Aggies at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 1 vs. McNeese St. Sept. 6 at Wyoming Sept. 22 vs. Oklahoma St. Sept. 29 vs. Notre Dame Oct. 6 vs. Baylor Oct. 13 at Colorado Oct. 20 at Kansas St. Oct. 27 vs. Iowa St. Nov. 3 at Texas Tech Nov. 10 at Oklahoma Nov. 23 vs. Texas 2000 results (7-5, 5-3 Big 12) at Notre Dame L 24-10 Wyoming W 51-3 UTEP W 45-17 Texas Tech W 33-15 Colorado L 26-19 at Baylor W 24-0 at Iowa St. W 30-7 Kansas St. W 26-10 at Oklahoma St. W 21-16 Oklahoma L 35-31 at Texas L 43-17 vs. Mississippi St. L 43-41

OFFENSE
Slocum and his staff -- including new offensive coordinator Dino Babers (who spent the last three seasons in the same capacity at Arizona under Dick Tomey) -- enter the 2001 campaign with veteran QB Mark Farris at the helm. This is good news for the Aggies, especially given their brutally tough road schedule in four of their final six regular-season games (at Colorado, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma).

While a quality triggerman like Farris directs the show, big-time featured wideout Robert Ferguson won't return. Ferguson's decision to leave early for the NFL after his junior year really hurts. While the Aggies have plenty of speed returning at WR in the form of senior Bethel Johnson and junior Dwain Goynes, what they now lack is the size and ability to create mismatches. That's why a key performer this season could turn out to be TE Michael de la Torre. The talented 6-5, 244-pound junior has the package of skills that should provide Farris with a nice option in the passing game.

As for the ground attack, the Aggies should be in good shape even with the departure of Ja'Mar Toombs after his junior season. During spring practice, things came together on a pair of fronts. First, former tailback Joe Weber made a smooth transition to FB, proving that he can handle his blocking responsibilities. At tailback, redshirt freshman Keith Joseph gave such a strong effort in the spring that he is even or slightly ahead of sophomore Richard Whitaker heading into the fall. At 6-2 and 222 pounds, Joseph provides a good combination of power and speed.

Based on the spring, the Aggies have the potential to field a capable offensive line. Junior Michael Mahan has settled in at LT, while versatile junior Taylor Whitley will open at RG but has the ability to operate at tackle if needed. The key component up front is blue-chip senior center Seth McKinney. He's been a rock for the Aggies since his freshman year, ranking as one of the top overall trenchmen in the country. A first-year performer to keep an eye on is highly regarded freshman OT Jami Hightower. It will be interesting to see if the talented 6-5, 305-pounder works his way onto the field this season.

DEFENSE
Senior DE Rocky Bernard will be back in the starting lineup in the Aggies' 3-4 scheme. He missed all of last season, going down with a knee injury during fall practice. Sophomore Linnis Smith will open at the other DE spot. Even with Bernard back, which is a huge plus, the key performer up front figures to be junior Ty Warren, who moves from DE to NT. He's an explosive 6-4, 300-pounder who really came on last year, finishing with 16 stops behind the line, five sacks and six QB hurries. Warren figures to a tough guy for the opposition to move out of the middle.

With Bernard off the injury list and Warren occupying the C-G from his NT spot, the Aggies hope life is made easier for their new-look linebacking corps. Only solid, reliable junior ILB Jason Gamble returns to the starting lineup. The Aggies' second-leading tackler last season, Gamble is joined on the inside by sophomore Jared Morris. While lacking experience, there is plenty of athleticism at OLB with junior Jarrod Penright and senior Christian Rodriguez.

With junior RCB Sammy Davis, one of the top cover men in the Big 12, working opposite sophomore Sean Weston, the Aggies should be able to aggressively go after opposing QBs. Senior Jay Brooks takes over the starting FS job vacated by the graduation loss of Michael Jameson, a sixth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in April. At SS, the Aggies have a developing blue-chipper in junior Terrence Kiel.

SPECIAL TEAMS
On special teams, sophomore Cody Scates returns to handle the punting duties after a solid initial campaign in College Station. He averaged over 40 yards per punt, with a long of 65, and dropped 17 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The Aggies are breaking in a new kicker. Redshirt freshman Chris Sims enjoyed a decent spring, but the question now becomes how he'll react to the pressure of game situations.

Overview: Having to deal with national-title hopeful Texas and defending national champion Oklahoma poses some tough challenges in the Big 12 South for the Aggies. Compounding matters is the schedule, which forces the Aggies to go on the road four of the last six weeks of the regular season to face opposition such as Colorado, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. And all this before the finale against Texas.

Fortunately for Slocum and his staff, Farris is a quality QB, and they hope Weber's shift to FB pays dividends. The loss of Ferguson to the NFL really hurts. While there is plenty of speed at WR led by Johnson, not having a big, talented wideout like Ferguson doesn't allow for key matchup advantages. One of the many freshmen at WR could have an impact here. The Aggies must also work talented TE de la Torre into the mix. Up front, the Aggies look to be in good shape, with McKinney a tremendous anchor.