Texas A&M is in need of a momentum boost, and WR Ainias Smith is the man for the task
For Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher, it’s time to completely shift the focus to the visiting UL Monroe Warhawks, who will bring their high-powered ground game to College Station on Saturday afternoon.
However, after falling 48-33 on the road to the revamped Miami Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon, the Aggies left Hard Rock Stadium with more questions than answers surrounding their defense, offensive line, and identity as a program in 2023. None of these issues can be solved instantly, as questions regarding defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin continue to fester. Fisher’s confidence in Durkin’s ability to turn things around ahead of SEC play:
“D.J. (Durkin) is a very good coach that does a good job and knows what he’s doing.”
Focusing on the few positives from the Miami game, sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman has continued to shine, completing 31-53 for 336 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions despite all while being blitzed on 33 of his 57 dropback attempts.
Outside of Weigman’s heroics, senior wide receiver Ainias Smith’s lack of offensive involvement (3 receptions, 27 yards) is similar to wideout Moose Muhammad III’s questionable disappearing act, which has left many of us questioning if new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s favoring length over proven production.
Look, this isn’t rocket science; before his season-ending injury in 2022, Smith led the Aggies in receiving yards and touchdowns, and even though the gifted sophomore duo of Evan Stewart and Noah Thomas has continued to live up to their off-season hype, Smith is a proven veteran and versatile swiss army knife who can change the outcome of a game on a dime, and similar to Muhammad, he can line up at the Z and X spot while being a mismatch in the slot on key 3rd-downs.
Despite his gritty play within the loss, Conner Weigman is still a young man continually adjusting to Petrino’s system, so like we covered all off-season long, Ainias Smith, or “Sub Zero” as Aggie fans know him, maybe the key to unlocking Texas A&M’s elite potential in passing the game for the remaining ten regular season matchups.
“Coach talks about how we’re still a 5-7 team until we change it. My whole thing to the team is let’s not get stuck. We have to move past this and move forward, and that starts today.”
While the defense must improve, especially in open-field tackling, Texas A&M’s aforementioned “Identity.” is, and will continue to be, the offense, with Ainias Smith leading the charge for the rest of the 2023 season.
Texas A&M will return to Kyle Field to take on Louisiana Monroe on Saturday, Sept. 16, as the game will air on the SEC Network at 3:00 p.m. CT.
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