ESPN College Gameday

BACK IN AGGIELAND!!!!!!!!

COLLEGE STATION, Texas- The award-winning ESPN College GameDay, built by Home Depot, is heading to College Station, Texas, for this Saturday’s (Nov. 4) football game between Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The two-hour show airs on ESPN beginning at 9 a.m. central. The football game is set to start at 7 p.m. central and will be shown on ABC.

2006 Texas A&M-Baylor football game highlights from Aggiesports.com

Video highlights for the 2006 Baylor game from Aggiesports.com. Texas A&M won the game 31-21 in Waco. Couldn't resist posting this, since we weren't on TV, and even though this looks like it was taken with Blake's camcorder from his trip to Europe in '98. Check out the Goodson run at the end.......man he's fast!!!

Week 9 wrap up

Red Faders 5-4 (2-3)
Well, I have to admit, I was feeling pretty smart when Tech jumped out to that 21-0 lead. I was even ready to change the Rick Perry audio to a vintage Mack Brown apology. Graham Harrell had the best statistical game of his career (42-62-1-519), but could only turn it into 3 TD's. How did that happen? The Faders just couldn't keep it rolling for 4 quarters. Pretty typical run-n-shoot stuff: huge passing numbers, negative rushing yards, and bad defense. Colt McCoy led a very balanced attack for the comeback. Hard to stop those guys. Interesting: Both teams ran 75 plays. Tech got just over 500 yards...UT just under 500.

Unfortunately, everything about this game was vintage Tech.


Fightin' Texas Aggies 8-1 (4-1)
The Aggie youngsters are starting to grow up. We have seen continued improvement from McGee every week, and this week was no differrent. He very well may be the best all around QB in the Big 12. We've been waiting for soph Martellus Bennett to have a breakout game at TE, and this was it, with 5 catches for 133 yards at 2 TD's, including a 75 yarder in the 1st half. We've also been waiting to witness that breakaway speed from true freshman Mike Goodson. He showed us with 96 yards on 8 carries, including a 64 yard TD to ice the game. Look for both of these guys to continue to serve up huge contributions in November.


As for my other predictions, I was way off on the OU/Mizzou game. OU may be done without Peterson and Bomar, but someone better let them know. This should be a great matchup at Kyle on Saturday. Florida/Georgia was much closer than I imagined, but the Gators got the W. I also fell short of an actual prediction, but was right on with the Okie State upset of Nebraska.

All in all, after watching the Big 12 games this weekend, I am feeling like the Aggies will have a chance to win each of our remaining three games in November. At this point, I really think A&M should go 2-1 in November.

brilliant Leach quote about t.u.

"Some people, when a certain team has a big year, they'll buy a jersey," he said. "OK, did you go there? No. Are you from Austin? No. Did you work there? No. Do you know anybody who worked there? No. Well, nice shirt, you know?"

make Mouse Davis proud!

For my weekend forecast, I will start with the biggest game of the week:

Texas @ Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have a history of playing a spoiler role since they left the Border conference in the 1940's. Leach made them feel like contenders last year with a 9-3 record, but now they are safely back on mother Earth, and right back into their comfort zone as "spoiler". With all the pressure off, the night game in Lubbock will give us a huge upset victory by the Red Raiders over the Longhorns. Tech will capitalize on some key turnovers by Colt McCoy, and Tech's offense will hum for a 41-35 win.

Texas A&M @ Baylor
This the 94th meeting between A&M and Baylor. Only the series against the Longhorns (107) is longer. The "Battle of the Brazos" looms large, after splitting overtime contests in 2004 and 2005. Are the Aggies for real, or have they settled into the middle of the pack in the Big 12? The suspense won't end until November, but this game will be a ROUT by the Aggies. Baylor can NOT stop the A&M offense, and the defense will force turnovers for more scores. It won't be a redux of 2003's 73-10 pasting of the bears, but look for the Ags to hang half a hundred on this overconfident collection of mouthy Baptist Bears. 53-19 (after a cosmetic Baylor TD in garbage time).

Florida vs Georgia
I must make this trip one of these days. If it's called the "World's largest outdoor cocktail party", I want to go. Look for a Tim Tebow highlight reel in this one. Leak is off the Heisman short list after the Auburn debacle, so Tebow sees plenty of playing time in this Gator shellacking of the Bullgogs. Gators win 42-10.

Missouri @ Oklahoma
Tough one to call. I will go with Mizzou in a close, low-scoring game: 21-20

Also, look for Okie Lite to upset Nebraska. The Cowboys are due for a win.

Guns up!!!

This week, I am a Tech fan. Gig 'em Raiders.....Beat the Hell Outta t.u.!!!

doing my weekend predictions a little early this week.....

Texas @ Nebraska
the Cornhuskers are exposed for the weak team they really are. Horns dominate: Texas 41 Nebraska 21

Texas Tech @ Iowa State
Leach's ship is taking on water, and there's still a man overboard, but the Red Raiders will stay afloat this week in Ames. Tech 27 ISU 17

Texas A&M @ Okie Lite
Aggie defense continues improvement, and the Aggies will avoid a trap in Stillwater. A&M 31 Oklahoma State 24

a few funny things from the SA paper...

...that I just couldn't resist posting:

1)Tech quarterback Graham Harrell reacted angrily after Tech fans booed him during a turnover binge last week against Missouri. But Coach Mike Leach had a jab for Tech fans when asked about it after the game.

“If anything, it’s comforting to me that we’re in the presence of a few people that are so superior at what they do that maybe some of it will rub off on me and Graham,” Leach told reporters earlier this week.

2)A&M’s gaudy No. 13 ranking in rushing belies a couple of facts. The Aggies have padded those stats against weak opponents in its first six games, including Division I-AA foe The Citadel, Army (102nd in rushing defense), Louisiana Tech (117th in rushing defense) and Texas Tech (72nd). And in two of three situations when they really needed a crucial first down running the ball this season – against Tech on the final drive and against Army on fourth down late in the fourth quarter – the Aggies’ running game bogged down. We’ll see how good the A&M running game really is on Saturday when it faces Missouri, ranked 10th nationally in rush defense.

(I found it interesting that they mentioned Texas Tech as an example of one of A&M's "weak opponents"....what the hell?, and that they failed to mention Missouri's equally padded stats in rushing defense.)


3)There was an interesting letter to the editor in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal earlier this week from Kyle Rowland, father of third-string QB Ryan Rowland.

Rowland implored Tech coaches to give his son a shot at playing time.

Ryan Rowland is best known for an altercation earlier this summer in training camp with second-string QB Chris Todd. Rowland suffered a broken nose in the exchange.

Joe's picks for 10/14

Florida @ Auburn

Auburn is good, and I have a hard time predicting them to lose two weeks in a row, but the SEC buzzsaw will chew them up this week at home. The Florida Gators will continue to roll towards their national title, with this year's Heisman winner leading the way. Chris Leak and Tim Tebow will combine to trounce Auburn.

Gators 42 Auburn 20

Baylor @ UT

Baylor has gotten better, and UT is not the team they were last year, but this game will be a total joke. Jevan Snead will come in for mop up duty in the second quarter.

Horns 65 Bears 3.

Texas Tech @ Colorado

Big time trap game for Tech. 1) they got shellacked at home last week by Mizzou, 2) Graham Harrell is still reeling from being booed by his own fans, 3) CU is winless, and the prima donna pretty boys that haven't been suspended for disciplinary reasons will still think the Buffs are a pushover, 4) CU is not going 0-12, and they will surprise someone with a win in Boulder, and 5) Leach has already used up all of his clever motivational insults for the season. These guys are DONE.

Buffs 35 Faders 24

Mizzou @ Texas A&M

This will be a dogfight for sure. The Aggies will punish the Tiger defense up the gut, and go vertical when they need to. The Aggie defense will continue their week by week improvement to secure the win.

Aggies 31 Tigers 28

Two tech starters out vs. CU

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

Two Texas Tech senior starters will not make the trip to Colorado.

Receiver Robert Johnson (disciplinary reasons) and linebacker Fletcher Session (personal issues) will miss Saturday's game against the Buffaloes, athletic department spokesman Chris Cook said.

Johnson leads the Big 12 with 46 receptions and is tied with teammate Joel Filani for the conference lead with six touchdown catches. Johnson, who briefly left the program after being moved from quarterback in 2004, was benched at the beginning of Tech's Sept. 23 rout of Southeastern Louisiana. That came on the heels of coach Mike Leach's rant about "prima donna pretty boys" and "front-runner showboats."

Session has 24 tackles, including two for loss. He has been nagged by a shoulder injury and did not play against Southeastern Louisiana.

Leach did not immediately return a phone call.

and the Big 12 offensive player of the week is.......

Stephen McGee, So, QB, Texas A&M (Burnet, Texas)

In Texas A&M's come-from-behind, 21-18, win at Kansas, quarterback Stephen McGee engineered a pair of 80-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drives for the Aggies. He led A&M on a 12-play drive in the closing minutes by converting three third down passes including a 35-yard strike to set up the game winning touchdown with 0:34 left. McGee completed 25-of-40 attempts, with no interceptions, for 240 yards.

(yes, I am aware that this honor was awarded to Graham Harrell after his heroics in RoosterBowl IX)

Joe's weekend forecast........

A&M@KU
Aggies will bounce back with a decisive victory over the Jayhawks. Look for a big day passing by Stephen McGee, as KU's DB's are weak, and Koenning wants to quiet critics saying we can't throw. Also, Mike Goodson has his first 100 yard rushing game at A&M.
A&M 38 Kansas 17

Missouri @ Tceh
This will be the best game of the day. The Tigers are for real, and are too much for Tech at Jones T&A. Harrell goes from hero at Kyle to goat at home with 3 picks.
Missouri 31 Tceh 24

Texas/OU
I have no idea who will win this game and really don't care. Actually, that's not true. I have interest in the game, and will watch it, and if I have to pick a winner, I'd probably go with OU. The talent on these teams is close, so I give the coaching edge to Stoops.
OU 24 Texas 14

predictions

Another big Football weekend...another big opportunity for Terry to take money from his bookie. I know...I know...you guys think it is uncool for me to take money from Meyer. Hey, they guy moved to California to opening up a sports investment operation (aka bookie). I am just trying to help him generate some cash flow. It isn't my fault if I keep winning. But anyway, here are the predictions. Games are listed in order of importance...

Florida in a close one over LSU, but they cover the 2 point spread and Chris Leak continues his March Towards the Heisman (another one of T-rays predictions from back in August)

Georgia Steamrolls Tennessee and continues their march towards a national title (another one of T-ray's predictions from back in August)

OU mauls Texas and continues their march towards big 12 south champs (another one of T-ray predictions from back in August). BabyColt has his worst game of the year and some critics call for Snead at QB...starting yet another QB cluster in Austin. Texas fans turn on Mack Brown saying "he can't win the big 1 without Vince".

Cal beats Oregon...covers the 5 point spread.

Missouri beats Tech and continues their roll towards big 12 north champs (another one of T-ray's predictions from back in August). Mike Leach's "high-flying pirate offense" musters less than 20 points. Jorgy privately admits to his father than people have figured out how to stop the run-n-shoot offense. He continues to support Leach publically.

Lock of the Week: Double up on Texas A&M to rip Kansas apart and easily cover the spread. Mcgee puts up 4 total tds and 300 total yards. a&m fans publically question "why did fran shackle this guy against tech?"

any predictions from you clowns?

Coach Fran

After the 2005 season, Brad stated he would like to see Coach Franchione follow the example of Bobby Knight, and give his salary back, since he did not earn it. It appears that he has quietly given at least half of it back. Hard to tell how much, as it falls in a bracket of $1,000,000 - $1,999,999. Even assuming he only donated a cool million, that's half his salary. That do anything for ya, T-ray?

LINK

RoosterBowl IX pictures are up!

I hoped to have more from other attendees to post (Melba!!), but I just went with what I had. Some pretty good ones to be sure.....another great year.

http://roosterbowl.shutterfly.com

Coach Fraud's Excuse For Losing To Tech

Coach: A&M QB McGee played with concussion - slight injury may have factored into A&M's 31-27 defeat, Franchione says.

By Randy RiggsAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFTuesday, October 03, 2006

Texas Tech's Big 12-leading pass defense wasn't all that bedeviled Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee on Saturday, Dennis Franchione said Monday.

The Aggies coach said McGee played the last three quarters of A&M's 31-27 loss at Kyle Field with "a little bit of a slight concussion." Franchione said he believes McGee will be cleared to play Saturday when the Aggies visit Kansas.

Franchione said the play in which McGee "got a little dinged" came early in the second quarter, when he was flung down on a run and hit his head on the turf. Franchione said nobody on the Aggies sideline was aware of the situation until after the game.

"We really didn't know as a staff, or trainers — I'm not even sure Stephen was completely aware of it — until he was telling us (after the game) about how he felt in the first half," Franchione said.

McGee, a sophomore from Burnet, completed just 9 of 20 passes for 109 yards against the Red Raiders. Forty-four of those yards came on a pass to Westlake's Chad Schroeder on the game's final play.

rriggs@statesman.com; 445-3957

It's always darkest before the dawn...

Many passionate aggie fans are frustrated this week. I have already heard commentary ranging from "What went wrong?" to "We stink" and "Fire Fran". I share that frustration, and understand how those fans are feeling, but I want to offer some "Positivity" as well.

First of all, losing to Tech in our own place is horrible. But before we hang coach Fran, can we at least consider what we would have said had Harrell not hit that deep ball. We would be applauding Fran's methodical ball control offense, and how they kept the ball out of tech's hands for most of the second half and shut them out.

Sure, we can second guess all day long, but Fran should not be judged solely on the outcome of that game. The real coaching test will be how the team responds in the October and November. It starts this week with going to Kansas and winning, and then following up with a with over Mizzou. If we do that, we're back on track. There is nothing wrong with 6-1.

Fran has been here over 3 years, and the results have been sub-optimal, but let's be honest. We have not had a lot of talent on this team...only 4 players that have played for Fran at A&M are now in the NFL.

Why was the talent at A&M so weak you ask? Well, I attribute that to 3 things (and it started way back in the late 90s).

1) Mack's Brown is a great recruiter and he completely dominated Slocum for over 4 years.

2) Bob Davie left A&M in 1997 for Notre Dame, and he was a great defensive recruiter. Again, this weakened our ability to monopolize the great defensive talent.

3) In the early 2000s, Bob Stoops got into the act and further stepped up the competition as well.

The result, we just haven't had the talent we used to. I would hope that Coach Fran is in the process of turning that around...at least on the recruiting front. Let's see how this year progresses and make a
call now that he has his guys in place.

I am not issuing him a hall pass, but I do not think the guy is a bad coach.

Joe's recap

I had planned to roll this picture out at the end of the game, to console the Red Raider fans on their loss....................I guess someone must have showed it to them 26 seconds too early. Congrats on a big win Tech fans.

What a great weekend. Another RoosterBowl success, even though I am still stunned! It seems like more often than not, a big play decides this game.

With the usual crew of Blake, Teddy K, myself, Brad, Melba, and Jeff, Robert O'Neal, and Scott Hill, we had a newcomer to the RoosterBowl scene: Jay Stark broke his Roostercherry with a cross-country trip from Seattle (home of the fake 12th man).

Noticably absent were Fletch and her husband Jeff. Fletch gave birth to a "future quarterback" on Tuesday morning, and the doctor wouldn't let her attend. She was there in spirit, and therefore, the MVC award went to Fletch and her new baby boy. Congratulations to our second female winner of this award. Thanks for your commitment to continuously strive to display the spirit of the Rooster. Prior MVC winners are: 2001-Richard "Stretch" James (REVOKED), 2002-Ronnie "Pommelrod" Pomeroy, 2003-Melissa "Melba" Moore, 2004-Kyler Schuman, and 2005-Ted Kennedy.

I we got some pretty good pictures, which I will be posting later in the week. If anyone has pics to contribute, send them to me by email now. It is easier for me to upload them all at once.