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.
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