Coach Jimbo Fisher on Monday gave encouraging news concerning Texas A&M starting quarterback Conner Weigman.
He also has confidence and admiration for backup Max Johnson.
Johnson is expected to start for the Aggies against Arkansas on Saturday, but Fisher left open the possibility Weigman could be back in action.
Weigman suffered a “lower leg” injury near the end of the second half of last Saturday’s 27-10 victory over Auburn. He limped to the locker room and did not play in the second half.
“It will be day-to-day,” Fisher said of Weigman. “He’s healing up. Got a little sprain. Got a little swelling. Hopefully, it will come down. Looks like it will.”
Fisher indicated early speculation that Weigman had sustained a high ankle sprain was incorrect.
Still, it would appear Johnson is most likely to start for A&M against Arkansas for the second consecutive season.
Last year, Johnson started in a 23-21 victory over the Razorbacks. He completed 11-of-21 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 39 yards.
Johnson looked good in relief of Weigman against Auburn. He completed his first five passes for 95 yards. That included a 22-yard touchdown pass to his tight end brother Jake Johnson and a 37-yard scoring strike to Evan Stewart.
“He came in and played excellent football and did a great job,” Fisher said. “He made plays and really led us.”
Fisher expressed admiration for the way Max Johnson handled the news that he’d lost the competition for the starting job to Weigman.
“More important than character I think it’s belief in himself,” Fisher said. “Max believes in himself. That’s one of the things I love about him. He said, ‘I’ll compete and I’ll be ready.’ He said, ‘I don’t agree with your decision,’ which is what you want. That’s exactly what you want.
"A lot of guys lose confidence in themselves and then don’t prepare for the opportunity when it comes again. That’s maturity and character.”
Jake Johnson was confident his older brother can successfully lead the Aggies if and when Weigman is sidelined.
He referenced Max’s time as the starting quarterback at LSU in 2021. Max passed for 2,184 yards and 27 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
“I think a lot of people forget about it, but he’s been in the SEC for a lot of years,” Jake said. “He has been dominant in the SEC West. He has a lot of touchdowns to his name. He’s totally confident. He’s the toughest competitor that’s ever been a part of my life.
"I think he leads the team well. He has the respect of the players. He’s going to go compete and give his all every game.”
There were reports from Kyle Field that former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson ripped off his shirt to celebrate Max Johnson’s touchdown pass to Jake Johnson.
Why not? Brad is their father. Let a dad celebrate.
“During the game, I had no clue about it,” Jake said. “Afterwards, I heard a little bit about it. I’m sure they were proud. It was just instinctual. It just kind of happened. He was just proud.”
Sophomore defensive tackle Albert Regis also celebrated the Johnson brothers’ touchdown. He said it’s something he’ll always remember.
“I loved it,” Regis said. “I thought it was pretty awesome. Johnson-to-Johnson … that’s what we called it.
“It’s going to be a core memory for me. Ten or 15 years down the road, I can say I remember that Johnson-to-Johnson pass.”
Historically, A&M’s SEC football games against Arkansas have been hard-fought, close games.
A&M has won 10 of the last 11 matchups with Arkansas since entering the SEC in 2012, but six of the wins were by a touchdown or less.
None of the SEC games involved current A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who had a very successful stretch as Arkansas head coach from 2008-2011.
Petrino did face A&M three times as Arkansas’ head coach in that span. The Razorbacks won all three.
Though the 62-year-old Petrino has history at Arkansas, Fisher doubted the game on Saturday has much more meaning than usual for his assistant.
“Listen, when you win them, they feel good, and when you lose them you hurt,” Fisher said. “I know that sounds cliche, but you can’t get into that part of it.
“You coach in this business long and you to get our age, you’re going to cross over somewhere. Bobby’s doing a great job, getting the ball around and getting good balance and getting points. He’s doing a really good job.”
Fisher raved about Le’Veon Moss, who rushed for 97 yards against Auburn.
“You’re starting to see him coming of age and getting healthy,” Fisher said. “How he can move the pile and catch the ball and move things.”
He also gave a vote of confidence to freshman Rueben Owens despite him losing a fumble that Auburn returned for a touchdown.
“Rueben fumbled it,” Fisher said. “He’s going to get a zillion more times (to carry). He’s a great player. That’s part of it. Just got to keep it tucked away and go. That was a learning curve.”
Fisher also praised running back Amari Daniels, who had a 79-yard run.
