COLLEGE STATION -- Ainais Smith has been around Texas A&M long enough to know what qualifies as a "good start" to a new season. The last three seasons wouldn't fall into that category.
The Aggies survived a 17-12 scare on the road against Vanderbilt in 2020 before losing 52-24 to No. 2 Alabama in 2020. A year later, A&M handled business against Kent State, only to walk away with a three-point win against Colorado thanks to the heroics of Zach Calzada in Week 2. Last season, the Aggies thwarted then-FCS Sam Houston State 31-0, only to suffer a 17-14 home loss to Appalachian State a week later.
Smith, who enters his fifth season with the school, isn't looking to play "down to the level" of New Mexico when the No. 23 Aggies take Kyle Field Saturday night. The Aggies need to set the tone, or as he puts it, "kill" from the first snap.
"Whoever is in front of us let’s go ahead and destroy them and make sure they don’t want to come back on this field no more," Smith said Monday during his media availability.
The loss to the Mountaineers was only the start of a downward spiral for Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies in 2022. A&M rebounded to pick up ranked wins over then-No. 15 Miami and No. 10 Arkansas, only to lose six straight conference games en route to a 5-7 record.
Change was inevitable this offseason in College Station. Fisher, who enters his sixth season, relinquished play-calling duties to veteran offensive mastermind and new coordinator Bobby Petrino. Haynes King, who started the last seasons under center, is now at Georgia Tech, while sophomore Conner Weigman takes over as QB1.
But it starts in practice. Veterans like Smith, offensive lineman Layden Robinson and safety Demani Richardson have taken it upon themselves to demand excellence from the rest of the roster each time they strap on their helmets. Robinson, the most veteran member of the offensive line, called last season's mishaps a "wake-up call" for the program entering a pivotal year in conference play.
“Hopefully last year taught that each and every year you learn from your mistakes, you learn from the past and every game is a big game, every game is an important game,” said Fisher. “That’s the way you have to look at it, and you get 12 of ’em, and you better respect those 12 weeks."
Smith isn't wrong about playing down to the level of competition, either. The Aggies held a two-point lead against the winless Commodores at halftime in 2020. It only led by a touchdown against the Golden Flashes in 2021, and trailed by four to the Buffaloes in Denver coming out of break.
The Lobos, who finished 2-10 and winless in the Mountain West Conference, present a similar test to others of the Aggies' past. They enter the year with University of Alabama-Birmingham transfer Dylan Hopkins at quarterback and an abundance of inexperience on the offensive line.
Fisher said he will keep the team from getting complacent against any opponent this season, especially after falling short against the Mountaineers last season. It would, however, be easy for A&M to overlook New Mexico as the program travels to Miami the following week to face off against the Hurricanes.
Miami came to College Station in Week 3 with what was expected to be a top-15 matchup between two up-and-coming powerhouses. Instead, A&M faltered and never found the consistency to mount a comeback against Appalachian State, perhaps due to its eyes being fixated on the makings of a must-see matchup the following week.
Sights can't be set on a trip to South Beach on Saturday for the Aggies. Smith knows this, and he intends for every player walking out of the tunnel to follow in line, too.
Others already are relaying Smith's message as the hours dwindle down.
"Last year happened. It's a lesson we learned," said Richardson. "We can't wait to prove people wrong on what we really are."
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