THE BATTALION
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Aggies look for balance behind QB Farris
By True Brown
THE BATTALION
The name of the game this season for the
Texas A&M offense is balance. With just six
starters returning to the lineup, the Aggies
will count on a balance of veteran leadership
and new faces to fill the holes left behind af
ter last season.
Gone are wide receivers Chris Taylor and
Robert Ferguson, tight end RoDerrick
Broughton, fullback Ja’mar Toombs and of-
o*
I am just going to go out
there and do what I can do
and not worry about outside
n .
pressure.
— Mark Farris
Texas A&M quarterback
fensive lineman Chris Valletta. With their
jump to the NFL, Ferguson and Taylor took
with them half of A&M’s receiver production
from last year — something that will not be
easy to replace.
Thrown into the mix will be two new
coaches, Ken Rucker and Dino Babers. Ruck
er, who has spent time coaching for Baylor,
Arkansas, North Carolina, and Alabama will
begin his second term as A&M’s running
backs’ coach. Babers will be the Aggies new
offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
coach. Babers set a Pac-10 record in 1999 for
offensive yards per game (471.9) as the of
fensive coordinator for Arizona.
“I was pleased this spring with how
quickly Coach Babers came in and meshed
with the other coaches and players that are
here,” said A&M head coach R.C. Slocum. “I
think they have developed a very good rela
tionship.”
The Aggies will return quarterback Mark
Farris. Last year, in his first season at the
helm of the offense, Farris set a school record
for season passing yards with 2,551, break
ing a fourteen year old mark. Farris also
ranks second all-time at A&M for single sea
son completions (208) and completion per
centage (.599), and third for attempts (347).
Farris will lead the team into the season
with a low-key attitude.
“I am just going to go out there and do
what I can do and not worry about outside
pressure,” said Farris. “If we can stay con
sistent we will have a good year. You can
be occasionally great or consistently good,
and I think it would be better to be consis
tently good.”
“Consistent” would be a good word to
describe the Aggie receiving corps. Senior
Bethel Johnson, although a short target at
5-11, is a good runner with breakaway
speed. Johnson has caught at least one pass
in every game he has played in, and will
play a large part in the Aggies’ aerial attack.
CODY WAGES* THE BATTALION
Sophomore running back Richard Whitaker and the A&M offense will take to the field this
season searching for balance after losing Robert Ferguson and Ja’mar Toombs.
Also, at wide receiver will be junior Dwain
Coynes. Coynes earned the job after a strong
showing in the spring game, recording five
catches for 90 yards and one touchdown. Se
nior wide receiver Mickey Jones and junior
Greg Porter will also get plenty of playing
time. The duo combined for 30 receptions in
2000.
See Balance on page 11
Offense will find new go-to players
S ince Ja’mar Toombs and Robert
Ferguson declared for the NFL
draft in January, this debate
has raged: Will the Aggie offense be
able to find replacements for their
departed big-game playmakers?
The answer is, without a doubt,
yes.
The biggest hit to the Aggie of
fense was the departure of Ferguson,
who was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and an
All-Big 12 selection last season, and who set a a
school record for receiving yards after transferring to
A&M from Tyler Junior College. Ferguson and his 6-
foot, 2-inch, 220-pound frame’s jump to the NFL put
a blow to the Aggies’ skill and size.
But what the Aggies lost in size, they have re
placed with speed. Senior Bethel Johnson (5-feet-8-
inches, 188 pounds) and junior Dwain Coynes (5-
feet-10-inches, 179 pounds) bring explosive speed to
A&M’s group of young receivers. Coynes runs a 4.26
40-yard dash and is the fastest player on the team.
Touchdown receptions of 76 and 43 yards last season
are a testament to his speed.
Couple that quickness with the dependability of
Johnson, who has had at least one catch in every
game in his career, and you have a very dangerous
group of front-line receivers.
Junior Greg Porter grabbed 21 passes last season
and will be used in possession situations. Porter’s
height and Velcro-like hands will make him a valu
able asset in short, must-have situations. Senior
Mickey Jones will get playing time too, and as a
fifth-year senior, will be counted on as a leader.
A&M’s biggest weapon, however, is quarterback
Mark Farris. Farris established himself as a major
player in the Aggie offense with a stellar 2000 cam
paign. Farris is A&M’s first returning 2,500-yard pass
er in school history and was second among Big 12
quarterbacks in completions, third in passing yards
and fourth in yards per game.
Farris proved he can run the ball effectively last
year as well, piling up 116 ground yards, the most
by an A&M quarterback since Bucky Richardson
in 1991.
The loss of Toombs will hurt, but not quite as
much as that of Ferguson. Granted, Toombs led the
team in scoring last season with 14 touchdowns and
almost led A&M to a win over Mississippi State in the
Independence Bowl, but the Aggies still have their
TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL
WALK-ON/12TH MAN
Informational Meeting
2001
DATE: Monday, .
TIME: 3:45 PM
WHERE: The Auditorium - West Side of
- MANDATORY ATTENDANCE
* MUST BE ENROLLED IN 12 HOURS
AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE STATION
* MUST HAVE STARTED COLLEGE NO
EARLIER THAN THE FALL OF ‘99
See Replacements on page 11