Texas A&M Football and The Spirit Of Aggieland

There just isn't anything like the spirit of Aggieland in College Station, TX. For those who question it, there is but one answer:

They haven't been here yet.

Texas A&M has the best student section in the country. 30,000 students stand for three and a half hours in the blazing heat, shouting yells at the top of their lungs. Now that's dedication.

Some may scoff at the fact that we have no cheer leaders, but there is nothing like 85,000 people screaming in unison on a Saturday afternoon.

The spirit goes beyond the football team; I still get chills when I look at the picture of Kyle Field after the tragedy of 9/11, when students from each deck were told to "red, white, and blue out" to honor our country (it's called Maroon Out when we all wear maroon in the stands).

Every student and alum obeyed.

You can't explain it, but when you step on to campus, you feel the energy and the history of the University. You are the 12th man.

When E. King Gill stepped on to the field that day in 1922, he set the tone for future Aggies to come; to be ready to take the field at a moment's notice.

Those who experience it can't explain it, and those who question it don't understand it.

Where else will 25, 000 students gather on a Friday night in the football stadium to practice yelling?

When College Gameday came to College Station for the OU game three years ago, my friends and I were front and center when Kirk Herbstreit boldly stated:

"This is the best student section in college football."

No one else has our passion, No one else matches our dedication.

General George Patton said it best:

"Give me an army of West Point graduates and I'll win you a battle, give me a handful of Aggies and I'll win you a war."

I couldn't be more proud to be a part of the 12th man.

Well now that I've appealed to your emotions, it's time to talk football.

Mike Sherman's first season was disappointing, at best. It was the first four win season A&M has suffered since 2003, and had Aggie faithful scratching their heads.

Mike Goodson was supposed to thrive in Sherman's pro style offense, but that didn't happen.

Stephen McGee was supposed to become the player we all expected him to be—he got hurt.

Jerrod Johnson was supposed to step in and be the next Vince Young when McGee got hurt. While he showed brilliance at times, he made poor decisions and was not a competent leader.

The team definitely fell short of expectations last season.

This year, the Aggies are prime to make a run back to Big 12 relevance.

Jeff Fuller and Ryan Tannehill had fantastic seasons for the Aggies. Tannehill set the record for most receptions and receiving yards in a season by a freshman.

Fuller also had 50 catches and nine touchdowns, and was a consistent deep play threat down the stretch. It took a while for these guys to find their groove, but once they did,it was beautiful to watch.

Jerrod Johnson will be in his first full season as the starter, and should turn out to be a fantastic player. Many have compared him to Vince Young with his size and speed, but most say he will develope into a better passer.

Johnson was the No. 1 scrambling quarterback recruit out of Texas when he signed with the Aggies, so expect big things from him.

Jamie McCoy started his career as a quarterback for A&M, but switched to tight end at the coaches' request. He has rewarded them and is on the pre-season watch list for the Mackey Award for best tight end in the country.

Known for being a great rushing team nearly all of its history, the Aggies were a complete failure in that respect in 2008. They rushed for only 1,062 yards, which ranked 115th out of 120 teams.

Compare that to 2007—when they ranked 13th and rushed for 2,751 yards—and you have an all-out disaster.

In order to improve that part of the offense, Sherman recruited ESPN top 150 RB Christine Michael, No. 4 high school running back in the country. For his high school career, he rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and 80 touchdowns.

Running backs Cyrus Gray and Keondra Smith have both flashed brilliance in recent spring games, but that never translated to much success in the fall. Hopefully this season will be different.

The Aggies are returning eight of 11 starters on offense; the coaching staff is expecting big things from the unit this year.

The Aggie defense will be looking to turn back time to the Wrecking Crew days. In order to do that, Sherman recruited Chris Henderson from the very talented Carter High School in Dallas (Carter H.S. from the movie Friday Night Lights).

Henderson is a disruptive defensive tackle who will fill the gaps and also rush the passer. He is the complete package and could see time right away.

The Aggie defense will be reeling, losing both defensive ends and both starting safeties. Devin Gregg will be a tough player to replace, as he was the leader of the defense last year.

That being said, Mike Sherman is confident the defense will hold their own in 2009.

Sherman vowed to bring a title back to Aggieland after a 70 year drought and has acted on that promise quickly. Five ESPN top 150 recruits are verbally committed to the Ags for 2010, with more possibly on the way.

Expectations are running high in College Station, this football town has an itch that needs to be scratched.