'My Bad!' Aggies Jimbo Fisher Explains Gaffe on Auburn Fumble Return

The Aggies won the game against Auburn, but Jimbo Fisher won the day on "X" or Twiter.

COLLEGE STATION -- Perhaps the biggest moment from Texas A&M's 27-10 win over Auburn came not from a highlight touchdown pass but rather a blunder on the sidelines from Jimbo Fisher. 

In the end, everyone can have a hearty laugh at the moment. 

Following a fumble by freshman running back Le'Veon Moss, Tigers linebacker Eugene Asante turned upfield for the hopeful scoop-and-score. Asanste only had one man to beat. 

It was Fisher, who thought the play was dead and ran onto the field to talk to his offense after the mishap. The sixth-year Aggies coach was so far out on the grass that Asante had a clear pathway between him and the sidelines to bring it back for the 67-yard touchdown. 

Eugene Asante avoiding Jimbo... pic.twitter.com/EIJxdx7y33

— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 23, 2023

"I was yelling at somebody else on the side and then the ball's coming back my way," said Fisher postgame. "I said, 'Dang, that ain't supposed to happen.'

"I'm lucky I didn't get ran over."

Fisher was lucky he didn't collide with the junior linebacker. A&M wasn't fortunate but rather productive en route to starting off conference play 1-0. 

The Aggies stepped up defensively to hold the Tigers to 200 yards of total offense. Five players finished at least one sack, leading to a season-high seven takedowns. A&M also totaled a season-best 14.5 tackles for loss, leading to four consecutive three-and-outs in the second half. 

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne was held to 44 passing yards. Robby Asford and Holden Geriner didn't look better, combining for 12 yards on 11 attempts. 

“Our defense never blinked,” Fisher said of the Aggies clutching a 6-3 halftime lead before blowing open the game over the final two quarters. "There are a lot of mistakes we need to clean up, but defensively, I thought we were outstanding.”

Conner Weigman left during the final drive of the second quarter with an ankle injury, so A&M turned to Max Johnson for the second half. Fisher said throughout fall camp that both passers could start to begin the new season. His thoughts were verified following Johnson's 123-yard, two-touchdown performance to close things out at home. 

“I was in these situations last year, and the year before that at LSU,” Johnson said of filling in for a stater. “I’ve been in a lot of these situations, and I think I’ve learned from everything that I’ve gone through. I think I was ready for the moment.”

It wasn't a perfect game plan, but the Aggies rebounded in the second half to claim their third double-digit victory of the new year. Arkansas awaits in Arlington for the annual Southwest Classic, so Fisher must put on the film to look at the mistakes. 

At the same time, he'll probably have a chance to criticize his own performance on the play that blew up the social media site formerly known as Twitter. 

"Bad execution on my part," Fisher said with a laugh. "I shoulda got out of the way."