Weigman Watch: Could Texas A&M Start Freshman QB Against Ole Miss?
With 14 minutes and change left on the clock, Texas A&M saw a glimpse of its future under center. Conner Weigman finally was given a shot to command the huddle with the first-team offense.
Incumbent starter Haynes King suffered a shoulder injury on a first-and-10 pass attempt to tight end Donovan Green and immediately headed to the sidelines for further evaluation. And though he seemed ready to re-enter the game and complete the comeback against South Carolina, Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher didn't want to risk further damage.
Well that, and perhaps he wanted to see if Weigman could finally end the drama of the constant quarterback carousel .
“I didn’t want to risk it, and they couldn’t give me enough of an evaluation,” Fisher said postgame following a 30-24 loss to the Gamecocks. “It was not worth the risk and the future of his career, especially on your throwing shoulder without being able to get an MRI.”
Fisher said that King would undergo further evaluation when the Aggies (3-4, 1-3 SEC) returned to College Station. Based on the initial thought process from A&M's medical staff, it was believed that King dislocated his shoulder on the throw, and later had it popped back in place.
Without more knowledge of the injury, Fisher leaned on the cautious side and elected to leave in Weigman. Considered by some as the top QB recruit of 2022, Weigman looked raw in his five series, going 8 of 15 passing for 91 yards in his collegiate debut.
King's status had been a subject of conversation following the Aggies' open week. In a 24-20 loss to then-No. 1 Alabama, King looked limited as a runner, noticeably limping off his right foot. Fisher said last week that King was "ready to go" but did mention that he was limited in practice during the team's bye.
There's little to take away from King's performance against the Gamecocks (5-2, 3-2 SEC), mainly because the production was eerily similar to that of other outings. The sophomore finished 17 of 32 passing for 178 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Max Wright with two minutes remaining in the first half.
King also tossed an interception on the opening drive, leading to a 23-yard field goal by South Carolina's Michael Jeter. His longest pass of the evening came on a 25-yard reception to freshman Evan Stewart in the first quarter.
Not everything negative surrounding the Aggies' offense should fall on King's shoulders. The atmosphere and crowd noise from 77,837 screaming USC fans certainly factored into the off-tempo offensive look early.
During the first quarter, King tried to change the play at the line of scrimmage, but backup center Matthew Wykoff — filling in the for the injured Bryce Foster — snapped the ball into King’s knee, bouncing right into the arms of South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway.
The Gamecocks would score three plays later on a 5-yard touchdown run by Christian Beal-Smith to make it 17-0.
“[Wykoff] thought the cadence was going on, and [King] was trying to check to another play, and the center, a lot of people were hearing something different than we were actually hearing,” Fisher said.
It's impossible to know where the Aggies go from here at quarterback entering the closing days of October. With Max Johnson expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a hand injury, Fisher could elect to play Weigman and accept the growing pains.
A&M currently remains dead-last among SEC programs in scoring (21.9 points per game) and ranks 10th in passing (221.3 yards per game). Weigman looked the part of a true freshman still learning how to play the position, though Fisher has said on multiple occasions he'd be more than comfortable giving him the starting nod if need be.
The Aggies return to Kyle Field Saturday for the first time since Sept. 17 to take on No. 15 Ole Miss at 6:30 p.m.
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