Update provided on Texas A&M QB Max Johnson following wrist injury
Texas A&M has struggled to protect the quarterback this season, no matter who is under center. Max Johnson has been the guy following a long-term Conner Weigman injury. Johnson became quite familiar with the Alabama defensive line a week ago and now, Tennessee is making their presence known.
On a play in the first quarter, Johnson was surrounded and was taken down while throwing the ball away. However, once he got up, he began to grab his right wrist and seemingly was in pain while walking to the sideline after a third down play. Thankfully for Texas A&M, he is still out there on the field and is going to play through whatever the issue is.
“We saw Max Johnson grabbing at that right wrist when he came off the field,” CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell said. “We both saw Coach (Jimbo) Fisher walking over and talking to him. When trainers came over to chat with him, he waved them off. So, you see him out on the field and he’s good to go guys.”
If there is any good news about Johnson’s right wrist being injured — it’s his non-throwing hand. The quarterback is left-handed and will not totally be affected when dropping back to pass.
Bad news for Texas A&M — they need to do a better job of keeping the pocket clean for their quarterback. Throughout the first quarter, multiple Tennessee defenders were surrounding Johnson on seemingly every single play. With the type of weapons the Aggies have out there, giving Johnson time to throw is going to be critical.
Max Johnson toughing out a wrist injury in critical Tennessee game
When thinking about a crucial game in the SEC, Tennessee-Texas A&M is usually not your first thought. The two teams are in opposite divisions are do not face off against each other too often. But Saturday’s game is quite a big one for both of them.
Texas A&M suffered their first SEC loss of the season last week against Alabama, while Tennessee is already a game down via Florida. Avoiding a second one is critical as both are looking to stay alive in the West and East, respectively.
Johnson toughing out his wrist injury and making sure Texas A&M does not go down to their third-string quarterback is huge for them. He is going to be needed if the Aggies are going to leave Neyland Stadium with a win.