Aggies look to fend off Demons in opening game of Jimbo Fisher era

The Aggies aim to begin the process of exorcizing their demons of mediocrity by expelling the Demons of Northwestern State. The Jimbo Fisher era of Texas A&M football begins on Thursday night at Kyle Field and the opponent is almost irrelevant.

The Aggies, trying to break out of an eight-win rut over the last five seasons, figure to be more focused on their switch to a pro-style, more physical offense and upgraded secondary than Northwestern State in a clash that some may dismiss as a tune-up for facing No. 2 Clemson next week. However, junior running back Trayveon Williams insisted that is not the case.

“It’s honestly a competition,” Williams said. “We’re going to treat them just like we’re treating Clemson. I tell the guys every day ‘I don’t want to hear anybody talk about Clemson because Northwestern State is who we play.’ That’s who we have to go against." 

“It’s faceless, nameless opponents. No matter who is lined up in front of us. Whoever is coming into Kyle Field we’ve got to beat them and protect our turf.”

Defeating Northwestern State shouldn’t be a problem. The FCS-member Demons were 4-7 in 2017 and are under a new head coach — Brad Laird. They could be much improved, however. Their defense is led by end Obi Iheoma and tackle Zak Krolczyk, who last year combined for 13 sacks.

The members of the offensive line have combined for 36 starts, and the receiving corps is boosted by transfers Quan Shorts from Texas Tech and former five-star prospect Jazz Ferguson from LSU. Laird has not yet named a starting quarterback between incumbent starters Clay Holgorsen and junior college transfer Shelton Eppler, a product of Navasota. Meanwhile, Fisher has opted to start sophomore quarterback Kellen Mond over third-year sophomore Nick Starkel.

“He (Mond) played very well in the pocket (in camp) and made great decisions,” Fisher said on the SEC teleconference. “He led our team and played with great poise and composure and knowledge of our offense. He created plays and our team followed him very well, not that they didn’t with Nick.”

Kyle Johnson, TexAgs

Kellen Mond follows through after throwing a pass during Fall Camp. 

Fisher has indicated that both Mond and Starkel will see action against Northwestern State. They will aspire to bolster an offense that ranked 56th in the nation last season. This year’s offense projects to feature Williams, who has rushed for 1,855 yards in his career. He’ll be running behind an offensive line that is intent on being more physical and will get help — finally — from the tight end position.

Junior college transfer Jace Sternberger, the star of the spring game, is expected to make a major impact as a blocker and receiver at tight end. The A&M defense aims to show marked improvement under Defensive Coordinator Mike Elko, who last season dramatically turned around Notre Dame’s defense in one year.

That will begin with tightening up the secondary, which allowed 237.6 passing yards per game and 28 touchdowns a year ago. That futility was largely because the Aggies were playing inexperienced cornerbacks in man coverage.

Projected starters Charles Oliver and Debione Renfro now have a year of playing experience under their belts. Elko’s system won’t leave them in predictable one-on-one coverages, either. The return of safety Donovan Wilson, who missed almost all of last season with a knee injury, will help, too.

Overall, Fisher said he was pleased with the progress the Aggies have made since his arrival last December.

“I feel confident about our football team,” Fisher said. “Now we have to go out and do it for 60 minutes. We're at that next stage. We're going to take a test. We've prepared. We'll see where we're at."