Backed up inside the 15-yard line. Second-and-21. A hostile Florida crowd. An equally hostile Gators pass rush.
Making his first career start, Texas A&M freshman quarterback Marcel Reed faced a situation that was burdensome.
What did he do? Reed eased the burden… and then some.
He avoided a blitzing safety. He eluded a linebacker at the 20-yard line. He juked another safety at the 27. He angled toward the right sideline. He gained 31 yards.
On that play and on that day, Reed proved capable of leading A&M to a 33-20 Southeastern Conference football victory.
"I think you’ve seen results since that game speak to how hard it is to go play in The Swamp,” said Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, perhaps referring to Texas’ 29-21 loss to Gainesville last week. “For Marcel to go in there as a first-time starter, play the way he did, win the game the way we did… Yeah, I think that brought a lot of confidence into him and then into us as a term in terms of what we can do.
“Now, having said all of that, none of that helps us this year.”
This year, the Aggies are unbeaten in five games. They’re ranked No. 5. On Saturday — this time before an adoring crowd at Kyle Field — Reed will again face Florida.
This time, he’s trying to prove he can lead No. 5 Texas A&M to a Southeastern Conference football championship.
Each week. Each win. Reed steers the Aggies closer to Atlanta. He’s driving a turbo-charged machine with all the attention-grabbing accessories of a championship team.
A&M’s offensive line is experienced and proven. A powerful running game features All-SEC Le’Veon Moss and explosive Rueben Owens II. Receivers Mario Craver and KC Concepcion form the SEC’s most productive duo. They’ve combined for 958 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Meanwhile, A&M’s defense is ranked 21st in the nation — and climbing. Three opponents have been held to fewer than 80 rushing yards. The Aggies are tied for seventh in the nation with 18 sacks. Defensive end Cashius Howell is second in the nation with seven of them.
Yet, a skilled driver is necessary to take the checkered flag.
Reed has skills. Lots of them. He demonstrated that by throwing at least two touchdown passes in four of A&M’s five games. That includes an 11-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds to beat Notre Dame.
Alas, Reed is also completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes. He has a tendency to start slow. He has frequently overthrown open receivers on deep routes.
“He still gets a little bit anxious in the beginning of games,” Elko acknowledged. “That’s where you see most of his inaccuracies… and connecting on some of the deep balls.”
Reed knows he needs to hit those deep shots, but he shouldn’t force them. In a 31-9 victory over Mississippi State last week, he threw an interception into heavy coverage while trying to connect with a tight end deep. A check-down pass to Owens could’ve been a nice gain.
Reed has to first recognize when it is and isn’t prudent to throw deep.
He could also boost the offense by running more often.
As he demonstrated last year against Florida — and later vs. LSU — Reed has remarkable running ability. He puts much more stress on defense when he runs.
Last season, he ran 116 times for 543 yards. He’s running about half as much this year. He has gained 149 yards on 38 attempts.
Elko said that’s actually an example of how much Reed has progressed.
“He will tell you himself that last year at times he was too quick to run,” Elko said. “He wasn’t 100 percent confident, progression-wise, where his eyes needed to go. He knew he was really athletic, so at times, he maybe he would rely on that too quickly.
“When you watch him play now… I’m not even really sure that you could evaluate him as a runner. He does not run a ton. He’s doing a lot of his work from the pocket, which I think is really important for us to grow as an offense, but also for him from a health standpoint and everything that goes along with that.”
The point on Reed’s health is well taken. A&M hasn’t had a quarterback start and finish a season since 2020.
Therefore, Elko is understandably protective. He knows Reed causes problems for defenses.
With a little more running and a few more completed deep throws, Reed could be even more burdensome.
Heisman watch (If my ballot was due today)
1. Ty Simpson, Alabama, QB: Yes, Simpson is in the top position in his first appearance on the list. He got off to a mediocre start in the season-opening loss to Florida State. Since then, he has completed 76.5 percent of his passes for 1,224 yards and 11 touchdowns. Last week, Simpson passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns in a big win over Vanderbilt.
2. Carson Beck, Miami, QB: A tip of the cap is due to Beck after he passed for 241 yards and four touchdowns in a huge victory over Florida State. He’s led the nation’s second-ranked team to three wins vs. teams that are currently ranked (No. 16 Notre Dame, No. 24 South Florida, No. 25 Florida State). Beck has thrown for 1,213 yards and 11 touchdowns.
3. Dante Moore, Oregon, QB: The Ducks had an open week last week. Moore most recently led Oregon to an overtime victory over Penn State. He threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Overall, he has passed for 1,210 yards and 14 touchdowns.
4. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss, QB: Another quarterback whose team was idle last week. Chambliss began the season as a backup, but in the three games he has started (vs. Arkansas, Tulane and LSU), he has passed for 974 yards and four touchdowns. Chambliss has also rushed for 245 yards and two scores.
5. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana, QB: A trend is developing here. Mendoza also sat out an open date last week. He has thrown for 1,208 yards and 16 touchdowns with just one interception. He has also rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Predicted playoff participants (In alphabetical order)
Alabama: Victories over Georgia and Vanderbilt — yes, Vanderbilt — have the one-loss Tide in good position, but Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Auburn still loom on the schedule.
Florida State: The two-loss Seminoles might be the most vulnerable on the list. The victory over Alabama certainly helps, but they cannot afford another misstep. The remaining schedule seems to work in their favor.
Georgia: Winning at Auburn won’t be easy. Ole Miss could be a problem, but Georgia has the look of a 10-win team.
Indiana: A trip to Oregon may not go well this week, but a trip to Penn State doesn’t seem so imposing now. Eleven wins are a real possibility.
Memphis: Still the front-runner of the Group of Five, but keep an eye on North Texas.
Miami: No team has a better resume or more favorable remaining schedule.
Notre Dame: If the Irish finish 10-2, and that’s a probability, close losses to top-five Miami and Texas A&M won’t be held against them.
Ohio State: Buckeyes are rolling.
Ole Miss: Going to Georgia and Oklahoma could be problematic, but no other remaining opponents are ranked.
Oregon: Ducks are ranked sixth nationally in scoring offense and scoring defense.
Texas A&M: Just reduce penalties, and the Aggies should be OK.
Texas Tech: A trip to Arizona State next week seems to be the only thing standing between the Red Raiders and an unbeaten regular season.
Games to watch
No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri: Unbeaten Mizzou’s opponents are a combined 10-16. Alabama provides a chance to prove the Tigers are for real.
No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois: Even though the Illini were assaulted by Indiana three weeks ago, Illinois still is the best team the Buckeyes will have faced thus far.
No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon: You like points? Indiana averages 47.8 per game. Oregon averages 46.6.
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas: The Sooners must relish the opportunity of putting an end to two-loss Texas’ playoff hopes
No. 10 Georgia at Auburn: An upset home-field victory could save Auburn coach Hugh Freeze’s job. A loss may guarantee he loses it.
