COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) – This was supposed to be the season Jerrod Johnson got Texas A&M back in contention in the Big 12.
Instead, the quarterback’s second straight multi-turnover game left the Aggies 0-1 in conference play. He knows he can do better and gets a chance to prove it Saturday on a big stage when Texas A&M takes on No. 11 Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium.
Johnson has had four interceptions in each of the last two games and lost a fumble in a 38-35 loss to Oklahoma State last week.
“I take complete blame for all the interceptions,” Johnson said. “I will … try to figure out a way to not let that happen. I think I’ve been playing pretty well, I just have to find a way to keep us out of those desperate situations as far as giving the other team the ball.”
Johnson’s mistakes against the Cowboys ruined a night when he threw a career-high five touchdown passes and broke Texas A&M’s record for career yards passing. His fumble led to a late Oklahoma State touchdown and his final interception set up the Cowboys’ game-winning field goal.
Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman said some of the interceptions came after balls were tipped and said part of the blame for Johnson’s mistakes could be attributed to the coach’s play calling.
Sherman has repeatedly expressed confidence in Johnson despite his mistakes and has been impressed with his ability to shake off errors and bounce back.
“Quarterbacks will make mistakes,” Sherman said. “Every play, they touch the ball and they have to make split-second decisions. They’re involved in so many things that they’ll make more mistakes than someone else on the field. The key thing with him was getting his mind right and making sure he focused on the next series. I thought he gave us our best opportunity to do that.”
Sherman said the Aggies haven’t changed anything in practice relating to turnovers because it is something they’ve focused on all season. He has talked to his quarterbacks about making good decisions and not forcing passes.
The interceptions are a new issue for the senior quarterback, who set a Big 12 record last season by throwing 242 passes without a pick.
He doesn’t have an answer for why the interceptions are piling up this year.
“I wish I could tell you,” Johnson said. “I’m not doing anything differently. It’s not like they’re out there confusing me. I know what coverage they’re in and I know what our guys are doing. It’s just some unfortunate situations.”
He has 12 touchdowns this season and his eight interceptions have all come in the last two games. He threw four in the third quarter against Florida International to put his team in a 14-point hole, but was able to rally the Aggies to a 27-20 win.
Johnson is fourth in the nation with more than 318 yards passing a game, but the three quarterbacks ahead of him have only nine total interceptions among them.
Johnson hasn’t let his recent mistakes hurt his confidence and is determined to help the Aggies give a better performance against Arkansas than in last year’s 47-19 defeat. It is A&M’s last non-conference game.
“It’s not hard to stay confident because I know how good we are and I know how good I feel I am,” he said. “There’s never a blink of an eye about how I should have done this or that, you can’t do anything about it. We are a confident group … we just have to find a way to not to turn the ball over.”
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