'Underdog' Aggies Ready To 'Show Everybody' What They're Made Of

The Texas A&M Aggies were tied with Mississippi State with just one vote to win the SEC West — the second-fewest total of the division's seven teams.

It's easy to point the finger at the Texas A&M Aggies after the abysmal season they had last year. However, there's a mixed bag of expectations heading into 2023: will the Aggies have a resurgence with the growth of their sophomores and the addition of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, or did they already show their true colors with their talent-laden roster going 5-7 and a buy-game loss to Appalachian State last season?

Whichever side of the coin you fall on, Texas A&M does not care. "In the previous years, we've had a lot of hype and attention that has come to us," wide receiver Ainias Smith said. "It's a little unwanted attention, you know what I'm saying? We have had a lot of people talking about us in previous years, but this year it seems like a lot of people aren't talking about us. I, personally, like that."

Smith, himself, has people buzzing after he was limited to just four games last season. However, in his limited action, he proved his dynamic play-making ability as well as an innate ability as a return man.

He caught 15 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Had he kept up the pace of the first four games, Smith would have set career bests in receiving yards and touchdown catches. The Missouri City, TX. native was named a Preseason Third Team All-Southeastern Conference selection on July 21.

Texas A&M, on the other hand, was picked by the media to finish third in the SEC West, receiving one vote to win the division and the conference title, and that's just how Smith likes it. "Being an underdog is somebody I've been for a long, long time in my life," Smith said. "I just like the fact that we have to be able to prove ourselves and show everybody what it is."

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Follow Casey Smith on Twitter @casey_smith2419

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