Maroon Posts Second Half Shutout to Secure 2022 Maroon & White Game Victory

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Jimbo Fisher and the Aggie Football team concluded spring practice as the Maroon team earned a 30-24 victory on Saturday with the 2022 Maroon & White Game presented by St. Joseph's Health before 22,212 fans at Kyle Field. 

 Sophomore Haynes King (11-of-33, 130 yards, 21-yard rushing TD), junior Max Johnson (13-31, 117 yards, 2 TD) and early enrolee Conner Weigman (7-19, 116 yards, 1 TD) split time between the two teams at quarterback. 

 On the ground, sophomore Amari Daniels led the way with 16 carries for 128 yards for the White team. Johnson was the second leading rusher for the game, rushing eight times for 69 yards, followed by King’s three attempts for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Early enrolee Evan Stewart was leading receiver with seven catches for 75 yards for the Maroon squad. Sophomore Moose Muhammad III added five grabs for 52 yards. On the white side, sophomore Yulkeith Brown paced the team with four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, while senior Jalen Preston hauled in three passes for 70 yards and a score.

Sophomore Avery Hughes was one of the defensive standouts as he recorded a pair of interceptions and logged a fumble recovery during Saturday's action. Hughes’s second half pick-six was the lone touchdown after intermission. Sophomore Edgerrin Cooper recorded a game-high 10 tackles with a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage. Early enrolee Anthony Lucas racked up eight tackles and lodged a couple sacks.

Juniors Caden Davis and Nik Constantinou were among the special teams standouts Saturday afternoon. Davis went 3-for-3 on field goals in addition to four touchbacks on seven kickoffs. Constantinou boomed five punts for an average of 49.6 yards including a 60-yarder and two punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

2022 Maroon & White Game Highlights

Jimbo Fisher Postgame

Opening Statement

For a Spring Game, we didn't seem to have any injuries that will be lingering into the fall, so that was a good thing today. You always worry about that. But, a good competitive day, both sides, a lot of different looks, a lot of different scenarios. I thought defensively we played well. It was a hard day to throw the football. The winds were about 25, 30 miles an hour and we kept trying to throw it, and we wanted to, just to try to create less piles of guys. We needed to throw it better, we needed to catch it much better too.  Defensively we took advantage of some tipped balls. I really thought we played the ball in the air well.

I thought Amari ran the ball nicely, showed signs of really playing (well). You saw some shines of 1 (Evan Stewart), the young guy, making plays, Yulkeith (Brown), catching the ball running and doing things, when we got the ball underneath and were able to get it to him. Offensive line wise, I think solid until (Jordan) Moko got hurt. Then we had to make a switch to put (Blake) Trainor back over and then we kept getting pressure with the twos because we got a little bit light there and it affected how we played. Defensively, it seemed like we played solidly up front, I'll look at the film to judge what we did.

We've got to throw it better, we've been throwing it really well all spring. I was very pleased until today. I think the weather had a little bit to do with it. But hey, you play in those days when it's 30 (mph winds). We've got to throw it better and offensively create more big plays down the field. But it wasn't the day to do that, so you've got to get better at that. But we did it last scrimmage very well. So we'll look at it, improve, look at the film.

What the team's got to do now is we've got to get everybody back healthy and we've got to have a great offseason and get ready for fall camp and be able to do what we got to do. 

Layden Robinson Postgame

Throughout the entire spring and then today as well, what have you seen from all three quarterbacks? 

I've seen a lot of competitiveness between them, because they want to be the best they can be, especially with them competing for their spot. It's brought practice up really good to a high level. And as for that, I'm just blocking, you know, I really don't pay too much attention to the quarterbacks or any other position because it's not my job. My job is to just focus on those folks, on the O-line, so that we can be the best that we can be.

I know y'all didn't run it a lot today, but when Amari Daniels did get the ball, he had a pretty productive day out there. With Devon Achane running track this spring, what have you seen from Amari?

To be honest, if y'all paid attention, like last season when he got a couple of ball carries against (Prairie View), he was he was taking the rock and he was getting us yards. He was getting those touchdowns. He really didn't surprise me. That's expected of him, especially as we've seen him, his reps in practice. He's a very competitive guy. He wants to win. He wants to be the best person on the field that he could be every day. It enhances that competitive side of him. So I don't expect nothing less from Amari. He's going to be a great, great player for us in the future.

Demani Richardson Postgame

Obviously the offense was trying to throw deep today, and you guys did a heck of a job in the back end. Talk about the discipline in the back end and then also playing without Antonio Johnson and Jalen Jones, seeing some other guys step up.

So some younger guys stepped up and did the job. That's what we got. We've got to have that the whole season. Like once somebody's down another guy's got to step up and do their job. Antonio and Jalen Jones will be back healthy and we'll be better at the back end. I'm glad those younger guys stepped up and played their role.

In terms of this team as a whole, where is your confidence level and where you guys now ending this spring practice?

I'm very confident. I like the DBs and the linebackers. We all work hard, so we've just got to go into summer, work hard and have a chip on our shoulder because we have a good team. We've just got to step up. We've just got to work hard over the summer and into fall camp and get rolling into the season.

Ainias Smith Postgame

What's your confidence that this receiving corps can produce big plays this coming year?

Man it's through the roof. I feel like our receiver room has no ceiling. Everybody is getting better every single day. And there's things that everybody can improve on. And, you know, this offseason is going to be very important for not only the offense, but for the defense. Everybody, everything, is going to have to be on point if we want to go ahead and go to the next level.

The culture's kind of been established and now you've got a new crop of young guys coming in. What is the competitiveness like on a day to day basis in this building and on that practice field?

It's real competitive, man. It's like is something new every day and it's always somebody new. So it's not just the same guys. They're wanting to compete like everybody is wanting to compete. And that's what we need. That's the energy that we like to have, especially out there on the practice field. It's not just a boring practice where people are just trying to get by. Everybody is out there wanting to compete and work. So I love it.

Watch: Texas A&M Lettermen's Association Legends Game

Watch this year's Lettermen's Association Legends Game, presented by the City of Bryan.

2022  Texas A&M Spring Football Awards 

TEAM MVP
#26         Demani Richardson, DB
#0           Ainias Smith, WR/RB

DEFENSIVE MVP
#10         Fadil Diggs, DL 

OFFENSIVE MVP
#1           Evan Stewart, WR 

SPECIAL TEAMS MVP
#12         Connor Choate, DS
#29         Sam Mathews, DB
#34         Isaiah Raikes, DL

DEFENSIVE MOST IMPROVED
#30         Tunmise Adeleye, DL
#15         Albert Regis, DL
#32         Andre White Jr., LB

OFFENSIVE MOST IMPROVED

#8           Yulkeith Brown, WR
#66         Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, OL
#60         Trey Zuhn III, OL

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS

#55         Adarious Jones, DL
#17         Jaylon Jones, DB
#64         Layden Robinson, OL

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS

#30         Tunmise Adeleye, DL
#81         Caleb Chapman, WR
#95         Nik Constantinou, P
#48         Jacob Graham, FB/DS
#19         Jake Johnson, TE
#14         Max Johnson, QB
#17         Jaylon Jones, DB
#13         Haynes King, QB
#15         Albert Regis, DL
#66         Jordan Spasojevic-Moko, OL
#17         Eli Stowers, ATH
#32         Andre White Jr., LB