Jimbo Fisher knocks on wood after discussing Ainias Smith’s injury return
Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith was a big-time loss for the Aggies last season. They felt that more the majority of last fall and, after their season-opening win over New Mexico, Jimbo Fisher says they could feel the difference last weekend with him back out on the field.
Fisher spoke about Smith’s impact during his radio show on Wednesday. He listed off all the ways in which Smith made his presence felt against the Lobos in his return to the field that helped A&M on the offensive side of the ball, whether making receptions or not, as well as special teams.
“The push cracks he made, blocking on the safeties on the runs? He got some catches but he cleared some routes out, created one-on-ones for the other guys, playing hard. Just being Ainias,” said Fisher. “Just running the football, catching the football, blocking, being a team leader, and in the return game.”
Smith finished with three catches for 40 yards in the opening 42-point win. That made him the Aggie’s third leading receiver while his average yards per catch of 13.3 put him second for the outing.
Smith also put up 53 yards on four punt returns in the game. That mostly came on one specific return that he ripped off for 44 yards.
That effect in all of those areas showcased his importance to Fisher yet again. It highlighted it so much so that he went as far as to un-jinx Smith by knocking on wood when discussing him and his injury from last seson.
“That was huge for us. The ability? That experience that he had, the talent in which he had? That was a huge loss for us last year,” Fisher said as he tapped on the table.
Smith, as a fifth-year receiver, gives the Aggie’s receiving corps an extra level of experience. It pairs well with Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad III, and Noah Thomas to give A&M one of the better groups of pass catchers in the country.
Fisher shares initial impressions of Miami
This week, the Texas A&M Aggies are traveling to South Florida to take on the Miami Hurricanes in what should be a very interesting non-conference game. Ahead of that meeting, Jimbo Fisher shared his initial thoughts on Miami.
“We’ve got a really good opponent coming this week, Miami, and Mario Cristobal is a very good coach,” Jimbo Fisher said. “Their offensive line is a big, physical group. They ran the football extremely well in the game against Miami (OH).”
Miami and Texas A&M met last season in College Station. That was a win for the Aggies but, afterward, both teams had difficult seasons. As a result, both made major changes in the offseason.
Jimbo Fisher has a ton of respect for the Hurricanes and knows this is going to be a challenging game.
“They’re a great team. We’ll have to play them well on the road. It’s going to be a great challenge and we have to have a great week of practice to get ready.”