In the middle of a double-header against Mississippi teams, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher and players met with the media on Monday. Here’s what we learned.
A win’s a win
It may not have been pretty, but the Aggies earned a 24-17 win over Ole Miss. While the offense was only 3-of-13 on third down and had two interceptions, the defense ultimately won the game for A&M as Buddy Johnson recovered a fumble and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown to put A&M in the lead.
“Any time you get a victory, it’s a good game,” sophomore linebacker Anthony Hines said. “I don’t think we’ve played to our potential consistently for a full game yet.”
Offense still looking to find momentum
Though they were able to score 24 points against Ole Miss, the Aggies struggled to find momentum on offense. It has been their focus all season, but in each game they’ve been unsuccessful, though they’ve showed flashes. Against Alabama, junior quarterback Kellen Mond led A&M on a 15-play, 75-yard drive to open scoring in the game. That momentum faltered afterward as the Aggies went on to lose 47-28. In Saturday’s matchup against Ole Miss, Mond led a scoring drive just before halftime in which he threw passes on each play, though that momentum was nonexistent on A&M’s other drives.
“[Against] Bama, we started off doing it,” junior wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon. “But for four quarters, we haven’t seen it. There’s just this hump we’re trying to get over. It’s tough and we’re actually really close, but just trying to get over the hump. When it comes together, it’s going to be really good.”
Special teams improvement
The special teams unit saw a change in line up against Ole Miss Saturday, following a loss to No. 1 Alabama in which it struggled. Hines played a larger role on kick returns, while 12th Man Braden White moved to a punt return-only role. After allowing 311 yards on punt and kick returns against Alabama, the Aggies only allowed 22 yards to Ole Miss.
“You go back and you keep reemphasizing,” Fisher said. “It’s like, ‘stove’s hot.’ Then you touch it and you get burned, and it’s, ‘Oh, it really is hot.’ It wakes you up.”
Update on players
Fisher gave a run-down on the status of a few missing players:

• Senior defensive back Charles Oliver — may return
• Junior defensive lineman Michael Clemons — may return
• Sophomore tight end Glenn Beal — may return
• Junior defensive back Keldrick Carper — may return
• Senior defensive back Larry Pryor — no longer with team
• Senior defensive back Roney Elam — unavailable
• Junior defensive back Derrick Tucker — redshirting