Ahead of the season opener against Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 4, Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher and players met with the media to discuss the matchup.
Here’s what we learned:
Full capacity atmosphere
During the 2020 season, home games at Kyle Field were restricted to 25 percent capacity as a result of COVID-19. That will not be the case this season, with the 12th Man returning to Kyle Field in full capacity. As a result, the Aggies will once again have a home field advantage with stands filled with 100,000 people.
Junior defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal said he knows Aggies will show up in Kyle Field to support the team.
“[Full capacity] is going to be amazing,” Leal said. “Last year we didn’t have full capacity, so this year everybody is coming back. I believe the 12th Man is going to be unbelievable and just extremely loud.”
Season opener statement
Last season in the opener against Vanderbilt, A&M narrowly won, 17-12. In that game, the Aggies had a total of 189 passing yards and 183 rushing yards. This year, the players and coaching staff are looking to assert a more dominant statement in the 2021 season opener.
Fisher said the Aggies will be focused on their own play on Saturday.
“You play like you practice,” Fisher said. “You play like the habits you want to have. The statement is we want to play and we want to play well. We want to play our game and do the things that we do.”
Expectations for Haynes King
Redshirt freshman Haynes King has officially been given the nod by Fisher to be the starting man against Kent State. King served as the backup for former quarterback Kellen Mond, throwing for 59 total yards, scoring one touchdown and rushing for 43 yards against the University of Alabama last season. Recently, King has been complimented on his speed by A&M coaches after clocking his 40-yard dash time at 4.45 seconds.
Junior running back Isaiah Spiller said King’s biggest strength is his speed.
“Haynes [King] is definitely going to prove a lot of people wrong this year. He’s going to have a very good year for us; he’s very athletic, very fast. [He’s] probably one of the fastest on the team. He can throw it, he’s been doing big things with his scrambles. I think he’s going to make a very big impact on us this year,” Spiller said.