Down But United, Texas A&M Looks For Rebound Win Against Ole Miss
Jimbo Fisher isn't throwing in the towel on the 2022 season at Texas A&M. Neither are his players.
The Aggies are on their first three-game losing streak since 2014. For the first time since being hired in 2018, Fisher is below .500. And while the offense continues to make adjustments and switches for hopeful change, the results remain the same.
Still, Fisher said players remain dedicated to the process. It all now comes down to execution on Saturdays.
"Our guys believe and they’re into it,” Fisher said Monday at his weekly press conference. “We’ve talked to them and communicated to them every day about it.”
Injuries continue to pile up for A&M (3-4, 1-3 SEC) entering the final month of action. Fisher announced Monday that offensive linemen Bryce Foster (knee), Aki Ogunbiyi (knee) and Jordan Spasojevic-Moko (ankle) would miss the remainder of the 2022 season.
Foster and Ogunbiyi suffered injuries against then-No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 8 while Spasojevic-Moko underwent surgery following the Aggies' loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 1. Freshman Kam Dewberry is expected to start in place of Ogunbiyi at left guard while redshirt Matthew Wykoff is slated to fill in for Foster at center.
Not all is dark in College Station entering Ole Miss week. Starting quarterback Haynes King is expected to be back in action against the No. 15 Rebels at Kyle Field. King left Saturday's 30-24 loss to South Carolina early in the fourth quarter after suffering a shoulder injury on a first-and-10 incompletion to tight end Donovan Green.
King, who finished Saturday 17 of 32 passing for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception, reportedly suffered a dislocated shoulder and later had it popped back in place. Without further context, Fisher elected to rest King and close out the game in Columbia with true freshman Conner Weigman.
Weigman, a highly-touted prospect from Bridgeland and expected long-term starter for Fisher's offense, completed 8 of 15 pass attempts for 91 yards during his five drives. His longest throw of the evening came on a 24-yard pass to Moose Muhammad III with just over a minute remaining.
Fisher praised both quarterbacks for their ability to fight back and keep things close after being down 17-0 within the first 10 minutes.
"Haynes played a very, very good football game," Fisher said. "He made a lot of good throws, put us in a great position, had good runs, scrambled, made some good third-down throws, nice drives, played a very, very solid football game. Made big-time plays."
Fisher credited Weigman for understanding the intricate play concepts and keeping the offense afloat in a hostile Williams Brice Stadium.
"He understands what we're doing," Fisher said. "A couple of throws, a read or here or there, if he had some more time. His eyes were good, he got the ball out, saw the field, and could come back and regurgitate to you on the sideline what he saw, why he saw it, what happened, and it was exactly what you saw on film."
The Rebels (7-1, 3-1 SEC) finally fell flat on the road in a 45-20 loss to LSU. The Tigers gained over 500 yards of offense while quarterback Jayden Daniels totaled 369 yards and five touchdowns.
Fisher said the Aggies will need to be on the lookout for Lane Kiffin's high-tempo rushing attack Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Freshman Quinshon Judkins currently leads the SEC in rushing touchdowns (12) and ranks second in rushing yards (831) behind Arkansas' Rahiem Sanders. Former TCU standout Zach Evans ranks top-five among SEC running backs in yards (605), rush attempts (100) and touchdowns (6).
As a unit, Ole Miss ranks third nationally in rushing offense (251.9 yards per game) and leads the nation in rushing touchdowns (26). A&M currently is 102nd nationally in run defense, allowing opponents to average 179.6 yards per game.
"Both those guys are really good players," Fisher said of the running back tandem. "That may be as good of a two-back group that we'll face all year. They have a great young guy who's good, and then they have an experienced guy who has played a lot of football."
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