Connor Weigman, Texas A&M look to bounce back in FCS game against McNeese | Sports

Connor Weigman and Texas A&M will try to sort that out when they welcome FCS rival McNeese to College Station, Texas, on Saturday afternoon. For Weigman, the season opener couldn’t have been worse. In a 23-13 home loss to then-No. 7 Notre Dame last Saturday, Weigman completed just 12 of 30 passes for 100 yards and two interceptions. Heck, TV cameras even caught him vomiting as he returned to the sideline after a second-half drive. The loss marred Mike Elko’s Texas A&M head coaching debut and ultimately caused the then-No. 20 Aggies to drop out of the AP Top 25 poll. But Elko told reporters Monday he’s confident Weigman will shake off the performance when he takes on the Cowboys (1-1). “I think he’ll handle it great,” Elko said. “I think he’s competitive, I think he’s a winner. The kids believe in him, I believe in him. He’s confident in himself. He’s worked hard in practice, he’s had a great week and I think he can be the quarterback we expect him to be.” After the season-opening loss to the Fighting Irish, Weigman was quick to hang his hat. “Sunday morning the sun came up, I watched the video, I got better, I learned from it, and this week I’m going to play McNeese and I’ve got to play my best game,” Weigman said. “…better footwork means better accuracy, better passing percentages. It all adds up. It’s as simple as that, there’s no other way to put it.” The Aggies also need to step up their play against the run. Notre Dame outplayed Texas A&M for 198 rushing yards, highlighted by touchdown runs of 47 and 21 yards. McNeese has been thriving on the ground in his first two games so far. The Cowboys rushed for 200 yards in a 26-23 loss to Tarleton State on Aug. 24 and 164 yards in a win over Southern last Saturday. DeAngelo Durham reached the end zone in both games and quarterback Clifton McDowell scored two touchdowns last week, giving McNeese its first non-forfeit win since Nov. 12, 2022. “I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” Cowboys coach Gary Goff said. “They didn’t give up, they kept fighting. It means everything to them to come out and get their first win. We didn’t let the moment go by. … I think that gives us a lot of momentum moving forward.” –Field Level Media