First-year defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and his attacking 3-4 defense has been the buzz in fall camp for the Texas A&M football team. The unit closed Thursday's practice by getting the best of the offense in a series of goal-line plays with running backs Christine Michael and Ben Malena finding little running room.

The defenders won the session, but it was great work for A&M's offense, which last year tied for 87th in red-zone production scoring on 49 of 63 possessions.

"We know that's something we've got to improve on from last year," junior offensive guard Evan Eike said. "We don't want to have to resort to a pass. We feel good about our pass game down there, but really, once we get down around the 3- or 2-yard line, we want to be able to punch it in on the first try. If not, we're going to run it again and just keep pounding until we get in the end zone."

Red-zone efficiency was about the only offensive category A&M didn't have gaudy statistics in last year. The Aggies averaged 184.2 yards rushing per game, which was 30th nationally; averaged 281.6 yards per game passing to rank 16th; and their 465.8 total yards per game ranked fifth. A&M also was fourth in the country in third-down conversions.

Record-setting quarterback Jerrod Johnson returns from that unit along with tailbacks Michael and Cyrus Gray, who were instrumental in elevating A&M from 114th in rushing the previous year (only 88.5 yards per game). A&M also returns three receivers who caught at least 40 passes in Ryan Tannehill, Jeff Fuller and Uzoma Nwachukwu.

The concern is the offensive line which graduated three starters who combined for 79 career starts.

"We know everything starts with us," junior guard Evan Eike said. "Jerrod, Jeff and Christine and those guys can be as good as anybody, but if we don't do our job, they are not going to be able to make plays."

Eike is the group's most experienced player with 20 starts. Fellow guard Patrick Lewis started the last nine games as a true freshman last season and "is probably playing about as good as I've seen him play," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said.

Senior center Matt Allen, who transferred from LSU after the 2007 season, is hardly a newcomer after sitting out 2008 with the Aggies. He started six games last year and "has had an outstanding camp," Sherman said.

The starting tackles are sophomore Brian Thomas, a member of the extra-point team who had limited game action last season, and freshman Luke Joeckel, who graduated from high school early to take part in spring drills.

True freshman linemen Jake Matthews, Shep Klinke, Jarvis Harrison and Cedric Ogbuehl have taken the majority of the snaps with the second unit.

"I think with the young guys, probably offensive linemen, come in thinking they may have a redshirt year," Eike said. "But with these guys, we tell them there's no grace period. They've got to get in and learn it and be ready to play now. They might have had a couple days starting out. But after that, we've really been pushing them hard, and they've got to come together and be ready to play."

Sherman said he'll play the best five linemen, whether they're seniors or freshmen. He'd love to be two deep across the board but says he is looking for at least eight -- five starters, a swing guard, a swing tackle and a backup center.

The starting five that A&M ended with after spring drills has remained constant for the first 11 days of fall camp.

"We kind of know what to expect from each other, and I really think we've come a long way," Eike said. "It makes us more cohesive. The more practices we can get us a unit, the better off we're going to be."

Allen, who played guard last year, has settled into center with few bad exchanges.

The offense had a solid day Thursday until the final session. Johnson and backup quarterback Tannehill made some great decisions, Sherman said. "And we caught the ball well.".

The Aggies just didn't have enough muscle inside the 5 with inside linebackers Michael Hodges and Caleb Russell making some good hits.

A&M easily threw over the attacking defense on the first play of the goal-line session, but Eike said that's not making them better run blockers. So they ran into the teeth of the defensive' pressure thereafter, not with much success, but it was experience.

"At the end, it was good competition," Sherman said.

*

NOTES -- A&M had 20 rushing TDs and 21 passing TDs along with eight field goals among its red-zone possessions last year. All schools in last year's Top 10 teams in red-zone efficiency in the Bowl Subdivision had more rushing touchdowns inside the 20 than touchdown passes. That included No. 3 Texas, which despite not having a running back with 600 yards rushing, had 25 rushing touchdowns to 15 TD passes in the red zone.

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