Before the summer lull descends upon us in a matter of weeks the Texas A&M football team partook in the annual Maroon and White Spring Game on Saturday afternoon, with the Aggie faithful cheering on from Kyle Field.
This year’s exhibition offered a preview of what’s to come in a significant 2023 college football season. Barring injuries and an abundance of inexperience like last season, the Aggies have the potential to be one of the most daunting teams in the SEC thanks to the bevy of talent they welcome back.
Fans saw that on full display in the opening moments of Saturday’s intramural game as both Conner Weigman and Max Johnson flexed their arm strength with a couple of highlight-worthy plays. Weigman, who began with the Maroon Team, connected with star receiver Evan Stewart on a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw that should have fans eager for the coming season. Expect to see that happen much more often in the fall!
Johnson, who started with the White Team, looked just as comfortable helming Bobby Petrino’s offense as he was the first to find the endzone on a perfectly thrown deep ball to Micah Tease. The pass was nice, but the pass protection from the offensive line was just as pretty as the unit looks to rebound mightily in 2023.
The game proved to be low-scoring for much of the first half and into the third quarter, as the highly talented defense was on full display early on. Walter Nolen, who figures to be a vital component of an Aggies’ talented front-seven, had a great start that was highlighted with a pass deflection and a tackle for loss in the opening half.
FINAL SCORE: Maroon Team: 19, White Team: 33
Spring ball is of course a small sample size, but Aggie fans should be encouraged by what was on display Saturday afternoon. Both QBs looked comfortable in the pocket and despite a few interceptions thrown by both Weigman and Johnson, this is the time for them to iron out the kinks.
The backfield group looks promising with Amari Daniels finding the endzone on Saturday and freshman Reuben Owens picking up a couple of first downs, a true unicorn on display. Ainias Smith put a bow on the exhibition with an incredible catch in the closing minute, proving that the rich can get richer with his return to an already scary-looking offensive unit.
Perhaps most refreshing is that this team, in particular on offense, already looks different compared to what was on display in last season’s 5-7 campaign. From utilizing two back sets to having playmakers constantly in motion, the creativity and ingenuity on offense shows how much potential this unit has in 2023. And that’s all said even with Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino holding more than a few cards up their sleeve.
We won’t get ahead of ourselves, but so long as this roster stays healthy and builds on their ‘baptism by fire’ experience a year ago, it’s looking very promising over in Aggieland.
HIGHLIGHTS
The White Team finds the endzone first thanks to a beautiful connection between Max Johnson and Micah Tease:
The White Team finds the endzone first!
Max Johnson → Micah Tease 🙌 pic.twitter.com/14cE6hxanz
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 15, 2023
The White Team regains the lead after Johnson finds the endzone once again, this time connecting with Fernando Garza:
Great catch by @FGarza2021 for 6️⃣!
White regains the lead.#GigEm pic.twitter.com/hBYygyfAQS
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 15, 2023
Not to be outdone by the signal callers, Amari Daniels tied the score at 13 apiece thanks to a 15-yard score just before the end of the first half:
15-yard score for @_NoLimitMari 💨 💪#GigEm pic.twitter.com/fpKM5pyWcU
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 15, 2023
Earnest Crownover caps off the drive with a goal-line score as The White Team puts another six points on the board:
Finished off the drive. @ECrownover24 for 6️⃣! pic.twitter.com/wA15Wt4xC2
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 15, 2023
Team White cannot be stopped as Weigman connects with Pierce Turner for six:
Team white is rolling. @ConnerWeigman 🎯 @PierceTurner11#GigEm pic.twitter.com/bGmukXNZNy
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) April 15, 2023
And with that, the Aggies 2023 spring football program draws to a close. The next time we’ll see the Maroon and White on the field will be on September 2 when they face New Mexico to open the 2023 college football season!
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee
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