‘You got to get your revenge back on that turf,’ Ainias Smith has a chip on his shoulder in Aggies’ rematch versus Arkansas

Saturday’s matchup comes full circle for Ainias Smith, who will face Arkansas for the first time since his 2022 season-ending injury.

The Southwest Classic ushers in its next chapter as Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0 SEC) faces Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC) from AT&T Stadium. For Aggies’ veteran leader Ainias Smith, the matchup carries a bit more weight.

In speaking with Billy Liucci of TexAgs, Smith indicated he’s going to take Saturday’s game a bit more personally, given how his 2022 season came to an end at AT&T Stadium:

“Lewis came up to me earlier today during stretch and stride. He was like, ‘You got to get your revenge back on that turf.’ And I was like, get revenge on the turf? I was like oh yeah, for sure. It’s definitely that time.

Simultaneously, Smith is wise enough to understand that he’ll practice for Saturday’s matchup like any other contest. The motivation may be different, but the preparation doesn’t have to:

So I definitely feel that this week I’m going to take it a little bit more personal. Especially because of what happened. But at the same time, I’m just going to play the game.”

The Aggies came away with a 23-21 thrilling in the last Southwest Classic in 2022, but it was a bittersweet victory. Smith was blocking downfield against the Razorbacks but was rolled up on before being helped off the field in the win. Shortly thereafter, it was revealed he suffered a fracture in his right leg, forcing A&M to be without one of its more dynamic weapons.

At the time of his injury, Smith had been responsible for more than a quarter of Texas A&M’s total offense through four games, with a cumulative 302 all-purpose yards. Losing Smith was one of the more frustrating aspects of the Aggies’ lackluster 5-7 campaign in 2022. But once Smith takes the field in Jerry World on Saturday, it presents an opportunity to officially put those trials in the rearview mirror.

Agent Zero has 18 receptions for 272 yards on the season, which is second-best among Aggie receivers, behind only Evan Stewart. Texas A&M boasts the SEC’s sixth-ranked passing offense with an average of 301.25 YPG through the air. Another high-octane performance would not only keep the Aggies’ season on track but would further solidify Smith as one of the SEC’s most versatile threats on the field.

As the man himself said, you’ve got to get revenge on that turf.

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