GameDay to College Station!!

WHOOOOOOOOOP!

this will be merely the 3rd 2nd time the Sacred Stage of Saturday has graced the campus of Texas A&M, both of which have been against Oklahoma.

and now we play the guessing game..
from what part of campus will GameDay broadcast?

1. Simpson Drill Field
   Pros: provides a large open area with the Memorial Student Center and Kyle Field in the background.
   Cons: not much to offer in the way of gameday atmosphere, only reason to be out there will be for the GameDay set.


2. Cain Eagle
   Pros:great backdrop of the Zone and the throngs of people walking around campus
   Cons: not very much space to work with, and mostly concrete background, not much greenery


3. SW Corner of Kyle Field
   Pros: none
   Cons: this is apparently where GameDay set up in 2000. why? i will never understand. yes, it provides good shots of the new video screens and the "Home of the 12thMan" but that's lame if there's noone in the stands..which will be the case at 9 A.M.


4. **Spence Park**
   Pros: if it were up to me, this is where i would have the guys setup. It is a good sized park on campus, and a major tailgate hub on game days.
   Cons: the east side of Kyle is not necessarily the most picturesque or impressive backdrop..


5. the grassy area in front of the Corps Museum
   Pros: The networks just love to show the Corps, and that area is Corps Central on saturday
   Cons: the corps constitutes only about 10% of the A&M student body, and lately has been giving opposing school's message boards a little more help than usual.

a few sign ideas are in the works, i'll give a sneak preview later this week.

(Chili and Willy Mac, i'd love some tips on making the signs. height, materials, etc.)

Big XII Picks

(picks in bold)

• Oklahoma @ Mizzou
  As much as I'd like to see OU hand Mizzou its second conference loss, causing GameDay to head to College Station, I'm just not seeing it. I've been saying it all season, and I'll say it again: there is no stopping the Mizzou spread offense
  
  


• Colorado @ Kansas
  when Kerry Meier is under center, the Jayhawks are a very dangerous team. Kansas has lost 4 straight conference games, all extremely close and decided late in the 4th or in OT. They're hungry for a win, they're at home, and Colorado is still playing very inconsistently.
  


• Nebraska @ Oklahoma State
  The close loss to Texas last week put Nebraska tied for 1st in the North with Missouri, this extra motivation to win coupled with Zac Taylor's 277 yds passing against a stout Texas secondary last week should give Nebraska the edge.
  


• Iowa State @ Kansas State
  it's a tough call between two woefully inconsistent and disappointing teams. to be honest, i flipped a coin, and it also happened to be the home team, so i'm going with Kansas State.
  


• Texas @ Texas Tech
  i know. i'm going out on a limb for this one. Graham Harrell is comin back into his prime after stumbling for a few games, this combined with Nebraska exposing the Texas secondary last week could prove interesting. Tech is at home, and has nothing to lose. Be very afraid.
  


• A&M @ Baylor
  i don't give a foot f*ck what happened in 2004 & 2005, anyone who had the pleasure of watching Kansas run over and over the Baylor defense, couldn't help but have visions of Jorvorskie Lane and Mike Goodson dancing in their heads. I respect Shawn Bell and the way Guy Morriss has copy & pasted the Texas Tech offense, but A&M will continue on a strict diet of clock, this time without the first-half constipation the Ags encountered against the real Texas Tech offense.
  

Baylor Preview

Oct. 28, 2006
Floyd Casey Stadium (Kyle Field - North)
6:00 pm

i could go through and compare the offensive and defensive matchups of both teams, but it won't matter. as much as it pains me to say it, there is always something unique about this game ever since they ambushed us in Waco 2 years ago.

It was an eerily similar situation in 2004. A&M was a Top 20 team on the rise in the polls, talk of GameDay coming to town for the OU game was rampant, and lowly Baylor, a team that was winless against A&M in the previous two decades, was praying to reach a respectable .500 season.



I remember sitting in a hotel room in tiny Kilgore, TX (was visiting some Rangerette friends), on the phone with some friends (from UT of all schools at that moment) who burst in uncontrolled laughter as they informed me live that Baylor was going for 2 in OT...and made it. forever shaming us..

in 2005, when fans were promising a schlacking of +70pts reminiscent of 2003, much to our horro, Baylor owned the lead and we had to come back to tie the game to put it in OT, eventually winning.

Despite the past two years, if Baylor is to have a chance this saturday, it will depend on these two guys' ability to shred our still vulnerable secondary.

Shawn Bell


and Dominique Ziegler

College GameDay to College Station?

ABC has chosen to exercise its 2nd 6-Day option for two games on November 4th, Oklahoma @ Texas A&M and Mizzou @ Nebraska, pending the outcome of this weekend's Oklahoma @ Mizzou game, one will get the 11:00am kickoff the other the 7:00pm kickoff. The reason i say that the decision will be made based on that single game is because both Nebraska and A&M are expected to win their games this weekend. Thus, if Mizzou beats OU, ABC will go with the "Battle for the BigXII North" storyline, or if OU wins, it will be about the changing of the guard in the South and OU's struggle without Bomar and Peterson.

What does this have to do with GameDay?

now, i may be biased towards the BigXII, but if one is too look at the primetime selections for Week 10 (assuming GameDay's location coincides with the ABC/ESPN primetime games...as it always does), the only significant/great matchup game besides whichever Big XII game is selected, is Boston College @ Wake Forest, but that game has already been relegated to ESPN2. Not to mention it's about damn time GameDay covered a Big XII game.

it's been 6 years since College GameDay came to Texas A&M (2000 - #1 Oklahoma @ #24 Texas A&M), and witnessing Corso have no idea which team to pick because neither school has a mascot with a costume he can wear would certainly cap off a successful productive expensive time at Texas A&M.

if the matchups were to be held this weekend, i would expect Mizzou @ Nebraska to be the overwhelming favorite, but if OU can manage to beat Missouri, then we have a good shot.

for this weekend only:
BOOMER SOONER, bitches..

Ags Win, Season Flashes Before Eyes..

standing on the sideline(photog again) watching the Ags march down the field to tie it up in the last minute of regulation, with the game and season on the line a tingling sensation began to set in, although it could've been attributed to my body shutting down and losing the struggle against the bitter cold (flip-flops and a light jacket in 30 degrees..wtf was i thinking?), i'd like to think it was a sense of pride as i watched this team refuse to lose.

emotion and pride aside... god (Danny Ford, of course) damn, i don't know how many more of these come from behind wins my circulatory system can withstand. Game day essentials: Maroon shirt, 12thMan towel, AED!?

why we should be 6-2:

• complete inability to establish the run
  merely a week after the national media is hailing the Lane & Goodson combo as the new "thunder & lightning", the OSU defense held Lane to a mere 26 yds on 10 carries, and Goodson is only able to rack up 70 yds


• OSU nobodies put up 33 on "the crew"
  if it had been a Bobby Reid lead offense putting up 411 yds passing, i wouldn't have a problem, in fact, i'd be thankful to have survived such an aerial onslaught. But Bobby Reid was knocked out in the first 5 mins of the 2nd Qtr, leaving RS Freshman Zac Robinson at the helm. Robinson put up 94 yds through the air, and previous unknown Dantrell Savage ripped our proud run defense a new gaping hole, gaining 134 in the process.


• receivers dropping balls
  it was like puberty all over again for our receivers..

why the Ags will finish the season with 10 wins:

• Balance
  as i mentioned above, neither Lane or Goodson had the impressive game that was expected of them after the Missouri game, yet what makes the Ags' offense so difficult to prepare for is the ability to spread the ball around to multiple threats. Sr RB Courtney Lewis was finally back and "healthy" (ego adjusted to being 2nd string to a freshman), and QB Stephen McGee steps it up as usual and gained 104 yds rushing. Oh, and despite a dismal 2.6 yds per carry, on 4th & 13 with the game/season on the line, the J-Train makes the play of the night showing his "athleticism" by one-handing a pass thrown behind him and taking it for the first down. (video below)


• 3-0 on the road
  it's been far from pretty, but W's aren't handed out for style. Under Fran, the Aggies have never had a season with fewer than 3 road losses, unless i just totally f***ed us by saying that, it appears that a corner has been turned.


• Heart
  i know it's lame and not a tangible/objective thing that can be empiricized and debated..but this team has a lot of it. Granted, with the level of sheer talent they have, the Ags shouldn't be finding themselves in these situations so often, but when the game is on the line, people step up and make plays. It was whispered throughout the offseason, especially when McGee changed his jersey to #7, but it can't be refuted any longer: Stephen McGee is the reincarnation of Aggie legend, QB Bucky Richardson.

Misc.


Lane's catch is at the 00:26 mark, the A&M fan featured seconds later is definitely plastered, i remember him begging me to take a picture of him every time i walked by.

Wat it do?

from around the sphere o'blog:

our boy at ScalpEm.com decides to put away the grain alcohol and go for a different kind of 'Black Out' during FSU's game against B.C. this weekend

hitch a ride with Run Up The Score as he continues to interject what little humor can be found in the fiery tailspin that is Penn State's return to mediocrity

hate Footbaw? need to release some of that inner SEC loathing? DCFW's got ya covered. If forced to choose between nuking the following cities, would Herringbone choose: A) Pyongyang B) Auburn,AL C) Tehran or D)Gainesville,FL

correct answer: E) both B&D

Chili and Willy Mac prepare for the coming of Chri..Gameday over at DannyFordisGod. Marketing schemes may include, but are not limited to: appearances from turkish cultural ambassador Borat, graphic depictions of Corso's "baby arm", and subliminal messaging.

Post-Game: Missouri's misery

Texas A&M - 25
Missouri - 19

"there is no stopping the Mizzou spread offense"
- the12thManchild, on any given week this season

... i graciously stand corrected

Pass the Kool-Aid!!

• WRECKING-CREW! WRECKING-CREW!
  hell yeah i'm saying it. While the terms stellar or perfect wouldn't describe the defense, ferocious, determined, and heart would. The Crew stepped up and made big plays, holding Chase Daniel & Co. to 1-8 on 3rd Down and 1-3 on 4th. The heads-up play by Jordan Peterson on the 3rd play of the game exemplifies this defense. They've been picked on all season, yet through sheer strength of will and a refusal to be defeated they've continued to smash their critics in the mouth.


• Jorvorskie Smash!
  Avalanche, bowling ball, freight train, rhinocerous? take your pick. No matter how you choose to describe it, in the 4th Qtr of that game, Jorvorskie was the stampede of wildebeasts to Mizzo's Mustafa, relentlessly trampling any life out of the already broken Missouri defense. Woe is the opposing defense, woe is they.


• McGee is my Homeboy
  Stephen may not be blessed with a "strong throwing arm" or be "wickedly agile", and he may not be a speed reader when it comes to routes and coverage, but i'll take his spirit and leadership over the Chase Daniel's and Troy Smith's any and ever day of the week!


• Atkins, South Beach, TrimSpa,....Timex?
  The Aggies controlled the ball for a ridiculous 41:30. Fran's strict diet of clock helped the Ags' decrease it's intake of Mizzou's saturated offense and decrease it's level of defensive exertion.

Sobering up..

• Oh god...what happened in the first half?
  3 times!!! thricely they just give us the ball..and what did we do? we fail to capitalize on 2 of those 3 gifts. how the hell did we go into halftime TIED?!?!? WTH were we doing out there? almost blowing the game, that's what.
  


• 3rd & 4th Down Conversion
  Sure, when the defense managed to force a 3rd down, they stepped it up and smashed the Tigers in the teeth, allowing only 1 conversion...but that's an awfully misleading statistic. Mizzou only faced a 3rd down 8 TIMES THE ENTIRE GAME, they absolutely dominated the zone defense on 1st & 2nd down.

despite the exhilirating win at Kyle, there is definitely room for improvement. Now that the Ags are finally getting the national respect they deserve, the next couple of games are theirs to lose. Don't let the records of Oklahoma State and Baylor fool you, they both run wickedly effective spread-pass offenses, targeting our still perilous secondary play.

BTHO OSU!

Mizzou Preview

With so much negative press the past few years, it's refreshing to finally see the good things someone can accomplish with the help of steroids. Not only was QB Chase Daniel able to lead his HS team (SL Carroll) to a couple of state championships, he's now lead Mizzou to it's best start in decades.

reason to be very afraid:

• the mizzou defense
  this defense, ranked 10th against the run and 11th overall, absolutely obliterated the Texas Tech offense last week. Coming out of halftime, with the momentum completely in Tech's favor, Mizzou pulled what can only be described as a Morpheus with a sword vs. Escalade Truck (see Matrix: Reloaded), deflating and destroying any chances for a Tech comeback.


• inconsistency from A&M:
  the term "a 2nd Half team" would be an understatement. Sometimes i wonder if the maroon team on the field is merely a huge optical illusion meant to give Fran and the team more time to rest in the locker room and feast on their favorite snacks. If the Aggies want a chance at beating this team, they gotta show up and stop giving away the first half.


• Balance:
  Mizzou averages 179yds rushing and 245yds passing per game....f*ck.

reason for hope:

• Michael Bennett and Chris Harrington
  if these two guys can play like they did against KU last week (like they should), putting constant pressure on Daniel and limiting the run game, the Ags will have a chance.


• Stephen McGee
  this guy is a straight up leader. he will find a way to win.


• Mizzou overinflated
  if you thought A&M's pre-conference schedule was easy, take a look at Mizzou's. The only non-terrible team that Missouri has played was Texas Tech, and thanks to Tech's 5 tunovers, the Tigers never even had to struggle. To summarize, Mizzou hasn't played a close game all season, and when they find themselves in a dogfight Saturday, it's hard to say how they'll actually play.

If Fran comes out and decides to go straight for the jugular instead of his usual strategy of playing not-to-lose until 5:00 left in the 4th, then A&M will have a fighting chance.

Big XII Power Rankings - Week 7

with a 1/4 of the conference schedule already in the books, it's time to start tracking the race for Arrowhead.

The North

1. Missouri
   as much as i've been hyping them this season, they're a lil overinflated, yet they're the only consistently impressive team in the North.


2. Nebraska
   to be honest, i don't think the Cornhuskers are the second best team in the North. If only Kansas had been able to seal the deal in OT.


3. Kansas
   don't let the 3-3 record fool you, this team is talented and tenacious. the Jayhawks are a mere handful of plays from being 6-0. yet, until they sort out their QB situation, KU might be in for more close losses and "moral victoris".


4. Iowa State
   their play has been woefully flat and inconsistent. QB Brett Meyer has simply not been able to deliver the level of play that the ISU offense demands. The Cyclones are finding themselves struggling for bowl eligibility, instead of the Big XII title.


5. Kansas State
   with freshmen and backups playing for much of the game, K-State managed to squeak by with the win in Manhattan last weekend. Despite their 4-2 record, a glance at the remaining schedule doesn't bode well for their bowl hopes.


6. Colorado
   is anyone else hoping they go 0for, just to see if that could really happen to Big XII school...other than Baylor.

The South

1. Texas
   with their obliteration of Oklahoma and the overnight maturing of QB Colt McCoy, the South is theirs to lose.


2. Oklahoma
   you just have to assume a QB will mature and improve after handing out turnovers like that against the team's biggest rival


3. Texas A&M
   what!? how dare i place them above a team they lost too!! the reason i do this is because the Ags match up very well with the rest of the teams on their schedule, whereas Tech does not.


4. Texas Tech
   as i was saying..Tech has shown to the conference it's two major weaknesses, absolute dependence on one guy to power the offense and the defense's inability to contest the run. I see atleast two more losses in store for the Red Raiders.


5. Baylor
   Baylor has played several close games against very good teams, coming out on top on a few of them. Don't let this team fool you, this is not the Baylor, bitch of the Big XII, this is the Guy Morris spread offense Baylor.


6. Oklahoma State
   the Cowboys are consistently scoring 25+ per game, yet against legitimate opponents, the defense is allowing over 30ppg. Until coach Mike Gundy can recruit the players he needs for his D, the best OSU can hope for the rest of this season is a major upset or two (be very afraid Aggies..)

Top 25: Week 7

My Top 25 for Week 7:

1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. USC
5. Texas
6. Louisville
7. West Virginia
8. Tennessee
9. Cal
10. Auburn
11. Clemson
12. Notre Dame
13. Iowa
14. LSU
15. Missouri
16. Ga. Tech
17. Oregon
18. Georgia
19. Va. Tech
20. Nebraska
21. Arkansas
22. Oklahoma
23. Washington
24. Washington St.
25. Texas A&M

• Auburn takes a nasty tumble with it's loss to Arkansas. Although the Razorbacks aren't some bottom of the barrell team, the #2 team in the nation can't get shutout for the 3 quarters in their own place.


• i'm keeping USC out of my top 3 because that's an inflated stock that is bound to bust. I admire the tenacity they've shown in finding ways to win, but right now, the only thing getting them votes is the name of the program and not their play on the field.


• i'll admit, i was skeptical of the Texas hype this season, and for good reason. not anymore. provided that the Colt McCoy of the Red River Shootout is the one that continues to lead the Longhorn offense (..and not the McCoy of the Ohio State game), they could find themselves in the running for another BCS bowl.


• since stumbling early in Boston, Clemson has waged a Shermanesque campaign of destruction up and down the coast. Look for Clemson to bust into the Top 10 this weekend as they make like the Romans and destroy (the) Temple.


• a win over the Ags this Saturday will give Mizzou the legitimacy it needs to sky rocket in the polls and truly contend for the conference title.


• there must be something in the water up in Washington this year. Both schools (Washington and Washington State) have done exceptionally well against very respectable schedules, and both came within 6(!) of USC. Could the balance of power in the Pac-10 be shifting northward?


• Texas A&M....big whoop wanna fight about it? and don't give me any of that Boise State or Rutgers trash, of all the 5-1 teams left unranked, i like the Ags' chances of salvaging their Big XII hopes, starting this Saturday.

ScalpEm.com's actual Top 25

Kansas Roadtrip: update 2

just got back from Midnight Yell...in Missouri?
it was intimate to say the least, there were maybe 60 people there.

gotta punch out now

i gotta get to the game a few hours early (shooting for the Battalion)..and the game is about an hour away, with an 11:00 am start time, sweet.

BTHO KU!

Preview: @ Kansas

Kansas

until last week, my only worry about the Kansas game was the drive there and Fran's terrible record when it comes to the first road (real road game, Army was a "road" game with a home crowd) game of the year (0-4). Then, backup QB Adam Barrman took the Jayhawks to the brink of upsetting Nebraska..in Lincoln, throwing for over 400 yds. If memory serves correctly, Barrman was the QB that stepped in half-way through a run away aggie victory at Kyle in 2003 and made the game much more interesting than it should've been.



The question for Saturday's game between the Aggies and Jayhawks is NOT "will Meier or Barrman be the starter?" rather, it will be "which Barrman will show up to the game, the one that almost beat Nebraska or the one that has been plagued with inconsistency and a severe case of the choke's (the Barrman of 2003-last week)?"

Assuming Barrman's performance in Nebraska was not a fluke, but rather a sign of long overdue maturity, his aerial attack combined with a tenacious and adaptive defense should give the Ags fits.

Yet, will the recent improvement in Kansas' play be enough to stop the Ags' offensive prowess? Not likely, the 2006 LB corps is still a shadow of its former self, look for the J-Train to make multiple stops in the end zone.

This one looks to be a shootout, the team with the defense giving up the fewest big plays and the offense that turns the ball over least will walk away with the victory.




"[A&M's]..first road game of the season at a venue that is tough as nails on the visiting team."
- PhogBlog.com


..rock-chalk this.

ahh..wesuckagain!

Texas Tech - 31
Texas A&M - 27

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawd damnit

before we go setting fire to the the already charred FranWagon, stuffing his mailbox with Little Debbies, and petitioning our state representatives for a coaching change, let's take a deep breath and look back at what transpired last saturday.

The Bad:

• the Defensive Line:
  the most heralded unit on the defensive side of the ball failed to make an impact against the Red Raider blitzkrieg offense. Harrell dropped back 45 times, going untouched on all of them.


• Stephen McGee:
  i don't know whether it was the concussion in the first half or if he was just terribly off, but our hero, our golden boy was the main reason we lost the game. His utter inability to make the correct reads or to get the ball in the hands of our recievers left our offense crippled and without an aerial option...leaving us with just..the option. Had McGee been able to throw the ball on saturday, A&M would be 5-0 and the FranWagon wouldn't be taking fire.

The Good:

• Coaching:
  the gameplan was brilliant and effective. The defense utilized the 4-2-5 and zone coverage efficiently, allowing Tech to take the short yardage passes while preventing any big deep strikes (...with the exception of a certain 4th Qtr play with 25 seconds left). The offense feasted on clock and despite being constipated in the first half...eventually started shitting TDs. For those who want to blame Fran for the failed 3rd down conversion in the 4th, would you have had McGee attempt another pass with the game on the line? If anything, i would question Fran for not putting Branyon in the game...but then again, we don't know how well Branyon runs the option compared to a concussed McGee.


• the Ground Pounders:
  Tech was absolutely helpless to stop the running attack. play after play, J-Lane, Lewis, Goodson (0 fumbles!!), Leone & Co. smashed the red raiders in the teeth, averaging 5.3 yds a play. Starting on their own 1 yd line, the Ags drove it 99 yds for a TD, rushing the ball on 98% of the plays.

To build on:
Although the defense played "well" against what was probably the toughest match-up (zone shredding pass attack vs. weak secondary) it will face all season, a loss is still a loss. The Ags are no longer in control of their Big XII championship dreams, not only do they need to win every game from here out, they need Tech to lose atleast two more. The experience gained against Tech will prove valuable against the up & coming Mizzou spread attack in two weeks. If the Ags can continue to run the ball with the same authority seen this past Saturday, expect only a d-line the likes of Texas' to offer any legitamate challenge. Until then, our biggest enemy: inconsistency on offense



This week: Kansas

MIA

much apologies for my MIA status this past week.

i could blame it on the blackouts across the brazos valley, an increase in my course and work load, or severe depression after the Tech loss... but i think we all know i'm just a lazy bastard.




i'm currently driving through Kansas with my dad (trip #89540 to KS, yes it's still very rolly and very plains-y), i'll post as soon as i can find another hotspot.