HOOVER — Jimbo Fisher doesn’t want Texas A&M to be considered a spoiler.
Texas A&M has one of the most difficult schedules in not only the Southeastern Conference but the entire country as Fisher’s squad has to play Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and LSU all this season.
“We don’t want to spoil anything,” Fisher said. “We want to take care of our own, and they are great teams. But we expect to play with them and compete with them and win those games. That’s why we’re here.”
Fisher added, “We are not looking to spoil anything. We’re looking to win something and go about our business and do the things we have to do. They are great programs, but Texas A&M can be the same way. We have to go play and prove ourselves and do the things we have to do, but I definitely think we’re on that track.”
Part of getting the Aggies on track was how the team finished 2018 regular season with three straight wins, including the infamous seven-overtime win over LSU, and then routed N.C. State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
“I think it was huge for our team to be able to get through that,” Fisher said. “I think after the second half of the Ole Miss game, I think the way we finished, I think that was very big for our program. It helped us establish and I think it helped our kids and players to understand the way we practiced, the way we prepared, the way we have losses, and how those things all come into play. No doubt.”
That stretch to end the season also appears to have reignited a rivalry between A&M and LSU as the game ended with assistant coaches from both teams getting into a on the field scuffle. There is also the fact that Fisher is a former assistant who helped LSU win a national title, and was rumored to be courted by LSU to replace Les Miles twice. Not to mention, LSU has since hired the man who hired Fisher at A&M — Athletic Director Scott Woodward.
“If I can get Scott coaching, that would be better,” Fisher said. “No, it is. That used to be a rivalry, and I think it is. We’re so close. You had one of the epic games in college football history. It was very unique, and I think it will butt into rivalries.”
Fisher added, “Rivalries come when both teams are good. I think we are building our program to be good. LSU is establishing itself as a great program. I think that’s how rivalries are made.”
Fisher is hoping that he has the guy under center to help him establish a great program in College Station. Kellen Mond is entering his second season in Fisher’s offensive system and the head coach feels that his signal caller is improving.
“He’s been really fun the way he — he understands he has to be a student of the game, and I think that’s the most fun we have,” Fisher said of Mond. “He works his tail off. Nobody works any harder, but he also works in the film room, too. You know from the conversations you had with him, the questions he asked you, it’s starting to be really fun. He’s being able to use all of the resources around him.”