No. 23 A&M eyes a fast start at Miami in search of ending road woes

When on the road, the Aggies always seem stuck in the slow lane.

Texas A&M has fallen behind — usually by double digits — in nine of its last 10 football games away from Kyle Field. The Aggies are 2-7 in those games. They’re also winless in their last six games played on the opponent’s home field.

The No. 23 Aggies (1-0) hope to leave those travel travails in the dust when they face Miami (1-0) on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium at 2:30 p.m. CT.

Recent history suggests that getting it done will require a fast start.

“A fast start doesn’t guarantee you win,” Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It guarantees confidence. You know you’re in the game, and you can do things and get going.

“But a slow start can also put you behind the eight ball and make it very hard to climb up that hill. You always seem like you can never catch up.”

Yeah, it seems that way.

Last year, A&M rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to beat Arkansas in Arlington. In 2021, the Aggies trailed Colorado 7-0 but came back to win in Denver.

But last year, they suffered losses after trailing Mississippi State 14-0, Alabama 7-0, South Carolina 17-0 and Auburn 10-0.

In their final road losses of 2021, they trailed Ole Miss 15-0 and LSU 10-0.

“It’s always better to start fast,” Fisher said. “But the other thing is can you keep your foot on the pedal and keep rolling, too? I think a fast start gives you confidence, especially when you’re on the road in a hostile environment.”

The Aggies expect a hostile environment at Hard Rock Stadium. SEC teams are always a prime target in non-conference games. Miami is also looking to avenge a 17-9 loss to the Aggies last season at Kyle Field.

“Fans will be tough. They will be brutal,” said Fisher, who often faced Miami when he was head coach at Florida State. “They will be banging on the bus as you're coming through the lot. All that good stuff. That’s what gets you up. That’s part of it.

“But the way they play, it’s like they just have the same players just switch uniforms year to year and switch names. They are always going to have great players. A great program.”

The Aggies will look to exhibit their explosive passing game featuring quarterback Conner Weigman and receivers Evan Stewart, Noah Thomas and Ainias Smith.

Weigman threw five touchdown passes in the season-opening 52-10 victory over New Mexico last week. Thomas caught three of them, while Evan Stewart grabbed two.

Meanwhile, Miami figures to opt for a ground attack. The Hurricanes’ confident backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Mark Fletcher, Jr. can run successfully against the Aggies, whose run defense was among the weakest in college football last year.

Their confidence is boosted by newcomers on the offensive line, including center Matt Lee (transfer from UCF), guard Javion Cohen (transfer from Alabama) and tackle Francis Mauigoa (five-star freshman).

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Miami native Shemar Stewart returns to his hometown this weekend. He logged a career-high five tackles last year vs. Miami.

“They’re big and physical,” A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart said. “They’re going to bring it Saturday. They’re going to try to get a little nasty streak on you.

“But preparation prevents piss-poor performance, so we’re going to get prepared this week.”

A&M has grown more confident in its run defense, which limited New Mexico to 91 rushing yards.

Star defensive lineman McKinnley Jackson was injured and played sparingly against Miami last season. He’s healthy now.

Also, Shemar Stewart, Walter Nolen and LT Overton played as green true freshmen last season. They’re experienced sophomores now.

“We put a big emphasis on stopping the run this year,” Shemar Stewart said. “No matter who we play, we try to dominate up front. No team should have over 100 yards on us on the ground. It should never happen. But Miami, they’re really strong up front, so it’s going to be a real good challenge.”