USA today on A&m ...

[Blues1]

LinK...!!!

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/big12/2006-11-03-aggies_x.htm

[FlatheadSooner]

Thanks - I needed that little nap. ;)

[Blues1]

Yep -- I thought maybe I shouldn't post it but, as the old saying goes....

"Know thy enemy"

[milesl]

I'd read it if you copy and paste. It is filtered here at work

[Blues1]

Turnaround for Texas A&M
Updated 11/3/2006 1:26 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this


Enlarge By David J. Phillip, AP

Jorvorskie Lane is tied for second in the nation with 17 touchdowns for Texas A&M.



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By Jack Carey, USA TODAY
The Texas A&M football team didn't enjoy the happiest of holiday seasons last winter.
Sitting at home after a once-promising season went south in the last month, the Aggies resolved while watching other teams play in bowls that 2006 would be different, says sophomore running back Jorvorskie Lane.

After starting 5-2 in 2005, A&M lost four in a row to fall out of bowl contention. That's not going to be a problem this year because the No. 21 Aggies are 8-1. They're 4-1 in the Big 12 heading into an imposing finishing stretch that starts Saturday with No. 18 Oklahoma and includes Nebraska and fourth-ranked Texas.

"Before the Big 12 started, you probably would never find anybody who would even play those three teams in a season, let alone three games in a row," says fourth-year coach Dennis Franchione. "But that's life in the Big 12 South."

Life has been made a bit easier for A&M this season with the emergence of Lane and quarterback Stephen McGee.

Lane, a 6-foot, 274-pound sophomore who's built like a tackle and runs like a tank, is tied for second in the nation with 17 touchdowns and 102 points.

McGee, also a sophomore, has been intercepted only once in 225 pass attempts.

Also a key is a defense that's made solid strides since opponents scored 36 or more points in each of the four losses to end last season.

"This has been a process, but I really like this team," says Franchione, 24-20 at the school. "They feel good about each other, they believe in each other, and they like playing with each other. There's a special spirit about them.

"Sometimes you have to endure the hard times to understand how to get things done. But we've had great leadership this season."

Lane says the team has much better chemistry than last season's edition and that started to become evident shortly after 2005 ended.

"We came back from Christmas break last year determined that we were not going to be home in December this year," says Lane, who has rushed for 554 yards and is closing in on his freshman total of 595. "It was hard watching some of our friends and teams we'd played against play in bowl games. People wanted to know what happened to us."

Lane, a tough inside runner with quickness for his size, is often called on in short-yardage and goal-line situations.

"I know my role in the offense, and things we're doing are working for us," he says.

Lane was a three-year starter and two-time all-state selection who rushed for 3,671 yards and 70 touchdowns at Lufkin (Texas) High, but a reading comprehension issue almost short-circuited his career.

"I could focus for only a short period of time. I could read, but I couldn't remember things," Lane says.

When he started to show progress on the football field at Lufkin, Lane knew his reading situation would have to be tackled if he wanted to continue his career in college, especially since he would soon have to take standardized tests as part of the college admissions process.

Betty Lewing, a Lufkin teacher who specializes in instructing older readers, became acquainted with Lane when he was part of a group of students who read books to elementary-school pupils.

"It was not one of his strengths," Lewing recalls.

She encouraged him to enroll in her class, which uses computer-assisted reading techniques and lots of small-group reading sessions and individual attention.

"In one semester, the second semester of his junior year, you could see an immediate improvement,

says Lewing, whose classes helped Lane improve his SAT score by more than 400 points.

"The key is to slow down and really focus in on understanding what you're reading," she says. "When the students would read independently, his favorite books were always sports books. We had books on people like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, and he took to those right away."

Lane, an agricultural and life sciences major, is still using the techniques from the class, and he and Lewing have kept their relationship strong since he left high school.

"She's meant a great deal to my life," he says.

Lewing has seen just about all of Lane's games at A&M, and the two talk each week.

"I've told him that it wouldn't matter to me if he never scored a touchdown because I'm so proud of him," Lewing says.

The Aggies, however, will be looking for more TDs from Lane starting this week.

"We don't feel like we have to prove anything to anybody," he says. "We're playing for ourselves."

[AlbqSooner]

I read it - but I can't recall what it said.

[StoopTroup]

Comical.

Not only will they lose tomorrow...

They won't win another game.

[SoFla Sooner]

Aggies featured in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, they're being visited by Game Day......it all points squarely to.............Aggie Meltdown!!!!!