Personnel limitations for the Maroon & White Game: Because so many players haven't been able to scrimmage, the squad won't be equally divided for the Maroon & White Game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field.
Tickets to the Maroon & White Game are $5. Students and children are admitted free.
"There's no exact science to it," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "If we had better numbers, we'd be able to be a little more specific. We can't exasperate one position. Some guys are going to have to double dip on both sides. From that point, it's going to be more like a practice."
More than 20 Aggies have missed spring practice with injuries.
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Modified scoring in place for the spring game: The Maroon & White Game will use the same scoring system A&M has used this spring.
The system pits the offense against the defense to decide a daily winner with the loser forced to run.
"This scoring system has worked well this spring as each side of the football has competed on each and every play," Sherman said. "They understand how important every play of a game is, and there is a value assigned. Throughout the spring I have seen days where the offense appears to have the upper hand on the defense early, but with a couple of turnovers and big plays the defense can jump right back into the mix."
Points will be given for explosive runs, explosive passes, touchdowns, interceptions, fumble recoveries, tackles for losses, five straight completions and more. Points can also be lost for dropped passes, false starts and other mistakes.
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Small numbers: A&M had only seven scholarship players on the offensive line healthy to scrimmage Tuesday afternoon along with two scholarship running backs.
"It's a little bit of a juggling act in regard to getting everyone on the field and off the field in one piece and still be able to function as a football team," Sherman said.
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Student coaches: Leslie Anne Mathews and Greg Stuckenschneider were chosen by the players to be the student coaches based on the YouTube.com presentations submitted.
Mathews is a sophomore nutritional sciences from McKinney. Stuckenschneider a freshman business major from Leawood, Kan., who is in the Corps. They will be at Thursday's team meetings and afternoon practice.
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Big Saturday: This Saturday also is part of Parents' Weekend. A&M will have several recruits on campus for the game. The players' parents will attend the team breakfast.
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Not over after Saturday: A&M will have two more practices next week.
"I do think it gives us an opportunity to bring them back and really go over the [game] tape and walk through the mistakes," Sherman said. "And start preparing them for the preseason and start teaching them how they need to prepare for the summer when they are on their own and we can't coach them." Sherman expects a better effort in the Maroon & White Game with more workouts upcoming.
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Hodges shines: Junior walk-on linebacker Michael Hodges (6-foot, 214 pounds) has been solid working with the first unit. "He has excellent speed, and he has really played well," Sherman said. "He's been a difficult guy to block. He's probably saved more big plays than anybody we've seen in the last year. So, he's been impressive."
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Et cetera: Sophomore tight end K.J. Williams has been limited, but Sherman said there's a chance he could play Saturday. ... There will be kickoffs during Saturday's game and field goals. ... Sophomore Lionel Smith, who moved from defensive back to wide receiver last week, has been making progress, Sherman said. "I think he'll be a viable threat for us," Sherman said. "From what he brings to the table athletically, and speed-wise, and his attitude, I like what I see so far." ... A&M, which will welcome 27 freshmen and a junior college transfer this fall, has been able this spring to play a lot of youngsters, which will help depth, especially in the offensive line.
-- Robert Cessna