Franchione emphasizes special teams play

By John Onan  |   Thursday, August 18, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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For Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione, kick returns and coverage aren't just for the backups. After watching his team rank near the bottom of the Big 12 in punt and kick returns, kick coverage and punting, Franchione has made a commitment to putting more of his better athletes on special teams.

Franchione and special teams coach Mark Tommerdahl were pleased that the Aggies eliminated some of the miscues that plagued the team 2003, but the result was a less aggressive unit that's goal was not to fumble instead of striving to make big plays.

The solution: A&M fans will see more starters on the field covering and returning kicks, including running back Courtney Lewis. Lewis was one of a top kick return specialists in high school and has indicated his desire to help spark the team in this capacity. He is an elusive runner and Tommerdahl believes he can excel with more aggressive blocking in front of him.

For punt returns, Tommerdahl is holding open auditions, including big receiver L'Tydrick Riley, who has great hands and is hard to bring down in the open field. Returning kicker Layne Neumann has been improving his distance on kickoffs, but the team is still looking to replace last year's punter, Jacob Young, who graduated. A pair of freshmen, Richie Bean and Justin Brantly, are competing for that role.

This revamped unit will get their first test in two weeks when the Texas A&M Aggies head down to Death Valley on September 3rd to face Clemson.
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