The Texas A&M Aggies began the 2026 season with such high hopes, having entered the year as the No. 8-ranked team and even a team rumored to compete for the SEC and national championships.
But, oh, how the tables have turned in College Station, especially with quarterback Marcel Reed, who one week looks like NFL-level talent, and the next, you would think it's his first day holding a football.
Thankfully for the Aggies, they now have The Citadel ahead of them, a perfect opportunity to get back into the groove they found themselves used to in the beginning of the year.
However, Reed should be using this weekend for more than just stat-padding or trying to get an easy win into the team's column, he needs to prove that he can truly compete in the SEC.
Now or Never, Marcel
The week after this marks one of the toughest challenges for Texas A&M when they head to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
In fact, this is the last home game for the Aggies until they host the Tennessee Volunteers on November 14, all the more reason for Reed to embrace the environment and to focus on getting his craft dialed back in.
Once noted for his accuracy, those days seem to be a thing of the past for the junior out of Nashville, as his quarterback rating is currently one of the worst in the country at this moment in time.
Granted, the last game against the Missouri Tigers didn't see him get much help from his receivers, as dropped passes and a tipped pass off the hands of Ashton Bethel-Roman led to an interception, in a game where all-around offense was at an all-time low for Mike Elko's squad.
But in the loss to LSU, Reed completed well below half of his pass attempts and any time the pocket collapsed, it was like everything internally went to full on panic mode, at it resulted in either sacks or poorly placed passes that led to picks.
Reed needs to use this weekend (yes, we know, it's an FCS opponent, bear with us) to work on not having his mind turn into a frenzy whenever he needs to evade defenders, and use the time to scan the field to use either his leg mobility or to use the accuracy that he does possess to find an open man downfield as opposed to one in double or even triple coverage.
Texas A&M could win the game 14-0 or 140-0, but if Reed's stats don't reflect that same level of success, then the team will be in for an even ruder awakening when they meet Kalen DeBoer's boys next week.
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