading into their Big XII opener at home against Texas Tech, a team that destroyed them last year by 39 points. Three of the next four games are on the road against Kansas, Oklahoma St. and Baylor and all three can be won. The end of the season is extremely tough with back-to-back home games against Oklahoma and Nebraska followed by the season finale the day after Thanksgiving at Texas. You can bet on… With the setup of the schedule, if the Aggies are not bowl eligible by the end of October, Franchione might not even be around to see the end of the season. Everything is in place for a quick start and while 8-0 is a possibility, if the defense can somehow show dramatic improvements, a 10-0 start is not that outlandish. The defensive improvement is a big if however. As a road underdog, the Aggies have been putrid, going 3-16 against the number since 1999. Taking advantage of this might be a problem this season as the Aggies have only four true road games and the only game they will definitely be getting points in is the last game of the season against Texas. The road team has covered only once in the last eight meetings in the series against the Longhorns.
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