Texas A&M Star Antonio Johnson Earns SEC Honors Following Arkansas Win
Texas A&M football might be trending in the right direction for the start of conference play. If anything, at the least the Aggies are bringing home the individual hardware.
A&M defensive back Antonio Johnson was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts Saturday in the team's 23-21 victory over No. 10 Arkansas in the Southwest Classic. Johnson totaled a team-high 13 tackles and was effective in coverage against Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson.
"We had to gut that win out," Johnson said postgame. "I feel like offense, defense, all sides of the ball had to gut that win out. I feel like nothing that we did was lucky today. I feel like we fought hard. We executed. They made plays, we made plays. But I just feel like we gutted that win out and I feel like we won that game."
Johnson's 13 tackles marked the second time this season that the junior defender has reached double-digits in stops. In Week 2 against Appalachian State, Johnson totaled 13 tackles and a pass deflection en route to a 17-14 loss.
The No. 17 Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC) managed to be outgained by Arkansas 415-343 but kept the Hogs out of the end zone in critical moments. During the second quarter, Jefferson tried to score on a QB sneak from the 2-yard line, but the ball would be punched out and recovered by Tyreek Chappell.
Thanks to quick thinking from Demani Richardson, A&M would score on a 97-yard fumble recovery to make it 14-13 at the half. That would be the turning point for the Aggies, giving the offense momentum to score on the opening drive of the third quarter.
"Out of nowhere, Demani took off running," Johnson said. "I'm like this dude here is crazy. I'm like, I love him. He's a ballplayer. He just makes plays. I don't know, I don't think I would have thought about doing that.
Johnson and the pass defense held Arkansas to receiving yards and didn't allow a touchdown through the air after the first quarter. Saturday marked the fourth time in his career that Johnson had totaled double-digit tackles in a game.
The Aggies will travel to Davis Wade Stadium to take on Mississippi State on Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.
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