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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2004)
2B 2004 FOOTBALL PR[i Monday, August 30, 2004 THE BAIT,41 Few questions over quarterbacks in year tw O « r l/' I r /-v « « In ’ o r’/ r 'vrv'» c* cm* c*/-w i //=»"» r i o l\ 4 /"* Nl 1 »-> / i o ^ i-* \ r o n i ha JOHN C. LIVAS • THE BATTALION McNeal passes the ball during the 2003 game against Pittsburgh. By Kyle Davoust THE BATTALION The time is now for Texas A&M junior quarterback Reggie McNe- aPs promise to become reality. At least that is what McNeal and his coach, Dennis Franchione, are hoping after two seasons mixed with injuries, flashes of brilliance and the occasional inconsistency. “Reggie is stronger and more prepared for this season than ever before,” Franchione said. “I will be disappointed if he doesn’t take some major steps this season.” Rarely can a conversation cen ter around Aggie football without mention of McNeal and the offense. How is the shoulder? Will he do bet ter in the second year of Coach Fran- chione’s system? How will Dustin Long’s departure affect him? McNeal’s right shoulder, which required off-season surgery aftef being injured last season, seems to have fully recovered. McNeal said he feels great, and his coaches have no reason to doubt him. “1 haven’t seen any problems at all. These are the first two-a-days, so it’s hard for me to come out and say that he’s not sore or anything, but he hasn’t complained about it,” said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Les Koenning. “He’s making all the throws, and he hasn’t labored at all.” In fact, the team actually sees a positive side to McNeal’s injury, which kept him from throwing spring drills, as they believe it ac celerated the maturation process of the other quarterbacks on the team. “I think both (Ty Branyon and Stephen McGee) benefited,” said se nior receiver Terrence Murphy. “But I feel like it was good for Reggie to sit back and watch them and for them to step up and get some reps.” Besides avoiding injury, McNeal also has to prove to his critics that he can be a good decision-maker and throw consistently. He said he believes that a second year in the same system will go a long way in solving those problems. “It’s a lot more comfortable know ing you have a year under your belt,” McNeal said. “I know my reads bet ter, the o-line knows its blocking schemes better, and everyone out there is just more comfortable hav ing that year under their belt.” The biggest question entering the McNeal season, however, is how McNeal and the rest of the team will respond to the departure of senior Dustin Long, who transferred to Sam Houston State University last spring. For much of last year. Long and POSITION REPORT ~ McNeal were engulfed in a quarterback battle, which left many guessing who would be the starter from week to week. “He looks like more of a leader because he knows he has to be. He’s the quarter back, and he knows he has to step up in those instances,” Murphy said. “Dustin is gone, and now Reggie knows he has it all in his hands and on his shoulders, so he just has to step up and make plays.” McNeal said he feels more com- fortablethanheever hasentering this McGee season, yet he said he uw, comfort become complaceiB “It’s always more com| when you don’t have tobe!« over your shoulder, but I to go out tic play th McNeal biggest go out give 1L j, every wed that and jus my game, feel like»: come out on While might be no petition fob on the deptl there is stilli terback bat College Si this season, time, however, it will come: backup position, where ra sophomore Ty Branyon ant freshman Stephen McGe; have coaches questioning^ No. 2 is. QUARTERBACKS RETURNING Reggie McNeal (JR) Ty Branyon (SO) LOST Dustin Long NEWCOMERS Stephen McGee T.J. Sanders Jordan Chambless 1,000-yard rusher returns to A&M backfield By Ryan Irby THE BATTALION Some Aggie fans found a new hero wrapped in the woeful 2003 season in the swift sprints of a young unknown wearing the number 25 on his back. But they may not have expected to find this hero in an unlikely freshman leader who carried the load of the offensive assault. After being redshirted his freshman season, Courtney Lewis burst into the Aggies’ backfield in 2003 to claim the bulk of the ball-carrying duties en route to becoming the leading freshman rusher in the Big 12 and setting a school record for yards gained by a freshman rusher at 1,024. Even with such a young captain at the helm of the running back coips, Franchione said he feels comfortable with his athletes. “I feel like the young guys have elevat ed the play of our older guys, and that has made us better,” he said. Lewis recently made headlines because after a substantial number of carries per game, he claims he is poised to break 1,500 yards rushing this season. “If they give me the ball that number of times,” Lewis said, referring to the 25 to 30 per game predicted by Franchione, “(I’ll break) 1,500 yards.” The 5-foot-11 -inch, 194-pound explosive runner has added 20 pounds of power since arriving in Aggieland in the fall of2002. With last year’s 1,024-yard effort, Lewis became the first Aggie rusher since current NFL star Dante Hall in 1998 to reach the mark. Flowever, behind Lewis, the Aggies en counter depth problems. Derrick Brown, a redshirt freshman faces personal and aca demic problems and has yet to report to fall workouts. Beyond Brown is junior Will Adams, sophomore David Anderson and two high school recruits, Samson Taylor and Jay Lucas. Another member of the 2004 signing class, freshman Keondra Smith, is absent from workouts for academic eligibil ity reasons. Chris Alexander, also a redshirt freshman, will join senior Keith Joseph in the fullback duties and will bring a stocky 5-foot-11-inch, 238-pound frame to the lineup that will make him tough to handle. Joseph, at 6-foot-2-inches and 256 pounds, will undoubtedly strike fear in opponents’ defenses and is expected to make a giant im pact in running and blocking. “The great ones aren’t satisfied with just being a good runner,” Franchione said. “They take pride in becoming an all-around back.” A&M assistant coach Lee Fobbs has been pressing the running back corps throughout fall workouts to concentrate on various aspects of the running game such as precision handoffs and ball security. Franchione and Fobbs expressed confi dence in the ground game as one of the main strengths of this year’s team. With leadership emerging from young players, the offensive scheme will be able to utilize the rushing game to develop a more balanced attack. 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