Bill Belichick's opener with the North Carolina Tar Heels is going about as poorly for the six-time Super Bowl champion as you could imagine. Aside from a touchdown on the first drive of the game, there was nothing doing for the Tar Heel offense against a TCU team that was playing with their hair on fire on the defensive end.
If that wasn't enough, a hit to starting quarterback Gio Lopez sent him to the injury tent as he turned the ball over for yet another Horned Frog touchdown. With nowhere else to turn, Belichick sent out his backup quarterback to try to salvage some sense of honor for the Heels.
That backup quarterback was a player that all Aggies remember with great fondness in Max Johnson. The LSU transfer to A&M spent a lot of time starting in College Station before transferring to North Carolina following Jimbo's firing, and what he put out on the field in Chapel Hill is exactly what made him so beloved in Aggieland.
Former Aggie Max Johnson's heroic play could be Tar Heels' only hope going forward
In his time in Aggieland, Max Johnson did nothing but compete his hardest and accept whatever came his way. Two times he lost a quarterback battle, once to Haynes King and once to Conner Weigman, and both times he was eventually called upon. He stayed ready and did exactly what was asked of him every single time.
It's been even tougher in Chapel Hill thanks to a horrific leg injury that he suffered in the first game of last year. But he fought all the way back to be available for this year, Belichick's first— only to be beaten out by the South Alabama transfer, Gio Lopez.
Just like in Aggieland, though, Johnson is stepping up when he's needed. He came into the game in a half-empty, deflated stadium, and he led the Tar Heels to their best drive of the entire game.
Of course, if things continue to go sour, the Aggies stand to gain from that on the recruiting trail. But I have no doubt that A&M fans will be cheering for Max, who gave his all every time he suited up for the Maroon and White.
If Lopez is seriously injured, then the experienced former Aggie QB could be yet another signal caller from College Station to see serious time behind center elsewhere this year. With the way things are going, Bill Belichick has to be thanking his lucky stars that he has Johnson on this roster.