Marcel Reed – Page 2 – Syndication Server

‘It’s win or go home’ QB Marcel Reed knows what’s at stake before facing Texas

Marcel Reed’s mindset is locked in on the Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) enters the final week of the 2024 regular season with the “win and your in” scenario on the mind of head coach Mike Elko and his team, as the Aggies’ quadruple overtime loss to Auburn didn’t end the program’s postseason dreams.

While Elko and his team left Alabama feeling as low as possible, Alabama’s shocking loss to Oklahoma opened the door for Texas A&M to still make it to the SEC Championship game if the Aggies can defeat the Texas Longhorns in the season finale in the first game between both rivals since the 2011 season.

With everything on the line, starting quarterback Marcel Reed was asked on Monday about the significance of the Lone Star Showdown, especially with the added postseason implications on the line.

“We know it’s a big game. It’s a game that hasn’t happened in a long time. Night game. In Kyle Field. I’ve seen some of the ticket prices and how they started around $600-$800. That’s kind of crazy to me.”

While ticket prices certainly reflect the anticipation and national importance of the game, Reed knows that blocking out the noice, especially any social media based interactions or general media noise is the key to focusing on the task at hand, and protection home field.

“You try your best to block it out. Obviously, you’re going to see a little bit of it. … You know the task at hand and what it’s going to take because this is not going to be a walk-in-the-park easy type of game.”

Lastly, Reed and the Aggies’ mindset doesn’t look like any distractions are getting in the way of what’s at stake on Saurday night.

“The mindset for me and the team is that we’re in the playoffs now. A lot of people are waiting for this 12-team playoff bracket to drop. We’re in it now. … It’s win or go home.”

No. 19 Texas A&M will host No. 3 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ABC.

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‘We’ve been trying to fix things all year’ Texas A&M’s must limit mistakes against Texas

Texas A&M’s slow starts on offense and defensive lapses need to be fixed before hosting the Longhorns

Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2) can thank the football gods and Alabama for losing to Oklahoma in Week 14. This loss gave the Aggies another shot at making the SEC Championship game and a potential berth to the College Football Playoff.

After losing to Auburn in quadruple overtime, the Aggies left Jordan-Hare Stadium feeling like their postseason dreams had died on the vine, but knowing that everything is now on the line this week against rival Texas in the renewal of the Lone Star Showdown, head coach Mike Elko has three days to get his team ready for the biggest challenge of the season.

After trailing 21-0 in the first half against Auburn, slow starts on offense, combined with struggles in the secondary, allowing too many explosive passing plays, need to come to a head this week before facing quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns’ elite playmakers.

“We’ve been trying to fix things all year. They’ve shown up in different ways and maybe hadn’t hurt us. The last three weeks, they’ve really hurt us.”

“It has been an inconsistency for us in leveraging the football and keeping it in front of us in many different levels. … We’ve given up way too many explosive plays for us to be good on defense, and that has been the Achilles heel on this defense and this team this year.”

On offense, the loss of star running back Le’Veon Moss placed a hole in the running game, though junior Amari Daniels has been more than adequate. However, starting quarterback Marcel Reed has continued to improve in the passing game, producing 360 total yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers.

At the same time, defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s early defensive calls, especially on the road, have led to a combined 28-3 first-quarter deficit against South Carolina and Auburn. Bateman’s early play-calling is fixable, but against Texas’s receiving speedy corps, Texas A&M’s pass rush, especially Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart, needs to pressure Ewers early and often.

No. 19 Texas A&M will host No. 3 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ABC.

Texas A&M vs. Texas injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 14 matchup

Here is Texas A&M’s latest injury report ahead of hosting the No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns

Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) enters the final week of the 2024 regular season with everything on the line when the Aggies host the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night for a bid to the SEC Championship game against Georgia.

After falling to Auburn in quadruple overtime, the Aggies were handed a gift from the football gods after Alabama’s shocking loss to Oklahoma. In contrast, Ole Miss fell on the road against Florida just a few hours prior.

Knowing what’s at stake, head coach Mike Elko and his team are well aware of the gravity of the matchup and the importance of the Lone Star Showdown to the University.

“When you have two programs as large as these two programs are as close to each other as they are, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them not to play.”

“To finally be playing and to be playing for what we’re playing for, it’ll be pretty electric on Saturday.”

With four days remaining before the game, Elko briefly updated several injured players, including sophomore running back Rueben Owens’ potential return and cornerbacks Will Lee III and Jaydon Hill’s injury status after leaving the Auburn game early.

Texas A&M injury updates:

Le’Veon Moss- RB (Out for the season)
Mark Nabou – OL (Out for the season)
Cyrus Allen – WR (Out for the season)
Tyreek Chappell – DB (Out)
Rueben Owens – RB (Doubtful)

Texas injury updates:

Pending SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report

Will Lee III and Jaydon Hill update:

Mike Elko stated on Monday that after a combined 25 snaps against the Tigers, cornerbacks Will Lee III and Jaydon Hill are dealing with “minor issues” and should be back to the active roster against Texas on Saturday night.

Rueben Owens update:

After being listed as doubtful and not appearing against Auburn, sophomore running back Rueben Owens is reportedly “running and moving” in practice. He is much closer to returning to the active roster, as Elko stated, “We’ll see where it goes” before making a final decision.

No. 19 Texas A&M will host No. 3 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ABC.

Here are the best photos from Texas A&M’s OT loss to Auburn

Here are some of the best photos from Texas A&M’s 43-41 loss to Auburn on the road

Storming the field after a mid-top 25 wins is losing its luster, and Texas A&M was on the losing end of one of those events. After clawing back and taking the lead in regulation play, A&M could not put Auburn away. The Aggies fell to 5-2 in SEC play after a 43-41 four-overtime defeat on the road.

Surprisingly, the Aggies still have a chance to play for an SEC title if they can beat the Texas Longhorns next week, thanks to Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma. Right now, A&M is not trending in the right direction, having lost two of their last three games, both losses coming to SEC opponents. Sometimes, A&M looks like a top-12 team, and then there are games like Saturday in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Head coach Mike Elko will have a list of items to correct, but how flat the team looked early was discouraging. They had far too many mental errors for all the talk of the importance of the game and controlling their destiny. Auburn ran the ball hard through the teeth of the Aggie defense and hit big plays when needed to do just enough to win an overtime thriller.

Below are some of the best photos from the game:

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‘That place is haunted’ Nick Saban warns Texas A&M about playing Auburn in Jordan-Hare

NIck Saban has some experience playing Auburn on the road in must-win situations

Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1 SEC) enters Week 13 with everything on the line, as the Aggies will take on the Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5 SEC) in a must-win road test before hosting the No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns in the 2024 regular-season finale.

This week, the notion that this is a “trap game” has not been subtle, as head coach Mike Elko has been clear, outside of his slip of the tongue on Monday, that the Aggies are determined to right their wrongs that led to the 44-20 road loss to South Carolina in Week 10, while fully understanding the postseason implications.

For those unaware of the stark challenge of playing in Jordan-Hare, take it from college football great and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who faced Auburn for 17 consecutive seasons.

Saban’s 14-8 record against the Tigers is his worst among SEC opponents, including four losses inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. Now an ESPN’s College GameDay member, Saban warned Texas A&M before the Aggies take the field on Saturday night.

“I would be alerting Texas A&M because in my opinion, in 17 years, going to Auburn, playing in Jordan-Hare — that place is haunted. I guarantee it.”

Haunted? Maybe, but under first-year head coach Mike Elko, the Aggies are focused on dominating at the line of scrimmage and controlling the clock, which is key to preventing the Tigers from gaining momentum.

However, this means starting quarterback Marcel Reed will need to hit his open targets, while A&M’s pass rush must get home and finish sacks while tacking in space against Auburn star running back Jarquez Hunter.

Texas A&M will face Auburn on the road on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed proclaims that Mike ‘Elko tells nothing but the truth’

“The people who stayed are a big testament to what this program has done this year and what we’re going to continue to do in coming years.”

Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko faced a tough decision midway through this season, whether to stick with the incumbent at quarterback, redshirt sophomore Conner Weigman, or move on to redshirt freshman Marcel Reed.

Elko ultimately went the younger route with Reed, who emerged during the Texas Bowl last year before Elko officially took over the program previously led by Jimbo Fisher.

Reed was a guest on the 12th Man Foundation‘s podcast “Answering the Call” this week, where he boasted about his head coach.

“Elko tells nothing but the truth,” Reed proclaimed. “The people who stayed are a big testament to what this program has done this year and what we’re going to continue to do in the coming years. Everyone in this organization has bought in and done what they’re supposed to do, and everybody is seeing the results of it.

“We’re going to keep doing that.”

The No. 14 Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) play Auburn (4-6, 1-5) in their penultimate regular season contest at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night. The matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium will be broadcast on ESPN.

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The son of a coach, the heart of a leader. Nashville native and @AggieFootball QB @Marcel10Reed shares his journey of growing up around the game and discovering his voice in Aggieland. 🎙️ Don’t miss this episode of Answering the Call! 🔗 https://t.co/5lDdulNUZL pic.twitter.com/WY8gPlaQrf

— 12th Man Foundation (@12thManFndtn) November 21, 2024

Despite his slip of the tongue, Texas A&M HC Mike Elko is focused on facing Auburn

Mike Elko’s slight slip of the tongue was just that. The Aggies are 100% focused on the Auburn Tigers.

Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1) is playing meaningful football in November for the first time since the 2020 season under first-year head coach Mike Elko, as the Aggies face the daunting task of needing to win the last two games of the season to earn a spot in the SEC Title game, with a shot at making the College Football Playoff.

After defeating New Mexico State 38-3 on Saturday night, Texas A&M’s offense made some strides in the passing game, but all in all, defeating a now 2-8 team doesn’t move the needle aside from earning the team’s eighth win of the season.

Now set to face the Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5 SEC) on the road for a night game inside Jordan-Hare Stadium, Elko and his team are 100% focused on the task at hand, even though some in the media would like to twist the meaning behind a simple slip of the tongue after answering a question regarding the Texas matchup.

“When you’re in the situation we’re in, it’s easy to focus on the task at hand. You know, I think those big games earlier in the year, maybe you look ahead, and if we didn’t have what’s at stake, maybe you would worry about it.”

“Our focus is single-handedly on Texas…I mean Auburn right now and locked in on what needs to get done.”

While this quote could be used as bulletin board material for the Tigers, It’s fair to note that the Texas Longhorns should cheer for the Aggies this weekend to make the Nov. 30 matchup even more meaningful from a resume standpoint.

Texas A&M will face Auburn on the road on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

Texas A&M rises in newest Football Power Index rankings

Texas A&M has risen one spot in the newest ESPN FPI rankings after Week 12.

Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1 SEC) and first-year head coach Mike Elko have continued to defy preseason expectations. The Aggies are two wins away from reaching the SEC Championship Game for the first time in program history, but that’s a tall task with a road trip to Auburn and the season finale home test vs. Texas left on the schedule.

After defeating New Mexico State 38-3, Texas A&M’s offense made some strides in the passing game, while redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed finished 20/31 for 286 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another score.

Defensively, junior DL Malick Sylla, in just his second statistical appearance this season, recorded a game-high two sacks and three tackles for loss. At the same time, sophomore DL Rylan Kennedy earned the highest defensive Pro Football Focus score.

Ahead of facing Auburn, ESPN’s Football Power Index update saw the Aggies rise one spot, while the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators also rose in the rankings.

Texas A&M football’s FPI ranking, rating

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Texas A&M rose to No. 14 after defeating New Mexico State, with a 14.4 FPI rating, the seventh-highest among SEC teams. The Aggies are projected to win 8.8 games and have a 2.8% chance of winning out. Sitting at 8-2 and 5-1, A&M currently has a 12.5% chance of making the playoffs and a 1.1% chance of making the National Championship game.

SEC team in FPI

The top-ranked SEC teams in the upper echelon of the rankings include Texas (26.7), followed by Alabama (2nd, 26.6), Georgia (23.0) at 5th, Ole Miss (22.4) at 6th, and Tennessee (19.3) in the 9th spot.

South Carolina rose one spot (14.5) after defeating Missouri, while LSU (13.1) dropped three spots after falling to Florida on the road in a College Football Playoff elimination game. Here is the rest of the SEC rankings:

Missouri (24th, 11.0)
Florida (26th, 10.5)
Oklahoma (27th, 10.3)
Auburn (28th, 9.1)
Arkansas (32nd, 8.3)
Vanderbilt (38th, 6.6)
Mississippi State (69th, -0.0)

Texas A&M will face Auburn on the road on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

Should Texas A&M QB Conner Wegiman head to the transfer portal this offseason?

It might be time for a fresh start somewhere else for the redshirt sophomore If Marcel Reed is indeed the future starter

Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1 SEC) entered Week 12 without a quarterback controversy for the first time this season, knowing the redshirt freshman Marcel Reed will remain the starter for the remainder of the year.

In his 5th overall and second consecutive start, Reed looked better in the pocket, completing 20/31 for 286 yards and two touchdowns, including a rushing touchdown, before hitting the bench early in the second half.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, who entered the 2024 season as A&M’s starter, has been relegated to the primary backup spot after his poor showing during the first half of the Aggies’ 38-23 win over LSU. Weigman’s appearance was short-lived, completing 2/5 for 37 yards and an interception before being replaced by freshman QB Miles O’Neill.

After his first snaps in over three weeks, Aggie fans and those in the media questioned Weigman’s sudden decline, especially after his shoulder injury that kept him out of the lineup during the first half of the season.

Weigman’s excellent start during A&M’s 41-10 win over Missouri solidified his standing as the starter. However, an average showing against Mississippi State might have been the first sign of a disappointing season for the former 5-star prospect.

Weigman’s future with the program has certainly become a talking point, as Marcel Reed and O’Neill look like the future options under center, especially after the news that 2025 5-star QB Husan Longstreet has flipped to USC. While it’s fully possible that he could compete next season for the starting job, Reed looks like the better fit in OC Collin Klein’s offensive scheme.

Right now, entering the transfer portal looks like the best option to pursue a fresh start, but this is all speculation based on the future of the postion under head coach Mike Elko.

Weigman is still talented and may need more time to heal if his shoulder is still an issue so he can get back to playing at full strength. For the Aggies, quarterback depth was a longstanding issue under former head coach Jimbo Fisher, but the tides have likely turned under Elko’s guidance.

Regardless of Conner Weigman’s decision, I can safely say that Aggie fans will cheer him on.

Texas A&M will face Auburn on the road on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN.

Texas A&M vs. Auburn Game Time, Channel options has been revealed

Texas A&M vs. Auburn will be a night game inside what should be a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium

14th-ranked Texas A&M is three wins away from earning a spot in the SEC Championship Game and the 12-team College Football Playoff. Still, after hosting New Mexico State on Saturday night, the Aggies will travel to Alabama to take on Auburn inside what should be a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn’s struggles this season are noteworthy, as the Tigers are one of the worst teams in the SEC, sitting at 3-6 and 1-5 in SEC play, but when analyzing their schedule, the Tigers have been nearly every home game, including their recent 17-7 loss to Vanderbilt.

Led by senior running back Jarquez Hunter, who has already run for 913 yards and five touchdowns, Texas A&M’s defense will have its hands full after missing 25 tackles in the 44-20 loss to South Carolina in Week 10, something that needs to be improved by the time the Aggies travel to Jordan-Hare.

Even more challenging, the schedule makers are apparently obsessed with Texas A&M playing in night games, as the game will start at either 6:30 or 6:45 p.m. CT. and will air on either ESPN or SEC Network.

If Texas A&M defeats New Mexico State, the Aggies must avoid looking ahead to hosting the Texas Longhorns because I can guarantee that the Tigers will play their best football to play spoiler.

Night game at Auburn 🏈👍 pic.twitter.com/NXz4iJbhaZ

— TexAgs (@TexAgs) November 11, 2024

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