Texas A&M got in a scrimmage at Monday’s spring practice, and the results had Kevin Sumlin pleased.

The Aggies ran approximately 82 plays, “a game’s worth,” which had Sumlin dishing out some praise after practice.

“I thought it was a physical scrimmage,” Sumlin said. “We got to see our guys really play football without the coaches on the field, see who could handle that.”

The coach added that a few players were “nicked up” during the scrimmage, which he said was a part of spring football, and also added that the team got some good tape to help teach John Chavis’ defense.

Sumlin specifically praised quarterback Kyle Allen, who he said is getting a grasp of the full offense in his second year in the program. He also lauded running back Brandon Williams — “I’d be hard-pressed to say another guy is having a better spring than him” — and said the rising senior has finally added some weight while keeping his speed.

Justin Manning, a touted four-star defensive tackle from the class of 2013, has taken a “leave of absence” from the team and will return in June, according to Sumlin. The coach didn’t go into detail, but said the rising redshirt sophomore has some things going on in his life and “there’s a lot more to it than just football.” Manning is expected to be a cog in a strong defensive line this fall.

Sumlin also gave his thoughts on the passing of Billy Pickard, a legendary fixture around Texas A&M football. Pickard passed away early Monday morning at the age of 81, having spent more than 50 years as part of the Aggies football program.

“Billy Pickard is very, very special to our program,” Sumlin said. “It’s a tough deal, but at least I know Thursday he was out here for his (start of) 51st spring football practice. He’s touched a lot of people’s lives here at Texas A&M.”