Press Conference: Fisher, Aggies prepare for trip to the Palmetto State

Texas A&M football returns to action this Saturday night as the Maroon & White venture to Columbia, SC, for a date with Shane Beamer's Gamecocks. On Monday, Jimbo Fisher, Max Wright and Antonio Johnson spoke to the media to preview the Battle of the Bonham Trophy.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from Jimbo Fisher’s Monday afternoon media availability:

• Looking forward to this week's practice. Guys are getting healthy. South Carolina is a very good football team. Playing well in all three phases. Spencer Rattler is doing a good job at quarterback. South Carolina is always a tough place to play, and we have to finish the second half of the season.
   
• Haynes King is playing.
   
• Max Wright is a great guy. He has leadership and is an outstanding human being and player for us.
   
• You go back to fundamentals to make sure you maintain the momentum.
   
• Kam Dewberry played very well. He made a few mistakes with everything that was going on. I was very pleased with his progress. Practices very well.
   
• I'm not surprised by the success of the freshmen. A lot of that came because they came in early.
   
• You refresh your button. After that off week, it feels like a second season.
   
• The bye week has never come at a bad time. We’ll have to see about long-term injuries. Not sure of the recovery time of Jordan Moko.
   
• We can build from a confidence standpoint. Against South Carolina, you have to play well. You have to build from everything.
   
• We will see if Conner Weigman will play. You go back and watch Haynes play against Alabama, and he was tough. Made some mistakes.
   
• It's going to be an extremely tough game. In the SEC, it's tough. They have a very good football team.
   
• The young guys are getting better and growing. Let's hope we grow faster and faster.
   
• Alabama was a good run team. We are young up front. The physicality part I feel confident in.
   
• We got pressure against Alabama. great to get McKinnley Jackson back. Fadil Diggs and those guys are improving.
   
• Shane Beamer has grown up because he’s around been around coaches. I have great respect for his dad and Shane and what they are doing.
   
• Spencer Rattler didn't make many mistakes in high school. In college, it’s different, and there's a maturation process.
   
• We did not practice because of the bomb threat. Glad everything was okay, but I hated that we missed practice.
   
• King, in the first game, he had a mistake. In the second game, there were other mistakes that weren't on him. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the great quarterbacks around, and look at those around them. It's a team game. Haynes is working on playing better. Good enough is never good enough.