Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher: "It's always a measuring stick when you play Alabama"
At this point, it's safe to say that Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher knows what to expect from Nick Saban and Alabama.
Speaking to reporters during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference on Wednesday morning, Fisher was quick to acknowledge that the annual matchup with the Crimson Tide always serves as a measuring stick for his program.
“You know what they’ve done and who they are and we have to go play ball,” Fisher said. “We have to keep recruiting well and keep building on the process we have. We’ve had two great young recruiting classes I’m very excited about, got some very good young players and our older players are developing. It’s always a measuring stick when you play Alabama as far as where you stand in the national scene because they’ve been in the top four for so long. We’ve got to keep developing, keep on the plan which we are and I think we’re doing a good job of and you still gotta step up and play well in these games and find ways to win the game.”
Fisher enters his third season as Texas A&M's head coach and has had no luck against Alabama so far in his tenure at College Station. In his first year with the Aggies, the Crimson Tide took care of business 45-23. Last season, the result was similar: 47-28 Alabama.
While Alabama handled Missouri on the road this past weekend against Missouri, Texas A&M struggled to find any sort of offensive rhythm against Vanderbilt in its 17-12 victory.
Prior to the start of the season, Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond was widely regarded as one of the top players at the position in the SEC. Against the Commodores, though, Mond was just 17-for-28 with 189 yards and one touchdown.
If Texas A&M wants a shot at taking down No. 2 Alabama in Tuscaloosa this weekend, it'll need to find some sort of cohesion on offense.
Fisher recognizes the talent that the Crimson Tide possesses and the threat that they present to the Aggies this Saturday.
“It’s a very good football team,” Fisher said. “You play them year in and year out and they’re very stout in all three phases, got a great returner in [Jaylen] Waddle and the special teams cover very well. New punter that kicks it very high and little return, kickoff guy does a good job. Defensively again very big front. Very talented linebackers and secondary. Talented up front and they get 58 [Christian Barmore] back who’s a great pass rusher who’s a young guy that can rush. Offensively, very good offensive line. Center is a great player and inside tackle [Alex] Leatherwood does a really good job. They’re really good across the board. Of course all their skill guys we know. Najee Harris is a great player, tight end is very good, Waddle [DeVonta] Smith, all those guys do a really good job. Mac Jones, he really can make decisions, accurate with the ball down the field.
"So very well-coached team, we gotta play very well, got a big challenge ahead of us but hey. That’s why you’re in the SEC and we gotta go play.”
Alabama is now entering a four-game stretch that pits Saban against one of his former assistants for four-consecutive weeks: Fisher at Texas A&M, Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Kirby Smart at Georgia and Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee.
For Fisher, he finds the schedule of his former head coach humorous.
“I think it’s great,” Fisher said. “It shows the success of the program and guys are getting jobs out of that. Of course mine was a long, long, long, long time ago. We go back, the last time we were together was 2004 but I think it’s a very good sign of what Nick has done and what he’s done in his production of players and the systems and people want to hire people who come from successful places.”
When the Aggies first debuted in the SEC back in 2012, they emerged from Tuscaloosa with a 29-24 victory. Texas A&M hasn't been as fortunate since that game, though, with Alabama now having won the last seven matchups.
Fisher seems hopeful that this will be the year that the Aggies break the Crimson Tide's streak.
“Well we hope so,” Fisher said. “I mean, that’s what our plan is. Our team’s got to play well, they’ll do what they got to do and we’ll do what we gotta do and hopefully we can end that streak but we got to go play the game.”
Alabama and Texas A&M are slated for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium (CBS).
