Faith and perspective.
That's what Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman leaned on and gleaned from his three-week absence from the Aggies' starting lineup.
"All you can do is have faith," he said on Monday. "Being able to trust God and His plan and what He has planned for me and this team, just being able to take it day by day and step by step, that's what I did."
The redshirt sophomore missed A&M victories over Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas while recovering from a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder.
Sustaining the injury vs. Notre Dame, the signal-caller struggled in a 23-13 loss to the Irish and played the first half vs. McNeese State.
A poor season-opening performance combined with the success of backup Marcel Reed during Weigman's leave led to very loud criticism of the Bridgeland product.
"That's what comes with this game," Weigman said. "Being able to get back out there and play football is all you can do, and that's why I'm here. I love the game of football, and I'm going to go out there and play as hard as I can for my brothers every day."
But he didn't just get back out there.
Shining in his return to action, Weigman completed 18-of-22 passes for 276 yards in a 41-10 thrashing of Missouri.
He silenced many of his critics as the Aggies improved to 5-1 and 3-0 in SEC play.
"If I get backed into a corner, I come out swinging," Weigman said. "Being able to stick to the game plan that coach (Collin) Klein had and the trust he had in me to go out there and sling the ball around, we had a good game. It was fun."
Head coach Mike Elko even stood up for his starter following A&M's fifth straight victory.
“It’s absolutely embarrassing the stuff that gets out there on this kid," Elko said postgame. "This kid is a winner. He’s a competitor. He does everything that he needs to do for Texas A&M football. There’s a lot of people right now that need to stand up and recognize what they’ve said over the last three weeks and take some (expletive) ownership in it.”
While out of commission, Weigman remained dialed in to what the Aggies were doing in addition to working tirelessly on his personal recovery process.
"Sitting there watching film, watching the game from a different point of view, not being behind the center. Taking things in," he said. "Watching how some of my guys work. What makes them click, what makes them go and how to get the ball into their hands as quick as possible. I felt like it was a good three weeks."
That includes being a constant resource to Reed.
The redshirt freshman accounted for eight touchdowns without a turnover during his time under center.
"That's my brother. I love him to death," Weigman said of Reed. "Whatever he needs, I've got him, and vice versa.
"I'll be his guy forever. It's a really cool thing that we've got going on, and it doesn't happen everywhere. We're both blessed to be able to have that relationship with each other."
Ultimately, his return was contingent on having a full week of practice ahead of a game, which finally transpired from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.
"Obviously, we would not have put him back out there against Missouri if we didn't feel like he was really healthy and certainly had no setbacks," Elko said.
Following his success against Missouri, he believes he's back to 100 percent.
With Weigman back in the saddle, the 12th Man is putting its faith in him to keep A&M's five-game winning streak rolling.
The next chance to do so comes Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
"Every day of rest is helpful," Elko said. "He's in a great spot, and he'll be ready to go.
