COLLEGE STATION -- Much change has been happening with and around the Aggie football team since the final second ticked off the scoreboard against Texas in last year's season finale. Here are some of the more notable changes:

Shift to 4-2-5: The Aggies scrapped the 4-3 defense in favor of the 4-2-5 scheme in an effort to get more speed on the field.
New faces: Head coach Dennis Franchione brought in four new coaches, including three on his defensive staff. Joining the Aggies last spring were defensive coordinator Gary Darnell, safeties coach Bill Clay, cornerbacks coach Van Malone and wide receivers coach Bob DeBesse.

New responsibility: To make room for WR coach DeBesse, Franchione shifted assistant head coach/WR coach Kenith Pope to running backs coach. Pope has been a member of Franchione's staff since 1998.
Comfort zone: A temporary indoor practice facility was erected over the artificial turf field. Used for the early portion of practices, the facility kept the Aggies out of the broiling Texas sun for approximately 30 hours during fall camp.
Indoor facility: Ground was broken on the McFerrin Athletic Center, which will give the Aggies' a permanent indoor home when completed.
12th Man TV: The old A&M scoreboard was torn down and replaced by "12th Man TV", which is a 54-by-74-foot video board. It ranks as the second-largest screen in college athletics and one of the 10 largest in the world. The new addition also includes a sound system and ribbon boards.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
Three of Dennis Franchione's assistant coaches have been head coaches at some point in their careers: Gary Darnell at Western Michigan (1997-2004) and Tennessee Tech (1983-85); Bob DeBesse at Texas State (1997-2002); and Jim Bob Helduser at Texas State (1992-96).

Six of the nine assistants have coordinated offenses or defense prior to coming to Texas A&M: Darnell (DC at Texas, Notre Dame, Florida, Wake Forest and Kansas State); Les Koenning (OC at Alabama, Houston and Duke); Bill Clay (DC at Oklahoma State, UAB, UTEP, Mississippi State, Temple, SMU and Southern Miss); DeBesse (OC at Minnesota and TCU); Stan Eggen (DC at UNLV); and Mark Tommerdahl (OC at Wyoming).

WATCH LIST WATCH
Three Aggies have been mentioned on "watch lists" for various national awards:

Preseason Accolades
Player Award(s)
Red Bryant Bednarik
Cody Wallace Rimington
Justin Warren Bednarik, Butkus, Nagurski

NEWCOMER IMPACT
The Aggies could feel an immediate impact from several members of the 2006 signing class.

Junior college transfers Mark Dodge, Misi Tupe and Johnathan Batson are sure bets to see action on defense.

During fall camp, Franchione announced a pair of freshmen -- running back Mike Goodson and wide receiver Cody Beyer -- would play this fall, and several other freshmen, including linebacker Anthony Lewis, wide receiver E.J. Shankle, defensive back Jordan Pugh and placekicker Matt Szymanski, are candidates to see action.

AGGIE ADDITIONS
Franchione added three more scholarship players to his teams over the summer: placekicker Matt Szymanski from College Station; deep snapper Corey Gibas from Covina, Calif., and defensive back Will Harris from Lakewood, Ohio via Solano JC in California.

THREE-YEAR TREND
Offensive balance has become a trend for Franchione's Aggies. During his three previous seasons at the helm of the Aggies, the offense has averaged 191.9 rushing and 227.6 passing yards per game.

Only seven teams nationally have achieved that sort of balance over the past three seasons:

Balanced Trend (190+/225+)
Team Rush/G Pass/G
Boise State 192.08 275.74
California 223.24 239.05
Louisville 222.51 280.41
Northwestern 193.19 233.78
Southern California 197.77 294.36
Texas A&M 191.94 227.60
Utah 191.69 257.39

RARE OFFENSE
Texas A&M was one of 11 offenses nationally to average more than 200 rushing and passing yards per game in 2005.

200 Passing / 200 Rushing
Team Pass Rush
Boise St. 222.5 202.5
Michigan St. 295.5 201.8
Minnesota 221.7 273.1
Missouri 224.5 205.3
N. Illinois 237.4 206.7
Penn State 208.8 212.8
Texas 237.2 274.9
Texas A&M 207.4 234.9
Toledo 230.2 216.8
USC 319.8 260.0
Washington St. 277.3 212.0
Texas A&M had fielded just one other 200/200 offense in its history. The Kevin Murray-led 1985 offense averaged 207.6 passing yards and 211.6 rushing yards per game on its way to A&M's first conference championship in 18 seasons.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12
Several Aggies have received preseason All-Big 12 Conference mention:

Player Honor Organization
Red Bryant 1st-team The Sporting News
SA Express-News
2nd-team CFN.com
Courtney Lewis 2nd-team SA Express-News
Justin Warren 1st-Team The Sporting News
SA Express-News
CFN.com
JUSTIN TIME
Preseason all-conference linebacker Justin Warren is the Big 12's top returning tackler after tying for the conference lead last season with 9.5 stops per game.

Big 12's Top Returning Tacklers
Rk Player, School Tackles/G
1. Justin Warren, Texas A&M 9.5
2. Matt Robertson, Iowa State 8.6
3. Rufus Alexander, Oklahoma 8.5
4. Thaddaeus Washington, Colorado 8.4
5. Corey McKeon, Nebraska 8.1
LEWIS AMONG LEADERS
Senior running back Courtney Lewis is the Big 12's No. 2 returning all-purpose yards gainer and the No. 3 returning rusher.

Big 12's Top Returning All-Purpose Gainers
Rk Player, School A-P Yards/G
1. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma 105.3
2. Courtney Lewis, Texas A&M 103.4
3. Mike Hamilton, Oklahoma State 102.0
4. Joel Filani, Texas Tech 91.8
5. Jermaine Moreira, Kansas State 88.9

Big 12's Top Returning Rushers
Rk Player, School Rush Yards/G
1. Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma 100.7
2. Mike Hamilton, Oklahoma State 87.4
3. Courtney Lewis, Texas A&M 80.3
4. Thomas Clayton, Kansas State 70.8
5. Jamaal Charles, Texas 67.5
BRANTLY UP THERE, TOO
Sophomore punter Justin Brantly, who broke Shane Lechler's freshman record last year, is the Big 12's No. 2 returning punter.

Big 12's Top Returning Punters
Rk Player, School Punt Yards/G
1. Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor 46.2
2. Justin Brantly, Texas A&M 43.2
3. Kyle Tucker, Kansas 42.9
4. Alex Reyes, Texas Tech 42.8
5. Adam Crossett, Missouri 42.7
POCKET PROTECTORS
The Aggie offensive front, which returns four of five starters, allowed just 16 sacks last year, which tied for the second-fewest in the Big 12 Conference last fall.

RED ZONE SUCCESS
The Aggie offense had a Big 12-best 91.1 percent success rate in the "red zone" last fall. A&M converted 41-of-45 chances inside the opponents' 20-yard line, including 29 touchdowns.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
After redshirting all but four freshmen in his first two seasons, head coach Dennis Franchione used nine true freshmen in 2005, including five who have earned starts.

Coach Fran Goes Fishing
Player, Position
Martellus Bennett, TE (18 catches for 162 yards, 3 TDs; 5 starts, 11 games)
Michael Bennett, DE (27 tackles, 3.5 QBS; 4 starts, 11 games)
Justin Brantly, P (43 punts for 43.2 average, 10 I-20, 11 games)
Arkeith Brown, DB (13 tackles, 1 PBU; 10 games)
Alton Dixon, DB (22 tackles, 1 FR; 11 games)
Devin Gregg, DB (31 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FF; 3 starts, 6 games)
Jorvorskie Lane, RB (595 yards, 9 TD on 119 carries; 4 starts, 10 games)
Howard Morrow, WR (6 catches for 94 yards; 3 starts, 11 games)
Jordan Peterson, DB (Saw brief action vs. SMU; Medical redshirt)
J-TRAIN ON SCHEDULE
Jorvorskie Lane came on strong down the stretch in 2005 and put his name on a variety of A&M freshman rushing record list.

A&M's Freshman Rushing
Rk Player, Year Rush Yards
1. Greg Hill, 1991 1,216
2. Courtney Lewis, 2003 1,024
3. Curtis Dickey, 1976 726
4. Darren Lewis, 1987 668
5. Danté Hall, 1996 642
6. Leeland McElroy, 1993 613
7. George Woodard, 1975 604
8. Jorvorskie Lane, 2005 595
9. Derek Farmer, 2001 503
10. Richard Whitaker, 2000 455

A&M's Freshman Rushing TDs List
Rk Player, Year Rush TDs
1. Greg Hill, 1991 12
Courtney Lewis, 2003 12
3. Robert Wilson, 1988 10
4. Jorvorskie Lane, 2005 9
5. Darren Lewis, 1987 8
Curtis Dickey, 1976 8

Freshman Game Rushing TDs List
Rk Player, Year Rushing TDs
1. Jorvorskie Lane, 2005 3 vs. OSU
Leeland McElroy, 1993 3 vs. Missouri
FISH LEADERS
Justin Brantly was the nation's No. 2 freshman punter with a 43.2 average on 46 boots in 2005.

2005 NCAA's Top Freshmen Punters
Rk Player, School Avg/P
1. Chris Miller, Ball St. 43.8
2. Justin Brantly, Texas A&M 43.2
3. Blake McAdams, Mississippi State 41.9
4. Britton Colquitt, Tennessee 41.2
5. Aaron Perez, UCLA 39.9
BRANTLY PASSES LECHLER
Justin Brantly broke A&M's freshman punt average record in 2005, which was owned by current NFL All-Pro Shane Lechler.

Brantly averaged 43.2 yards on 46 punts, which bettered Lechler's record of 42.7 set in 1996.

A&M's Freshman Punt Average List
Rk Player, Year Avg/P
1. Justin Brantly, 2005 43.2
2. Shane Lechler, 1996 42.7
3. Todd Tschantz, 1984 41.3
4. Sean Wilson, 1987 40.5
5. Cody Scates, 2000 40.2
LEADER LEWIS
The team rushing leader the past three years, senior Courtney Lewis could become just the second player to lead the Aggies in rushing four straight seasons. A&M's all-time rushing leader Darren Lewis (no relation) led the Aggies in rushing from 1987-90 and finished with 5,012 career yards.

LEWIS MOVES INTO TOP 10
Senior running back Courtney Lewis ranks in the top 10 in career rushing yards and rushing touchdowns

A&M's Career Rushing Yards List
Rk Player, Years Yards
1. Darren Lewis, 1987-90 5,012
2. Curtis Dickey, 1976-79 3,703
3. Greg Hill, 1991-93 3,262
4. Rodney Thomas, 1991-94 3,014
5. George Woodard, 1975-77, 79 2,911
6. Bubba Bean, 1972-75 2,846
7. Danté Hall, 1996-99 2,818
8. Johnny Hector, 1979-82 2,587
9. Courtney Lewis, 2003- 2,489
10. Roger Vick, 1983-86 2,471

A&M's Career Rushing TDs List
Rk Player, Years TDs
1. Darren Lewis, 1987-90 44
2. Rodney Thomas, 1991-94 41
3. George Woodard, 1975-77, 79 35
4. Curtis Dickey, 1976-79 34
5. Greg Hill, 1991-93 33
6. Joel Hunt, 1925-27 30
Bucky Richardson, 1987-91 30
8. Leeland McElroy, 1993-95 29
9. Courtney Lewis, 2003- 28
D'Andre Hardeman, 1995-99 28
SPREADING IT AROUND
The Aggies used 15 different receivers in 2005, which was one shy of the school record established in 2004.

MCGEE MAGIC
Quarterback Stephen McGee became A&M's starting quarterback midway through the third quarter of last year's Oklahoma game when four-year starter Reggie McNeal was felled with a season-ending ankle injury.

In the final five and one-half quarters of 2005, McGee energized the Aggies' offense his impressive leadership style and surprising running ability.

Finishing up the OU game, McGee led the Aggies to three scores and four scoring chances on four drives. Running the option to perfection, McGee rushed for 67 yards on 10 carries in the quarter and a half. With McGee as a backfield mate, Courtney Lewis rushed for 77 yards on seven carries on his way to a season-high 146 yards.

With McGee at QB at the helm against OU, the Aggies rushed the ball 21 of 27 plays (excluding field goal tries) and gained 180 yards on those 21 carries (8.6 per carry).

Against Texas, McGee rushed for a game-high 108 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Taking away the four sacks he suffered, McGee gained 153 yards on 20 carries against the Horns. He also completed eight passes (on 23 attempts) for 83 yards. For the game, the Aggies gained 395 yards on 76 plays (5.2 per play) and controlled the ball for 35:17.

NEW 12TH MAN
With the graduation of the record-setting John Ray, the Aggies will be searching for a new 12th Man in 2006. Ray represented the 12th Man in 23 games over the past three seasons. Junior Nathan Haile, a walkon linebacker from Friona, Texas, is the only current Aggie with 12th Man game experience (Clemson, 2005).

BENNETTS MAKE HISTORY
Brothers Michael and Martellus Bennett became the first true freshman brother tandem to start in the same game in Texas A&M history against Colorado last season.

Michael, the older of the brothers, started at defensive end in place of injured starter Jason Jack, while Martellus made his start in a two-tight end set.

INVINCIBLE
Former player Sirr Parker, who caused longtime Aggie play-by-play voice Dave South to exclaim: "He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got a touchdown! He got it in! He got it in! He got it in!. Oh, Doctor!" after scoring the winning touchdown in the 1998 Big 12 Championship, has a role in the new Disney move "Invincible." In the movie, Parker is a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

PREP QBS EXCEL AT WR
Texas A&M has several former prep quarterbacks excelling at wide receiver.

HS QBs Making Difference at WR
2005
Player Hometown (HS) Rec./Yds/TD
Pierre Brown Duncanville (DHS) 8/98/0
(Senior HS Stats: 1,734 total offense, 23 TDs)

Michael Corey Delta, Utah (DHS) 0/0/0

+L'Tydrick Riley Crockett (CHS) Injured
(Senior HS Stats: 1,717 total offense, 24 TDs)

*Chad Schroeder Austin (Westlake) 20/335/5
(Senior HS Stats: 3,436 total offense, 37 TDs)

+ - Injured during 2005 fall camp, missed 2005 season.
* - Suffered season-ending injury vs. Iowa State, 2005
TURNOVER ADVANTAGE
During the Dennis Franchione era at Texas A&M, the Aggies are 13-1 in games with a turnover margin advantage. In games with an even or minus turnover margin, the Aggies are 3-18.

Games with Turnover Advantage, Fran Era
Opponent, Year Turn Take +/- Result
Baylor, 2003 -2 +4 +2 W, 73-10
Kansas, 2003 -1 +3 +2 W, 45-33
Wyoming, 2004 0 +3 +3 W, 31- 0
Clemson, 2004 0 +4 +4 W, 27- 6
Kansas St., 2004 -1 +4 +3 W, 42-30
at Iowa St., 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 34- 3
at Oklahoma St., 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 36-20
Colorado, 2004 0 +2 +2 W, 29-26 (ot)
Texas Tech, 2004 0 +3 +3 W, 32-25 (ot)
SMU, 2005 -1 +4 +3 W, 66- 8
Texas State, 2005 -2 +3 +1 W, 44-31
Oklahoma State, 2005 -2 +7 +5 W, 62-23
Kansas State, 2005 -1 +3 +2 W, 30-28
at Oklahoma, 2005 -1 +3 +2 L, 30-36
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL '06
Every spring after spring drills, the Aggies vote on the Leadership Council, which head coach Dennis Franchione brought to Texas A&M in 2003. The Leadership Council, which Franchione first established as head coach at New Mexico, consists of players who serve in an advisory role.

"These players are selected by their teammates and they are an input group, not a policy-making group," Coach Fran said. "Input from our players is very important in determining the way we operate."

Leadership Council
Player, Pos. Cl.-Exp Hometown
Ty Branyon, QB Sr-2L Austin
Red Bryant, DT Jr-2L Jasper
Melvin Bullitt, S Sr-3L Garland
Mark Dodge, LB Jr-TR Yerington, Nev.
Kirk Elder, OG Jr-2L Klein
Devin Gregg, S So-1L Spring
Chris Harrington, DE Jr-2L Houston
Nick LaMantia, 12th So-SQ Mission
Stephen McGee, QB So-1L Burnet
L'Tydrick Riley, WR Sr-3L Crockett
Chad Schroeder, WR Sr-3L Austin
Earvin Taylor, WR Jr-2L Mission
Cody Wallace, C Jr-1L Cuero
Justin Warren, LB Sr-3L Tyler
ACTIVE TACKLERS
The Aggies have seven returnees with more than 50 career tackles, including Justin Warren and Melvin Bullitt who both have more than 100.

A&M Active Career Tackles Leaders
Rk Player Tackles
1. Justin Warren, LB, 2003- 185
2. Melvin Bullitt, DB, 2003 101
3. Japhus Brown, DB, 2004 82
4. Jason Jack, DL, 2004 77
5. Brock Newton, DB, 2004 77
6. Red Bryant, DL, 2004 62
7. Bryce Reed, DL, 2003 50
STARTING POINT
The Aggies have 31 players with at least one career start to their credit, including 14 with double digit starts. Leading the way is last year's conference tackle leader Justin Warren with 26 career starts.

A&M Active Career Starts Leaders
Player Starts
Justin Warren, LB, 2003- 26
Red Bryant, DL, 2004- 23
Kirk Elder, OL, 2004- 22
Jason Jack, DL, 2004- 18
Courtney Lewis, RB, 2003- 16
Alex Kotzur, OL, 2003- 12
Chris Yoder, OL, 2004- 12
Melvin Bullitt, DB, 2003- 12
Japhus Brown, DB, 2004- 11
Earvin Taylor, WR, 2003- 10
Chris Harrington, DL, 2004- 11
Corey Clark, OL, 2004- 11
Cody Wallace, OL, 2004- 11
Yemi Babalola, OL, 2005- 11
Brock Newton, DB, 2004- 9
Chad Schroeder, WR, 2003- 7
Marquis Carpenter, DB, 2005- 6
Martellus Bennett, TE, 2005- 5
Nurahda Manning, LB, 2003- 4
Joey Thomas, TE, 2004- 4
Michael Bennett, DE, 2005- 4
Pierre Brown, WR, 2005- 4
Danny Gorrer, DB, 2005- 4
Jorvorskie Lane, RB, 2005- 4
Howard Morrow, WR, 2005- 3
Devin Gregg, DB, 2005- 3
Kerry Franks, WR, 2004- 2
Stephen McGee, QB, 2005- 1
Amos Gbunblee, TE, 2005 1
Samson Taylor, RB, 2005- 1
Brandon Leone, RB, 2003- 1
FAMILY AFFAIR
The Aggies have a number of players with family connections to Texas A&M athletics.

Starting strong safety Melvin Bullitt's father, Jerry, lettered for the Aggies from 1980-83 and started at linebacker for three seasons. The elder Bullitt posted 222 tackles and 11 sacks during his career.

Melvin's uncle, Steve Bullitt, lettered for the Aggies from 1983-86.

Junior Chris Harrington is the nephew of former A&M two-sport All-American Dave Elmendorf. Elmendorf, who had an All-Pro career with the Los Angeles Rams, currently serves as the color analyst for the Aggie Radio Network.

Senior L'Tydrick Riley's uncle, Claude Riley ranks as one of the greatest basketball players in A&M history. The "Crockett Rockett" still ranks No. 6 in points and No. 3 in rebounds in the Aggie record book.

Junior Earvin Taylor's older brother, Jamaar, caught 108 passes for 1,705 yards from 2001-03.

Brothers Michael and Martellus Bennett are just one of a handful of brothers whose playing careers have overlapped at Texas A&M.

True freshman Jerrod Johnson's father, Larry, played split end for the Aggies in the late 1970s.

COACH FRAN RANKS AMONG THE WINNINGEST COACHES
The 26th head football coach in Texas A&M history, Dennis Franchione is entering his fourth season in Aggieland and his 24th season as a collegiate head coach. Franchione has compiled a 16-19 record at Texas A&M.

With a career record of 171-92-2 as a head coach, Coach Fran is the sixth-winningest active Div. 1-A head coach in college football (by total wins).

Texas A&M is the seventh stop for Franchione as a collegiate head coach, and has coached previously at Southwestern (Kan.) College (1981-82), Pittsburg State (1985-89), Southwest Texas State (1990-91), New Mexico (1992-97), TCU (1998-2000) and Alabama (2001-02).He also served as an assistant coach at Kansas State (1978-80) and Tennessee Tech (1983-84).

Franchione has won eight conference championships and a divisional crown in his 22 seasons. In 2002, Franchione's Alabama squad had the best record in the SEC West but were ineligible for the crown.