Bohls: Hello, Max Johnson — backup quarterback leads Texas A&M to win over Auburn

COLLEGE STATION — It’s debatable how much exactly can be gleaned from Texas A&M’s 27-10 aesthetically unappealing win over Auburn on a cloudy, muggy Saturday.

But at the very least, this much is true.

The Aggies’ backup quarterback is better than the Tigers’ backup quarterback. And their starting quarterback, too, for that matter.

Actually, in this game, A&M’s Max Johnson was the best quarterback who got onto Kyle Field, and that had to be very satisfying for the home crowd of 102,530. And now the Aggies’ No. 2 may well have to be the Aggies’ No. 1. At least for a game or two or …

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While sophomore Conner Weigman’s lower leg injury may not spell disaster, it hardly comes as welcome news for a team that started the year No. 23 but fell out of the Top 25 when it was blown out by Miami and will have to inch its way back up the rankings.

And although Weigman’s firmly entrenched as the starter, he led the offense to just two field goals in five first-half possessions while Johnson produced two touchdowns — one to his brother, tight end Jake Johnson — in A&M’s first two series of the second half and finished with seven completions in 11 attempts for 123 yards.

Pretty impressive stuff for a guy who beat A&M as a sophomore at LSU before transferring and now sealed a win for A&M over an Auburn team with a misleading 3-1 record as a player listed as a redshirt sophomore, of all things. Perhaps that’s the kind of magic this guy is capable of. Maybe he’ll be a freshman next season.

“Yeah, with my redshirt year last year with a broken thumb and a COVID year, it’s incredible how many years you can get back,” Johnson said.

At this rate he’ll be in college eight years or so after playing in what is his fourth actual season. Hey, that won’t bother head coach Jimbo Fisher, who’s loving that he has two quality quarterbacks.

“It’s critical,” Fisher said. “I’ll take three. You never know. That’s such a unique position. You can’t have too many quarterbacks, and Max was outstanding in what he did today.”

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Nope, Max Johnson isn't going anywhere

Quarterback depth may be the biggest factor in college football, especially in this age of the transfer portal when players like JT Daniels switch schools like most do cable carriers. Fortunately for the 3-1 Aggies, Johnson stayed put on campus and, should Weigman miss time, gives A&M a fighting chance for the next few weeks that bring Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee on the schedule to remain nationally relevant.

But did Johnson ever consider going in the transfer portal?

“Never,” he said with conviction. “I’m where I want to be. I’m going to get an awesome degree here. I love the coaches, I love the players, I love this university.”

Lots of love going on here. For now.

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'When all things are clicking, we can be unstoppable'

If nothing else, the talk of quarterbacks defuses the bigger narrative about Fisher’s job security. While many will wonder how long it would take the 12th Man family to pass the hat and raise the $77 million needed to buy out the head coach and hire a Mike Elko or a Jeff Traylor, the Aggie faithful have more pressing issues like who’s going to get the snap.

The players seem totally on board, no matter who the quarterback is, and said they take lots of confidence from Johnson’s abilities and spectacular play from their defense, which smothered Auburn with seven sacks and 14 tackles for losses.

The Aggies held the Tigers offense to a single field goal and limited it to 200 total yards with no pass receptions by a wide receiver longer than 13 yards.

“When all things are clicking, we can be unstoppable,” said Aggies wideout Ainias Smith, a pivotal part of what might be the best receiving corps in college football. “I wish we could have finished the game a little better. The limit on things we can do is all the way to the sky. We have so much potential to do things we saw we want to do.”

For his part, Fisher didn’t seem all that concerned about the status of his quarterbacks.

“I don’t know (about extent of Weigman’s injury). We’ll wait and see,” said Fisher, who said Weigman had his foot stepped on and collided with a player during a big pass rush. “The X-rays were negative. We’ll see how he feels when he comes back. But I feel we have two starting quarterbacks.”

Two teams, similar decisions

Fisher made the change at quarterback to start the third quarter because of injury when his heralded sophomore starter was crushed on a corner blitz and limped off the field near the end of the first half. He didn’t return.

New Auburn coach Hugh Freeze made his change because of ineffectiveness. Junior Payton Thorne, a former transfer from Michigan State, was totally hapless, completing just 6 of 12 passes. His backup, Robby Ashford, was just as bad. Freeze was so desperate for a semblance of a passing game he gave third-string Holden Geriner a look, and the freshman at least completed a couple of passes for 8 yards.

In fact, the first two were affronts to quarterback play in a passing attack that earned Auburn a measly 56 yards on the day, not that the SEC is overloaded with elite starters at that position this season. Utah’s used two quarterbacks in waiting for starter Cam Rising’s knee to heal. Texas Tech’s starter got hurt Saturday. Wyoming’s missing its starter. Heck, Nick Saban has no clue who his starter is and goes through ’em like he does his sock drawer.

“There’s no dropoff between Conner and Max,” A&M defensive back Bryce Anderson said.

Regardless, a team had better have a damn good one if it plans on contending for anything of substance. And A&M has a more than serviceable one in Johnson, the former LSU starter who's 10-7 in his career and won eight of 14 starts on the bayou.

The son of former Super Bowl champion quarterback Brad Johnson has a nice arm and can run decently well in a pinch, but the seasoned left-hander doesn’t have the upside of a Weigman. “Max will tuck it and go,” Fisher said.

On Saturday, Weigman started off strong and took A&M to a successful drive that culminated in a 51-yard field goal for a lead it never relinquished. In fact, were it not for Auburn’s 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown, the Tigers would have been completely stonewalled.

This game was won when Johnson decided to stay in College Station rather than test the transfer portal and leave.

“You always sweat the transfer portal,” Fisher said. “That’s a constant sweat. There is no air conditioning for it.”

There was certainly no breeze to speak of at Kyle Field, but the Aggies are facing some severe headwinds with ramped-up competition soon.

“The quarterback is your pride and joy, but you have to shake that off,” A&M offensive lineman Layden Robinson said. “Conner’s a big part of our team, but Max did a great job of stepping up. Max came up to me and said, ‘We’re not going to slow down.’ He brought that energy into the huddle.”

Better yet for the Aggies, he brought a win. And huge insurance.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Despite not winning the job, Max Johnson sticks around to rally Aggies