'It's A Shame': Texas A&M Aggies Coach Jimbo Fisher Speaks on Shemar Turner's Ejection
With tensions high and pressure higher, Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Turner lost his cool.
It's not anything rare, especially during a high-stakes SEC Saturday, but there are levels to it. Yelling at a ref or spending a second too long in the face of an opposing defender both fall into the "losing your cool" category, but Turner's was a step further.
With 7:20 left in the third quarter and the Ole Miss Rebels — the home team — once again driving to try and increase their lead to two scores, Turner lined up on the left edge.
He released with a quick first step, and quickly fell to the ground between the legs of Rebels lineman Micah Pettus. But after the play was blown dead on a four-yard gain, Turner's helmet appeared to be stuck. And that, he was not a fan of.
Turner got himself up and instead of returning to the huddle, he threw an uppercut punch to Pettus' groin. The lineman was fine — he confirmed that on X — but regardless, the action had been done. Turner lost his cool, and he was ejected.
Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher talks to a referee during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Following the Aggies' 35-38 loss in Oxford, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher spoke on his players' ejection, which was one of the burning questions given the non-typical aggressive nature of the foul.
"He's a great player and a great young man," Fisher began. "He'll learn from that. We'll make sure we get him right because he's got a great future in the game. It's a shame."
Turner was the one responsible for the Aggies' blocked field goal touchdown, but his foul told the story of his outing against the Rebels, as it gave the Ole Miss a fresh set of downs inside the red zone. With it, the Rebels took a 28-14 lead, drastically changing the momentum back in favor of Ole Miss.
"Momentum can change real quick," Fisher said. "You've just got to finish it."
The Aggies did not. They fell just short of breaking their road losing streak and fell just one game above .500. Nobody — even Turner, who's been a bright spot for the Aggies all season — was exempt from the disappointment that came from it.
"That was a tremendous college football game," Fisher said. "Disappointing that we came out on the wrong end of it. ... We've got to find a way to make one more play. We've got to find a couple of inches and cure this problem."
A couple of inches has been Fisher's mantra for his team all season. One of them could be the slow start, while another could be late-game turnovers. But Turner losing his cool also qualifies. It's not something likely to be a pattern, especially given the positive way that Fisher talked about his player, but it did damage Saturday.
And for that, Fisher said it best: It's a shame.
