A&M 38, LSU 23: Postgame Notes and Quotes
Nov 26, 2022 | Football
Postgame notes, quotes and press conference video from Texas A&M's 38-23 win over No. 6 LSU at Kyle Field.
Team Notes
- The Aggies racked up 429 yards of total offense in the victory, marking the fifth time this season they have surpassed the 400-yard mark in the category.
- The 38-23 victory over No. 6 LSU was the third AP top-15 win of the season for the Aggies and marked the first time since 1998 (No. 2 Nebraska, No. 13 Missouri, No. 2 Kansas State) that Texas A&M has knocked off three AP top-15 teams in a season.
- Texas A&M scored its second defensive touchdown of the season on a scoop-and-scored from senior DB Demani Richardson, which marked his second trip to the end zone this season and the first time a defensive player for A&M has scored multiple times in a season since Tyrel Dodson (2016-18) scored a pair of TDs in 2018.
- A&M’s opening drive of 90 yards on 15 plays for a touchdown was its third 90-plus-yard drive and the most plays on a drive this season.
- The Aggie offense converted on 10-of-15 3rd down attempts, including 7-of-8 in the first half.
- The Aggie defense held LSU to 1-of-5 on 3rd down attempts and 0-of-1 on 4th down attempts in the second half.
- The Aggies scored on their first three drives of the game for the second time in 2022 with two TDs and one FG (Florida - 2 TDs, 1FG).
- Texas A&M rushed for a season-high 274 yards, marking the most for the Aggies since the 2021 Prairie View game.
- The Aggies moved to 30-4 when scoring first and are 28-1 when leading after the first quarter under Coach Fisher.
- Today’s captains against LSU were OL Layden Robinson, DL McKinnley Jackson, DB Demani Richardson and DL Isaiah Raikes.
Individual Notes
- Junior RB Devon Achane totaled 215 yards on 38 carries for two touchdowns, marking career highs in yards and carries. The 38 carries ranks sixth on A&M’s single-game list and the most since Darren Lewis (1987-90) rushed 38 times against Texas on Nov. 24, 1988. The 215 rushing yards is tied for 15th and the most by an Aggie since Isaiah Spiller rushed for 217 against UTSA (Nov. 2, 2019).
- This was Achane’s first career 200-yard game and marked his fifth 100-yard performance of the season and the 10th of his career.
- Achane upped his season total to 1,102 yards on the ground, marking his first 1,000-yard season of his career. The tally ranks 14th on A&M’s single-season list. He ended the game with 2,376 career rushing yards - 17th on A&M’s career list.
- Achane registered two 10-yard TD runs, raising his career total to 21.
- Achane has tallied 3,543 career all-purpose yards, which ranks 12th on A&M’s all-time list. His 1,610 all-purpose yards in 2022 are good for ninth on the Aggie single-season chart.
- Freshman WR Evan Stewart totaled 42 receiving yards, moving him to No. 5 on the Aggie freshman all-time list, passing Jeff Fuller (630 - 2008) with 649. Stewart also moved into fourth on the A&M freshman receptions list with 53.
- Freshman TE Donovan Green scored the second touchdown of his young career, bringing in a 3-yard pass to give the Aggies the lead at the break.
- Sophomore WR Moose Muhammad III scored his fourth TD of the season and eighth of his career on a one-handed grab in the end zone to extend the A&M lead in the fourth quarter. Muhammad paced A&M with five receptions and 94 yards.
- Freshman QB Conner Weigman completed 12-of-18 passes for 155 yards and two TDs. He ended his rookie campaign without an interception, connecting on 73-of-132 passes for 896 yards and eight scores.
- Senior DB Demani Richardson scored his second touchdown of the season, returning a loose fumble 27 yards to the end zone in the third quarter.
- Sophomore LB Edgerrin Cooper set up the Richardson TD, knocking the ball loose for the first forced fumble of his career.
- Junior DB Antonio Johnson made it three straight games with a forced fumble after punching the ball loose in the first quarter against the Tigers. He became the first Aggie to force a fumble in three-or-more consecutive games since A&M joined the SEC in 2012.
- Johnson led the Aggies with 10 tackles, his fourth double-digit game of the season.
- Sophomore DB Jardin Gilbert tallied five tackles in the game. He has racked up at least five tackles in nine of the 11 games he has played in this season.
- Sophomore PK Randy Bond hit a 25-yard field goal and went 5-of-5 on PATs. He wrapped up the season 13-of-17 (76.5%) on field goals and 25-of-25 on extra points.
Jimbo Fisher Press Conference Quotes
COACH FISHER: Happy for our seniors and our players. They've overcome a lot, tough situations. They keep fighting and doing the things they had to do. Very proud of them. Very proud for our fans that we got to have a great game here. Very proud for these seniors to go out their last game ever in Kyle Field in a big win and a big situation.
Guys did a really nice job in all three phases. I though special teams, we did a good job. Kicked the ball well. We turned it well. Caught it, did the things we had to do.
Defensively, I thought we did a nice job. They got some yards and got some things going early, but we bent and kept them to a couple of field goals. Got that big critical turnover in the second half. Got touchdowns.
Offensively, we controlled the line of scrimmage. We were really efficient on the night. Stayed out of negative plays, stayed ahead of the chains.
[Devon] Achane was awesome, just absolutely awesome. Amari [Daniels] ran the ball well when he got in there. 22 (Le'Veon Moss), we had to put him in there, too. But Achane was so hot. Thought our receivers -- Moose [Muhammad] made two big catches. Made one of them with one arm because they were holding the other and did that. But he made some nice plays in the game, really big plays, too. Got us down for that third score and got us up.
Conner [Weigman], I thought, made the throws, managed the game, understood what we went, went checks, made really smart plays on the night, and had a great couple big scrambles that really helped us.
In regard to our offensive line, I thought -- and our tight ends did a really nice job in the game, our fullbacks blocking. And we executed. That's what happens when you execute. You move the ball up and down the field. In defense, we got critical stops. Played a really good football game against a really good team.
Q. Jimbo, I'm going to ask a question the whole country is asking: Where has that been all year?
COACH FISHER: That's what I was saying, young guys and growing and developing. What I said, it's going to be there. There's nothing wrong with what we're doing. It's how we got to do and how we get the maturity out of them and what happens and execute what we got.
And our kids just relaxed and played and they grew up. They matured. There was a lot of injuries in young guys all year. It's not an excuse, but it's the facts of life. They could do it in streaks. Couldn't do it whole times. But this game we finally put it together for 60 minutes and played a really good game. It's that simple.
Q. What does that say about [Devon] Achane, the fact that he returned from the injury when maybe he could have just said he was not going to finish --
COACH FISHER: I told you he wasn't. You didn't believe me. You guys sitting here wouldn't believe us, that these guys -- you guys trying to make the players say they were going to quit and do everything else. They wouldn't do it, and I said they weren't. You questioned everything they did. All y'all did. That team was very tight together. It says the character and who he is and what he is.
Q. What does that say about him (Devon Achane) to come out and do that?
COACH FISHER: What I just said. It says a lot. He's a tremendous human being, a tremendous player, a tremendous leader, and a tremendous competitor. He has nothing but heart and toughness about him in everything he does.
Q. Jimbo, did you all approach this as, Hey, this is our bowl game, and did it feel like a bowl game?
COACH FISHER: No.
Q. And secondly, y'all came out of the start of the second half --
COACH FISHER: Misexecuted two plays.
Q. I wanted to ask, what was different -- that was kind of like the situation with Florida.
COACH FISHER: Misexecuted plays. It was there. We just got to get our head around, threw the ball behind, and didn't stay on the read on third down. It was that simple. Plays were there.
Q. Two SEC wins this year, and Demani Richardson made a key play in both of them. What is it about him that he finds himself in those positions?
COACH FISHER: Demani's played a lot of ball. He's a very veteran player. He's been around a long time. He knows how to win. He's a great leader. He's going to play no matter what. He's hopefully going to have a nice career at the next level.
Q. How important was it for each one of the guys to have Conner [Weigman], Devon [Achane] and Evan [Stewart] all out there at the same time? I think it was only the second time this year that all three have been on the field at the same time.
COACH FISHER: Not very often. Like I say, the injuries and the things. And then get Moose [Muhammad] in there playing and Noah Thomas and the tight ends and the O-line. It was good. Like I say, we still haven't had our full team. But that's ball. Sometimes you have those years. You got to learn to overcome it. That's why you've got to build depth and keep executing.
Q. I've got a couple on Devon [Achane]. When push came to shove, you guys went with the run game. What were you seeing from LSU's defense and what you wanted --
COACH FISHER: Look, they've got great loose-down players. They're great pass-rush guys. They are great guys that can rush and things. You don't want to get in situations to let them do that. We thought schemes in which we had and we could get hats on hats, and our guys did a great job of blocking them.
Q. And just as Devon [Achane] looms his future, what has he meant to this offense since the last few years?
COACH FISHER: He's a very versatile guy. That's his greatness. It's his speed but it's his natural instincts to play the game and his versatility to block, to run, to catch, to catch it down the field, to return. He can do everything on the football field. And he's a tremendous and very humble human being. Amazingly humble.
Q. For Conner [Weigman] to have the night that he had against this defense, how does that help him better himself going into the offseason?
COACH FISHER: You learn how to win and manage a game. Sometimes managing a game is throwing for 400 yards. Sometimes it's throwing for 150 and being highly efficient and throwing touch downs and being great on third down and doing the things you got to do. Numbers don't dictate wins. Situations dictate wins and knowing how to play and how to win and how to grow as a quarterback. He's a very intelligent young man.
Q. And you look at Moose Muhammad's growth and maturity, where has he really stood out, especially over the last couple of weeks?
COACH FISHER: Moose has tremendous ball skills. He's a strong-bodied, very sure-handed guys. Makes contested catches and uses his body very well. Can stick his foot in the ground and separate. He has a tremendous future ahead of him.
Q. Are you going to have Corn Flakes later?
COACH FISHER: I don't know what that is about.
Q. Just wondering from a momentum standpoint, how big is it to have a win like this heading into the offseason?
COACH FISHER: I think it's good for your confidence and what goes on and just shows you what you're capable of. Also shows those are things you've got to grow to, and that's part of growing up, getting to winning and learning how to do that. And our kids had to fight through that.
They played in stretches during the year. You've got to learn -- it's not just your ability but your mental toughness to compete in games. And that's what I think they continually grew and grew on.
Q. Jimbo, at 17-17, they get the ball back, seemed to have the momentum. Then you forced the fumble. Your offense builds off of the turnover and goes and scores. You haven't been able to do a lot this year, so what does it say about the team's growth?
COACH FISHER: That's what I said. We finally played off each over. When we used to punt the ball back, we'd move it to midfield, punted it inside the 10. We weren't getting stops all year. We were getting the ball back down here.
We played to each other. Our defense, first half, we scored three straight drives. Come out, we go three and out. We misexecute two plays and get it. And then we miss another play, miss a block on the second series and get it again. Then they get the turnover and we go right back to pounding and getting their confidence.
It was just a matter of executing -- relaxing and executing plays. It's that simple. There's no magical formula. It's continuing to not get bored and make each job each and every play and not look too much into something.
Q. For you as a play caller, when you go tempo, there's probably less presnap motion. But what's your philosophy on presnap motion? What does that help make them do?
COACH FISHER: You can motion in presnap. Listen, tempo -- we're so caught up in tempo. Name me a tempo team that's won the national championship. Call one. There ain't one. There ain't one in the last 15 -- y'all caught up in tempo. Tempo ain't won a national championship, all right?
So team's line up and play good football. You can run tempo and you can have parts of it and use tempo off and on. But pure tempo teams haven't won one. We can say that all we want, okay? You can run tempo; you can not run tempo. It depends on what your game plan is for your team to win that game. Sometimes it's tempo; sometimes it's not tempo.
Q. How do you reconcile the promise you see with how many young guys are out there making plays on the field tonight with the missed opportunities that you've had throughout this season?
COACH FISHER: It's ball. You got kids?
Q. Yes, two.
COACH FISHER: You understand. How old?
Q. 7 and 2.
COACH FISHER: When they're 12 and 13, see if they're doing what they're doing when they're 7 and 2. That's what it gets down to. And you've got to help coach them and you got to lead them. You've got to show them, and they've got to learn how to get over that hump.
That's disappointing. That's coaching. That's our job. No matter what it is, no matter what that circumstance is. If we had some older guys that stayed healthy, maybe it changes but we didn't. As coaches, that's the situation you're in. As a coach, you have to do that.
It's about learning how to win, learning how to stay mature, learning how to focus for the whole time and learning there's not a secret to this. There's nothing fabulous about this. Just go do your job. Run your route. Fit your block. Make your run. Do the things you've got to do and play. There's no magical formula. There's no substitute for maturity and age and development.
You've got to grow through that. Listen, we showed them on film all year. Those things, "Yes, sir." They bought right in it.
Listen, they don't do it on purpose. I know that. We go back and coach the heck out of them during that week. The whole year they have practiced hard. We've got to do a better job coaching them in that. At the same time, now they can start to see where that comes from. And that's part of growth and, hopefully, we can build on that in the future. We'll see. We'll find out.
Q. And what does your next few days look like in terms of what's on your plate?
COACH FISHER: We'll get together and get the criteria for what they're doing in December, the lifting, the classes, all that type of stuff and get the recruiting trail going.
Q. Coach, I have two questions for you. First, in the first half, I think, three possessions, 17 points. That's where you wanted it all year long. I mean, taking advantage of the ball --
COACH FISHER: I'd take more possessions.
Q. But making the most of the possessions you have had in the first half.
COACH FISHER: That's what you want all the time, yes.
Q. My second question to you is on Devon [Achane], the fact that I think he needed 113 to get to 1,000 and he surpassed that and then some.
COACH FISHER: I didn't even know that.
Q. Just on him becoming a 1,000-yard rusher.
COACH FISHER: I mean, that's a criteria and a mark. But he could be a 2,000-yard rusher. He's capable of doing that, too. He's a capable guy, catches.
I love -- he's one of my favorite guys to coach because he gets ball. He's a natural player, but he's so smart, so instinctive. You can tell him something one time and he just naturally does it.
Q. Coach, just a couple of questions about the O-line. Any particular aspect of their run blocking you thought pleased you the most, just push, angles, anything in particular that stood out?
COACH FISHER: We ran zone gaps. They were blocking down in the gaps and they were hitting the zones. And we weren't getting penetration, and we were getting hats to hats and getting it declared. Our tight ends, too, and fullbacks did a really nice job on that, too. They all did a really nice job.
Q. Given how well y'all were able to run the ball, how much do you think that affected your ability to limit their pass rush and not have --
COACH FISHER: That's huge. That's the whole thing. You can't get in long downs. They're a great loose-down team in that regard. Not that they didn't play the run well, but when you got loose downs, they were hard to handle. They have a lot of guys who can rush and play. You had to make them take them. Not that they couldn't, I'm not saying that at all. But you're better off trying to do that. We were able to run it and working the clock in the right down-and-distance situations.
Devon Achane Press Conference Quotes
Q. Devon, I've got two questions. First, how do you feel after 38 carries and 220 yards?
DEVON ACHANE: I feel great, actually. When I was talking to Coach Fisher, he kept asking me am I okay. I was good, you know. Like I said, last game, so might as well put everything on the line.
Q. How important was it to you to come back and play in this last game?
DEVON ACHANE: It was very important. Just wasn't important to me. Just important just for the seniors. Not just for myself. You know, just basically for my team and teammates and stuff. Me coming back, just basically wanting to give my seniors a great last game at Kyle Field. That's my whole motivation to try to come back.
Q. Got a couple for you, Devon. At what point in the week did you know you were good to go, this week?
DEVON ACHANE: My first practice this week was like Wednesday. I did a little running, little cutting, just basically see where I was at. Obviously it was going to still hurt, but it's just pain I can play through.
Q. Was it your foot that was bothering you?
DEVON ACHANE: Mm-hmm.
Q. What did that last touchdown mean to you? I mean, you don't really show a lot of emotion, but it looked like you kind of turned and gave them a little like, it's over kind of deal.
DEVON ACHANE: Just the excitement, man. You know, just playing in front of the 12th man. Just being in that atmosphere. Just out there just having fun. That's basically what that was.
Q. And then, as you kind of mull about your future, what's going to go into that decision of what's next for you, whether it's to stay or potentially go?
DEVON ACHANE: That's going to be a very hard decision. Like I said, I love the 12th man, and that's just something I have to discuss with Coach Fisher and my parents.
Q. Devon, kind of going off of that, if this was your last game at Kyle Field, what do you think, with hindsight, it will mean to you to have gone off with this kind of performance?
DEVON ACHANE: I had a great performance. And I also want to congratulate my O-line, everybody who was on. All the 11 guys on the field. Just like I say, it's not just me out there. It's the whole team. Also, congratulate defense because it's always a good thing when the defense also puts up points. We all played a big part in this win today.
Q. Devon, at what point in the night did you realize LSU wasn't going to have much success stopping you at the ground?
DEVON ACHANE: Like I said, we went into halftime, we came back out, the first little drive after halftime, we had three and out. But we didn't lose focus. We knew we could run the ball. So we just kept going with the running. Basically, like the passes. They came open eventually. Like I said, Evan [Stewart] and Moose [Muhammad] made great catches. Just us as a team, just connecting.
Q. Devon, I have two questions for you. First, just on becoming a 1,000-yard rusher. I think you needed 100-something to get to that and you surpassed that and then some.
DEVON ACHANE: I needed 113 yards. So when I hit 113, my coach, Coach T-Rob (Tommie Robinson), he just kept pushing me and just telling me, okay, let's see if you can get more. Just basically just giving me more goals. I'm just out there just playing, having fun.
Q. And then, can you talk about the catches that Moose [Muhammad] made? And then, maybe work in the fact that Conner [Weigman] played a very intelligent, smart, didn't give the ball up kind of ball game for you guys tonight.
DEVON ACHANE: Like I said, Moose [Muhammad] made a great catch. If you all would see Moose at practice, like, he always making one-handed catches. So he wasn't -- it wasn't like a surprise, but it's something I knew he could do because he's always doing it. Like at practice, cuts out and puts two hands on the ball. But if he catches them, I don't got no problem with him doing it.
Like I said, Conner [Weigman] played a great game as well. We didn't have no turnovers, and that was good. He was giving everybody, the playmakers, a chance. That's what he was out there doing. Making smart runs to pick up big first downs. That's what we need out of a quarterback. He was out there, we all played a great game.
Q. Devon, we don't know if this was your game or not, but if it is, for you to be swarmed by a bunch of 12th man rushing the field is the last thing that you'll remember walking out, how special is that?
DEVON ACHANE: It was very special. Like I said, I don't even know how many pictures I took on the way to the locker room. Just basically everybody wishing me -- you know, just a lot of love. Everybody just enjoying the moment, you know.
So like I said, I love the 12th man. I'm happy that if this was my last game, I'm happy to leave with a great performance as I did. So basically, like I said, I'll decide sooner or later. The time is coming.
Q. What does the future say about Conner [Weigman] leading this offense?
DEVON ACHANE: It says a lot. Like I said, he's a freshman. He's got a lot of years. Based off what he did this year, you can see that he can become way better. You always can learn and grow in certain aspects of your game. So I just want to see next year, the leadership, the role that he took on as a freshman, that was great of him. So basically, I want to see next year and what he has to bring.
Q. And I know Jalen Preston is going to have a bowl, but are you going to have a bowl of Corn Flakes later?
DEVON ACHANE: No, Corn Flakes.
Q. How important was it to the offense to not only have you back but also have Evan [Stewart] and Conner [Weigman] back all together. I think this is only the second time that y'all have all been together.
DEVON ACHANE: It was great. Like I said, me and Evan [Stewart], we was talking. I knew I was going to be able to come back, but I didn't know whether he was, like in his little situation or whatever. So I was always talking to him, make sure he was locked in. Just staying in his head and making sure that he was ready to play. If he wasn't, I would have still basically just make sure his head was still in the game, obviously.
And with Conner, like you said, he had an incident earlier in the year. So I'm just glad we're all on the same page. Everybody was healthy and going to finish the last game for the seniors.
Q. What was your injury and what percentage would you put yourself at for this game?
DEVON ACHANE: I had a foot injury. I mean, I was 100%. It wasn't hurting as much, but when somebody twisted my ankle and I fell on it. I felt it a little bit. I had to take like a play or two off. Just cool down the aching that it was doing.
Q. And then finally, with y'alls two SEC wins, Demani [Richardson]had a big scoop and score touchdown in both. What is it about him that he seems to find himself in a positions to make those plays when y'all need him?
DEVON ACHANE: Like I say, like the defense as a group, as a unit, because if Coop (Edgerrin Cooper) ain't making them for them or if Demani [Richardson] ain't going to be there to make that play or if -- when we were at Arkansas, Reek (Tyreek Chappell) ain't catch the fumble, he would make the play.
So like I said, that defensive unit, they all play together. Basically like Demani as a senior, like I said, we was out there trying to give him like the best game that he had. This is his last game at Kyle Field. So basically just him out there enjoying the moment, having fun, that's what you want to see.
Q. Devon, given everything that's happened this year, just the disappointments that you've had and knowing that this was it, what did the win tonight just really mean to you guys?
DEVON ACHANE: You know, it just showed what type of team we can be in the future. You know, basically just showing that if we come to play, the type of team we can be. Just basically showing like everybody, like you said, it wasn't a season that we wanted, but to come out and play against a top five team on your last game is awesome. We came out with the win. So basically just showing what the future can be of Texas A&M.
Layden Robinson Press Conference Quotes
Q. Layden, given some of the struggles you guys have had on offense and on the offensive line, just what did it mean to run for so many yards tonight and just get that push?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: It felt good, especially us just coming together this week as an offensive line, just the offense in total. It just felt really good to get the ball moving and know that the run is working. We pride ourselves on that, moving the front. So sometimes we didn't do it and then we got back on it and then we did it again. It was just growth in the process, and you see what this team could give further more in the future.
Q. Layden, you guys didn't allow a sack tonight, and especially with this young core of guys, like Kam [Dewberry] and Mark [Nabou] and Trey [Zuhn] still learning. What does that say about their maturity?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: Oh, it says a lot. They're growing every week, every day, every practice that we have, they're growing. They're taking all them reps mentally, and they're improving off of it. And that's just the best thing ever.
I didn't even pay attention to that. I didn't even know that until you just told me. So that just shows what happens when you just focus and X out everything around you, how you can dominate up front in the trenches.
Q. And with all the experience that they're going to have going into next year plus Conner [Weigman] under center, how does that benefit Texas A&M moving forward?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: A lot. Because the more years a line has together, the better they are together. And you know, that's proven from past lines that we've had, even as a school, so that's big.
Q. And then for you and your future with your time here or wherever happens next, what goes into that and when do you think that you'll potentially know what happens?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: I don't know. Just praying on it, talk to coaches, talk to my family, and we'll go on from there.
Q. For Jimbo's [Fisher] system to work well, how important is it to have short-yardage third-down situations? And what made y'all so successful in getting those situations tonight?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: It's very important because Coach [Jimbo] Fisher always says -- always starts off with a good first down and a good second down and that leads to a good third down, because all of them two downs play a factor in that third down to you making it.
So I feel like we did that well tonight. We just didn't pay attention to the scoreboard. We didn't pay attention to anything else. All we did was just focus on our job and our assignment and got it done.
Q. Layden, you guys ran a lot of stretch plays, a lot of off-tackle tonight. Was there something on film that you saw that made you guys think that you had something there?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: We just wanted to run the ball. That's what we wanted to do. We wanted to get back to the roots. We wanted to run the ball and move the front. Because guess what? That sets up the pass. And that's one of the things that we just wanted to do. We just wanted to get it moving.
We've ran those plays previously, and we just had to execute it. And tonight, we executed it.
Q. Layden, how big was this win for you guys after the things that you've been through this year and the tough times and having to answer some really tough questions?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: Wow, man, first of all, I just want to say God is good. God is really good. He is great. His power is amazing, what it can do, just keep believing and having faith in the process and taking it week by week, even though you're losing. Just keeping that faith and just keeping going every single day, it's just amazing what you can pull out if you just keep grinding, keep having that grit to gut it out every day and handling your business.
Q. When you talked about execution this week, what do you think was it this week that allowed y'all to execute where you haven't been able to this season?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: Just to put it out there on the line. That's what I can say for that. Our mindset was just practice hard. And that's what we did. Practice was very competitive this week, and we just laid it out on the line. People always say the teams that have the most -- that has nothing to lose is the most dangerous. So I feel like we was in that situation and we took it as an opportunity. We took that opportunity, we capitalized on it. And I'm just happy we did because this university has big things coming.
Q. Layden, we've seen you guys come out in the first half and play hard and score points and then kind of fold in the second half and give up a lot. What do you feel the difference was tonight, between tonight's game and prior games?
LAYDEN ROBINSON: It was just focusing. You know, not worrying about too much. Focus on your assignment. See a little, see a lot. See a lot, see nothing is what Coach [Jimbo] Fisher always says. And that's a very important thing. Because when you're paying attention to all this stuff, you lose the main focus. But when you're paying attention to your assignment and what you have to be paying attention to, guess what? Sky is the limit for you and your team.
Demani Richardson Press Conference Quotes
Q. Demani, what was your perspective of the scoop and the score? And how much did you -- going back even to the Arkansas game, how much did you think that could be the turning point?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: So I had -- I was with the tight end. He looked around, and I looked around with him. And I seen him tackle him and I seen the ball on the ground. When the ball is on the ground and somebody's ahead, I got to go score. So that's what I did.
Q. What did it mean to you to kind of bookend the season with those plays and be such a huge factor in the two wins?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: It means a lot. It just shows that this team has fight in them, that we don't give up no matter the circumstance.
But yeah, it just shows that we will fight no matter what. And like I said, no matter what, we just keep fighting, no matter the circumstance. But yeah.
Q. Demani, it would have been real easy for you guys to just call this a night and end the season. But you came out and basically physically took it to these guys. How important was this game for you personally as a senior, but the team as a whole to go into the offseason on a high note?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: I feel like it was more important for the team. It shows that this team doesn't give up. Like I said, many people, like fans, everyone thought we were done just because we lost a couple games. But it just shows that this team has fight.
For me personally, it just shows that I guess that -- I don't know. But it's more like a team thing. I'm not worried about myself right now. Just mainly about the team.
Q. Demani, how does this night or this game leave you feeling about the season as a whole? Because you saw what you guys looked like when you could put it all together. But obviously, I know there's some frustration because you guys weren't able to do it throughout the whole season. So how does tonight with the whole season in context leave you feeling?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: It's kind of frustrating because after we won this game, I was like, We could have been doing this all season. We got the talent. We got the coaching. Just got to put it all together and execute on all cylinders. But just mainly frustrated because we could have been doing this all season.
Q. Demani, for you just to be able to leave the field with 30,000 fans flocking in as one of the lasting memories at Kyle Field, what does that mean to you?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: It means a lot. The 12th Man is one of the reasons I came here. They're the best fans in the nation. I love them.
But, yeah, I'm just glad that I got to be a part of Texas A&M. And I'm glad we won it that way. The season didn't go the way we wanted it to, but it ended the way we wanted it to.
Q. And then for you personally looking at this program as a whole with young players on offense and several on defense, what does the future entail for Texas A&M?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: It entails a lot of talent. They have a lot of upside. A lot of DBs: Bryce Anderson, Jacoby Mathews, Jarred Kerr. So they're in really good hands with Conner Weigman, Evan Stewart, a lot of talent everywhere. So Texas A&M is definitely in good hands.
Q. Hey, Demani, with that turnover and the scoop and score, how do you feel like that helped the offense when you know they were kind of in that slump?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: Just like in Arkansas, I feel like it helped us get momentum on both sides. They was doing good in the first half; but the second half, they came out and got three and out, whatever. But then I feel like after that fumble, it just helped them with momentum, helped the fans get into it. And it just went -- when you get a momentum swing like that, it just helps the overall game.
Q. Demani, you're in the locker room and you know what the talk is all about. And there's a lot of fans and people that are so concerned about the transfer portal. Is that something that they need to worry about? Or is this a team that's ready to say, You know what, 2022 wasn't all that great but we're going to stick together and we're going pull out 2023?
DEMANI RICHARDSON: Definitely. I feel like 2023 is just taking a turn. You see the freshmen, they have got a lot of upside, like I said. So no one is talking about transfer portal. I feel like people shouldn't worry about that.
You see what we did. If we play together, they know we've got the coaches, we got the players. So we just got to put it together, put it together and they just got to go out there and execute next year and they'll be -- we'll be in good hands next year, like I said.
Antonio Johnson Press Conference Quotes
Q. Antonio when you look back at the season, especially where you were following that Arkansas game to now, do you consider it a lost season or do you consider it just a growing point for next season?
ANTONIO JOHNSON: I for sure see it as a growing point. We had a lot of freshmen that came in this year and played in big roles. They had to step up when we needed them to. When you play with a lot of freshmen, there's going to be some hiccups down the road. And I feel like throughout all the hectic and the chaos of the season, I feel like we grew as a team. We grew individually. We just gave a glimpse of what next year can be.
Q. Does that give you confidence in this program going forward with how many freshmen got to see significant reps, especially in conference play?
ANTONIO JOHNSON: For sure. Like I said, a lot of freshmen came in and played early. That transition isn't easy, come in and play and be expected to make big plays. There's a lot of pressure, but I feel like our freshmen did a great job of being poised in situations and just letting the game come to them.
And as the season went on, they grew mentally and physically, just learning the game of college football and the speed and the tempo and everything and the physicality. And I feel like the freshmen this year did a remarkable job just being out there and being accountable for the team. That's what we needed from them.
Q. And then for you specifically, you have the opportunity to potentially go pro. What goes into that decision, and do you have kind of a timetable of when you think you'll announce it?
ANTONIO JOHNSON: Honestly, just take the time, celebrate with my boys, talk with the family and see what's the best decision for me and go forward from there. No time point, no timestamp on it.
Q. AJ, the last three games since you came back, you have played remarkable football. You had 10 tackles tonight. How important was it for you to finish -- have this closing kick where you really showed what you're capable of doing when you're healthy?
ANTONIO JOHNSON: Me missing was it three? Three or four games? I was out almost like a month. Each game it hurt me not to be out there with my boys and be able to showcase my talents and just play my role in the defense. So when I came back, I feel like I had to make up for the time that I was gone for my teammates. And I wanted everybody to feel me when I was on the field. And I feel like I did a good job of just making my presence be known when I'm on the field. That's how I take every game, just try to make my presence known.
I just gave it my all. It wasn't really much. We just came -- the season wasn't going the way we needed it to. We just needed the spark. I wanted to be that spark for the defense when I came back.
Q. I know you had a lot of good things to say about Demani after he returned that touchdown at the Arkansas game. A lot of the same feelings in this game?
ANTONIO JOHNSON: Yeah, he's just a play maker. I told him, he lucky. Always running the ball, the ball on the ground. But he reminds me of a great athlete, a great teammate, a great leader. When your leader on the defense is playing ball like that, you have to rally behind them. It makes you want to take your game to the next level. And that was a key point in the game for us. Like I said earlier, offense came out the second half, it was kind of sluggish, you know what I'm saying? And I think they went down to score right away. So we needed some momentum, and the fumble recovery touchdown gave us the momentum on both sides and we was just running from there.
Q. Antonio, what do you feel like it meant for you as a team to be able to give the fans this kind of win to cap off the year? I know they've shown up in huge numbers throughout the course of the year.
ANTONIO JOHNSON: One thing about our fans, good, bad, they showed up the whole season. When your fan base is that loyal to you, you want to give them everything that you can. And I feel like this win was very special for just not for the team, but for every Aggie in the country, in the world. We just wanted to finish the season strong and give everybody a good win so it could roll over to next year. The season didn't go how we wanted. We didn't make a bowl game this year, but we went out with a bang and a big win and a big upset. The Number 5 team in the country. And it just gave us a glimpse of what next year could be.
