Texas A&M head football coach Dennis Franchione didn't get through many press conferences this season without saying, "I like this team."

He never made it clear whether that meant he liked the players on this team or this team's potential on the field or the obligatory little bit of both.

It would be a hard sell after 11 games, five of them losses, to equate it to what they could or did accomplish on the football field.

Hoping for a 4-4 Big 12 mark and a tie for third in the Big 12 South is not what any Aggie, in uniform or out, visualized heading into the Texas game. Eyes were bright and steps had spring before this year's season opener, when the players talking about how many touchdowns and yards they were going to pile up, or how much more the defense would improve with its new intricacies.

At best, it's been a disappointing season. At times, it's been an embarrassing one.

So, Franchione and the coaching staff are having to fall back on liking the players, something that can't be gauged by wins and losses. It's judged by character, which thanks to a standup senior class, the Aggies haven't lost during difficult times.

They've had to defend their program, their coach and at times their play this season, and they've done it with a maturity that any coach would like, and at least one media member has appreciated.

They've done it by being courteous and honest -- as honest as is allowed. And at times, they've done it with a sense of humor -- especially Kirk Elder, who I hope I run into down the line.

In hometown, mid-sized newspapers, seniors are often highlighted over the hot-topic players everyone wants to discuss. This season, that was a good thing.

It's difficult not to respect and appreciate what players like linebacker Mark Dodge, linebacker Misi Tupe and wide receiver Michael Corey have seen and done while assisting others for half of their adult life. Dodge served his country in the military; Tupe and Corey served their religious communities on missions.

The biggest ovation at the Kansas game came before the kickoff, when Dodge was presented with the Pat Tillman Patriot Award by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. That put in material form his character.

The senior class also had its share of characters. Elder said last year after a loss he wanted to beat up some classmates he overheard badmouthing the Aggies about their loss to Texas Tech. Elder took a much different approach as a senior. He was insightful, intriguing, sometimes coy and always enlightening while representing the Aggies week-in and week-out, no matter the result the previous weekend.

While chasing an Internet rumor around the Bright Complex about Franchione's coaching status, I ran into Elder, who turned from another conversation to ask if I had been fooled, too.

Last week in the middle of all the "big-game Texas talk," a reporter tried to sneak a Franchione status answer out of one of the team's two offensive spokesmen. Elder didn't bite, but he did have some fun.

With a cat-ate-the-mouse grin on his face and not missing a beat, he calmly asked, "Are you trying to imply something?"

Loyalty with a sense of humor -- very likable traits.

There are others with special qualities, ones that will take them further than a game, or the result of a game.

Red Bryant's leadership abilities were lauded by coaches and teammates, and not just because he's 300 pounds. I'm sure defensive end Chris Harrington would much rather have been somewhere else than Tuesday's weekly press conferences this year, but he showed up every week and fielded every question, most of them two or three times.

The starting offensive line, which includes four seniors, exemplifies family. A tighter-knit group A&M may not see again. Center Cody Wallace has an excellent opportunity to be an NFL pro, but A&M football was about much more than that for him. It was about lining up next to seniors Elder, Chris Yoder and Corey Clark during practices and games.

Receiver Kerry Franks and fullback Chris Alexander, both seniors, were as enjoyable one-on-one interviews as you'd want to have. Cornerback Marquis Carpenter was as honest as his position coach, Van Malone, as to why it took a while for him to move to the forefront in the secondary.

And when sitting down with third-string quarterback T.J. Sanders, it was as if I was talking to Ty Branyon, who at last year's Holiday Bowl was given the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy by members of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for unselfish commitment, motivation and teamwork that result in little acclaim but contributed to the overall success of the team.

Tight end Joey Thomas, defensive tackle Henry Smith, receiver Earvin Taylor and safety Stephen Hodge among the others have all played a role in previous years and this season.

On Friday, 24 A&M seniors, 11 from Franchione's first recruiting class, will parade on to Kyle Field for the final time in an Aggie football uniform, where a victory will mean much more than a better bowl game and a winning season.

Dodge won't get his championship ring, the one he said he wanted to use to replace last season's ring that "says I got into a bowl game."

A victory over rival Texas will let him leave Kyle Field with the other goal he set before the season opened.

"I want to win on Kyle Field and walk off and say I never lost to Texas. Played two years, never lost."

It's something to be remembered for, but not the only thing.

• Richard Croome's e-mail address is richard.croome@theeagle.com.