Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M will be forced to win their remaining 3 games if they’re to become bowl eligible. The Aggies fell to Florida, 41-24, at Kyle Field on Saturday, dropping 5 games in a row for the first time since 1980.

It didn’t help the Aggies’ cause that a flu outbreak swept through the team earlier in the week, causing the absence of a number of players, including quarterback Conner Weigman.

“We knew they got it earlier in the week…Some guys came back today, or in the last day or so, depending on how it came. Some guys it hit harder, some guys it hit easier…We were just trying to piecemeal and do what we had (done) all week,” he said.

Fisher said it was “very disappointing” that Weigman couldn’t play following a 338-yard, 4-touchdown, 0-interception performance against Ole Miss a week ago.

“You want to keep the momentum, you want to keep him playing, he wants to stay hot and keep things going,” he said. “There was nobody more disappointed than he was.”

Auburn, UMass, and LSU are left on the schedule for the Aggies. Fisher expressed hope that his team would respond despite facing the prospect of missing a bowl after being ranked top 10 before the season.

“You’ve got 3 games to play…just keep playing hard and doing your things. Like I said, you can show your character right now. Like I said, these tough times reveal character, and I think these guys will keep showing that they’ve got character and playing hard.”