By ROBERT CESSNA
Texas A&M's newcomers did some impressive talking with their actions Saturday night in a 41-6 victory over New Mexico, and we're discovering they're witty as well.
True freshman running back Christine Michael and redshirt linebacker Kyle Mangan were stars at their Monday press conference debuts.
The smiling, humble Michael was reminded to shed his sporty Atlanta Braves baseball cap for the cameras, then had an engaging 10-minute interview.
The stepson of a minister gave credit to God, then thanked sophomore starting tailback Cyrus Gray for being an unselfish teacher and leader. Michael ended by saying how important it is to be a role model for the youth in his hometown of Beaumont.
He also eluded a barb thrown his way via junior defensive end/linebacker Von Miller the way he juked New Mexico defenders. Miller described the team's newest running back as a 210-pound rabbit on steroids.
"Von is really a playful guy," Michael said. "He's a real nice guy. He says all kind of crazy things."
Mangan, a Brenham native, knows all about labels. He's affectionately known as "Ice Cream" and "Blue Bell," nicknames given to him by defensive coordinator Joe Kines.
"Coach Kines started it back in the spring and called me 'Ice Cream' 'cause he couldn't pronounce my last name, so 'Ice Cream' just stuck," Mangan said.
A&M head coach Mike Sherman, who simplified the schemes and terminology this year, was thankful for Kines' initiative since the head coach had been calling him "Mangnum" and "Manjen."
"He doesn't quite say it right either," Mangan said.
All the freshmen seemed to get it right Saturday.
The newcomers had 91 yards rushing with a score, nine catches for 131 yards with a score, 73 yards in returns and 18 tackles.
"The thing that impressed me the most was that the game wasn't too big for them," Sherman said. "It didn't change them. The plays they made in the game they've been making in practice. I'm familiar with seeing them making the plays, but in front of 75,000 people, they kept true to their character that they've demonstrated in practice. I guess it shows the sense of maturity they have."
That's not to say they weren't a little bit in awe.
"At first, I was getting my juices going, my heart started beating a little bit," said wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu, who had three catches for 53 yards. "It was a good experience because of the 12th Man. It was amazing to see them twirling their towels around."
Sherman doesn't allow newcomers to be interviewed until after they see game action, so Nwachukwu, defensive lineman Spencer Nealy and Michael -- all true freshmen -- were the first ones to field questions in the postgame press conference.
The other true freshmen to play were wide receivers Kenric McNeal and Brandal Jackson; offensive lineman Patrick Lewis; linebackers Sean Porter and Jonathan Stewart; defensive backs Colton Valencia, Steven Campbell, Dustin Harris and Steven Terrell; and defensive lineman Kirby Ennis.
The other redshirt freshmen who played were quarterback Tommy Dorman, defensive back Blane Cheatham, defensive lineman Adren Dorsey and offensive lineman Brian Thomas.
Another true freshman, wide receiver/returner Ryan Swope, didn't play Saturday. He is recovering from an injury, but is expected to play, probably in two weeks against Utah State.
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Sherman opted to use backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill at wide receiver Saturday, where he caught 55 passes last year. Tannehill had three catches for 40 yards against New Mexico.
Sherman then picked Dorman to finish the game under center, not wanting to risk an injury to Tannehill.
"It's hard to keep him on the sidelines," Sherman said. "He wants to be a part of it, so it's very difficult. At the same time, I have to be smart and protect him as best I can, so if we need to go with him he's ready to go. It's a fine line I'm walking."
Dorman, who had been limited in fall camp with a pulled stomach muscle, sprained an ankle while mopping up.
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Michael's 93 yards rushing is the most for a true freshman in his debut at A&M since Bucky Richardson had 102 yards against Southern Methodist in 1987. The school's freshman debut record is 212 yards rushing by redshirt Greg Hill in 1991, which set an NCAA freshman debut record.
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Miller leads the nation with three sacks. He had only 3 1/2 last year. ... Quarterback Jerrod Johnson leads the Big 12 in total offense with 406 yards. Johnson is behind Texas Tech's Taylor Potts in passing yardage (405-349), but Johnson has 57 yards rushing to Potts' minus-7. Johnson is third in the nation in total offense behind Toledo's Aaron Opelt (423 passing, 23 rushing, 446 total) and Alabama-Birmingham's Joe Webb (221-194--415). ... On Saturday, A&M had the fewest missed tackles and dropped passes in Sherman's 13 games. ... Harris had three punt returns for 21 yards. Junior college transfer Coryell Judie, who missed the first two weeks of camp before getting cleared, will eventually also return punts when he gets his legs back, Sherman said.
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A&M cornerbacks coach Charles McMillian played at Utah State in 1993-94. The team captain helped the Aggies win the Big West title in his junior season capped by a 42-33 victory over Ball State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The former Bryan Viking earned a scholarship after two years at San Jose City College.
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The New York Giants signed former Oklahoma/Sam Houston State quarterback Rhett Bomar to their practice squad after cutting him earlier to get down to a 53-man roster.
Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.
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