Evan Eike is a perfect example of why Texas A&M expects to be a much improved football team this season.

The starting offensive left guard worked extra hard to regain a starting role after being demoted to the second team. Now, eight straight starts later, he doesn't plan on letting one of the young, talented freshmen take his spot.

"Coming into [fall] camp, coaches always make it clear not only at our position but at any position that the best players are going to play," Eike said. "Week-in and week-out they're going to put the best five up front on the field. They brought in some great talent, great young guys. And they're going to continue to get better and provide competition which is going to make everyone better overall.

"It's good to have guys pushing you and making you get better, and they're getting better at the same time. You definitely notice them -- that's the future of A&M up front. Things are just going to continue to get better and in turn make us better."

Eike knows all about the rewards of competition.

The former Bryan High School standout started 12 games as a redshirt freshman but found himself on the second team for the 2009 opener against New Mexico as head coach Mike Sherman inserted transfer Matt Allen into the lineup, joining Lee Grimes, Kevin Matthews, Lucas Patterson and Michael Shumard.

"That's something Coach Sherman has cemented in these kids heads since he started: The best players are going to play," A&M offensive line coach Jim Turner said. "And at the time we didn't start Eike, we didn't think he was the best player."

Eike gradually changed the coaches' opinion.

"To his credit, he's never complained one day and this is part of what we love about him and it's probably what makes him who he is," Turner said. "He's a unique individual. He doesn't complain about anything. He shows up to work every day, says very little and he just continues to get the job done. So ... how can you get better than that as far as a player that's playing for you? He shows up every week and he's gotten better. And so last year, halfway through the year, we were putting him in little by little."

Eike started game two last year against Utah State but came off the bench the next four games until starting in the 52-30 victory at Texas Tech as A&M rushed for 321 yards.

"We realized every time he was in the game, we performed better," Turner said. "The light just went on. It was easy to see it. He was in the game, we played better. We were tougher. We were more physical. So that's why he's playing."

A&M averaged 184.2 yards rushing per game last year, which was almost 100 yards better than the previous year. Eike was a starter in A&M's four best rushing games last year as the Aggies averaged 213 yards rushing in his eight starts.

Eike and the 2010 offensive line opened the season with 192 yards rushing and only one negative play in 45 runs by the tailbacks in Saturday's 48-7 victory over Stephen F. Austin.

"Our tempo was a big part of the game," Eike said. "[SFA] obviously was having problems with that early in the game and through the rest of the game. I thought we were pretty solid up front. We felt like we left some points out there early that we needed to capitalize on, and obviously we need to improve on that this week. We just need to look at the tape and make our corrections and take a big jump from game one to game two."

A&M had 539 yards with no turnovers behind senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson. A&M ran 99 plays, which was the most in the country among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. The unit had only one penalty.

"We really want to push the pace every play," Eike said. "Then Jerrod really will do a good job when he gets into a rhythm. He'll really get us going. And then we have certain plays that even have a faster tempo than our regular offense where we really want to keep the defense from being able to substitute their players. We just want to get them on their heels."

A&M averaged a snap every 21.5 seconds on its seven scoring drives.

"Once you get towards the end of some of those 10-play and 12-play drives, you get a little out of breath," Eike said. "But it's way tougher on the defense than it is on us. We practice it every day."

Eike thought he had a pretty solid game, but he's tough on himself.

"Coming into this game, pad level was a big deal from me, just playing lower and playing under defenders," he said. "I want to continue to get better with my hands. Hands are such a big part of the game up front. I want to continue to improve that."

It's that kind of attitude that's made him A&M's most experienced offensive lineman with 21 starts.

"He's always worked hard, but at the beginning when I first got here, he didn't have the feet," Turner said. "His feet weren't fast enough. He couldn't get to the blocks. He couldn't get there. As time has progressed he has worked at it, worked at it and worked at it.

"His technique has gotten better. His feet has gotten better. So if you combine bad technique and bad feet at the beginning, you are not going to play. Then all of a sudden, he decided he was going to have to work at it. It's not just about being tough -- because being tough is more than just banging heads with people. Football is about mental toughness. It's about knowing your job. It's about aligning correctly, all the things that go into being a great football player and a great linemen. And he realized that. He realized, hey, we loved him right from the get-go, we loved his personality and his attitude. But you're not playing if you can't get the job done. And he began to get the job done, then all of a sudden as a coach, it's easy to see. The light just goes on, bang, every time he's in there, we're better. When as we first put him in there, we weren't better. So, it's that simple."

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL

* Matchup: Louisiana Tech (1-0) at Texas A&M (1-0)

* When: 6:05 p.m. Saturday

* Where: Kyle Field

* TV: none

* Radio: WTAW, 1620 AM

* Line: A&M by 18 1/2

* Tickets: $25-$55

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