'Everybody Will Be Open!' Ainias Smith Excited For Aggies' New Offense
Outsiders have justifiable cause to question if Texas A&M's lackluster offense from a season ago will reach new heights following the hiring of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Those on the inside already believe the groundwork laid this spring is just a preview of what could be on Saturdays in the Southeastern Conference.
“Man, everybody is going to be open. Let’s just say that,” senior receiver Ainias Smith said of the offense Monday at SEC Media Days in Nashville, Tenn. “Everybody is going to be open — most definitely.”
Smith, who enters his fifth year with the program, might just be playing coy to hype up the program entering a crucial year under sixth-year coach Jimbo Fisher. Then again, he might be telling the truth. Of course, things can't get worse from last year, right? There's no way an offense with this much firepower, plus a more veteran feel, will regress lower than 101st in scoring. But could it?
That part is out of Smith's hands, unlike balls that could be thrown his way from rising sophomore Conner Weigman for six points. The decision of play-caller resides in Fisher, who's come off a 5-7 finish after starting the preseason ranked No. 6 nationally in the AP Poll.
It's a simple concept when boiled down to its roots. Fisher said change would be coming to College Station after firing Darrell Dickey and hiring Petrino. Would that change involve him giving up play-calling duties for the first time in his head coaching career?
“He’ll call a lot of … hopefully, he’ll call the game," Fisher said when asked if Petrino would call plays from the sidelines. "We’ll have suggestions on things we do, whether it’s offense or defense. Every coach is always involved."
Being involved is one thing. Taking over the playbook is another. Dickey and co-offensive coordinator James Coley were involved with consulting Fisher on play designs that could lead to touchdowns, but the latter was making the final decision.
If the Aggies want to return to their 2020 persona, where 10-win seasons and a New Year's Six bowl is within reach, Fisher has to switch things up. According to ESPN, that will happen with Petrino taking over as the full-time mastermind of the offense when the Aggies take the field against New Mexico on Sept. 2.
Petrino, 62, knows offenses. He's spent the better half of three decades scheming up formations that's made defensive coordinator fizzle in the brightest moments during tenures at Arkansas and Louisville. Quarterbacks are his "M.O.," and he's done exceptionally well preparing them for the pros, most recently 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson.
“When you get to calling and you get on a roll, you’ve got to have a guy that can do it, and I think Bobby can definitely do that, and does it as well as anybody in college football,” Fisher said.
The offensive process is new for Fisher, but it's also new for Petrino. Fisher's been calling plays since his day serving as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator in 1999. The last time Petrino took orders from a coach was in 2002 while on staff at Auburn under Tommy Tubberville.
Fisher told ESPN that the transition has been smooth with Petrino filling his new role. Players have seen first-hand that the offense has a new aura with a new man calling the shots. “I feel like that’s just Coach Petrino just letting us be us,” Smith said. “It’s not so much a stress on doing every little thing perfect. I feel like Jimbo is somebody that loves perfection.”
Defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson said it took an entire season for his side of the ball to run on pace with coordinator D.J. Durkin. Offensively, Petrino had the offense in continuity within months. "They're more confident, more efficient, and moving at a faster pace than before," said Jackson. "They're going to put some numbers on the board."
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