Texas A&M took care of business against The Citadel, defeating the Bulldogs 41-0 on the backs of starting quarterback Marcel Reed and backup Brady Hart, who both looked poised behind clean pockets and delivered strikes downfield. Still, the Aggies' running game, led by sophomore RB Jamarion Morrow's three touchdowns and freshman back KJ Edwards' career-high 116 rushing yards, was the primary takeaway.
The Aggies re-enter SEC play on Saturday, set to face No. 13 Alabama on the road for the first time since the 2022 season, and while the Crimson Tide are favored by 14 points, third-year coach Kalen DeBoer is under fire amid Alabama's two-game losing streak, especially after last Saturday's 26-10 road loss to Tennessee.
This Alabama team is beatable on paper, but it would require Marcel Reed and his talented but spotty wide receiver corps to step up and take advantage of the Tide's poor pass defense, currently ranked 101st nationally. One receiver who needs to step up is former Alabama senior Isaiah Horton, who has caught 20 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns on 46 targets in seven games.
Horton enters Saturday with a poor 43.8% catch rate, and during former Texas A&M safety Jordan Pugh's breakdown of Texas A&M's win over The Citadel on his "Cover 2 with Jordan Pugh" podcast, the former Aggie standout cited Isaiah Horton's two drops that would have resulted in an explosive gain and touchdown, which led to Horton's father, Allen Horton, providing his own take in the comments.
"Love your film break down and commentary from an X's and O's perspective. You are absolutely correct on my son Isaiah. I am so upset with him and his effort in that game. He knows his effort was piss poor and feels embarrassed as he should. Told him he needs to show resiliency real quick and help his QB and team over these next tough few weeks of the season."
Isaiah Horton's addition this offseason was supposed to put Texas A&M's wide receiver rotation over the top, providing more size and experience at the X receiver spot, and while Marcel Reed simply needs to play better, It's hard not to agree with his father's assessment that playing with more urgency and toughness could help galvanize the passing game over the final five games of the regular season.
Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Alabama will kick off at 2:30 p.m. and will air on ABC.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M transfer WR's father calls out son's play vs. The Citadel