'A Great Challenge': Alabama's Nick Saban Gives Praise For Aggies Offensive Improvements
Despite being unranked, one cannot deny the offensive improvements of Texas A&M heading into Week 6's matchup against No. 11 Alabama. Even Nick Saban has walked away impressed with the adjustments made this offseason in College Station under new coordinator Bobby Petrino.
Saban, a seven-time national champion and former boss of Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher at LSU, knows Saturday's matchup will come with shares of challenges. A&M is riding high on a two-game win streak in conference play and has provided offensive fits for Auburn and Arkansas, holding the duo to 26 total points through eight quarters.
“This is obviously a great challenge for our team on the road, difficult environment," Saban said. 'They’ve got the No. 1 defensive team in the SEC and score 38.5 points a game on offense. So a real challenge, lots of good players, a well-coached team. Jimbo does a great job with their team.”
The Aggies (4-1, 2-0 SEC) have been an offensive stalwart when playing at Kyle Field this season, averaging 42 points per contest. Sure, two wins have come against Group of Five opponents New Mexico and Louisiana-Monroe, but consistency has been one of the key elements to Saturday domination.
A&M turned to Max Johnson in a 27-10 win over Auburn following a foot injury to Conner Weigman just before halftime. Like the sophomore, Johnson delivered, throwing for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yard score to brother Jake Johnson.
"He’s got a lot of experience. He’s smart, he makes good decisions, he’s been in the system with Jimbo for a long time so he’s a veteran player," Saban said of Johnson. "The quarterback who got hurt was a very good player, but you know (Johnson) is a very, very good player. He’s played well against us in the past.”
Texas A&M Aggies running back Le'Veon Moss (8) and Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jayden Johnson (8) In action during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson made two starts against Alabama (4-1, 2-0 SEC) during time at LSU, throwing for a combined 270 yards and two touchdowns against one interception.
Weigman and Johnson are different quarterbacks. Weigman, a former five-star commit from Bridgeland High School (Cypress), wasn't afraid to let it rip downfield for gains of 20-plus yards. Johnson can let one rip, but he also relies on repetition to keep drives alive, often with quick strikes to the outside and across the middle.
It's a testament to Petrino's ability to bring the best out of quarterbacks. That's been a common theme throughout his tenures at Arkansas and Louisville. Each quarterback possesses one trait that sticks out.
Instead of implementing a particular offensive system, Petrino caters to his quarterback's strengths to gain confidence and consistency.
“He’s a great offensive coach, there’s no doubt," Saban said of Petrino. "I do see some similarities in the run game as well as the passing game and more utilization of various personnel groups, which causes you a lot of different things that you’ve got to work on in practice to prepare for... I think the combination of him and Jimbo has been very, very productive for them offensively in terms of how they utilize their players.”
A&M's offense continues to balance out with the emergence of the run game, headlined by sophomore Le'Veon Moss. Since Week 3, Moss has taken over as the lead back and found a rhythm in the open field, averaging 6.0 yards per play.
In Saturday's 34-22 win over Arkansas in Arlington, Moss led A&M with his first 100-yard (107) performance off 17 carries. Amari Daniels and Rueben Owens have also been factors in a more potent rushing attack as change-of-pace players.
Kickoff from Kyle Field is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
