Buddy Johnson Leads Charge Against Rebels

COLLEGE STATION - It was the middle of the third quarter when Elijah Blades came off the edge. Beating his block, the transfer cornerback rushed upfield in the direction of John Rhys Plumlee. With one clean sweep, Blades and Justin Madubuike threw the Ole Miss quarterback to the ground.

Just to the left, linebacker Buddy Johnson was quick to respond. Seeing the ball fly out of Plumlee's hands, the junior scooped up the pigskin, blazing down the sideline. It became a foot race to the end zone without a single red jersey in sight. Sixty-two yards later, Johnson could smile, knowing that Texas A&M had retaken the lead, and also the momentum.

The Aggies would go on to win 24-17 in Oxford on Saturday evening. For Johnson, it was the start of what can hopefully lead to a productive second half of the season.

But for him, it's not about his accomplishments, but rather what his teammates did to set him up for success.

"That was big for what Elijah and Mudubuike did for causing a strip-sack and me being able to pick to up and go and score, that's the big momentum change that we needed," Johnson said Monday. "I think that was big for us to have."

Johnson would be named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his contributions on Saturday evening. The Dallas product collected 10 total tackles for the second this season, along with the touchdown.

The fumble return was the longest by an Aggie since Jonté Buhl’s 98-yard scamper on Nov. 26, 2004 against Texas. It was also the first fumble return touchdown for A&M’s since the UAB game in 2018 and the second-longest play of the 2019 season.

"His ability to adapt and handle the transition has been huge for our team," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said of Johnson. "His leadership for the team gets better and better each week and his role keeps growing. The guys see the way he's playing and he's been a big contributing factor for us on defense."

Johnson saw action during his sophomore season in a rotational role at outside linebacker. With the loss of Otaro Alaka and Tyrel Dodson to the NFL, Fisher moved the experienced player inside to help lead the team.

So far, that's all Johnson has been; a leader. Leading the team with 46 tackles and controlling Mike Elko's unit, Johnson has thrived in his new role despite being a first-time starter.

His teammates can't help but smile when thinking back to his game-changing play at Vaught-Hemingway.

"That was monumental for us," linebacker Anthony Hines said. "To have that big play and to be able to get points off of that, whenever you can get points off a defense is huge. Not only the turnover, but also the points, so that was a big shift in the game for us."

Johnson still isn't satisfied with the results. The team allowed a 67-yard touchdown run to begin the game and a long drive late to nearly give the Rebels a chance to win. A week in the film room will hopefully correct the mistakes before Saturday's outing against Mississippi State.

"We always talk about eliminating explosive plays and not having explosive plays happen against us," Johnson said. "That's something we can't have this game. We have to go look at the film and make the corrections."

It's a new week for the Aggies and Johnson has moved past his success away from Kyle Field. But he smiles when talking about his touchdown, blazing down the without a Rebel in his way.

During high school, Johnson played at both linebacker and running back. And if asked by Fisher, he's ready to add another element to the Aggies run game, although, it may take a few carries to get his feet back in motion.

"I'm most definitely up for the challenge," Johnson said. "I think I can go back to my high school days and do no tripping with that, so we'll see.

"I remember being tired playing both ways. That was the first thing that came to my mind. I see why I don't run the football anymore."