Texas A&M's football program has a new coaching staff, a new offense and a new outlook, but quarterback Stephen McGee remains the team's focal point.

He'll lead a much better team if running back Mike Goodson can consistently do what he did in Saturday night's Maroon & White Game.

Goodson had eight carries for 58 yards on the night's first possession. That's more yardage than the fleet-footed junior had in six games last season.

Goodson, who initially pledged to Oklahoma State, stirred up talk of his potential as a Heisman Trophy candidate after his 847-yard freshman season, when he averaged 6.7 yards per carry. That talk ended during a pedestrian sophomore season when he rushed for 711 yards, averaging only 4.7 yards per carry. His longest run was 34 yards against Montana State in the opener. After that, his second longest was a mere 29-yarder.

That's not how to stretch a defense.

McGee, not Goodson, was the team's featured runner. The gutsy McGee had 899 yards on 181 carries, but his longest run after Montana State was 23 yards.

Throw in 288-pound Jorvorskie Lane who had 790 yards, and the Aggies had the ingredients for a powerful running game, especially working behind a veteran offensive line coupled with one of the best tight ends in the country in Martellus Bennett. They helped A&M's offense to decent numbers -- 27.9 points, 211.6 yards rushing and 185.4 yards passing per game. But they didn't get enough bang for that with a 7-6 record, scoring less than 20 points five times.

First-year head coach Mike Sherman, offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell and quarterback coach Tom Rossley are responsible for retooling A&M's offense.

Saturday night was just a glimpse of what they have in mind. Lane, who has been moved to fullback, didn't play. He'll be an all-conference player at his new position, and Goodson and redshirt freshman Bradley Stephens showed Lane won't be missed at tailback. Stephens had 41 yards rushing on five carries on one possession.

McGee also showed why he'll be the starting quarterback when A&M opens the season against Arkansas State on Aug. 30.

There was a chance he might miss spring drills after shoulder surgery. Others thought sophomore Jerrod Johnson needed to be the starter, anyway.

Sherman smiled last week when someone asked him if McGee would be held out of the spring game. McGee was going to play. The question was how much.

McGee was 5-of-8 passing for 58 yards in the first half, played under game-like conditions. He ran the ball a few times, including a 1-yard bootleg for a touchdown. But McGee's days of 15-20 carries a game are over.

And that seems fine with McGee, who wore a big grin while mingling with fans after Saturday's game.

It's not about McGee any more. It's all about A&M winning games, which is all he's ever wanted to do.

McGee knows he has no guarantees. Johnson has had a great spring. He's too talented to sit on the bench. Even if McGee wins the starting job, Johnson has to see the field some.

But for Johnson to win the starter's role, he has to go through McGee. That's not going to be easy.

Sherman and his staff have so many holes to fill it's frightening, but worrying about who is going to carry the football or hand it off aren't among them.

At least that's a start.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.