Starting tailback Cyrus Gray found himself in a bit of a quandary against Kansas State. He was getting plenty of action and touches, but it was at the expense of his team.
Gray, who went into the game banged up, had more kickoff returns (7) than carries (2), which was just one of the indicators of how lopsided the 62-14 loss was.
"Sometimes it's not good. Like last year, I had a lot of kick returns. Lot of people were scoring points so I had a lot of opportunities to return kicks," Gray said. "Although that's not a good thing, when you get the ball in your hands you have to make every opportunity count."
The sophomore made his mark with the Aggies last season, in part because of his ability on special teams. He set an Aggie record with 1,169 kickoff return yards, which was punctuated by a 98-yard runback for a touchdown against Oklahoma.
He'd prefer carries from scrimmage over kick returns, though, because that means the Aggies are scoring rather than having been scored on.
The 5-foot-10, 196 pound Gray got his wish and then some against Texas Tech, posting career highs in rushing yards (131), carries (25) and touchdowns (3).
Although it was only Gray's first 100-yard rushing outing, the ultimate team player views the effort by him and his teammates as a sign of things to come.
"I wouldn't say it was a breakout game. I would just say it's a game to get everything going right together as a team," Gray said. "This game I think is also going to help me and Christine [Michael] and also Bradley Stephens and our whole offense just keep going. It really, really gave us confidence and let us know we could run the ball."
The Aggies (4-3) hadn't shown much of that in previous weeks, averaging just 78 yards rushing in their three losses.
Against Tech, A&M piled up 321 rushing yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards a carry. Michael nearly matched Gray's numbers, picking up 121 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
The ability to rush the ball made the game much more enjoyable for A&M head coach and play caller Mike Sherman.
"The repetitiveness in the run game probably helped them gain more confidence and us get a little bit better as we got along in the ball game," Sherman said. "They developed more confidence in the [rushing] call because they had success previously with it."
Gray believed the Aggies were in for a good day on the ground early in the week, despite A&M getting 13 yards rushing against KSU, of which only three went to Gray.
"Coach Sherman got off into the offensive line [last] week and really persuaded them to do better, and they did well. They were pancaking people during practice and getting off the ball," Gray said "Tech's defensive line gets off the ball, and our offense was getting off the ball well [in practice] so I knew it was going to be a good collision and a lot of holes would open up."
Gray has started six games this season, missing out only at Kansas State. With 448 rushing yards, he has already eclipsed his total from last season (363).
With Michael totaling 406 yards on the ground this season, the two hope to be a formidable rushing duo for quite some time.
"Me and Chris, we are doing well together, we have a good bond. That's my little brother," Gray said. "We have a bond, and it's an unselfish thing between both of us."
Gray was a workhorse while at DeSoto High School, accounting for 67 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He knows that's not going to be necessary with Michael, which should help the two stay healthier during the season.
Gray also counts on Michael as a sounding board, even though the 5-11, 206 pounder has only one collegiate start.
"When I'm in, he's my eyes also. He tells me about a cut I may have missed or that maybe I need to get outside a little faster, and when I'm out, I tell him the same thing," Gray said. "Because I've started the game, I tell him if they are not really hitting or if we can break a lot of tackles. We'll also get on each other, that's what motivates us. I'm his energy and he's mine, feeding off of one another."
Despite his friendship with Michael, Gray knows who he has to lean on most and he makes sure he doesn't forget them, especially after an effort like the one in the 52-30 upset at Texas Tech.
"After every run, I go talk to the offensive line and let them know good job, and also when we score touchdowns because you've got to let them know they are doing their job because they are out there every day battling in the trenches," Gray said. "They know what to do, you really don't have to get onto them, they just have to do it."
Gray then grinned and said "It worked Saturday and it felt pretty good."
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