Spring practice No. 14: The Aggies practiced Tuesday morning inside the McFerrin Center for 70 minutes in helmets and shorts, then practiced 90 minutes in the afternoon outside in full pads. They were the team's first workouts since Saturday's Maroon & White Game.
Texas A&M will conclude spring drills Thursday, tentatively set to hold split practices at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.
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Defense wins again: Sophomore linebacker Ricky Cavanaugh and junior defensive back Chris Caflisch combined to stop sophomore running back Cyrus Gray short of the goal line on the day's final scrimmage play to give the defense a 109-103 intrasquad victory, forcing the offensive players to run.
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Teaching time: A&M head coach Mike Sherman said he was pleased with the intensity of Tuesday's practices and the amount the team accomplished, which was one of the reasons he wanted workouts after the spring game.
"We were able to watch the whole tape from the game, which is 100 plays," Sherman said. "We were able to do that on Monday. This morning and this afternoon, definitely, we were able to get back to basics and kind of fix the things that needed to get fixed. I was very pleased with the response the guys had to the spring game. They went into it understanding we had a couple days left, so it wasn't like they were going to shut it down. They came ready to practice today."
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Growing depth: A&M was missing more than 20 players for the Maroon & White Game, but in their absence this spring, the Aggies might be cultivating depth -- something last year's team didn't have a lot of.
"A lot of younger guys got some reps that hopefully will bode well for them in the fall," Sherman said.
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More work for recovering Tannehill: Sophomore quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw after workouts last week, also threw some in early team drills Tuesday, taking his turn with the other quarterbacks.
"It was good to see him doing that," Sherman said. "He's been throwing the ball, but he threw a little more today. I'm anxious to find out from the trainers where he stands after today's practice. But that's always encouraging, because I think he's a good quarterback."
Tannehill also threw with the quarterbacks after practice with quarterbacks coach Tom Rossley watching.
Tannehill, who had a team-leading 55 catches for a team-best 844 yards receiving last season, is recovering from a torn labrum.
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Moss shining: Senior defensive end Matt Moss had a couple of sacks in Saturday's spring game and continued his fine play with several solid efforts Tuesday.
"He was kind of aligned with the seniors last year, and he doesn't have their shadow around any more," Sherman said. "He has a chance to do his own thing. I think he's trying to do that and trying to do things the right way."
The 6-foot-3, 253-pound Moss played 11 games last year after transferring from Gossmount Community College in El Cajon, Calif. He started one game and ended with 15 tackles for the season.
"He played well in the game on Saturday, and I think he continued that today, so that's good stuff," Sherman said. "But I'm not ready to anoint anybody just yet. He still has some improving to do."
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Doubling up on Miller: Von Miller, who is playing a hybrid position that resembles a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4, has thrived by beating offensive tackles, but he will be going against a few double teams in fall practice.
"We need to prepare him for that," Sherman said.
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Injured linebackers return: Senior Matt Featherston and junior Billy Chavis scrimmaged despite recent injuries.
Featherston (neck) was injured April 9 and missed the spring game.
It was the first spring scrimmage for Chavis, who played in only three games last year with three tackles.
"It helps us from a depth standpoint. We're really thin anyway," Sherman said. "When you get thinned out like that, it creates other injuries, because guys are doing double duties. So getting them back really helps in that area. It also gets them some reps before we close spring out."
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Evaluations upcoming: Each player will meet with Sherman after spring drills end for an evaluation.
"We talk about where they are on the depth chart and what they need to work on this summer," Sherman said. "What they did great. What they didn't do so well. Where they are academically. How accountable are they. So we kind of go through a gamut of things."
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Big ending: Sophomore defensive back Trent Hunter intercepted a pass from junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson on the morning's final 7-on-7 play. Johnson threw a long pass intended for sophomore Jeff Fuller, who caught two long touchdown passes from Johnson earlier in the morning session.
Sophomore wide receiver Lionel Smith also had a couple of long receptions in 7-on-7 drills.
Fuller added a jump-ball catch of a long pass from Johnson in the afternoon scrimmage.
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Et cetera: Sherman said the defense was able to line up properly Saturday without drawing a penalty or giving up a lot of huge plays, which wasn't the case in last year's spring game. "I thought we were cleaner on the defensive side of the ball," Sherman said. .. Florida State assistant coach Jody Allen watched both practices. Allen, who has been at FSU eight years, coaches defensive ends and special teams. He worked under A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines. ... Former President George Bush watched 20 minutes of the afternoon practice. ... The players wore jerseys with no names, because their other jerseys were given to winning fans Saturday. ... Walk-on quarterback Jeff Wood and senior wide receiver Jeremy Brown combined for a 50-yard completion in scrimmage action. Brown also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman Tommy Dorman. ... Senior cornerback Marcus Gold intercepted a pass from Dorman during red-zone scrimmage work. ... The running backs had several strong runs during the afternoon scrimmage.