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COLLEGE STATION – It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when and where the Aggies began their transformation. Was it in the postgame press conference at Wyoming, when Texas A&M head coach R.C. Slocum publicly berated his team despite a 28-20 victory over the Cowboys on the road? Or was it the following week of practice, when Slocum became an animated subject for ESPN’s Sidelines, ripping into his defense like never before? In any case, this is not the same Slocum who coached the Aggies to a 7-5 season the year before. Backers or bashers, this is a veteran coach who has changed his ways, and the results have panned out quite nicely since the makeover.
It’s not that Slocum is trying to rah-rah this team to some victories. But he has delved into the day-to-day coaching grind, catching the attention of his players in a major way… and the Aggies are 4-0 because of it. In the first two games, the Wrecking Crew was playing on an old reputation, sleepwalking its way past McNeese State and Wyoming. But against Oklahoma State and now after a 24-3 win over Notre Dame, this Aggie defense has Slocum’s style stamped all over it. In his defensive coordinating heyday, Slocum’s defensive units played with equal parts brash and bash. Bust a coverage? Forget about it and blitz some more. After holding its last two opponents to under 200 yards of total offense (Notre Dame managed just 191 yards), the Aggies are drawing old Wrecking Crew comparisons that seemed preposterous just a few weeks ago. If it’s not just the defensive line breathing down quarterbacks’ necks, it’s also two outside linebackers pinching in or bolting past slow left tackles. Against OSU and Notre Dame, the Aggie have racked up 14 sacks and forced countless harassed passes. The Irish QBs, all three of them, finished with three interceptions and plenty of reasons for an Advil breakfast the day after.
"We put two quarterbacks out of the game, and that’s what the Wrecking Crew is all about," linebacker Brian Gamble said. "We’re hitting people and putting them on their butts." The defensive pressure, not to mention the nifty running of freshman tailback Derek Farmer, pushed the Aggies to 4-0 on the season. Meanwhile, Bob Davie’s Notre Dame squad has serious problems, a first-ever 0-3 record notwithstanding. If A&M was perceived as a team that lacked playmakers to begin the season, the Irish are so depleted of game-changers that the Wishbone returned to the Notre Dame backfield. The Aggies, meanwhile, are polishing up a balanced offense thanks to the emergence of Farmer and Mark Farris’ steady passing game. Slocum, who is wearing this season on his sleeve, told a room full of reporters the Aggies are quickly becoming a solid football team, with the tools to be a really good team by year’s end. And the A&M players are vocally following their head coach’s lead, just as they have physically on defense. "Anytime you play a powerhouse like Notre Dame, before 87,000 fans and on national TV, and you dominate them the way we did, I think it sends a big statement," Gamble said. "They have their own network, but I think the people on the East Coast now know who Texas A&M is." Added Farris: "We can still get a lot better. I still think we have just scratched the surface. We knew we had to play our best game so far, and it’s pretty special to do that when you had to. When we’re old men, we can say we beat Notre Dame at Kyle Field." With Baylor coming to Kyle Field next week, the Colorado game now looms as the first big test of the Big 12 season. A&M passed a major exam Saturday, beating up a Notre Dame team that always carries clout no matter what record is in tow. Sure, the Aggies still face a brutal road schedule, but this team is rapidly improving. Some players, media and even Slocum are mentioning the 1998 season now… as a reminder to how a team struggled early, caught a wave of momentum and ended up winning the league in dramatic fashion. No one is quite ready to push A&M into contending status in the Big 12, but pushing the Aggies into a has-been role would be a huge mistake for any opponents. Not with a Wrecking Crew defense awakened. Not with a true freshman with jets and eyes like Farmer. Not with a rejuvenated Slocum burning up the defensive meeting rooms. This 2001 football season was going to be intriguing from the onset, based on the hangover from a 7-5 season in 2000, Notre Dame and Texas coming to Kyle Field and an ESPN series chronicling the season. But a 4-0 start in 2001 has really added to the interest. Suddenly, the Big 12 South isn’t just a two-horse race anymore, as everyone first thought. The Aggies are all saddled up, ready to ride with a Farmer, a Farris and a newfound focus.
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