Jimbo Fisher had a clear set of expectations for Kellen Mond. The first-year Texas A&M coach shared that message to the SEC Network crew before he began a new chapter of his career.

“I want to see him take command of the game. I want to see him take charge,” Fisher said before Thursday night’s opener against Northwestern State.

That, Mond did. In spades. You know, like he was supposed to against an FCS defense.

The sophomore quarterback looked vastly different than the player who was part of an epic collapse at UCLA less than 365 days ago. To compare the 2017 version of Mond to what we saw Thursday night would be like comparing Kevin Sumlin’s drawl to Fisher’s auctioneer style.

Mond was decisive, efficient and most important, effective throughout A&M’s 59-7 victory. Those are three things he struggled to be nearly every time he stepped on to the field last year. The player who rarely completed half of his passes and was benched by season’s end was nowhere to be found Thursday night.

By the time Fisher met the SEC Network crew again at halftime, Mond already had done enough to meet his coach’s high expectations.

“The first half has been really good. It’s been about getting the ball where it’s gotta be going … the accuracy’s been good, managed the clock well in a 2-minute situation and made some real nice run checks. He’s made some real nice plays.”

FCS defense or not, the Fisher version of Mond was evident.

Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

If you were wondering why Mond earned the starting job over Nick Starkel, you probably aren’t anymore. And if you are, you’re at least warming up to the idea of Mond being the perfect quarterback for Fisher to work with.

Take the numbers for what they are. At the very least, it wouldn’t have been the best sign if Mond struggled against an FCS defense. In essentially one half-plus of action, he completed 68 percent of his passes for 184 yards, 2 touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. One could argue that Mond’s two best throws of the night were incompletions.

He stared down barreling linebackers — to a fault a couple times, though Fisher blamed that on poor protection — and hung tough in the pocket instead of scrambling at the first sign of pressure. It wasn’t a flawless performance, but given what Fisher threw at Mond on Game 1, he handled it about as well as one could have asked.

Keep in mind that A&M ran one real play under center last year. Mond didn’t operate under center when he was a blue-chip quarterback recruit at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), either.

On the first play of the Fisher era, the Aggies ran up the middle … out of the I-formation. Mond ran play-action passes out of single-back sets and even did this crazy play where he threw to a tight end. It was wild.

The connection Mond and Kansas transfer Jace Sternberger had was an extremely encouraging sign, and not just because it proved that tight ends in maroon are allowed to catch passes at Kyle Field. To develop a connection with a tight end, a quarterback needs to be consistently accurate in the intermediate passing game. That’s what Mond wasn’t last year. It’s why Starkel was the QB1 when healthy.

But while it was an FCS defense who couldn’t tag Trayveon Williams in a phone booth, Mond’s understanding of Fisher’s concepts was impressive. In the first quarter, the Aggies had a perfect balance of plays out of the pistol (6), in shotgun (7) and under center (5). It was a hybrid offense based on Fisher’s background and Mond’s background.

Shoot, Fisher even busted out a triple option that looked like his former ACC foe Georgia Tech.

Fisher was looking for command, and he was also looking to see how much he could throw on Mond’s plate. Mond won the job because his skill set had the higher upside than Starkel’s. If Mond becomes a well-rounded quarterback, the Aggies are going to be awfully dangerous in a hurry.

I know, I know. Northwestern State ain’t Clemson or Alabama. Mess up a shifted protection against one of those defensive lines and Mond will feel it for a week.

Still, this was the ideal way for Mond to start the season. Unlike last year’s opener, he looked like he was ready. If Mond was the kid who forgot about the exam last year at UCLA, this year, he was the kid who studied for weeks and finished the exam early knowing that he aced it.

Now, he’ll face a different kind of challenge in Fisher 101. Understanding and executing all of Fisher’s concepts against an all-world defensive line like Clemson will show us just much far Mond has grown in 8 months.

On Thursday, all eyes were on Fisher as he began the new chapter of his career. The debut of the $75 million man was worth tuning in for, even though a blowout was inevitable.

But by the time Mond made his way to the sideline early in the second half, the story of the night had shifted. We’re taking in a new chapter of Mond’s career, too.

If Thursday was any indication, it won’t look very much like the first one.