Texas A&M’s 2023 season, along with the Jimbo Fisher era, has finally ended after falling to the No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys 31-23 on Wednesday night.
While the news regarding A&M’s depleted roster, as just 48 scholarship players were available due to injury and the transfer portal became the dominant narrative, it was Aggie freshman quarterback Marcel Reed’s record-setting performance that potentially provided a blueprint for what new head coach Mike Elko will bring to the program in 2024 and beyond.
After injuring his non-throwing arm after the first play of the game, A&M QB Jaylen Henderson’s frustrating departure led to one of the more memorable performances by an Aggie signal-caller in program history, as Reed, in just his second appearance on the year, passed for 361 yards, the second most yards against a Power 5 opponents since former QB Kellen Mond’s 430 against Clemson in 2018.
Outside of Reed’s introduction, several players on offense and defense stepped up, most notable 12th Man representative and linebacker/safety Sam Mathews, who led the team with 14 tackles and an interception, played his last game in an Aggie uniform, and man, was it a memorable one.
Focusing on the future, Elko and his staff have plenty of talent to work with on both sides of the ball, and by the looks of it, the current quarterback room looks borderline elite heading into next season.
Here are five things we learned from Texas A&M’s bowl game loss to Oklahoma State.