Texas A&M Aggies Backup QB Jaylen Henderson Takes Center Stage In Victory Over Mississippi State

Jaylen Henderson threw eight career passes heading into Saturday's bowl-clinching win over the Bulldogs.

COLLEGE STATION -- Jaylen Henderson's parents made two previous trips to College Station to see their son on the sidelines prior to Saturday night. 

The latest trip was a last-second visit, but one they wouldn't miss even if it required a long car ride from California to central Texas. 

Henderson, Texas A&M's third-string quarterback, was thrust into the starting role for the injured Max Johnson against Mississippi State at Kyle Field. The Fresno State transfer had thrown eight passes during his two years in the Mountain West and was often relegated to working with the second-team offense. Now, he was responsible for picking up A&M's first conference win in November. 

By the time Marcel Reed entered the game for the final drives of the fourth quarter, Henderson had doubled his career stat line. He also quadrupled his touchdown ratio with a four-score performance in a 51-10 win over the Bulldogs in front of 103,000-plus Aggie fans. 

"The team, they showed a lot of confidence in me throughout the week. So I didn’t want to let those guys down," said Henderson. "And first of all, I just want to thank God for even putting me here in this situation. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. And it did mean a lot to me to get the win in front of the fans."

Johnson, who replaced initial starter Conner Weigman in Week 4, suffered a rib injury in last week's loss to Ole Miss. A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Johnson tried to fight through the pain in practice, but reps were limited. 

Henderson began prep work with the first team early in the week. By Thursday, he knew he'd be making his debut in Aggieland.

As a transfer, Henderson was late to the party building a rapport with his receivers. Senior Ainias Smith said throughout the summer that Henderson would reach out to players to see if they would work on drills outside of practice. 

"He goes hard every single day," said Smith. "Even after practice, he always staying after, getting extra throws in, doing a little extra running, whatever the case is. He's already ready. And shoot, it showed today."

From the jump, Henderson made his presence felt. On the first offensive snap. Henderson broke free on an option for an 11-yard gain. He completed back-to-back passes to Noah Thomas for first downs. 

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Jaylen Henderson (16) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field / Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Five plays and a 22-yard run later, Henderson was in the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown. From the sidelines, Johnson served as an extra coach, pulling Henderson aside and reviewing the surroundings for improvements on the ensuing series. 

"We kind of talk to our guy on the sideline. And Max would throw his two cents in," said Henderson. "It was kind of like all the coaches just kind of giving advice."

Henderson found the end zone three more times before the night's conclusion. Smith caught a 19-yard touchdown in the second quarter to extend the lead to 17. On first-and-10, Henderson kept a read option for an 11-yard score. 

But it was the final touchdown — an 11-yard pass to Jahdae Walker in the third quarter — that will be his favorite Walker, a transfer from Grand Valley State, also filled in for starter Evan Stewart and is Henderson's roommate on campus, making the six points a bit more meaningful. 

"Jahdae is playing outstanding football. He's learning what to do and he's getting comfortable and confident," said Fisher. "You come from a Division II, you know, it's one thing to have the talent to play here, but being in practice, going in these environments, atmospheres, and week in, week out, having to play great people, I think he's really adjusting.

"He's just getting better and better. Got a great future."

Fisher could have elected to pull starters after jumping out to a 34-10 lead over the Bulldogs (4-6, 1-6) by halftime. Instead, he wanted to give Henderson more reps in case Jonhson's injury lingered into next week's matchup against Abilene Christian.

Every rep matters for the Aggies, including Henderson, who finished 11 of 19 passing for 150 yards and two passing touchdowns to accompany his team-high 60 rushing yards. Walker once again finished top-two in receiving yards, and the defense notched four turnovers. 

With Randy Bond's late 45-yard field goal, A&M surpassed 50 points for the first time in a conference game during regulation since 2013. It marked the second time in the Fisher era and the first since 2017. 

Through it all, Henderson's parents sat in the stands, beaming with pride at their son. Jaylen mentioned his mom had a business opportunity she had to miss just to board a flight on time. 

Instead of making deals, she watched as her son made the A&M Bowl eligible. 

Said Henderson: "It means a lot that we're bowl eligible. I know it's something that we didn't get to accomplish here last year. So it means a lot."