A&M/UTAH STATE SERIES NOTABLES

Texas A&M has never faced Utah State on the football field ... the Aggies are 12-0 all-time against the current WAC schools ... A&M's most frequent WAC opponent is Louisiana Tech (9-0) ... USU will be the first WAC team to visit Kyle Field since the Aggies downed Fresno State, 47-45, in triple overtime in 2007 ... Texas A&M is 3-3 all-time against schools from the state of Utah, holding a 2-1 record against the Utes and a 1-2 mark versus BYU.

Texas A&M will host UAB next Saturday, while Utah State opens its home slate against Southern Utah.

WE ARE THE AGGIES, THE AGGIES ARE WE...

For the first time since the 1950s, the Texas A&M Aggies will face off another team nicknamed the Aggies when A&M hosts the Utah State Aggies on Sept. 19. A&M, Utah State and New Mexico State are the only Football Bowl Subdivision teams with Aggies as their nickname. Previously, Texas A&M faced "Aggies" from Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State Cowboys) and Kansas State (now KSU Wildcats).

McMILLIAN FACES OLD TEAM

Second-year Texas A&M cornerbacks coach Charles McMillian, a native of Bryan, Texas, will be facing his alma mater when the Aggies takes on Utah State on Saturday. McMillian was team captain for the Utah State Aggies as a senior and helped them to a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2003.

MILLER LEADS SACK ATTACK

The Aggies' lack of a pass rush in 2008 was a distant memory after the 2009 season-opener when A&M sacked New Mexico quarterback Donovan Porterie five times. Leading the way was junior "Jack" Von Miller, who caught the mobile Porterie a career-high three times, which was the most by an Aggie since Jarrod Penright had three against Baylor in 2001. Also contributing sacks were redshirt freshman linebacker Kyle Mangan and junior defensive end Cody Williams (both the first of their careers).

IS IT "MILLER TIME"?

Once known for its pass-rushing prowess, Texas A&M hasn't had a defender with double-digit quarterback sacks in nearly a decade. But if performances in spring drills, fall camp, and the win over New Mexico are any indication, junior Von Miller could be the person to reverse this trend.

After struggling at linebacker last season, Miller was moved to a new hybrid defensive end/linebacker position dubbed the "Jack" by head coach Mike Sherman. The position/scheme change helped change Miller from tentative linebacker to basically unblockable Jack in the Aggies' scrimmages and practices. "I'm glad Von is going to be on our side of the fence when it comes time to play other teams," QB starter Jerrod Johnson said. [Source: San Antonio Express-News, Aug. 19, 2009] Last season, Miller started just four of 12 games and contributed a team-high 3.5 sacks, but is clearly happy with his new role. "I've always thought I've been a pass-rush type guy, a blitz-type guy," Miller said. "And the jack position is just like a designated blitzer every play. It's really my strength." [Source: B/CS Eagle, April 18, 2009]

Miller nearly equaled his season sack total from '08 in the season-opening victory over the Lobos, sacking UNM quarterback Donovan Porterie three times. Miller totaled 3.5 sacks last season.

SCHOOL OF FISH

The Aggies used a eye-catching 13 true freshmen in their season-opening victory over New Mexico on Sept. 5. Only once since freshmen became eligible in 1972 has Texas A&M used more true freshmen in an entire season. Head coach Tom Wilson's 1980 Aggie squad lettered a whopping 16 true freshmen from a signing class of 26 players in a 4-7 campaign. Among the standouts in 1980 signing class were future NFL Draft picks Jeff Fuller Sr., Keith Guthrie, Mark Lewis, Ken Reeves, Tommy Robison and Thomas Sanders.

Since 1972, the Aggies have awarded varsity letters to 10 or more true freshman in a season only a handful of times: 16 in 1980, 13 in 2009, 11 in 1973 and 10 in 1972 and 2008. Interestingly, only once since the advent of freshman eligibility have the Aggies not played a single true freshman (1989).

EARLY RISERS

OFFENSE
Brandal Jackson    WR  Navasota, Texas (Navasota)
                           3 catches for 17 yards vs. UNM
Patrick Lewis      OL  LaPlace, La. (East St. John)
                           One of first OL off bench vs. UNM
Kenric McNeal      WR  Spring, Texas (Spring)
                           44-yard TD catch was long play of game vs. UNM
Christine Michael  RB  Beaumont, Texas (West Brook)
                           best true frosh rushing debut (93 yds.) since Bucky in '87
Uzoma Nwachukwu*   WR  Allen, Texas (Allen)
                           3 catch for 53 yards, including 42 yarder in debut
DEFENSE
Steven Campbell    DB  Houston, Texas (Jersey Village)
                           2 tackles vs. UNM
Kirby Ennis        DL  Huntsville, Texas (Huntsville)
                           contributed a tackle vs. Lobos
Dustin Harris*     DB  Livingston, Texas (Livingston)
                           started at CB and PR vs. UNM
Spencer Nealy      DL  San Antonio, Texas (Reagan)
                           had 3 tackles, including 3rd down stop
Sean Porter        LB  Schertz, Texas (Clemens)
                           3 tackles vs. UNM, one of first defenders off bench
Jonathan Stewart*  LB  Shreveport, La. (Byrd)
                           3 tackles in start vs. Lobos
Steven Terrell     DB  Allen, Texas (Allen)
                           contributed a tackle vs. Lobos
Colton Valencia    DB  Missouri City, Texas (Hightower)
                           entered UNM game in second half
* started against New Mexico

NEW FACES IN OLD PLACES

Of the 63 players that saw action in the Aggies' 41-6 victory in the season-opener against New Mexico, an amazing 26 (or 41.3 percent) were making their career debuts in the maroon and white. Seeing action for the first time were 13 true freshmen, five redshirt freshmen, four transfers and four squadsmen.

NEWCOMER BREAKDOWN

True Freshmen      13  see above
Redshirt Freshmen   5  Blaine Cheatham (DB), Tommy Dorman (QB), Adren Dorsey (DL),
                       Kyle Mangan (LB), Brian Thomas (OL)
Transfers           4  Matt Allen (OL/LSU), Cole Graybill (FB/Arizona),
                       Coryell Judie (DB/Fort Scott CC), Ken Wood (P/Montana)
Squadsmen           4  Don Bishop (TE), Taylor Randle (WR), Craig Raschke (OL), Nick Trice (WR)

FULLER MAKES STATEMENT

Left off the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, sophomore Jeff Fuller made a strong case for his inclusion on the prestigious list in the season-opener. Fuller posted career bests with 10 catches for 111 yards and also grabbed the 10th receiving touchdown of his 12-game A&M career. Among Fuller's 10 catches were six that produced first downs, which gives him 30 catches for first downs in his career.

FULLER STANDS TALL

Sophomore receiver Jeff Fuller caught a career-high 10 passes for a career-best 111 yards and one touchdown against New Mexico. His previous bests were 8 receptions against Iowa State and 95 yards against Iowa State and Colorado.

FORGOTTEN MAN MORROW

With all the hoopla surrounding super sophs Jeff Fuller and Ryan Tannehill and the Aggies' freshman wide receiver crew, senior Howard Morrow has been somewhat of a forgotten man. But his contributions during fall camp and the New Mexico season-opener shouldn't be overlooked. Head coach Mike Sherman consistently pointed out Morrow's hard work in fall practices, and Morrow lived up to the billing against the Lobos with a solid three catches for 20 yards, including one that produced a first down.

Morrow's success as a senior will likely be linked to a noticeable body change from the offseason. With the help of strength and conditioning coach Dave Kennedy and nutritionist Amy Bragg, Morrow says he lost about 25 pounds since the end of the Spring 2009 semester. "I'm a lot quicker and faster now," Morrow said. "As I got older, the game slowed down for me so that hasn't changed much. But I feel like I have more of an advantage over the defensive backs than I did before. My body feels so much better at 197 than it does at 220. I feel like I'm back at Fossil Ridge (High School)." [Source: Maroon & White Report, Aug. 14, 2009]

Morrow is one of 14 fifth-year seniors on the Aggie roster, but he's the only one that saw action in the 2005 season. Morrow started three games as a true freshman and had six catches for 94 yards that season. His football career at A&M has extended to five seasons due to a season-ending wrist injury that forced him to redshirt in 2007.

NEW LOOK DEFENSE

A year after allowing a school-worst 461.9 yards and 37.4 points per game, the Aggie defense was solid in the 2009 season opener, limiting the New Mexico offense to six points (two field goals) and 231 total yards. It was easily the most complete defensive performance of the Mike Sherman era. The last time the Aggie defense held a team to fewer yards was the 12-7 victory over Texas in 2006 when A&M limited the Longhorns to 230 total yards (160 passing/70 rushing).

The UNM game also marked the first time that the Aggies have kept an opponent out of the end zone since the season-opener of 2006 (35-3 win over The Citadel), a span of 37 games.

UNDER A YARD/CARRY

The Aggies limited New Mexico to only 21 ground yards on 24 rushing attempts for a paltry 0.88 yards per carry average. The last time the Aggies limited an opponent to less than a yard per carry was 2004 when A&M's helped Wyoming's rushing attacked to minus-3 yards on 26 carries in a 31-0 shutout at Kyle Field. It was the first time the Aggies held an opponent's rushing attack under 100 yards since limiting Baylor to 60 yards on 16 carries in 2007, a span of 20 games.

HIGH AND LOW WATER MARKS FOR SHERMAN

Texas A&M gained 606 yards of total offense while limiting New Mexico to just 231 yards in the season-opener, its best offensive and defensive games under second-year head coach Mike Sherman. The Aggies' previous offensive high was 544 yards vs. Kansas State, while the best previous defensive performance was 284 yards by Army last season.

SEASON-OPENER TOTAL OFFENSE

A&M's 606 total offensive yards set a school record for a season opener and tied for 11th most in school history. The previous high for an opening game was 567 against Sam Houston State in 1997. It was A&M's best offensive effort since it gained 714 yards against SMU in 2005.

FOUR BILLS FOR JOHNSON

Junior Manning Award candidate Jerrod Johnson used his arm and legs to post his second 400-yard plus total offense game (349 passing/57 rushing) of his career. Johnson is just the second A&M player with multiple 400-yard games, joining season and career total offense school record holder Reggie McNeal, who did it three times. His 406 yards of total offense were the sixth most in school history and the second best of his career. He gained a school-record 487 yards (419 pass/68 rush) last year against Kansas State.

With his big day, Johnson went over the 3,000-yard level in total offense for his career and just edged past Lance Pavlas (1987-90) by one yard to No. 16 on A&M's career list with 3,116 total yards.

300-YARD TRIFECTA FOR JJ

Jerrod Johnson's 349 passing yards against New Mexico marked the third 300-yard effort of his career, which matches the school record shared by Dustin Long (2001-03) and Mark Farris (1999-02). His 349-yard night ranks as the No. 3 passing effort of his career behind his school record 419 yards vs. Kansas State and 381 vs. Iowa State last year.

IT'S PRONOUNCED "CHRIS-TIN"

True freshman running back Christine Michael made his much anticipated collegiate debut against New Mexico, and he didn't disappoint as he wowed the Kyle Field faithful with his impressive blend of power and acceleration. He finished his first night in the maroon and white with a game-high 93 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries (8.5 yards per carry), which was the most rushing yards by a true freshman in his debut game since quarterback Bucky Richardson rushed for 102 yards on five carries against the Brett Favre-led Southern Miss Golden Eagles in 1987 (see chart to left). Unlike Richardson, who benefitted from an 82-yard touchdown run, Michael got his yards with a series of impressive runs. Michael posted four double-digit runs, including 20- and 24-yarders, and had no negative yardage on the night.

ABOUT THE NAME

Michael's first name is spelled "Christine," but it's pronounced "Chris-tin." Michael reports that his unusual first name was given to him by his mother, who really wanted her first child to be a girl and already had the name chosen. "My mom wanted her first child to be a girl, and she had my name picked out from Day 1. She thought it was unique for a boy. Now, whatever anyone wants to call me, I just go along with it." [Source: San Antonio Express-News, Sept. 8, 2009]

THREE-CATCH McCOY

Senior Mackey Award candidate Jamie McCoy grabbed five catches (for 44 yards) against New Mexico, and now has 11 straight games with at least three catches to his credit.

McCOY'S MAJOR MOVE

In one of the most successful position changes of the Mike Sherman era at A&M, senior Jamie McCoy's move from seldom-used quarterback/wide receiver to tight end paid immediate dividends in 2008 and has made McCoy into one of the nation's top tight ends entering 2009. A member of the John Mackey Award "watch list," McCoy ranks second among returning Big 12 tight ends in receptions after catching 43 passes for 500 yards and five scores (matched the A&M record for tight ends). McCoy caught at least one ball in every game last year, and had at least three in the final 10 games of 2008. A clutch receiver, McCoy's catches produced 30 first downs in 2008.

THE REAL McCOYS

Brothers Jamie and Terrence McCoy were in the starting lineup together five times last season with older brother Jamie at tight end and Terrence at wide receiver. The two brothers combined for 67 catches for 737 yards and six touchdowns.

RYAN "DIECISIETE"?

Similar to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who handled the Bengals' placekicking duties in a recent preseason game, the Aggies' Ryan Tannehill is capable of playing many roles.

Last year he was a record-setting wide receiver. He is also the Aggies' emergency punter, but there is no proof that he could handle placekicking chores a la Ochocinco. This season, however, Tannehill is focusing on quarterback as he was promised by Aggie head coach Mike Sherman when he agreed to moved to wide receiver prior to the 2008 season-opener. Tannehill came out of nowhere to grab 55 catches for 844 yards, both freshman records, last season.

Tannehill recently lost a close battle for the starting quarterback job to incumbent Jerrod Johnson, but remains under center according to Sherman. "Ryan's going to be a heck of a quarterback here," Sherman said. "Are there going to be some situations where he'll be on the field? Possibly. But right now we're still focusing on the quarterback aspect of it." [AggieAthletics.com, Aug. 24, 2009] Tannehill doesn't seem content to hold a clipboard on the sideline. "I definitely want to be on the field," Tannehill said. "It's hard to help the team standing on the sidelines." [Source: MySanAntonio.com, Aug. 25]

Tannehill made three catches-two for first downs-while totaling 40 yards in the win over New Mexico on Sept. 5.

DYNAMIC DUO/TERRIFIC TRIO

For the first time in school history, the Aggies have a pair of returning players with 50-catch seasons on their resumes in sophomores Ryan Tannehill (55 catches) and Jeff Fuller (50 catches). Also for the first time in school history, the Aggies have a trio of returning receivers with 40-catch plus seasons to their credit in Tannehill, Fuller and senior tight end Jamie McCoy (43 catches). The trio also combined for 19 touchdown receptions, including 17 of quarterback Jerrod Johnson's school record 21 TD strikes.

RIVALRY RENEWED

The Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks will renew their longtime rivalry in the Southwest Classic on Oct. 3 at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The former Southwest Confererence rivals agreed to a 10-year series to be played annually in Cowboys Stadium. The Aggies and Razorbacks have not faced each other on the gridiron since the Hogs bolted the SWC to move east to the Southeastern Conference after the 1991 season. The Hogs, who will be the designated home team in this year's meeting, hold a 38-24-3 overall, but the two teams split the final 10 meetings in the series.

PRO DADS

The 2009 Texas A&M football roster is dotted several players whose father were accomplished professionals in the NFL or NBA.

Senior offensive center Kevin Matthews' father, Bruce, was a perennial All-Pro offensive lineman for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Fuller's father, Jeff Sr., was a standout defensive back for the Aggies from 1980-83 and then the San Francisco 49ers from 1984-88.

True freshman defensive lineman Spencer Nealy's dad, Ed, was an All-Big Eight forward at Kansas State and played 10 seasons in the NBA, including with the 1992-93 Chicago Bulls that won the NBA title.

True freshman defensive lineman Wells Childress' father, Ray, still ranks in the top five in tackles and QB sacks in A&M history and went on to a long career with the Houston Oilers in NFL.

TAKING IT FOR THE TEAM

"Team" and "teamwork" are two of the main tenets of Mike Sherman's mantra at Texas A&M, and senior Matt Featherston and junior Lucas Patterson are perfect examples of this philosophy. Both upperclassmen changed positions during the offseason because it was the best move for the team, and they did so without complaint.

Featherston was the team leader in tackler at linebacker last season, but moved to the new hybrid DE/LB "Jack" position where he will backup junior Von Miller. Patterson moved from starting defensive tackle to offensive line without the benefit of spring practice (due to a broken leg suffered last season), but moved back to defense midway through fall camp because of depth issues on the D-line. Patterson summed it up simply, "I'm needed more over there, and ultimately this is to help the team." [Source: San Antonio Express-News, Aug. 28, 2009]

ALL-PURPOSE GRAY

Sophomore running back Cyrus Gray announced his presence on the collegiate football scene with a monster season as a true freshman. Gray, from DeSoto, Texas, nearly doubled the school record for kickoff return yards with 1,169 yards and broke Danté Hall's freshman all-purpose yardage record with 1,592 yards in 2008. He also broke Carl Roaches' old school standard for single game kickoff return yards with 261 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown, against Oklahoma.

UNCOMMON HOME STAND FOR AGGIES

The Aggies are playing their first three games of the season in the friendly confines of Kyle Field for the second time in three years, but also just the second time since the first three years of former A&M head coach Jackie Sherrill's stint at A&M in 1982-84. In Sherrill's first three seasons, A&M opened with three or more consecutive home games to open the year.

NON-CONFERENCE GRAVEYARD

Kyle Field has been a graveyard for non-conference opponents with the Aggies posting a 57-6 record (90.5 winning percentage) over the past 25 years against non-Southwest Conference or Big 12 foes.

"BULL" MARKET

A question mark a year ago, the placekicker position appears to be a strength for the Aggies in 2009 with the return of sophomore Randy Bullock. In last year's season-opener, the Aggies missed a pair of field goals from less than 40 yards in a 18-14 loss. Bullock pulled off his redshirt in the sixth game of 2008 and responded with 6-of-7 field goals and made 20 straight extra points after missing the first one of his career. Bullock also showed a strong leg by booting a 46-yard field goal against Texas Tech, which was the longest by an A&M kicker since 2004.

Bullock picked up where he left off in the season opener against New Mexico, going 2-for-2 in field goal tries and a perfect 5-for-5 in extra-point conversions.

FIRST-DOWN FINDERS

The Aggies' receiver trio of wideouts Ryan Tannehill and Jeff Fuller and tight end Jamie McCoy moved the chains at an impressive rate in 2008. The trio produced 90 first downs on their combined 148 receptions (60.8 percent). Tannehill led way with 35 first down catches, and that number was closely followed by McCoy's 31 and Fuller's 24. Breaking it down further, Fuller had 11 third down catches that produced first downs, followed by McCoy and Tannehill with 10.

TURNOVERS TELL STORY

Since 2005, the Aggies have compiled a 20-4 record in games with a plus turnover margin. In games with an even or minus turnover margin, the Aggies are 6-19.

EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM

Seven Aggies have already earned their bachelor's degree from Texas A&M, which ranks among the most in the nation. The Aggies with diplomas already in hand are: Derek Dumas, Matt Featherston, Lee Grimes, Jordan Peterson, Michael Shumard, Vincent Williams and Jeff Wood. In addition, there are a large number of Aggies set to graduate in December of 2009: Cody Beyer, Chevar Bryson, Marcus Gold, Jerrod Johnson (will complete all course work, has an internship to finish degree plan in spring), Kevin Matthews, Jamie McCoy, Ryan O'Bryant, Jordan Pugh, Matt Rankin and DeMaurier Thompson.

HALF-MILLION AT KYLE

Texas A&M drew more than a half million fans to Kyle Field for the fifth time in school history in 2008. A&M's final 2008 home attendance total was 575,351 for a seven-game average of 82,193, third best in school history.

WALK-ON IMPACT

Head coach Mike Sherman' love of competition at all positions led to a number of non-scholarship players that return this season earning playing time in 2008.

NFL EXPERIENCE

The Aggie coaching staff has deep ties to the National Football League. Of the 10 coaches on the A&M staff, seven have experience in the NFL either as coach or as a player, or both. Leading the way is offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell, who coached 17 years in the NFL with three teams and played 11 seasons. Other double-digit NFLers are head coach Mike Sherman (11 years with three teams, including six as head coach of the Green Bay Packers) and quarterback coach Tom Rossley (11 years with four teams).

IMPRESSIVE ASSISTANTS

Mike Sherman RADIO SHOW

The weekly Mike Sherman Radio Show will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. live from Wings N More at the University Drive location in College Station. The show is broadcast locally on WTAW (1620 AM) and fans are invited to join Coach Sherman and host Dave South at the restaurant to ask questions and to get Coach Sherman's thoughts on the season.

If you are unable to attend in person, fans can submit questions via email to coach@athletics.tamu.edu as well as a link on the front page of the football section of AggieAthletics.com. The show will air weekly, with the final show airing on Tuesday, Nov. 17 due to a men's basketball game on Monday, Nov. 16.