Max Wright on Aggies vs. No. 11 Alabama: ‘Anytime You Play Them, It’s A Battle’
Two years ago, a play that will be seen on a better part of the Texas A&M Aggies' "There's A Spirit" videos moving forward shocked Kyle Field.
Then-Aggies senior kicker Seth Small had the world on his shoulders. He stood behind his arched wall of lineman, awaiting the snap and the hold that would set him up to complete an upset victory over a top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 6.
As he lined up in the backfield, he felt the pressure. The stadium known as one of the nation's loudest was buzzing with nervous chatter from more than 100,000 onlooking fans, though non dared to say anything about what they thought the outcome would be.
Either the Aggies would go to overtime with a Nick Saban coached team that already made it hard enough for Texas A&M to compete with for the entirety of regulation — which would likely end in opposite favor of the 12th man — or the Aggies would walk away victorious.
Small froze in his place, waited for the hold and kicked. The rest of that night is history.
This season, the Aggies won't be facing a top-ranked Crimson Tide squad. They'll be at home, yes, but Alabama hasn’t been as dominant as it’s used to — though to Aggies senior tight end Max Wright, that doesn’t matter.
Aggies tight end Max Wright
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
"Any time you play this team, it's a battle," Wright said. "It's a true SEC battle. It's won up front and in the trenches."
"The pressure that you're going to feel in the moment is the pressure you're going to feel on Saturday,” Wright added, referring to practice effort. “Truthfully, that's what comes out in those moments. It's how you prepare."
The Aggies have proven themselves on offense in all but one game this season. Even without Conner Weigman, Bobby Petrino’s squad has consistently outscored its opponents by two scores or more — including in SEC matchups.
But now that the Aggies are 2-0 heading into their annual face-off against Alabama, they’ll need to step it up in order to retain their perfect record.
"It's proving grounds for us,” Wright said. “We're really excited about the team we have this year and the guys that we have. We have a lot of veterans coming back. Guys who are really looking to make an impact on the future of this program. ... This year means a lot to us. We want to do it right and go out the right way."
Performing on the field will certainly be the main to-do for Texas A&M, but if it needs any more motivation, students and fans alike will be packing the stadium in anticipation.
"It's really encouraging,” Wright said of Aggie fans. “For us, knowing that these ... students have classes, and they're out here sleeping on a tent on the concrete. I better prepare the best that I can to make the ticket that they bought worth it."
Worth it or not, the Aggies will be taking the big stage against Alabama for the first of two back-to-back CBS games. So, all eyes will be on them as they look to keep their perfect record strong.
But Wright isn’t worried, and neither are the rest of the Aggies. They’re ready.
