COLLEGE STATION, TX — Jimbo Fisher’s historic debut left Aggie fans hungry for more. They finished with eight wins and a bowl victory: the most since Johnny Manziel was running around in the maroon and white. That said, Fisher has even higher expectations for the 2019 season.
“No matter what the consequences, no matter what the results, you gotta keep playing the same way and keep on a steady pace of how you’re gonna play and not figure out who you’re gonna play. Then you gotta figure how to win those games in time, and you may do it this year, you may... you just gotta figure out. But the key is laying the foundation for doing things right and never varying from it,” Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M's head coach, said.
Fisher believes year two is critical in firming up the foundation that was laid last year.
Even though Kellen Mond is the quarterback for the Aggies, Fisher isn’t letting him get comfortable, and that’s important since A&M lost seven stars to the NFL and are staring down the toughest schedule they’ve seen in recent years.
Alabama coming to town, the Aggies making trips to both Death Valley and the reigning champs house as well as Georgia slated as the cross conference matchup leaves Fisher’s team no room for mistakes.
A&M went 6-1 at Kyle Field last season, but in order to be successful this year, they’ll have to claim more wins on the road.
“In this offense, everything is to the inches, and you always hear Coach Fisher talk about "fight for the inches." So I mean everything is super precise and detailed so, just a little off today, but we get another day and we’ll continue to grow,” Kellen Mond, the Aggies' junior quarterback, said.
The Aggie defense made significant jumps when it came to stopping the run last season. But when Trevor Lawrence, Jake Fromm and Tua Tagovailoa are lining up on the other side of the ball, learning to shut down the passing game is vital.
“Gotta be able to run it on offense and stop it. Then, we gotta get better in pass coverage. But, we also gotta get better in rushing. We gotta be able to put pressure on the quarterback and create those things and cover better and mix things up, and hopefully, we will. But, if you’re in, if you’re not stopping the run and you’re in bad down and distances, then it really becomes miserable in the passing game,” Coach Fisher added.
This season, Aggie fans will want to keep an eye on Justin Madubuike, the Aggie’s junior defensive tackle, who is looking to make a statement and prove the Aggie defense isn’t something to be overlooked.
"Best D line in the SEC, for sure. I mean, our standards are set high and we just come here, we work hard, be the best we can be, believe in each other, just take it one day at a time, soak in the plays, don’t be afraid to ask questions, communicate and just believe in each other,” Justin Madubuike said.
Coach Fisher and the Aggies will look to start 2019 strong with a home victory over Texas State on Aug 29 before traveling to Clemson to play the reigning national champs in week two.
