'No Excuse!' Aggies' Jimbo Fisher Promotes New Mindset
Back in early October, with three seconds remaining on the fourth-quarter game clock, Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Haynes King lines up in a shotgun formation for what is set to be the last play of the Aggies' Week 6 matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The score is 24-20 in favor of the Tide, and the Aggies have the ball 1st-and-goal from the Alabama 2-yard line.
King doesn't know it yet, but in just three seconds, the Aggies are about to fall back to .500 on the season. The've already suffered a loss to Appalachian State – arguably their worst loss since joining the SEC — and are likely out of the CFP conversation ... maybe.
That might have changed if they pulled off the road upset against the Tide, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. A misfired pass to the front right pylon from King sealed the deal and extended what would become a six-game losing streak for Texas A&M — its worst since 1980.
The season ended up a complete disaster, leading to immense pressure this year regarding whether or not the Aggies can bounce back to the level they've been expected to perform at since coach Jimbo Fisher's arrival. That pressure is what's fueling both Texas A&M's players and coaches this fall, though arguably none more than Fisher himself.
"Last season, we just didn’t find the inches," he said at Texas A&M's SEC media day. "There were five games where we came up one play short. We didn’t find the inches in critical moments. We have to do a better job of getting our players to do it. I believe we will. I like our team going forward.”
Fisher's words do speak for themselves. The Aggies want to be better than they were. They don't want to lose on a turnover-on-downs against Ole Miss or force themselves to convert a nine-second drive into a game-winning touchdown. They don't want to go 5-7 ever again. But the hard part will be to execute that.
"We had some injuries, and we had some young players," Fisher said. "But that is no excuse. We still had good players. We have to do a better job of coaching and putting them in the right position." At the helm of the Aggies' new-look offense will be Conner Weigman. After playing in five games last season, he's set to get his starting opportunity.
Demani Richardson is set to lead Texas A&M's defensive unit, and as he's already an established leader, he'll make Fisher's job easier. All in all, it gives Aggies fans reason for excitement.
Fisher and the Aggies have yet to compete for a CFP title, and after last season it would be hard to believe they're in shape to do so this year, but Fisher doesn't agree.
And if he's confident in his team, it'll be that much easier for the players to buy into his system and get back to contending. The rest will play out in September — and Aggie fans should certainly be excited about that.
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