Back in May, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisherdrew attention when he quipped that the Aggies would beat Alabama and Nick Saban before the legendary Crimson Tide coach retires. That prediction, or guarantee, came to fruition on Saturday when A&M knocked off No. 1 Alabama 41-38 in an instant classic in College Station, Texas. And the Aggies’ prior losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State in back-to-back games only made the upset even more unexpected.
Rarely, if ever, do opposing programs make such comments about Alabama and back it up with a win. But the Aggies did so and shook up the College Football Playoff picture in the process. Fisher discussed that offseason comment during an appearance on the “Paul Finebaum Show.”
“Well, the calling the shot was me being competitive when somebody says you can’t do something,” Fisher said. “That’s what the competitor in you does. Listen, they’re the standard, and you have to match that standard. And you can’t walk away from that standard. The respect you have for Nick and everything he does and how he has done things I consider him a friend.
“He’s a great competitor. He wants to beat me. I want to beat him. But I never thought of that. And I know that sounds crazy, and it doesn’t mean that much to me now as far as I want our organization to be good. That’s not coach talk. I think he feels the same way about his. That’s just the way we’re wired. It is a great accomplishment for our organization. He’s a hard guy to beat. You have to coach well and you have to play well.”
