San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Strong gusts stymie QB competition
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher wouldn’t normally glance at his phone during a contest. But Saturday’s high winds at Kyle Field prompted Fisher to double as an amateur meteorologist in the middle of the annual spring game.
“It just kept getting gustier and gustier,” Fisher said. “I checked my phone, and it had a little (app) on there that said it was 33 to 34 miles per hour. The ball started (veering) … but, hey, you’ve got to play in those conditions.”
One of the primary evaluations of the three quarterbacks vying for the starting job, then, came down to this: Who can sling it best in a stiff wind?
“If you were (truly) calling plays today, you couldn’t do that,” Fisher said of throwing downfield about 10 times on Saturday, as opposed to a game that counts in the standings in the fall. “We wanted to create big plays down field and we also didn’t want to create a lot of piles.
“In spring games there’s no sense in creating a bunch of piles — when you create piles that’s how everybody gets hurt.”
A&M enters the offseason as an expected top 10 program in the preseason polls, but if the Aggies had to play a contest next weekend junior quarterback Max Johnson appeared the most game ready.
Johnson, a transfer from LSU, in his A&M debut completed 13 of 31 passes for 127 yards, with two touchdown passes to go with an interception in the Maroon squad’s 30-24 victory over
the White.
Hardly impressive numbers, but the quarterbacks mixed in with both teams and last year’s early starter, Haynes King, was 11 of 33 for 130 yards with two interceptions on overthrown attempts. King broke his leg in Week 2 last season and appeared rusty in his return to game action, while Johnson played all last season for LSU.
Meantime, five-star freshman Conner Weigman was 7 of 19 for 116 yards with a touchdown pass, and understandably seemed raw in his first college game action in front of a crowd.
“We had quite a few drops today, we’ve got to get better at
wideout,” said Fisher, adding the trio of quarterbacks all had their “moments” during the spring game.
One five-star addition who had more than his fair share of moments during the few hours in front of fans on Saturday was receiver Evan Stewart, who appears to already be the best at his position on the current roster.
Stewart finished with a game high seven catches for 75 yards, and repeatedly flashed the speed and ability to rise for catches that made him the nation’s No. 11 overall player in the class of 2022 via 247Sports.com.
“Every day in the offseason
program, he was out front leading everybody running and doing things, and he’s been very productive in all the practices and scrimmages,” Fisher said. “He has a long way to go … but his consistency day in and day out was very pleasing.”
Stewart, who graduated early from Frisco Liberty High to take part in spring drills, was named offensive most valuable player of spring drills — a couple of months before his originally scheduled high school graduation.
Sophomore defensive lineman Fadil Diggs was named defensive MVP of spring drills, and team MVPs were safety Demani
Richardson and receiver Ainias Smith.
One player who didn’t make any spring awards lists but whose name surprisingly was called multiple times on Saturday is defensive back Avery Hughes of Fort Bend Austin High. Hughes, a sophomore walk-on, collected two interceptions and broke up three passes.
Hughes’ seven tackles were tied for second on the winning maroon squad with scholarship linebacker Ish Harris and behind scholarship defensive lineman Anthony Lucas (eight tackles).
“He did a really nice job, I’m happy for him,” Fisher said of his playmaking defensive back.
The Aggies should be loaded in the secondary in the fall but were shy of plenty of their usual contributors in the defensive backfield during the spring game because of minor injuries, paving the way for a player like Hughes to make a name for himself when afforded the opportunity.
“He works hard and he’s dialed into the plays,” Richardson said of Hughes. “He’s just always in the right spot at the right time, and always does his job.”
The Aggies will reconvene this summer and begin their fifth camp under Fisher in early August. They open their season on Sept. 3 against Sam Houston at Kyle Field — with a starting quarterback no doubt tabbed by then.
“We need to throw it better,” Fisher said of his overall evaluation of his passing game on a windy day, “and we need to catch it much better, too.”