Fisher backs Mond, says Aggies are still learning killer instinct

Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher said during his Monday press conference that Kellen Mond will remain starting quarterback when the Aggies face Ole Miss on Saturday.

Though Mond completed only half his passes and threw a costly fourth quarter interception in last week’s 28-24 loss to Auburn, Fisher reaffirmed his confidence in him.

“One thousand percent,” Fisher said when asked if he still supported Mond. “The tape says so."

“We all get caught up in looking at the guy with the ball and not the cause of the play. About four or five plays in the game I wish he’d done better.”

Fisher went on to reference NBA legend Michael Jordan and as a role model for the Aggies and announced that receiver Jhamon Ausbon would return practice this week. Ausbon, who has 15 receptions this season, has been out the last four games with a foot injury.

Fisher added that injured guard Jared Hocker’s status is week-to week and center Erik McCoy and safety Derrick Tucker are expected to play against Ole Miss. McCoy appeared to sustained a leg injury of some type and briefly was forced out of last week’s 28-24 loss to Auburn. Tucker did not play in that game because of a shoulder injury.

But Mond’s playing status was the primary topic of interest. There were wonders if Fisher would turn to backup Nick Starkel after Mond struggled in the fourth quarter of the loss to Auburn, in which the Aggies blew a 24-14 lead.

Mond completed 5 of 11 passes for 58 yards and threw a pivotal interception in the fourth quarter. He also made an ill-advised option pitch in the first quarter that resulted in a fumble and set up Auburn’s first touchdown.

But after reviewing game tape he said he disagreed with Mond’s reasons on only six of the Aggies’ 79 offensive plays. Fisher maintained that many plays in which Mond appeared to fail were actually byproducts of missed blocks or bad routes by receivers.

“As a (offensive) line we played well, but did not protect well at times,” Fisher said. “(Receivers) need to get open more in man coverage. We did not create much separation. A couple of routes were fixing to be really big plays, (but) guys broke the wrong way right at the peak of it inside and out, which cost us some situations.

“Was (Mond) perfect? No? Was it his best game? No. But by far he was not the reason any of that happened.”

Fisher recalled several instances he said were examples that Mond might have been unfairly blamed for the offense’s failures.

“How does the rush effect (the play?),” Fisher said. “How does the route effect it? We had three or four really good routes in this game that were going to be big plays. Two of them, for sure, that were probably — if they weren’t touchdowns they had chances to be."

“We’re in a position with things we’ve repped a bunch. One guy cuts in(side) and all he does is go around and he walks. The other guy breaks it off back to the safety. If he stays outside, which is a route we’ve run from Day One, he gets a touchdown."

“The worst thing as a quarterback is setting there going to throw. There it is. Then you go ‘Oh, god, he just ran the wrong way.’”

Rey Romo, TexAgs

Good news is that WR Jhamon Ausbon will return to practice this week after missing the last four games with a foot injury.

Fisher said mistakes like those are particularly disappointing because he thinks the Aggies are close to becoming a high-level team. However, he acknowledged the Aggies must learn the behavior of dominating opponents. He used Jordan as an example of having the mentality that he hopes to instill into A&M’s football program.

“I always relate this is why Michael Jordan was one of my idols,” Fisher said. “I loved (Tom) Brady, (Larry) Bird,  Magic (Johnson). They didn’t want to win. They wanted to destroy you. They wanted to give you no hope that no matter when you played them. You just wanted to get the game over."

“There’s a mentality that goes with that that we have to learn.”

Some might argue that mentality is an innate quality that cannot be taught.

Fisher disagrees and cited the NBA’s Detroit Pistons loss to the Boston Celtics in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals as an example.

“Remember when the Pistons couldn’t beat the Celtics and all they had to do was throw the ball in bounds with Isiah Thomas, arguably the greatest point guard of all time?,” Fisher said. “He couldn’t make an in-bounds pass. Bird stole it and threw a pass (for a layup). The next year (the Pistons) come back and won it.”

Detroit won the next three Eastern Conference finals and won the NBA championship in 1989 and ’90.

“Domination and winning is a learned behavior,” Fisher said. “We have to learn to do that in those critical moments and those critical plays. That’s what we’re here for as a staff. I’ve got to teach those guys that.”