Jimbo Fisher, Ainias Smith in celebratory moods following Texas A&M's 34-22 victory over Arkansas

By virtue of a 34-22 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies are 4-1 on the young college football season.

It was a feel-good victory for many reasons, and afterwards Fisher joined SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang on the field for a post-game interview. First, he spoke about the performance of quarterback Max Johnson, who filled in admirably once again for an injured Conner Weigman.

“I think he did a great job in the first half. He had a couple mistakes in the second. Then he got his composure back, took us down for a big field goal drive at the end,” Fisher said, regarding Johnson. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. He did a good job. We’ve got to get better as a team.”

On the other side of the football, the Aggies defense looked tremendous, keeping Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson under pressure all afternoon, and Fisher was elated with their performance.

“The consistency we played with. Playing the run really well. The discipline we rushed with,” Fisher said, regarding his defense’s performance. “We didn’t allow him to get out. KJ’s so dangerous when he rushes. … Got him on the ground in the pocket.”

Meanwhile, it was a big day for wide receiver Ainias Smith, who caught four passes for 71 yards, as well as adding an 82-yard punt return touchdown that gave the Aggies the momentum they needed to close it out.

“For him, we needed that,” Fisher said, regarding the touchdown. “Ainias is our guy. That’s our guy. He steps up. He’s the ultimate competitor. Does what he has to do when he has to do it. He was huge for us, and got the game back in our hands.”

Meanwhile, Smith also took some time to speak with Lang, where he spoke about what getting back to this moment meant to him.

“We knew, just walking into the stadium, it was going to be a special game. I was just praying God. Thanking him. Thanking my parents. The opportunity was just amazing. To be able to come back from what happened last year. To be able to do what I did, it was amazing,” Smith said. “… I seen my dawg, and he was waving me that way. So I was like, ‘Let’s run,’ and after that, it was all daylight.”

Up next for the Aggies are the Alabama Crimson Tide, and it’s not going to be easy, but Ainias Smith is confident in his quarterback moving forward.

“I’m really speechless,” Smith said, speaking on Johnson’s impressive performance. “I’m not going to lie, because he came in and did what he had to do. We always knew that we had two starting quarterbacks and what not. But man, we told everybody in the locker room, we was playing for (Weigman) tonight.

“So Max came out here, and he did what he had to do, and I’m just proud of the way that he played. He played hard, and I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”

Things are looking up for Texas A&M at the moment. The vibes are great, and they’re not going to be scared of the Crimson Tide next weekend.