I made a somewhat bold prediction ahead of Saturday’s showdown in Miami.

I declared that it would be the day that skeptics of the Texas A&M offense would become believers. After an offseason wondering about the Bobby Petrino-led Aggies offense with Jimbo Fisher delegating play-calling duties for the first time as a head coach, I predicted that Saturday would show that A&M had turned the page. I called that Conner Weigman would look every bit like Fisher’s most talented quarterback since Jameis Winston and we’d all come to the realization that the Aggies’ offensive firepower is finally about to be unleashed.

Was that the top takeaway from a 48-33 Miami victory? No way. Saturday was more about the return of Tyler Van Dyke as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks after a forgettable 2022. And depending on who you ask, the other top takeaway was Jimbo Fisher’s job security, though I’d argue that $76.8 million isn’t “cushions of the couch” money, even at a place like A&M.

But if you were paying attention, you also should’ve had a takeaway about Weigman.

He’s the real deal, and running Petrino’s offense, he has loads of potential.

Let’s start with the bad, though. That’s the way the internet works. The internet also likes to look at the box score, see multiple interceptions and blame Weigman. If you were paying attention (I promise that’s the last time I’ll say that), you saw Ainias Smith fall down on the route after the ball left Weigman’s hands. The other interception was on 4th down on the final play of the day, with Weigman just trying to make something happen.

By the way, Weigman set an A&M record by going 179 passes without an interception to start his career. That’s over now, but his emergence is just beginning.

How many times did the former 5-star take a shot and deliver an on-target throw? It felt like he did that all day.

Shoot, even when Weigman couldn’t get his footing on the slick Hard Rock Stadium turf, he still found a way to deliver on-target throws.

But what about when there was nothing there? Weigman called his own number and wasn’t afraid to deliver the blow in order to move the sticks.

Weigman might not be Lamar Jackson, as he joked with his new OC after last week’s opener against New Mexico, but his legs are a legitimate weapon. Turn your back on him in man coverage and he’ll make you pay.

That combination makes him the ideal quarterback for Fisher and for Petrino’s offense. He can run a 5-wide offense, and he can operate under center. Third-and-long doesn’t fluster him and he makes those anticipation throws that Fisher demands of his quarterbacks.

Here’s a thought: Entering Saturday, A&M had 1 game with 300 passing yards in its past 30 games FBS competition. Weigman delivered it last year against Ole Miss.

Here’s another thought: With Saturday’s 336-yard showing, Weigman had the most passing yards in a true road game by any A&M quarterback since the 2018 South Carolina game. Not too shabby.

It’s clear that A&M has its guy. With all due respect to Haynes King, Zach Calzada and Max Johnson, they don’t hold a candle to Weigman. And with all due respect to Fisher, but we wouldn’t be seeing those abilities on display if not for the offensive tweaks with Petrino.

That’s the good news for A&M fans who endured another frustrating September loss under Fisher. Weigman will give them a chance to hang with anybody in the SEC. The Aggies appeared to have addressed their biggest weakness and turned it into a strength.

It’s a shame for Weigman that he doesn’t have the benefit of playing with a Mike Elko-coached A&M defense. Who knows if this porous A&M pass defense — a year removed from leading the nation in pass defense — will force Weigman to press and start taking unnecessary gambles. That’s possible, but he certainly looked like he avoided that on a day in which the A&M defense made Miami’s offense look like it was being run by Steve Spurrier.

Weigman’s development might not coincide with a 9-win season for A&M. But it certainly seemed like an all-important box that needed to be checked in order for anyone to take A&M seriously in the SEC.

There are plenty of things that could hold A&M back this year. A porous secondary, an inconsistent ground game, injuries and probably a laundry list of other things could all prevent the Aggies from bouncing back. Finally, though, the quarterback won’t be one of them.

And if you disagree, you weren’t paying attention.