Texas A&M focused on 'destroying' its recent trend of slow openers

With a new Texas A&M football season comes a new offensive coordinator, a new system and a new hope.

It starts on Saturday at 6 p.m. with New Mexico, a seemingly overmatched opponent that won just two games last season.

That should bring up some old concerns.

The Aggies, who are ranked 23rd in the nation, have had a tendency to sometimes struggle against teams from lesser conferences. Those struggles often set the tone for what were disappointing seasons to follow.

Those memories haven’t been lost on this year’s Aggies, who say they’re determined to meet their own high standards.

“I know this year we’ve really been emphasizing let’s not play down to anybody’s level,” senior receiver Ainias Smith said. “Let’s play at our level.

“My mentality to the guys is ‘let’s kill.’ Whoever is in front of us, let’s go ahead and destroy them and make sure they don’t want to come back on this field no more.”

Accomplishing such a goal would require bucking a recent trend of playing to — and below — the level of A&M’s early opponents.

In the 2021 opener, A&M led Kent State by just 10 points midway through the third quarter until an interception returned 85 yards for a touchdown opened the way for a 41-10 win.

The Aggies struggled to an 8-4 finish.

Then last year, A&M opened with a lackluster 31-0 win over Sam Houston. The next week, the Aggies were upset by Appalachian State.

What followed was A&M’s first losing season in 14 years.

Senior safety Demani Richardson said those results should be a reminder to teammates not to take any foe lightly.

“Remind them how we can’t take our foot off the gas,” Richardson said. “You have to prepare each week like it’s the same. We can’t take a day off.”

Perhaps “off” days won’t be an issue.

The Aggies showed signs of life last season after then-freshman Conner Weigman took over as the starting quarterback in late November.

He enters this season as an experienced full-time starter. He has a dangerous group of receivers in Smith, Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Jimbo Fisher waited until Monday to announce sophomore Conner Weigman as Texas A&M’s starting quarterback.

He also has a new — at least to some degree — offensive system influenced by new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

A&M’s offense struggled to score last season. Weigman, the receivers and Petrino have raised hopes last year’s fizzle will become this year’s sizzle.

The Aggies would like to demonstrate that against the visiting Lobos, who last season allowed an average of 26 points per game.

But coach Jimbo Fisher warned that might not be as easy to do as some would think.

It’s a new season for the Lobos, too. And it’s a new New Mexico.

Nine projected starters are transfers, including quarterback Dylan Hopkins (UAB), receiver D.J. Washington (Iowa Central CC), defensive end Gabriel Lopez (Washington State) and safety Noa Pola-Gates (Nebraska).

“First games are a pain,” Fisher said. “You don’t ever know what somebody does in the offseason. You’ve got new people. New schemes. New coordinators. What they do. Have they changed?

“First games are always nerve-wracking in that there’s no film out there to go off of. They’re very challenging.”

They certainly have been in recent seasons for A&M.

Perhaps all the new factors will produce much more points and much less angst.