COLLEGE STATION – Jimbo Fisher the head coach breathed a sigh of relief following a 17-9 win over Miami in front of 107,245 fans at Kyle Field, the third-most in school history and the most ever for a non-conference tilt. Fisher the playcaller, however, is still in hot water. The Aggies struggled offensively despite inserting Max Johnson into the starting quarterback spot in place of Haynes King. Texas A&M didn’t manage 100 yards passing in the 17-14 Week 2 loss to App State. 

The Aggies left Kyle Field with a win in Week 3, but that was despite the passing attack. Johnson finished the game 10 of 20 for 140 yards and a touchdown to zero interceptions. At least half of those passing yards were achieved after the catch, mostly by slot receiver Ainias Smith and running back Devon Achane. Those two combined for 116 yards on eight catches. The rest of the team caught two passes for 24 yards. 

Texas A&M doesn’t care about style points. The Aggies are at least a year away from worrying about the College Football Playoff. Fisher’s crew was reeling after the Week 2 loss to App State, which cost them ESPN College Gameday and $1.5 million dollars. Toxicity was leaking into the Texas A&M locker room – exhibited by four talented young players being suspended before the game for violations of team activities. It sounds hyperbolic, but this was a must-win for Texas A&M. 

"How is it ugly when you play complimentary football, you do the right things, you don't turn the football over, and you make the plays needed to win," Fisher said. "That's what we did. That's winning football." 

Consider the following: Texas A&M doesn’t play another home game until Oct. 29 when Ole Miss visits Kyle Field. Had the Aggies lost, a 1-2 team was heading to Arlington to face the always pesky Arkansas Razorbacks before a trio of road gams against Mississippi State, Alabama, and South Carolina. Texas A&M was looking at something like a 3-4 or 2-5 start with a loss. A win now resets expectations and belief within the locker room. Victory is a pacifier, for players, fans, and media. 

The passing game is still broken: A quarterback change wasn’t enough to shake off the struggles of the Texas A&M passing game. Johnson was 2 of 7 for 34 yards in the first half. He was 0-for-3 passing in the second quarter. Johnson was 6 of 15 for 63 yards through three quarters. The trust is so low in the passing game that Fisher’s offense didn’t even consider throwing the ball late in the game to ice the win. Texas A&M elected to run Achane multiple times until Miami forced a punt with the Aggies betting on the defense rather than take a chance on a passing mistake. 

"He made good decisions," Fisher said. "Quarterbacks take all the glory and all the blame. We thought that was our recipe to win the game, and we didn't make any big mistakes." 

The suspension of Evan Stewart didn’t help an already struggling outside receiver unit. Most of the receiving production for Texas A&M comes from the running backs, tight ends, and out of the slot. Ainias Smith led the Aggies with 74 catches on four catches. Achane was second with four catches for 42 yards, including the only receiving touchdown. Tight end Donovan Smith was third with one catch for 18 yards, and that was the first play of the game for the Texas A&M offense. The only other Aggie with a catch was Chase Lane with one for six yards. 

Devon Achane or bust: The Aggies’ only two touchdowns in the Week 2 loss to App State belonged to Achane, as he recorded one rushing and one returning touchdown in the defeat. Not much changed in the Week 3 win over Miami. Achane felt like the only offensive weapon apart from Smith. Achane led the Aggies with 18 carries for 88 yards. The rest of the team recorded 37 yards on 13 carries. Achane was also tied for the team lead in receptions with four. He also caught the team’s only receiving touchdown. He accounted for 120 of Texas A&M’s 265 yards of total offense. He needs more help. 

Wrecking Crew revival: Defense must win the day for Texas A&M to stay above water in 2022 because the offense simply isn’t providing much help. The Wrecking Crew only allowed three field goals in the win. Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was 21 of 41 for 217 yards. The Hurricanes did average 4.9 yards a rush, but the Aggies buckled down in the red zone. The bend-but-don’t-break effort was enough to beat the Hurricanes despite not causing a defensive turnover or registering a sack. Texas A&M’s lone turnover in the game came on a Miami muffed punt, which the offense turned into a touchdown. 

"That's what good teams do -- find a way to win the game," Fisher said. "Our defense made important stops and our special teams came up with some big plays with that fumble return and the field goal block." 

The secondary remains the strength of the current team. Texas A&M’s five leading tacklers – Jaylon Jones (9), Bryce Anderson (8), Antonio Johnson (8), Tyreek Chappell (6), and Jardin Gilbert (6) – all play defensive back. And that was shorthanded. The Aggies were without Denver Harris, who was suspended alongside Stewart and a few other youngsters due to a violation of team activities. A&M only recorded three tackles for loss in the game, but the secondary accounted for eight pass breakups. Defensive backs Demani Richardson and Brian George were ejected in the first half due to targeting. 

Game ball – Texas A&M DB Bryce Anderson 

The true freshman from West Brook High School in Beaumont had a coming out party in front of over 105,000 fans. He became the starter at safety for Richardson following his targeting ejection. Anderson looked like the four-star prospect he was advertised as out of high school. He was tied for second on the team with eight tackles. He was a young guy thrust into extended action in a national TV game against a ranked Miami squad and he looked like an upperclassman. That Texas A&M secondary looks like it’ll be stellar for years to come.