Tag: Jacoby Matthews

Aided by special teams and late offense, Texas A&M trails Ole Miss 20-14 at halftime

A blocked field goal return and a Le’Von Moss touchdown have brought the Aggies back to life on the road against Ole Miss.

Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2 SEC) entered Week 10 on the road vs. 10th-ranked Ole Miss with revenge on their mind after falling to the Rebels 31-28 just a season ago. Making obvious headlines throughout the week, Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher has not won a true SEC road game in two seasons and is 0-2 vs. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as well.

On Saturday, after a shaky start on offense while giving up two scores on defense, Aggies safety Jacoby Matthews’ blocked field goal return from defensive end Shemar Turner, coupled with running back Le’Veon Moss’s late second-quarter touchdown has brought the Aggies within one score at the half, trailing Ole Miss 20-14.

Quarterback Max Johnson continued to face immense pressure in the pocket amid the issues on the offensive line that have festered in SEC play, completing 12/17 for 77 yards. In comparison, Grand Valley State transfer wide receiver Jahdae Walker currently leads the team in receiving with three receptions for 41 yards. No, the running game has not fixed its issues, but Moss’s 13-yard touchdown saw minor improvement that needs to continue throughout the game.

Despite giving up 20 points, Texas A&M’s swarming defensive line, specifically the aforementioned Shemar Turner, has continued to pressure Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart, one of the better signal callers in the conference. While star wide receiver Evan Stewart leaves a gaping hole in the Aggies’ passing offense, look for Walker, Moose Muhammad III, and Noah Thomas to step up in the second half.

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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Five players to watch in Texas A&M’s Week 4 home matchup vs. Auburn

Will the Aggies’ pass rush wake up? is Auburn a legit threat on offense? Here are five players to watch ahead of Texas A&M vs. Auburn.

Texas A&M (2-1) will host the surging Auburn Tigers (3-0) on Saturday afternoon, as kick-off is set for 11:00 a.m. CT, inside what should be packed Kyle Field as the SEC schedule starts off with a bang.

Featuring a first-year head coach in Hugh Freeze, the Tigers have yet to find an identity on offense. Still, their undefeated record speaks for itself behind a competent secondary, a group poised to give Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman fits early in the game before he eventually settles into a rhythm.

Coming off of a 47-3 win against UL Monroe, Jimbo Fisher’s resilient team is, of course, led by Weigman’s solid start under center, featuring one of the best-receiving cores in the country. Still, the Aggies’ defense remains a weekly question mark outside of the, so far, solid rushing defense.

Within last Saturday’s victory, several starters, including wide receivers Evan Stewart and Noah Thomas and center Bryce Foster, surprisingly missed the game due to undisclosed injuries, and even though their absence failed to affect last weekend’s outcome, they will be greatly depended on in SEC play. While all three, also including freshman tackle Chase Bisontis, who went down with an injury mid-game, are expected to return on Saturday, it will take a complete team effort to leave the weekend with a W.

Combined with multiple pre-game storylines, here are five players to watch ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 4 SEC clash with Auburn.

Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher provided several updates during his weekly SEC Teleconference

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher’s provided multiple injury updates while previewing Auburn during his weekly SEC Teleconference

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher provided multiple updates while previewing the Aggies’ matchup with the visiting Auburn Tigers on Saturday afternoon during his ten-minute SEC Teleconference with the media on Wednesday afternoon.

Within his opening statement, Fisher continued to praise sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman’s development after throwing for 337 yards and accounting for two touchdowns with an 86.2% completion rate against UL Monroe. At the same time, the Aggies’ up-and-down defense made strides ahead of SEC play.

“(Quarterback) Conner (Weigman) is growing, making decisions and distributing the ball to different players. We ran the ball very efficiently. Defensively, we played very well and tackled well. A dominant performance there defensively. Made some really good plays.

Fisher previewed Auburn’s predominate strengths, specifically the Peyton Thorne and Robby Ashford QB duo. They will likely share snaps to throw off the Aggies defense duo to their shared duel-threat ability. On the injury front, the day’s surprise came in the form of an Instagram update from Texas A&M junior safety Jardin Gilbert, who is apparently recovering from an injury after posting a photo lying in a hospital bed just four days after missing the UL Monroe game.

In his absence, sophomore safety Jacoby Matthews stepped up in a big way, recording four tackles against the Warhawks while displaying an impressive mix of pursuit speed and excellent vision in the backfield. Fisher noted his progress and playtime going forward.

“I thought he played very solid in the game. It is great to get him back in the mix. Jacoby is a big, long, athletic guy. He can play second level and third level. He tackles well, he covers and is athletic. Getting him back into the mix is huge for us in what we are doing.

“It gives us great depth, but also a great starter there who can play, run and is also a great special teams player. Jacoby has a tremendous future in the game. Just keep doing things right, playing and developing. He can be a really, really good football player.”

One lingering injury-related query surrounding the program has been the health of starting right tackle Reuben Fatheree II, who has yet to play this season as he is still recovering from his knee injury suffered during the spring season. Credit to GigEm247 beat writer Carter Karels for asking when he might be back to full strength, leading to Fisher’s encouraging response.

“I do not know. That will be up to his development on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis we are seeing. But he is practicing well, doing well, getting better each and every day and we will see as that goes.”

Fisher also touched on the development and interesting background of sophomore guard/center Mark Nabou and discussed how the Aggies offense will continue to evolve this season, which you can read here.

Texas A&M will host the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 11:00 a.m., where it will air on ESPN.

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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Texas A&M’s defense showed promise in the Aggies’ 47-3 win over UL Monroe

A sore spot in the first two games, Texas A&M’s defense made progress in the Aggies’ 47-3 win over UL Monroe a week before SEC play begins.

Texas A&M (2-1) got back on track this weekend after blowing out the visiting UL Monroe Warhawks on Saturday afternoon behind quarterback Conner Weigman’s 337 yards through the air while completing 86% of his passes, and finishing with an SEC-leading 96.9 QBR.

While Weigman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino deserve a ton of praise, Texas A&M’s embattled defense had its best outing on the young season, limiting the Warhawks to 222 total yards, including 95 yards passing.

Leading the way, sophomore linebacker/safety Jared Kerr and safety Jacoby Matthews recorded four tackles. At the same time, junior defensive end Shemar Turner nabbed his third sack in three games, poised for a breakout campaign.

Coming off their brutal showing in the Aggies’ 48-33 loss to Miami last weekend, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s hot seat was quite in flames, but if improvements weren’t seen against an inferior opponent just a week before the start of SEC play, we might have been discussing a change in staff sooner than later.

While missed assignments and poor tackling plagued Texas A&M’s chances against the Hurricanes, veteran defensive lineman Fadil Diggs, who recorded two tackles on the afternoon, emphasized the need to get back to basics in the trenches.

“I thought we did a great job doing our assignments this week. Last week, Miami was a bad taste in our mouth.”

Against the Warhawks, Texas A&M’s secondary, which has struggled mightily in deep coverage, gave up the entirety of UL Monroe’s passing production in the first half, including several explosive plays, but locked up after half-time adjustments were made, recording six PBUs and eliminating the Warhawks passing game in the process.

The defensive line had its moments, allowing 127 yards on the ground. However, it kept the Warhawks from gaining any consistency in the run game, tacking on two sacks and three tackles for loss to gain momentum heading to the Auburn matchup next Saturday. Overall, head coach Jimbo Fisher was pleased with the results.

“I thought they did a really nice job. We tackled well and played well up front.”

Lastly, the group that nearly every fan and media member felt would struggle due to lack of depth and speed, linebacker Edgerren Cooper and freshman Taurean York, who netted two tackles on the afternoon, have a nose for the ball and plugged up running lanes for most the game, adding in Jacksonville state transfer Jurriente Davis, who’s tackling production and pass rush potential led all Aggie linebackers in tackles three.

With Auburn visiting next Saturday, Texas A&M’s defense is still underway. Still, the talent is there, and with an explosive offense that looks to keep the Aggies in every game this season, sticking to the defensive basics may be enough in the wide-open SEC West.

Texas A&M will host the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 11:00 a.m., where it will air on ESPN.

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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Texas A&M Football 2023 Position Preview: Safeties; a deep and talented group

Texas A&M’s safety depth is one of the many strengths within the Aggies roster, led by senior strong safety Demani Richardson.

Texas A&M kicks off the 2023 college football season in just 50 short days, and while the offseason is nearing its conclusion sooner than later, it’s time to preview what Jimbo Fisher and his staff will be working with from a roster perspective, starting one Safety; of the deepest and most experienced groups the country,

Returning production: Senior strong safety Demani Richardson will return for his fifth and final season in Aggieland after using his Covid year, coming off of yet another productive 2022 season, recording a career-high 73 tackles and five PBUs; he is not only looking to increase his NFL Draft status for 2024 but do everything in his power to aid the Aggies in rebounding from their disappointing 5-7 2022 campaign.

Junior free safety Jardin Gilbert, who ascended on the scene during his first season as a starter, recorded 61 tackles, two interceptions, and four PBUs in 2022. Expect big things from Gilbert in Year 3.

The Sophomore duo of former 2022 four-star prospects Jacoby Matthews (25 tackles, 15 solo) and Jarred Kerr (22 tackles, 15 solo, one sack) make up most of the safety depth after both produced when their names were called in big moments last season. After a minor offseason hiccup, Matthews is ready to pick up where he left off as a free safety depth piece, while the speedy Kerr will likely be utilized as a third-down blitzing option.

Departures: Former Texas A&M safety/nickel corner Antonio Johnson, who was drafted in the 5th-round of the 2023 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars, is truly the only loss the Aggies have incurred at the position this offseason, and even though his notable length and versatility will be missed, the Aggies are in very good hands for 2023.

Final Observation: Texas A&M’s defense ranked first in the country in passing yards allowed at 156.2 yards per game last season, primarily due to Demani Richardson and Jardin Gilbert’s consistent effort combined with a defensive back group that will also experience limited attrition going into next season. For those wondering, sophomore defensive back Bryce Anderson will likely take over the nickel corner spot, replacing Antonio Johnson.

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 Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Texas A&M’s safety group has a nice mix of experience and breakout potential heading into 2023

Texas A&M’s safety unit possesses a nice mix of veteran experience and star potential, led by two returning starters with one breakout candidate to keep an eye on.

With spring football in the rearview mirror, it leaves ample time to dissect what appears to be one of the stronger units on the Texas A&M roster in their safety group.

Headling the backend unit for the Aggies are two experienced starters in Demani Richardson and Jardin Gilbert. Richardson returns for his fifth season while Gilbert heads back for his third, and the fact that both have improved year-over-year should spell great things for this unit in 2023.

Richardson has gotten better in coverage over the last few seasons and was graded 66.4 in coverage per PFF (393rd out of all safeties). He’s fine-tuned his ability to see plays as they develop and anticipate routes for pass breakups. Gilbert has improved his tackling and feels primed to make a leap in run support after being graded 43.9 in run defense by PFF in 2022.

Perhaps the biggest x-factor of this unit is sophomore Bryce Anderson, who many coaches and observers noted was one of the best performers during the Aggies 2023 spring football program. That consensus belief seems justified as he was named one of the team’s defensive MVPs during the Maroon and White game.

Anderson was rated as a four-star coming out of high school and already has a bevy of experience underneath him after logging snaps as a backup last year, as well as on special teams.

He’s currently slotted in as a nickel corner, which means he’ll likely fill the void left by Antonio Johnson. The fit makes sense as he should thrive with his physicality and athleticism, but don’t rule out a possible shift to one of the safety spots in the near future. If there was one name in this unit to keep an eye out for a potential breakout season, it’s Anderson.

When it’s all said and done, there’s a chance he could lend just as great of an impact as Johnson did before him.

Outside of the aforementioned names, it gets a bit spotty when it comes to safety depth. Granted, that’s to be expected when you have a handful of younger players that are bound to face a learning curve. Jacoby Matthews has size but was in and out of spring ball. Jared Kerr was also a bit banged up, and the playing time for Bobby Taylor remains to be seen. He did enter, then exit, the transfer portal just recently, so perhaps more snaps on the field is in the near future for him.

Jimbo Fisher could very well round out this unit with additional depth via the transfer portal, but as the group currently stands they have a nice blend of veteran experience, coupled with a potential breakout star, that should put a stamp on the impending 2023 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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What time are LSU targets announcing their commitments?

Who to watch for and when on National Signing Day.

A look at the top remaining targets ahead of signing day on Wednesday. We start with five-star safety Jacoby Mathews.

DB Jacoby Mathews

Mathews is scheduled to announce his commitment at 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday.

Matthews was committed to LSU for a few months last year. Now, this is a three-horse race with LSU, Florida and Texas A&M.

It seems Mathews is a slight lean to LSU with Florida just behind. However, Corey Raymond now being in Gainesville can’t be discounted. Raymond is the position coach Mathews committed to at LSU last spring.

247Sports lists Tommie Robison, another former LSU staffer, as Matthews’ primary recruiter for A&M.

Matthews is rated as a five-star by Rivals and a four-star by 247 Sports.

Next, the top linebacker left

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Five-star safety confirms visit for Oklahoma State game

You can add another big name expected to be in Austin this weekend!

Even with the Oklahoma loss, one of the most important weekends in the program’s recent history is in front of Texas. From the potential to take down undefeated No. 12 Oklahoma State to a huge recruiting weekend, Steve Sarkisian needs to pull out all the stops.

You can add another big name expected to be in Austin this weekend in five-star safety Jacoby Matthews. He tweeted out he would be making the trip on Monday afternoon. In what should be an official visit, Texas will host Matthews on his first OV of the fall.

Texas was thought to be squarely in the race before LSU was able to snag a commitment this past April. After decommitting, Texas A&M begun to trend for Matthews. They have hosted him twice, once officially on June 18 and another unofficial on July 31.

Now, Texas will get their shot.

Defensive backs coach Terry Joseph is going to keep Texas in the race for Matthews more than anybody. Early opportunities to play in the secondary and Terry’s Louisiana ties will be the pitch to the five-star.

Speaking of Louisiana, with the future of Ed Oregeron in question at LSU, Texas has the opportunity to raid one of the country’s deepest pools of talent. Four-star edge J’Mond Tapp and three-star cornerback Ronald Lewis have already committed to crossing states lines.

Matthews’ fellow statesman and five-star quarterback Arch Manning will be at the game as well. Selling the possibility of some of the state’s top prospects coming to Austin will resonate over the next two cycles.

On the 247Sports composite, Matthews is the No. 27 overall player and No. 2 at the safety position. Within the state of Louisiana, he ranks as the No. 3 prospect.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes, and opinions.

Gators make the cut after this five-star recruiting target updated his list

This five-star safety—a Florida Gators football recruiting target—made some changes to his top six list this week but kept UF on his list.

Dan Mullen and his Florida Gators staff are working hard on building their 2022 recruiting class, following what some may call a disappointing 2021 class in terms of standards for the program.

But so far, the Gators are off to a good start in the 2022 class landing five recruits already.

One top recruit remaining is five-star safety Jacoby Matthews, a top 50 player out of Ponchatoula, Louisiana who has a total of 30 offers in his recruitment so far. Matthews listed his top six schools back in February, which included the Gators.

On Tuesday, he made an update to that list of six by removing Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Alabama. He then added USC, Arizona State and Clemson, all teams who have recently offered. Here is his updated top six: LSU, Florida, USC, Arizona State, Texas and Clemson.

That’s a good list and some tough competition for the Gators moving forward in his recruitment.

Florida has made Matthews a priority over the past few months, hoping to eventually land the talented safety to their 2022 class. There’s still some time to go in this recruitment but the Gators have to feel good about this news.

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Michigan State Football offers 4-star 2022 Safety Jacoby Matthews

Michigan State football has made yet another offer to a top 2022 recruit. This time, they make an offer to Safety Jacoby Matthews.

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Michigan State football makes yet another offer to a top 2022 prospect. This time, 2022 4-star Safety Jacoby Matthews announced he has received an offer from the Spartans. Matthews hails from Ponchatoula, LA and plays for Ponchatoula high school.

Matthews is 6’0″ tall and weighs 186 pounds. According to 247 Sports, he is the No. 12 Safety in the entire 2022 recruiting class. Furthermore, he ranks as the No. 7 prospect in Lousiana. Right now, Matthews has offers from Alabama, LSU, Miami, Memphis, and Mississippi State.

You can check out some of his highlights here.

The Spartans are looking at some of the best 2022 recruiting prospects, including one of the top prospects in Michigan. Stay with us at SpartansWire for more football recruiting coverage.

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