Starkel, Mond flourish in Fisher’s offense
QBs productive while TE makes return in 1st glimpse of new-look Aggies
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M defensive end Landis Durham had a message for Aggies quarterback Nick Starkel when the two crossed paths in an interview room following the Maroon &S White game at Kyle Field.
“I like my steak rare,” said Durham, after his White squad on Saturday edged Starkel’s Maroon bunch before 48,129 fans, a record for an A&M spring game.
Over the previous couple of hours, and prior to any meaty bets being made, new Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher sent his own message to A&M fans: get ready to see the tight end back in the Aggies’ offense, starting with junior-college transfer Jace Sternberger.
“When your tight end can get vertical and make plays down the field, it can really change what you do on offense,” Fisher said.
Sternberger finished the glorified scrimmage with a gamehigh 147 yards on eight receptions, including a 65-yard touchdown catch with about three minutes remaining in the game.
“You see why he’s been our MVP this spring,” Fisher said of Sternberger, a spring arrival from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. “He’s been like that every day.”
Added Starkel, who spent the evening connecting with Sternberger: “I figured some people would be pretty pumped up that we’re throwing to tight ends now.”
A&M hired Fisher from Florida State, where he won a national title in 2013, to try to get the Aggies competitive in the Southeastern Conference. Kevin Sumlin, fired in November, had not won at least nine games in a season since 2013.
Fisher inherits a couple of solid sophomore quarterbacks in Starkel and Kellen Mond, who each had their moments Saturday. Starkel (26-of-42 for 373 yards) threw for more than double the yards of Mond (19-of-26 for 180), but Mond threw three touchdown passes to two for Starkel.
“We’re not ready to name a starter at all,” Fisher said of a quarterback battle that’s expected to extend well into the summer. “No way we can name a starter yet — it’s still too early.”
Speaking of quarterbacks, A&M’s most celebrated one was back at Kyle Field and in a No. 2 jersey, as 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel played “all-time quarterback” during a halftime flag football game loaded with prominent former A&M players.
“We did some special things: the Cotton Bowl win, the 11-2 season, the top-five ranking at the end of the year, that was big time for this program,” Manziel said of the Aggies’ 2012 season. “We haven’t lived up to our expectations the past couple of years, but this is why we have the guys we have right now, to get us where we need to be.”
A few minutes earlier at halftime, Manziel told the crowd, “Jimbo will get it done. I have all the faith in the world in this place.”
Fisher had pushed for a national record for a spring game, which is 100,189 and set at Ohio State two years ago. Kyle Field on Saturday wound up with less than half that many, but it was still an A&M mark for spring game attendance.
“It matters when you get kids out there and you make plays with the lights on and the scoreboard on and with people cheering — you can’t simulate that any other way,” Fisher said of the final “practice” of spring drills.
The Aggies won’t be back on the practice field as a team until early August and the start of Fisher’s first camp in College Station. They open their season on Aug. 30 against Northwestern (La.) State.
“There were some good things, but there is a ton we have to work on,” Fisher said of his preliminary evaluation of the spring game. “Overall, it was a great, competitive game. We’ll look at the film and judge from there.”
A linebacker led each team in tackles, with Buddy Johnson and Tyrel Dodson collecting seven for their respective squads. Senior Kwame Etwi led all running backs with 83 yards on 11 carries, including a 55-yard touchdown dash in the second quarter.