Jimbo Fisher Wants Aggies To 'Turn It Loose' in Southwest Classic
There's a fine line between playing aggressively and playing timid. Aggressive culture often can lead to mishaps on Saturdays when trying to do too much. Timid play style in football can lead to a program reaching its full potential.
Perhaps that's where Texas A&M sits through four games this season. The Aggies are 3-1 and halfway to bowl eligibility. They've dominated lesser opponents like New Mexico and Louisiana-Monroe and handled business against Auburn in a 27-10 SEC opener.
However, Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher is looking for his team to play more freely entering Saturday's annual matchup against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Right now, A&M seems as if it's playing to avoid mistakes rather than playing to win.
“Quit worrying about the mistakes. React. See it. Process it. Go get it,” Fisher said on The Jimbo Fisher Radio Show Wednesday. “And you can’t worry about what ifs. You can’t worry about losing. You can’t worry about mistakes. You can’t worry about any of that. You’ve got to play and you’ve got to trust yourself, trust your players and trust your eyes. I always say, ‘Trust what you see. Don’t hesitate.’”
The Aggies are just getting warmed up in conference play. The Southwest Classic has always been a tough battle against the Hogs (2-2, 0-1 SEC), but A&M has won eight of the previous nine matchups since the game moved to "Jerry World" in 2014.
After that comes No. 12 Alabama. Then, a road trip to Knoxville to take on No. 21 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Even after the bye week, A&M still has games against South Carolina, Ole Miss in Oxford, and LSU in Baton Rouge to close out the year.
Fisher knows everything begins in practice. Playing loose throughout the week should translate to more relaxed play on Saturdays and throughout the remainder of the season.
“The poise and the practice and the habits and the things, that allows you to, as I say, turn it loose,” Fisher said. “Play fast and react. And that’s the only way you can play football at a high level.”
Offensively, Fisher is confident with the play of redshirt sophomore Max Johnson as the new starting quarterback as Conner Weigman is now expcted to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury. Johnson, who played in 18 games for LSU — plus four last season for A&M — guided the Aggies to a second-half surge over Auburn in place of the injured Weigman, completing 7-of-11 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Auburn Tigers linebacker Jalen McLeod (35) tackles Texas A&M Aggies tight end Jake Johnson (19) during the third quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
"He's got a great understanding, has a lot of experience and players love Max. The players respect Max," Fisher said. "It's respect and they have confidence in Max. We're full-go and we're ready to go."
Johnson's played in high-pressure games before Saturday, including last season's 23-21 win over the Razorbacks in the Southwest Classic, where he threw for 151 yards and a touchdown. In 2021, he led LSU to a 27-24 upset win over A&M thanks to a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaray Jenkins with 20 seconds remaining.
Last season in place of Haynes King, Johnson led A&M to a pair of ranked wins over Miami and Arkansas before suffering a season-ending thumb injury on his throwing hand.
“I’ve been in these situations before and I feel like I was excited to be out there with those guys,” Johnson said after Saturday’s game. “I feel like we did a great job of going out there and executing.”
Kickoff from AT&T Stadium on Saturday is scheduled for 11 a.m.
