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JIMBO FISHER

'We're done': A&M's Fisher fires back at 'narcissist' Saban

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher called Nick Saban a “narcissist” Thursday after the Alabama coach made “despicable” comments about the Aggies using name, image and likeness deals to land their top-ranked recruiting classes. Saban called out Texas A&M on Wednesday night for “buying” players. “I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players,” Saban said while speaking at an event in Birmingham, Alabama, to promote the World Games being held there in July.

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New Texas Longhorns coach Sarkisian defends ‘The Eyes of Texas’

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas’ football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, “'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. We support that song.”Sarkisian spoke as the Longhorns coach for the first time a day after helping Alabama win its sixth national championship in 12 seasons. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

Texas A&M runs past North Carolina in Orange Bowl, 41-27

Texas A&M head coach Jumbo Fisher raises his hands during the trophy presentation at the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Texas A&M defeated North Carolina 41-27. 14 North Carolina 41-27 on Saturday night — capping a winless bowl season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina: The Tar Heels gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter, after allowing just 17 points in the first 45 minutes. North Carolina still could finish ranked for only the fourth time in the last 27 seasons. North Carolina: An ACC opponent likely awaits in Week 1 next season.

Gordon scores with 0.9 left; Texas A&M beats Auburn 68-66

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Andre Gordon scored 10 points including the game-winner with 0.9 seconds left as Texas A&M held off Auburn 68-66 on Saturday. Gordon drove the lane, pivoted and faked a shot before scoring off the glass. Emanuel Miller had 16 points and five rebounds for Texas A&M (6-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference), which bounced back from a 77-54 loss at LSU on Tuesday. Miller leads the Aggies in scoring and rebounds, and his 9.2 rebounds is first in the SEC. Auburn (6-4, 0-2) cut a nine-point deficit with 5:34 left and tied it 66-all with 14 seconds remaining.

Texas A&M, North Carolina look forward, await Orange Bowl

13 CFP) in the 87th edition of the Orange Bowl. “I always say this: The Orange Bowl is as good as it gets,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Friday. Thing is, neither of those running backs — Michael Carter and Javonte Williams — chose to play in the Orange Bowl. “That’s 4,000 yards worth of offense and our leading tackler on defense and two captains,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. With them gone, it means even more pressure will be on North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.

Snubbed by committee, Texas A&M will face UNC in Orange Bowl

An Orange Bowl spot against North Carolina will be its consolation prize. It will be North Carolina’s first time in the Orange Bowl, and the first meeting between the schools. This will be just the seventh January bowl game for North Carolina. BOWL WINNERSThe Orange Bowl coaches certainly know how to end seasons with victories. WELCOME BACKFor Fisher, it’s a return to a stadium where he’s gone 6-0 — including a pair of Orange Bowl victories.

CFP: Alabama-Notre Dame, Clemson-Ohio St as Aggies left out

Notre Dame was picked Sunday over Texas A&M for the final spot, ending what little drama there had been. Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State have also held the first four spots in the AP Top 25 since Oct. 25. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the second league to have two teams in the playoff, joining the SEC in 2017. After sitting second in the CFP rankings for a month, Notre Dame was blown out 34-10 by Clemson in the ACC championship. Barta said the disparate number of games played by contenders — along with far fewer cross-conference games than usual —- was a challenge for the committee all season.

No. 5 Texas A&M makes last CFP case in 34-13 win over Vols

5 Texas A&M to close its case for a spot in the College Football Playoff with a 34-13 victory over Tennessee. 5 CFP) finished their regular season and hoped for an upset or two within the CFP’s top four. Texas A&M's advantage went to 17-7 when the Aggies turned a Bailey fumble into a 23-yard field goal by Seth Small. Tennessee: After the second game of the season, the Vols were tied with Notre Dame for the longest winning streak among FBS teams. A victory over winless Vanderbilt ended the skid, but the loss to Texas A&M ended the regular season on a sour note.

Mond, No. 5 Texas A&M finish strong in 31-20 win over Auburn

Kellen Mond passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third and the fifth-ranked Aggies scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind 31-20 victory over Auburn on Saturday. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher wasn't interested in speculating on how the win might affect his team's playoff chances. He completed 18 of 23 for 196 yards, highlighted by two TDs to Jalen Wydermyer, and ran for 60 yards. The Aggies ran for a season-high 313 yards and held a 16-minute advantage in time of possession. Auburn: Was outgained 168-21 in the fourth quarter.

No. 5 Aggies visit Auburn hoping to keep playoff hopes alive

But Auburn has won the past three meetings and the last two have come by a total of 12 points. “More like pro football than any league in college football. That “we belong with the big dogs, and not just in the SEC but all of college football. But Auburn is the only team in the Aggies’ closing stretch that has a winning record, with Tennessee and Mississippi set to visit College Station in the coming weeks. “That’s something we love to do.”___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Miami has 3 games PPD by virus; A&M on pause for 2nd week

So we can complain about this and this and that but, listen, we’re still getting to play football,” Fisher said. Last week, 15 FBS games were called off because of COVID-19, the most yet this season. Major college football conferences have been tweaking policies to provide their schools flexibility to schedule games on short notice. That probably won't work for LSU-Alabama, which was among four SEC games postponed last week. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Miami has 3 games PPD by virus; A&M on pause for 2nd week

The number of games across major college football scheduled for this weekend that have already been called off is up to six, after three went down Monday, including Mississippi at No. So we can complain about this and this and that but, listen, we’re still getting to play football,” Fisher said. Major college football conferences have been tweaking policies to provide their schools flexibility to schedule games on short notice. That probably won't work for LSU-Alabama, which was among four SEC games postponed last week. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Virus postponements hit SEC, Big Ten; 8 games across FBS

Among the three SEC games still on for this Saturday, Arkansas will visit No. Orgeron said he expects most of his players in quarantine due to contact tracing back next week. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said his team only had two positive cases as of Wednesday afternoon, but contact tracing had taken a toll. “Candidly, the numbers around contact tracing have emerged as one of our biggest challenges to playing. “The contact tracing has the potential to magnify even one positive test,” Sankey said.

No. 5 Texas A&M pauses after 2 positive virus tests

5 Texas A&M paused in-person activities on Monday after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a win at South Carolina. Coach Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies (5-1) would not do anything on campus Monday and would instead conduct all work through Zoom sessions. He said the team was undergoing additional testing and contact tracing on Monday to see if the coronavirus had spread. “We’re doing everything from a safety issue with our players and our staff to keep them as safe as possible.”Fisher said he hoped his team could return to campus on Tuesday. He was also confident on Monday that his team would be able to play on Saturday at Tennessee (2-4), but said he wouldn’t know for sure until they had completed testing and contact tracing.

Florida State fires head football coach after less than two seasons

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (CNN) - Florida State University fired head football coach Willie Taggart on Sunday, one day after the struggling Seminoles lost 27-10 to its in-state rival, the University of Miami. "I spoke to Coach Taggart this afternoon to let him know of our decision," said Florida State athletics director David Coburn. He was head coach there from 2010-2012 after serving as an assistant from 1999-2006. Florida State had only two full-time coaches from 1976 to 2017 -- Fisher from 2010 to 2019, and legendary coach Bobby Bowden, who served 37 years as head coach. Defensive line coach Odell Haggins, a 26-year veteran of the FSU coaching staff, will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of 2019.

Spiller runs for 217 yards, 3 TDs as Aggies beat UTSA 45-14

Spiller set season highs with 217 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the Aggies to their third straight victory and make them bowl eligible for the 11th straight season. The Aggies (6-3) were up by 14 when a 50-yard touchdown run by Spiller made it 28-7 early in the third quarter. Narcisse put UTSA (3-5) on top in the first with a 2-yard touchdown run that made it 7-0. The Aggies tied it when Spiller ran 60 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the next possession. Cordarrian Richardson put Texas A&M on top 14-7 later in the first quarter with a 19-yard touchdown run.

Fast start not enough as No. 24 Texas A&M falls to No. 1 Alabama

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - For the second time this season, Texas A&M squared off against the top-ranked team in the nation. 1 Alabama found their stride late in the first quarter and dominated the 24th-ranked Aggies at Kyle Field, 47-28. The loss sends Texas A&M back to .500 with a 3-3 overall record at the halfway point of the season. Despite five sacks and looking a little hobbled after the game, Mond was the A&Ms leading rusher, finishing with 16 carries for 90 yards. He was given great field position by the Alabama special teams, which produced 128 yards on punt returns.

Tagovailoa, No. 1 Tide roll past No. 24 Texas A&M 47-28

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Alabama is back on top and Tua Tagovailoa and the Tide look to stay there for a while. 1 Alabama's offense kept rolling along behind his powerful left arm with a 47-28 victory over No. Tagovailoa threw his first interception of the season but his first touchdown of the game made him Alabama's career passing touchdowns leader, passing A.J. He shrugged off the school record to focus on the importance of getting a win in Alabama's first game as No. Alabama's scoring drives started on average at the Texas A&M 48.

MONDAY HUDDLE: Texas A&M offense slow to get going again

Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A&M Aggies argues with officials during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers. Too little, too late for Texas A&M offense againFor the second time this season against a top-10 opponent, the Texas A&M offense didnt score its first touchdown of the game until the fourth quarter. A lethargic first three quarters on offense once again doomed the Aggies, whose fourth quarter uprising came way too late. Texas State gets first win in thrilling fashionGeorgia State made a name for itself in the opening week of the season when it won at Tennessee, but it was a different story against Texas State. Josh Rowland was the hero, kicking a 35-yard field goal to lift Texas State to the upset in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both.

Mond accounts for 4 TDs at No. 12 A&M routs Texas St. 41-7

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - With Texas A&M's date against No. Kellen Mond threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score in just more than three quarters, and Texas A&M had four interceptions in the 41-7 rout. Myles Jones had two of Texas A&M's four interceptions, and the Aggies had three sacks and nine tackles for losses. Vitt was 9 of 15 for 51 yards and Jensen had 160 yards passing and a fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Mond showed off his scrambling skills in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run where he stiff-armed a defender.

Texas college football kicks off with in-state showdown featuring two SA quarterbacks

The Texas college football season officially kicks off Thursday night with an in-state showdown between Texas A&M and Texas State. 12 in the country in the Associated Press poll, and enter the season with Southeastern Conference and College Football Playoff hopes. Jimbo Fisher enters his second season in College Station after a 9-4 campaign and Gator Bowl championship. On the other sideline will be Texas State head coach Jake Spavital, who enters his first season in San Marcos. Texas Tech vs. Montana State on Saturday in Lubbock.