The Texas A&M Aggies had their fun against The Citadel this past Saturday at Kyle Field, enjoying a 41-0 victory that saw both sides of the ball clicking well right before they resume SEC play this Saturday.
Then again, that was against an FCS opponent. They now turn their attention to a No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide team that will be hungry for victory after dropping their last two games for the first time in 13 years.
That means that Texas A&M is going to need a lot more out of quarterback Marcel Reed, at least considerably more than what he's put forth during road games so far this season.
Now Is The Time, Marcel Reed
The Aggies have yet to score a touchdown on the road thus far in the 2026 season, and Reed has been a big issue in that stat, as the image shown above has become a little too frequent of an image for the 12th Man throughout 2026, as Reed has been sacked 12 times, including five times against the LSU Tigers.
However, head coach Mike Elko has remained steadfast in keeping Reed as the starter, saying that it simply would make no improvement to the team to take him out, even at where they currently are at this point in the 2026 season.
And this weekend, Reed is going to face a Crimson Tide defense that will test the part of his game that has been the shakiest this season, and that is staying out of trouble when the pocket collapses.
In addition to the dozen times that he's been brought down, Reed has also completed just over half of his passes and before the game against The Citadel, his touchdowns and interceptions were the same number.
Not to mention, his passer rating is ranked near the bottom of all qualifying FBS quarterbacks, a stark contrast to where Reed and the Aggies were last year at this point in the season.
Alabama's traditional scheme under defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is a 4-2-5, which is four linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs, which means any pass that Reed throws is going to be under an intensly watchful eye by the Tide secondary, which should give the junior all the more reason to think more about where his throws are going.
Most of Reed's turnovers in the 2026 season have come on forced throws under pressure and disguises from the opposing defenses. Alabama made a name for themselves, especially last season on making quarterbacks pay for lazy passes, so checkdowns and short passes should be the name of the passing game in Tuscaloosa, and the occasional deep ball should have Drew Brees-level of accuracy, which Reed has shown before he can deliver.
Texas A&M's offensive line hasn't been much to write home about in 2026, so not only should Reed focus on checkdowns and short passes, but also on getting the ball out quickly, as well as using the speed of his receivers to his advantage on screens and RPO plays.
Typically, Reed has been able to rely on his legs to get him out of trouble, but that hasn't been the case this year, especially not away from Kyle Field.
Missouri held him to negative yardage, and LSU was barely allowing him to look up after taking the snap. Alabama will likely keep a contain rusher on him and keep their zones disciplined so as to not surrender free estate to the dual-threat quarterback, so Mike Elko and the rest of the Texas A&M offensive play callers will have to pick and choose their QB sneak plays sparingly.
All in all, if Reed and the Aggies can put together a clean game early on, avoid the long thirds that have damned Reed too many times in the past, and play four quarters of football, then Texas A&M has a clear shot at upsetting the Tide at home.
Luckily for Reed, there was an underperforming quarterback for Texas A&M about five years ago who wore No. 10 and took on a No. 1-ranked Alabama team at Kyle Field, and with the help of an elite kicker (sound familiar, folks?), put together the upset of the century over an unstoppable Nick Saban-led team that was the reigning national champions at that point.
But if Reed chooses the route of careless throws under pressure and the offensive line are unable to give him time to make his decisions, it could be a long and ugly afternoon for the Maroon and White at the hands of Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide.
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