COLLEGE STATION -- After their overtime win against No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday, the No. 22 Aggies found themselves back in the AP Top 25. The Aggies will now begin a three-game road streak starting with a bout against South Carolina in Columbia.

Head coach Jimbo Fisher and select players met with the media on Monday, here are some key takeaways from the availability.

Braden Mann flipping the field

After averaging 59.6 yards per punt including an 82-yarder on Saturday, punter Braden Mann earned SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named to the Ray’s 8 from the Ray Guy Award. Mann’s teammates were quick to point out the immense impact that his booming punts have had on taking some of the pressure off of them.

“Braden Mann has been incredible this year. We were actually joking on the sideline that when he’s punting 80 yards it’s kind of just a freebie like a Mulligan for the offense,” tight end Jace Sternberger said. “In all seriousness, Braden Mann has been excellent for the team. Who knows where we would be without him.”

One of the benefactors of Mann’s deep punts has been the defense who is given a lot more room to work with when Mann pins opponents back deep into their own half. Kentucky did not run a single play in the A&M half on Saturday.

“I don’t know the stats but it seems like he’s always pinning guys in the 20 and it’s a real big help for us,” linebacker Otaro Alaka said.

Players feel built for October

In the past, the Aggies have become notorious for strong starts and then collapsing in the second half of seasons. The players were quick to point out that this season will be the season where they reverse that trend. With the implementation of new strength and conditioning coordinator Jerry Schmidt, the players underwent a different offseason training program which the players say has better prepared them for the grueling SEC schedule.

“I would say that we can handle being on the field a lot more because of how we practice and what we do at practice,” defensive back Debione Renfro said. “We run a lot so when we get into games it’s easy and we know what our bodies are capable of. We’re built for the whole season and we can go more.”

During his time at Florida State, Fisher’s teams consistently performed better in the latter months than the earlier. The coach emphasized that he has built the A&M program the same way so that they will be able to perform better as the season progresses.

“The object is to be a better team in December than you were in August and September,” Fisher said. “That’s our whole goal in the way that we practice, the way that we play, and the whole dynamic of how this organization is set up to do that.”

Finishing drives

The Aggies were able to move the ball down the field on Saturday thanks in large part to running back Trayveon Williams, who finished the game with 210 yards. The maroon and white struggled, however, to convert their long drives into points. The Aggies missed a 40-yard field goal, threw an interception and fumbled the ball all on Kentucky’s side of the field. Texas A&M currently ranks No. 97 in red zone efficiency. Fisher acknowledged the inefficiency and said it will be a point of emphasis moving forward.

“The big thing is on offense, the consistency to finish drives. I’m very happy with how we move the ball but we’ve got to finish drives and put points on the board,” Fisher said. “We’ll get back at that and there are things that we can all do to get better at.”