Aggies scoff at yielding

FAYETTEVILLE -- Backups for both teams were in a game No. 1-ranked Alabama led 45-23 with less than 15 seconds left, but Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher was conceding nothing last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

After the Aggies moved from their 13 to the Crimson Tide 21, Fisher called a timeout with 13 seconds left. Alabama fans remaining in the stands booed.

Nick Starkel threw a completion to Camron Buckley for 3 yards to the Alabama 18.

Fisher called his final timeout with three seconds left. More boos from the Alabama fans.

The game finally ended when Starkel was pressured and threw an incompletion.

"We're trying to score points," Fisher said after the game when asked about the last-second timeouts. "The game ain't over. You play the next play.

"Let me ask you this -- why not? Why would you not? You can score points, you can play."

Fisher said it would have been counter to what he coaches not to do everything he could to have his team try to score in the final seconds.

"So you tell your kids to go play every play hard, give everything you've got, and you're going to let the clock run out?" he said. "That ain't what competitors do. That ain't what Texas A&M's going to do. Texas A&M is going to play until the horn blows.

"That's the way you teach it, that's the way you coach it, that's the way you are."

Fisher is in his first season as the Aggies' coach after leading Florida State to an 83-23 record -- including the 2013 national championship -- and working to change a culture that saw Texas A&M continually finish the season poorly under predecessor Kevin Sumlin.

"Not happy, not satisfied," Fisher said of losing to Alabama. "But we've just got to clean a couple things up, and then we've got a chance to have a pretty decent team in my opinion."

The University of Arkansas will face Fisher as a head coach for the first time when the Aggies (2-2, 0-1 SEC) play the Razorbacks (1-3, 0-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Texas A&M's losses have come to teams that were ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in The Associated Press poll when the Aggies played them, including Clemson's 28-26 victory at Kyle Field on Sept. 8.

Alabama and Clemson have won the past three national titles, with Alabama beating Clemson in 2016, Clemson beating Alabama in 2017 and Alabama beating Georgia last season -- after beating Clemson in the semifinals.

"I think from a psychological standpoint it does help us, because those are two teams that have been as successful as anybody in college football," Fisher said of seeing how the Aggies stack up to Alabama and Clemson. "You know you can score against guys. You know you can compete against guys.

"Now you have to translate that into understanding how to win. That's the next step."

The Aggies, whose victories are 59-7 over Northwestern (La.) State and 48-10 over Louisiana-Monroe, gained 501 yards on Clemson and 393 on Alabama.

"I think from watching those two teams, there were two or three key moments where they seize momentum," Fisher said. "We let some scoring opportunities go. That's where I say we've got to learn.

"It's like getting somebody down and you start to let them up. You've got to keep pressure on them and understand how important it is to finish all those situations. How every play matters when you play great people."

Sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond, who became the Aggies' starting quarterback last season after Starkel was injured in the opener against UCLA, won the job this season.

Mond completed 16 of 33 passes for 196 yards at Alabama -- and threw his first two interceptions of the season -- along with rushing 18 times for 96 yards.

Mond has completed 72 of 122 passes for 1,020 yards -- including 430 against Clemson -- and 7 touchdowns, and rushed 43 times for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns.

"Is every read perfect? No. Is every throw perfect? No," Fisher said when asked about Mond. "But he's played pretty dadgum well."

Fisher said Mond's play goes beyond the numbers and that he's never flinched playing top defenses in Clemson and Alabama.

"If we get behind, whatever happens, he's rallied the guys," Fisher said. "They have supreme confidence in him.

"I mean, every moment out of every game, whether it's a mistake or a good play, he's into it. He understands it, why it's happening. He's played very consistent that way, and his competitive nature, his toughness, is super."

Junior Trayveon Williams is the Aggies' leading rusher with 67 carries for 430 yards, but Clemson and Alabama each held him to 31 yards. Sophomore Jhamon Ausbon has a team-high 14 catches for 216 yards.

Texas A&M leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in total offense (545.5 yards per game).

"We moved the ball well, but you've got to score touchdowns," Fisher said of the Alabama game. "They were scoring touchdowns. You can't match them with field goals."

The Aggies have three starting defensive linemen who weigh more than 300 pounds for the first time -- led by 320-pound senior tackle Daylon Mack.

Otaro Alaka, a senior middle linebacker, leads the Aggies with 22 tackles, including 3½ for lost yards. Junior outside linebacker Larry Pryor has their only interception.

Junior Braden Mann set an NCAA record by averaging 60.8 yards on five punts against Alabama. He's two punts shy of qualifying for the NCAA season stats, but is averaging an SEC-best 54.9 yards.

Freshman kicker Seth Small, filling in for the injured Daniel LaCamera, is 5 of 5 on field goal attempts. He hit three field goals at Alabama, including a 52-yarder.

Texas A&M was within 21-13 at Alabama late in the second quarter before a big pass play and turnover helped the Crimson Tide take a 31-13 halftime lead.

The Aggies went into the game as 27-point underdogs despite being ranked No. 22 in the AP poll. They fell out of the poll this week.

"I'm encouraged about the way we played," Fisher said. "I just hope we can learn from this situation.

"Play with more intelligence and more consistency. Not that our players are dumb. It's just how you play situations and really understand how to capitalize on moments."

Saturday’s game

ARKANSAS VS. TEXAS A&M

WHEN 11 a.m. Central

WHERE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

TV ESPN

Sports on 09/26/2018