For more information on this week's opponent, the Texas A&M Aggies, I posed some questions to Beergut, one of the writers for I Am the 12th Man.  Beergut sent some questions my way, as well, and my responses can be seen here.

BOTC: This season certainly hasn't been what A&M fans were looking for, but is there optimism for the future under Mike Sherman?
 
Beergut: Yes, there is optimism for the future. We knew coming into this season, after losing all of our offensive line, that we would be rebuilding and struggle some. It has taken longer than we would like for the players to ingest the new schemes on offense and defense, but we just need to be patient. The team is showing improvement game-by-game, and we just need to give him some time. Sherman came in giving it to us straight, telling us it would take time, which was a welcome change from the obfuscation and excuses of the Franchione Era.

We've played plenty of true freshmen so far this year, and Sherman has shown he is committed to putting the best 22 players on the field. Players like Bradley Stephens, Jeff Fuller, Tony Jerod-Eddie, and Cyrus Gray gives us reasons for optimism.
 
BOTC: Does anyone know what's going on with Jorvorskie Lane?  I love watching him ramble around the field, as long as it's not my team's defense that he's rambling through.
 
Beergut: If anyone knows, they're not saying. Lane has been mediocre to poor in blocking as a fullback, and I think that Sherman doesn't want to give him the ball if he won't block. I'm hoping this changes, because Lane is a weapon, and we need to use all of the weapons we have on offense.
 
BOTC: For you personally, is Stephen McGee or Jerrod Johnson the guy you want to see under center?
 
Beergut: Jerrod Johnson is our future at QB, no question. I love McGee as a player and as a leader, but he is not where he should be as a passer. He waits too long to make decisions, and his pocket presence is lacking. Franchione and Les Koenning did an incredible job completely destroying him as a passing QB. 
 
BOTC: To beat Texas A&M, K-State needs to...
 
Beergut: Run the ball. We're bad stopping the run, only slightly better defending the pass. Teams don't pass much against us because they don't need to. Our special teams are also suspect, so big returns in the kickoff and punt game are possible.

BOTC: What is one thing the Aggies need to do more (or less) of to have more success this season?

Beergut: We need to score more points. You can win games if you have a poor defense by making the game a shootout, and we haven't been able to do that.

Thanks to Beergut for taking the time to answer my questions, and I look forward, as I always do, to the game in College Station this weekend.