Offensive coaching staff evolves again with Kragthorpe
Courtesy of Sports Information/The Battalion
Steve Kragthorpe. new to the Aggie coach
ing staff, is A&M's fourth offensive coordinator
in three years.
BY JEFF WEBB
The Battalion
tappens every fall. Leaves
ange color and fall to the
ound. Students scramble
The Texas heat slowly melts
away to reveal cooler tempera
tures and the beginning of
Bonfire construction.
The Aggies change offensive
coordinators.
Texas A&M Football has
truly arrived for another sea
son.
Nothing about the fall sea
son rings more true than A&M
losing an offensive coordinator,
a tradition more than four
years in the making.
And you know what they
say around Aggieland: Do it
thrice and it’s a tradition.
Steve Kragthorpe will guide
the Aggie offense for 1998, a
job that comes with little secu
rity but high job placement.
Steve Marshall, who held the
position in 1997, bolted for the
same position at North
Carolina. Mike Sherman
accepted a job as offensive line
coach for the Green Bay
Packers. Steve Ensminger now
runs the offense at Clemson.
And Bob Toledo, an Aggie
offensive coordinator who left
in 1993, coached Cotton Bowl-
winner UCLA. Incidentally, the
Bruins sent the Aggies home
with a 29-22 loss on New
Year's Day.
“Life is about changes and
turnover," Kragthorpe said.
“You have to make sure the
changes you make are to your
advantage."
The A&M coaching staff
promises big changes in the
offense this year, namely the
institution of a deep-threat
passing game to complement
the steady rushing attack.
“Throwing the ball deep is
something we'd like to do,”
Kragthorpe said. “Defenses are
so good nowadays. It’s so hard
to line up and run 12 to 14
l plays a drivel each time to
score. We want plays that will
break the back of the defense.”
Senior running back Sirr
Parker said the new philosophy
should open up opposing
defenses by introducing more
variables.
“Kragthorpe brought a
whole different side to our
offense," he said. “In the past,
if you stopped the A&M ground
game you stopped A&M. Now,
that won't happen."
However, that very thing
happened to the Aggies in their
season opener, the Kickoff
Classic against Florida State.
The Seminoles held the Aggies
to 33 yards rushing, and senior
quarterback Branndon Stewart
netted only 100 yards passing
on 10 completions.
Stewart is playing under his
fourth offensive coordinator in
as many years as a college sig
nal caller.
“There’s a lot less change of
terminology,” Stewart said.
“From Tennessee to A&M, or
Ensminger to Marshall, (the
change) was big. For instance,
at Tennessee, we used a num
ber system. But Kngthorpe
coached under Marshall, so the
change wasn’t as much.”
A&M coach R.C. Slocum
said the turnover at the coor
dinator position has not
affected what he is trying to
do with the ball.
“It’s just different terminol
ogy,” he said. “The guys have
changed, but the philosophy
has not changed. What we are
trying to do in our offense has
not changed. Who the guy is
who has the title of offensive
coordinator may change, but
our philosophy has not
changed.”
Neither has the tradition of
replacing yet another A&M
offensive coordinator.
File Photo/The Battalion
Left guard Cameron Spikes blocks a Sam Houston State defensive
lineman last season.
Out with
the old,
in with
the new
Three young starters try to anchor heart of A&M offense
BY JEFF WEBB
The Battalion
Senior left guard
Cameron Spikes carried his
solid frame into Cain Hall,
wearing a sweat-drenched
T-shirt reading “F.O.O.L.”
across his chest. But do not
be fooled. Spikes knew the
meaning of what he was
wearing.
“It stands for
‘Fundamentals of Offensive
Line,”’ he said.
It is back to the funda
mentals for an offensive line
that has had to replace three
starters from a unit that led
the Texas A&M Football
Team to the Big 12 South
title in 1997.
Freshman center Seth
McKinney (brother of
Indianapolis Colts starter
Steve McKinney), senior left
tackle Rex Tucker and
junior right tackle Andy
Vincent enter the starting
lineup as regulars for the
first time in their careers.
However, two of the
three grabbed precious
playing time last season and
figure to be huge (literally
and figuratively) in the
Aggies’ bowl hopes in 1998.
A&M senior running back
Sirr Parker gave his
endorsement to the new-
look line.
“There are a lot of fresh
faces, but they played last
year,” he said. “We lost
three guys, but the players
we have now are just as
good. We’re just like
Nebraska, where they have
three deep ready for the
NFL each year.”
see Offense on Page 11B.
Right guard Semisi Heimuli leads a sweep against Sam
Houston State last season.
i xexas yxcscrvl iroottoall Preview
The Three R’s
Sophomore defensive linemen Rocky, Ronald and Ron enter 1998 as starters
BY JEFF SCHMIDT
The Battalion
Coach Bill Johnson does not
rebuild the defensive line—he
reloads it. Last season’s starting
trio of seniors, Brad Crowley,
Zerick Rollins and Marcus Heard,
have exhausted their eligibility.
So what. Johnson will just plug in
a trio of sophomores: Rocky
Bernard, Ron Edwards and
Ronald Flemons.
“Each one of them is a little
different,” Johnson said. “Rocky
Bernard’s a guy that has play
making ability and a guy that
can get off the block. He’s a guy
that has a good feel for the game,
and he sees a
lot of things that
you can’t coach.
“Ron Edwards
is a powerful
guy. He is a guy
that is hard for
anybody to get
movement on.
“Ron Flemons
is getting better before my eyes.
He’s a guy that has great range. He
can be on the backside of a play
and be involved in a play that is on
the other side of the field. He prob
ably has more range for a defensive
lineman than I’ve seen in a while.”
Those three join Evan Perroni,
BERNARD
EDWARDS
Madison as mem
bers of the bally-
hooed defensive
line Class of ‘97.
“All of our
other guys are
doing a tremen
dous job of being
consistent in their
technique, ”
Johnson said. “I can’t say there is
a nickel of difference in ability
from our first to our seventh guy.”
Despite the praise, the defen
sive line appeared at times to be
overmatched by Florida State.
After all, they were the first line of
a defensive unit that gave up 152
rushing yards to Florida State run-
FLEMONS
ning back Travis
Minor. However,
Johnson is con
tent with his
players’ perfor
mances.
“We still have
a lot of area for
improvement,”
Johnson said. “I
was really pleased with the way
they competed against a really
good football team.
“I’d say our weakness is a lack
of game experience, and that is
just going to take some time. But
if we keep developing at the rate
we did in the game against
Florida State and keep improv
ing, I feel good about where we
are going to be.”
Bernard said he agrees with
Johnson, but stresses they still
have a long way to go.
“We’ve got to get together as a
group,” Bernard said. “We’ve a
lot of work and a long way to go.
We’ve gotten so much better than
last year. We’ve just got to prove
we can get the job done.”
One advantage the Aggies have
is the fact they can throw seven
different linemen at their oppo
nents. Johnson said he tries to mix
different packages of linemen and
throw them at the offense, while
trying to keep them from playing
more than 40 plays a game.
Sedrick Curry drags down a North Texas receiver in Texas Stadium.
DEPTH CHART
CB 39 * JASON WEBSTER, 5-10,178, Jr-2L, Houston
31 ERIC JENNINGS, 5-10,187, Jr-RS, Pomona, Calif.
CB 26 JAY BROOKS, 5-9,180, Fr-RS, Killeen
21 SHUN HORN, 5-9,190, Sr-3L, Jasper
(or) 18 *SEDRICK CURRY, 6-2,192, Jr-2L, Houston
FS 30 * BRANDON JENNINGS, 6-1,191, Jr-2L, Houston
5 TOYA JONES, 6-1, 204, Sr-3L, Refugio
SS 48 *RICH COADY, 6-1, 210, Sr-3L, Dallas
1 MICHAEL JAMESON, 5-10,179, So-IL, Killeen
* Denotes returning starter.
Secondary to none
• A&M has history
of producing NFL
BY JEFF SCHMIDT ual talent of previous
The Battalion A&M teams.
“The big thing is that
Death, taxes and we have a bunch of file photo/thf. battalion
NFL All-Pro former guys who work hard,” Junior cornerback Sedrick Curry tackles Brandon
Texas A&M defensive defensive backs coach Stokley of the University of Southwestern Louisiana,
backs. Aggie football Larry Slade said. “We
has produced more have guys that are ranked pass defense— some games around
defensive backs than dependable. I’m not and there is a plethora here. He had that injury
any other school in col- interested in a guy that of talented newcomers, (that required arthro-
lege football. has a lot of flash and Cornerbacks Sedrick scopic knee surgery)
Dave Elmendorf, that’s great on two or Curry and Jason that set him back, but
Lester Hayes, Yale Lary, three plays and that Webster and safeties he’s worked hard to
Bob Smith and Pat will give up two or Rich Coady and come back from it.
Thomas are just a few three plays. Brandon Jennings will “He kind of Tost his
of the great defensive “I’m more interested again be the headlin- glove’ to Jay Brooks,
backs A&M has put into in a guy that is going to ers, although redshirt and there is still a lot of
the NFL. Throw in some go out, there and be freshman Jay Brooks competition going on
recent names like Kevin reliable time in and time has seemingly taken there. Sedrick wants the
Smith, Aaron Glenn, out and I think as a Curry and part-time opportunity to win his
Patrick Bates and Ray result, you win a lot of starter Shun Horn’s job starting position back.
Mickens and you have football games.” for the moment. We’ll play Sedrick in a
quite a collection of tal- A&M’s strength is “Curry is definitely lot of nickel and dime
ent. However, this Aggie clearly its experience— in the rotation,” Slade situations.”
team does not feature all four starters return said. “He’s one of those
the outstanding individ- from last year’s 12th- guys who has started SEE Defense on Page 11B.