Softly Call The Muster

For the first time since I graduated from Texas A&M in 1999, I won't be attending an Aggie Muster ceremony this year. The Netherlands A&M club had a very small Muster over the weekend in the Hague but I was unable to attend. I will spend my Muster day this year thinking of my Aggie friends back in the States and preparing for my parents visit to Europe tomorrow. I'm a little bummed that there could not have been a better organized Muster event today, but c'est la vie. I will reflect on the significance of the day in my own way. Gig 'Em Ags.

Aggies Move on to Round Two

No one could ever accuse me of being much of a basketball fan, but it is nice to get news that the Aggie men's team has advanced to the round of 32 teams in the NCAA tournament after defeating BYU by a score of 79-66. Gig 'Em Ags!

Texas A&M vs. Texas

As I expected, the Aggies did not pull of the three-pete over Texas. The Aggies just weren't very good this year and so I didn't have high hopes of another upset. The defense looked good early in the game, but the offense just couldn't make things happen. And when the offense did start to click, they were derailed by mistakes and missed opportunities. So the Aggies were defeated in Austin by a score of 49-9 and the season has come to a close. I'm glad that this season is behind us and Coach Sherman can get the team to buy into his system during the offseason. I don't want another season like this anytime soon. It's just not as fun to watch any college football when your team isn't competative and all the other teams in your league are ranked in the top 25. Better luck next year...Gig 'Em Ags!

Texas A&M vs. Baylor

The Ags got beat by Baylor today by a score of 41-21. I can't say that I'm surprised but I'm still disappointed. So now the Ags have a week off before taking on a tough Texas team in Austin. We won the last two meeting with Coach Fran at the helm. I grew very disillusioned with Fran over his last few seasons but he was still coach when we beat Texas twice in a row. I don't think that the Ags will be victorious in Austin this year unfortunately, but I will still be hoping for the major upset. The guys should really get up for the game if for no other reason than it will be the first Thanksgiving night game in fifteen years. Keep the streak going Ags! Get pumped and BTHO tu!

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

The Aggies got soundly defeated by Oklahoma on Saturday night by a score of 66-28. The Aggies aren't even in OU's league right now so there is nothing surprising about the final home game of the season. Next up for the Aggies is a road trip to Waco to face Baylor and then a roadie to Austin to play Texas. I wish I could say that playing Baylor will be a nice tune-up before travelling to Austin, but I just don't think that things will be like that this year. I hope that there will be a time in the next few years that A&M will be competitive in the Big 12 again but a lot of of other teams in the league are doing really well and don't look to be slumping any time soon.

Texas A&M vs. Colorado

The Aggies got their first conference win at home by defeating the Colorado Buffaloes by a score of 24-17. Jerrod Johnson had another good day in the quarterback position and the defense came up with some big plays to keep the Buffaloes from scoring. Both teams came into the game with identical records so I'd say that this was a good win for the Aggies against a team on about the same level. Next week will be a true test for this young team against an always good Oklahoma.

Texas A&M vs. Iowa State

The Aggies got the first conference win of the season yesterday by defeating Iowa State by a score of 49-35. I wasn't able to watch the game but from what I've read, it appears that quarterback Jerrod Johnson had a great game. His numbers bode well for the future of the Aggies under Coach Mike Sherman's new system. I would still like to see the Ags win a few more games this year, but will be satisfied if they learn what they are capable of as players.

Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech

The Aggies played host to Texas Tech and gave them a good game but still lost by a score of 43-25. The score makes the game seem much more one sided than it actually was. The Aggies lead several times during the game including at halftime. Unfortunatley, the Red Raiders made better halftime adjustments and took advantage of opportunities to go into the final minutes of the game leading 36-25. Knowing that they would not be allowed to tear down the goal post after the win, the Red Raiders decided to humilate the Aggies by scoring one more grandstanding touchdown with only seconds left in the game. Kudos go to Mike Leach on a decision to challenge the missed touchdown by the Red Raiders in the final minute of the game knowing full well that they would be able to put it in the endzone on their next play. You stay classy Texas Tech! The Ags played great today against a top 10 team but they lost and as far as I'm concerned, there are no moral victories. It sucks to keep losing, but maybe this will help the players grow as a team.

Texas A&M vs. Kansas State

Again I am a few days late on this but I have as usual been very busy with work on game day as well as several social functions Saturday and Sunday. By now anyone who cares knows that the Aggies were defeated at home by Kansas State by a score of 44-30. I again listened to most of the game on the radio while working and although the Aggies put up some great stats in a variety of aspects of the game, they couldn't add the most important, the score, when they needed to. It was especially disappointing when the Aggies took the ball all the way to the K-State 2-yard line and could not score on two attempts. This ends the winning streak against K-State streak that started with the upset in the Big XII Championship ten years ago. I'm not sure what the Aggies need to do but the really need to start working on it as the rest of the schedule will not get any easier.

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State

The Aggies lost their first Big XII game of the year to Oklahoma State by a score of 56-28. I didn't see or hear anything about it until much later in the evening on Saturday night because Roxi and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary. I am not a fair weather fan but I'm afraid this season is not going to end well for the Aggies.

Texas A&M vs. Army

The Aggies got their first home victory of the season against Army with a final score of 21-17. It was hardly a stellar performance by the Aggies but it was a win nonetheless. Conference play starts next week and I worry that the Ags will face a tough game on the road. Congrats on the win and good luck on the road Ags.

Texas A&M vs. Miami

The Aggies committed just enough mistakes today to lose the game against Miami by a score of 41-23. Thankfully I was working and only got to listen to a few minutes of the third quarter on the radio. It was abysmal. I heard Miami score three times in a matter of minutes. By the time I got home ABC wasn't even showing our game any more, so I didn't get to see the Aggies "rally" from being thirty-one points behind to finish only eighteen points down. I love Aggie football and I hate Aggie football. The only thing that sucks worse than this loss is the headlines in tomorrow's papers that will say something about Texas getting hit by another hurricane. Stay tuned for some lazy sports journalism.

Texas A&M vs. New Mexico

The Aggies got their first win of the Mike Sherman era by defeating the New Mexico Lobos by a score of 28-22. It would have been nice to get the win last week as well because the season is only going to get harder. Nevertheless, congrats to the Ags on todays win!

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas State

I've been preoccupied with the Hurricane Gustav preparations, but in the meantime, apparently the Aggies lost to Arkansas State by a score of 18-14. This will probably be a very long season for new head coach Mike Sherman and the team.

Alamo Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Penn State

Tonight the Texas A&M Aggies will be facing the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Everybody seems to think that Penn State has the edge and they probably do, I just hope that interim head coach Gary Darnell can give Joe Paterno and his boys a game. I was at the last game between the A&M and Penn State which was also at the Alamo Bowl in 1999 and it was miserable. It was completely one sided and got pretty boring to watch after Penn State took a commanding lead. I hope the Ags play with the same fire in their bellies that they had when they beat Texas a little more than a month ago. Gig 'Em Aggies! BTHO penn state!

UPDATE: The Aggies lose a close game by a score of 17-24. The Aggies took the lead early in the Alamo Bowl, but Penn State was able to answer and hang on for the win. It would have been nice to cleanse the palate of the Franchione Era with this game, but there just wasn't enough time to pull out the win. I'm not one for moral victories, but at least we weren't completely dominated as we were in our previous two bowl performances. Let the Mike Sherman Era begin!

Remember the Alamo

The Texas A&M Aggies are officially Alamo Bowl bound. As mentioned earlier, the Aggies will be playing the Penn State Nittany Lions. I hope that interim head coach Gary Darnell has the team better prepared than R.C. Slocum in the last game against the Nittany Lions in 1999. BTHO penn state!

A Fine Mess

The Bowl Championship Series rankings began in 1998 in an effort to have a clear consensus college football national champion taking into account two human voted polls and several computer generated ones. However, the series has had some failing in almost every year of its existence. 2007 appears to be no different; in fact it has the potential to be the most screwed up yet.

Yesterday, #1 Missouri and #2 West Virginia lost their final games of the season leaving the door open to a controversy similar to that of the 2001-02 and the 2003-04 controversies. After last nights results, no fewer than seven teams are potential entrants into the national title game. Brad Edwards has a great run-down of the contenders in the championship as well as some potential match-ups in the other BCS bowl games.

As far as Texas A&M is concerned, there has been a lot of talk of the Aggies playing Penn State in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on December 29. This game would be a rematch of the 1999 Alamo Bowl in which the R.C. Slocum coached Aggies were shut out by the Nittany Lions by a score of 24-0. Depending upon the selections in the BCS games, the Aggies could end up in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport on December 30 or the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix on December 31. All will be revealed this evening in the over-hyped BCS Selection Show.

Coach Mike Sherman

Texas A&M has named Mike Sherman as the new head football coach. Let's see how he stacks up on my list of criteria. Since I don't follow the NFL, it is hard for me to adequately comment of some of these criteria.

1. Not Tommy Tuberville - CHECK
2. Not Steve Spurrier - CHECK
3. Not Jimmy Johnson - CHECK
4. Not an Aggie - Offensive line coach under R.C. Slocum at A&M from 1989-93 and 1995-96; not a Aggie grad/former player but strong ties.
5. Not a "CEO" - General Manager of the Green Bay Packers organization from 2001-2004.
6. Someone who can win a bowl game. - As a head coach his playoff record was 2-4, only slightly better than recent Aggie head coaches in bowl games.
7. Someone who makes his players believe that they can beat any team on any day. - Coached the Packers to three first place finishes in the NFC North; fired after losing season.
8. Someone who shows genuine emotion on the sidelines. - Reportedly stoic.
9. Someone who isn't already a head coach at a major program. - CHECK
10. Someone who has new ideas. - To Be Determined.
11. Someone who is under forty year old. - Sherman is 53.
12. Someone who is flexible enough to make course corrections when necessary. - To Be Determined.

There are a lot of unknowns in this list, but I like that more than hiring somebody who won a national championship ten or more years ago. We all thought that Franchione was going to take us to the top within two or three years just because he had the reputation of being a "turnaround" guy. It turns out he had a couple of big playmakers that helped make the turnarounds happen in his previous jobs. In hindsight, we all set our heights too high, but we were expecting similar results to what had been achieved at earlier coaching stops. With Sherman, we will just have to wait and see. Expectations will be high, but I there a few coaches in the Big 12 who I thought were relative unknowns at the time of their hiring and a couple of them have really advanced their respective programs. Others haven't. Unfortunately, we probably won't know anything next season other than that we made the right decision to move on from the Francione era.

The important thing now is that Coach Sherman make sure to keep the recruits that we have and maybe add a few in the short time that is left. Meanwhile, he will need to hire some excellent assistant coaches to help him change the overall direction of the football program. It does concern me that he is only going to be working part-time until the end of the Houston Texans' season, but I suppose that is a sign of commitment and integrity which is something that our last coach talked a lot about but might have been somewhat lacking.

In the Interim

Texas A&M defensive coordinator Gary Darnell has been named interim head coach for the bowl game, assuming A&M does indeed get an invitation. I guess this means that there will be no news on the head coach on Monday as many people on the internet boards have been speculating. That's probably for the best. It would be better for the regular season to be over for most schools for a couple of days to get good candidates in for interviews. I really want this to be a good hire and not to have Dollar Bill go off half-cocked in his decision just to appease the most vocal fans. But with Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan being fired, Michigan's Lloyd Carr retiring and a truly excrebale season at Notre Dame under Charlie Weis, there will be some stiff competition for good coaches in the offseason.

The End of an Error

In the days floowing yet another loss to Texas under Coach R.C. Slocum, I couldn't bear to think of another Aggie football season with him at the helm. The numbers didn't lie; A&M had been on a downward slide since 1995 with an outlier of a conference championship in 1998 that in hind site seemed more to be a result of the chemistry of the players that year than coaching. A few days later, R.C. Slocum was reassigned and the search was on for a new head coach and a new era in Aggie football. Shortly thereafter, Dennis Francione left a seemingly renewed Alabama program to turnaround the floundering A&M program. Hindsight is 20/20 and after five years in Aggieland, it appears that Fran's last season at Alabama and his previous seasons at TCU were more about the players drive and determination than anything he did as a coach or motivator.

Today, A&M is no better off than the day that Coach Fran arrived. Our record went down dramatically during his first year and then proceeded to yo-yo up and down over the next four seasons. Yes, he did helm teams that defeated Texas in consecutive years for the first time since the early '90's, but beating our rival is not the be-all end-all of Aggie football. Most fans want a team that is competitive in the Big 12 and puts themselves in a position to at least play for the Big 12 championship every year. Texas and Oklahoma have done it and, like it or not, they have raised the bar over the past decade in the Big 12 South.

Following tonight's win over Texas, Coach Dennis Franchione announced that he would be stepping down as head coach of Texas A&M. I don't think that anyone is gullible enough to believe that Fran wants to leave A&M, but the powers that be have realized that his continued tenure at A&M would only hurt the football program, and by extension the entire athletic department, more than simply starting over. I do think that it might have been better to wait a day, but on the other hand, we might as well strike while the iron is hot. This decision has been a long time coming and I know that quiet arrangements have been going on behind closed doors for a while.

There has been much talk and rumors lately about who will be the next A&M head coach and I have a few criteria that I only hope are used to winnow the field:

1. Not Tommy Tuberville
2. Not Steve Spurrier
3. Not Jimmy Johnson
4. Not an Aggie
5. Not a "CEO"
6. Someone who can win a bowl game.
7. Someone who makes his players believe that they can beat any team on any day.
8. Someone who shows genuine emotion on the sidelines.
9. Someone who isn't already a head coach at a major program.
10. Someone who has new ideas.
11. Someone who is under forty year old.
12. Someone who is flexible enough to make course corrections when necessary.

I don't want to replace one hiring mistake with another. I don't want to go for the big name. I want someone who has new ideas about the game and not someone who is so intractable in their game plans they refuse to admit their mistakes. I want someone who is inspiring and energetic. I want someone who is honest and forthcoming with their poor decisions. I want someone who really wants to make A&M a competitive program again and not just a spoiler.

Thanks for giving a go at it Coach Fran. I know that you had higher hopes when you started, but I think that your approach was a little misguided. It just didn't mesh with the established program. We gave you a good chance, but the Big 12 is a difficult conference and I think that you underestimated it a bit when you started. Thanks for playing a part in beating Texas twice but I just wanted a little more than a post-Thanksgiving win. Good luck and Gig 'Em.