Watch: QB Max Johnson sparks Texas A&M offense following Conner Weigman injury
Texas A&M backup quarterback Max Johnson was forced into action after starter Conner Weigman injured his ankle and provided a huge spark in the third quarter of the Aggies' SEC home opener.
He threw two touchdown passes, including this beautiful 37-yarder in double coverage to wide receiver Evan Stewart, to put Texas A&M up 20-3 against Auburn. The Aggies would go on to win 27-10.
Johnson was 5-of-5 for 95 yards to start the second half, pushing the ball downfield after Weigman struggled in the first half. He finished the game 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) for 123 yards.
The Aggies scored six points with Weigman at quarterback. He had a solid start to the season but failed to generate much offense against the Tigers, finishing 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) for 70 yards, an average of five yards per attempt.
Johnson shouldn't threaten Weigman for the starting role when he's healthy, but his improvement is another sign of how much the offense has progressed with first-year coordinator Bobby Petrino.
Last year, in Johnson's first season after transferring from LSU, he was part of a disappointing quarterback group that included Weigman and Haynes King, who transferred to Georgia Tech following the 2022 season.
The Aggies averaged 22.8 points per game last season, 101st in the country. Entering Saturday's game, Texas A&M averaged 44 points, 12th in the country.
Weigman has improved his completion rate by 13.6 percentage points since last season, while both quarterbacks have already surpassed their 2022 touchdown totals.
A year ago, with the same two quarterbacks, A&M couldn't trust either. In 2023, it's showing that it can win with both.
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