COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after leading the Aggies to a 41-38 victory over No. 1 Alabama at Kyle Field, officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced Tuesday.
The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.
Texas A&M knocked off the Crimson Tide on a 28-yard field goal as time expired Saturday night. Sophomore quarterback Zach Calzada led the Aggies on offense, completing 21-of-31 passes for 285 yards and three passing touchdowns. Wide receiver Ainias Smith led the team with six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, while junior tight end Jalen Wydermyer had three catches for 73 yards and a score. Junior running back Isaiah Spiller contributed 46 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The Aggie defense was able to get in the backfield all night with four sacks and five tackles for loss. Texas A&M held Alabama to just 10 points in the first half, the Tide’s lowest mark in a half since 2017. Graduate student linebacker Aaron Hansford and senior safety Leon O’Neal Jr. led the efforts on defense with nine total tackles each, while senior defensive lineman Tyree Johnson contributed four total tackles to go along with his two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Special teams played a large part in the upset as well as sophomore Devon Achane had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half, and senior kicker Seth Small nailed the 28-yard field goal to secure the victory.
Saturday’s victory was Texas A&M’s third win over a No. 1 team in program history and the first since 2012. The Aggies snapped several impressive streaks, most notably Alabama’s 19-game win streak which was the longest in the FBS. Fisher also became the first former assistant to defeat Nick Saban.
Fisher is one of only five active head coaches to win the National Championship and ranks as the third-winningest active head coach in the Power Five. Fisher was hired at Texas A&M on Dec. 4, 2017 after eight successful seasons at Florida State, which included the 2013 BCS National Championship. His .764 career winning percentage ranks top five among active head coaches (with a minimum five years).
Off the football field, Fisher has been instrumental in leading the Aggies in the classroom, boasting an impressive Academic Progress Rate of 965. This past season, he also had 30 members of the football team named to the 2020 Fall Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll.
In the community, Fisher has been very active with his foundation Kidz1stFund. The nonprofit was founded in 2011 to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for Fanconi anemia, a rare blood disorder that affects thousands, including Fisher’s youngest son, Ethan. Providing funds to the doctors and researchers is crucial to making this goal a reality, which is why Fisher is committed that 100 percent of the funds donated will go directly toward research. Kidz1stFund also hosts bone marrow donor drives throughout the year, has registered more than 7,000 new potential donors into the National Marrow Donor Registry and has had at least 10 matches go on to save a life. In total, the organization has now raised almost $10 million for FA research since its creation.
The Maroon & White take to the road this Saturday for a showdown against Missouri in Columbia. The matchup against the Tigers is slated to be aired nationally on SEC Network at 11 a.m. (CT) with Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang on the call.
