• Originally published November 25, 2009 at 9:30 p.m., updated November 25, 2009 at 9:30 p.m.

• Buddy Wyatt's Coaching Stops

  TCU (graduate assistant) 1991

  Minnesota 1992-1995

  Oklahoma State 1996

  Northwestern 1997-1998

  Colorado 1999

  Texas A&M 2000-2002

  Alabama 2003-2006

  Nebraska 2006-2007

  Texas A&M 2008-present

Buddy Wyatt has been getting text messages, e-mails and phone calls of encouragement from his former teammates and classmates at TCU, who have suddenly become Texas A&M fans.

"They're making us all proud," Wyatt said of the Horned Frogs. "I hope we get a chance to help them out."

Wyatt has worked hard to put Texas A&M in a position to upset No. 3 Texas when the teams meet Thursday night at Kyle Field in College Station.

The Victoria Stroman graduate knows if the Aggies beat the Longhorns it could pave the way for a TCU appearance in the BCS national championship game.

Wyatt would love to help out his alma mater, but he's more interested in what a win over Texas would do for the A&M program. Wyatt is in his second season as the defensive line coach for the Aggies, and he has seen the team improve under second-year head coach Mike Sherman.

"We're here in the trenches so we know how hard we're working," Wyatt said. "They've bought into our program. The mark of a young team is inconsistency. They don't know what they don't know.

"We're making progress. We're not there yet, but we're getting close. They're working hard to get there."

Wyatt understands why Aggies fans have been puzzled by the up-and-down nature of the team.

"We've played back one week and the next week we've pulled ourselves up," Wyatt said. "We still need a few more pieces. We're getting better, but we still need a few difference makers."

Wyatt has been coaching for 18 years and this is his second stint on the Texas A&M staff.

Wyatt worked under head coach R.C. Slocum from 2000 to 2002 and coached future NFL players Ty Warren, Rocky Bernard, Ron Edwards and Ronald Flemons.

Wyatt left Texas A&M for Alabama and coached at Nebraska before returning to College Station when Sherman replaced Dennis Franchione.

"When I got here the first time, R.C. had the program pretty well established," Wyatt said. "A lot of good players were already here. We're not in the same place we were. We're working hard in recruiting to get better players."

Wyatt has been impressed by what he's seen from Texas this season.

"Coach (Mack) Brown has those guys rolling over there," Wyatt said. "They are real talented and Colt McCoy's a great field general and Jordan Shipley is a great receiver. They have other great players but those guys stand out. Their offensive line doesn't get a whole lot of recognition, but it's a solid group."

Wyatt understands the importance of the Aggies' defensive line getting pressure on McCoy.

"We want to do the things we do every week," Wyatt said. "We need to focus more and prepare hard. We want to line up and play fast, be physical, and play smart."

Wyatt is excited about the future at Texas A&M, but he's made no secret of his desire to become a head coach.

"My ultimate goal is to be a head coach," he said. "To become a head coach you've got to be a defensive coordinator or an assistant head coach. I think that will be my next step."

Mike Forman is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6588 or mforman@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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