Texas A&M’s (7-1, 5-0 SEC) Week 9 home win over the LSU Tigers was a surprise to many, especially after the Aggies trailed 17-7 going into halftime before head coach Mike Elko made the change at quarterback to redshirt freshman Marcel Reed.
Unprepared for the change, Reed and OC Collin Klein bullied the Tiger defense into submission on the ground, as the backup duel-threat ran for three touchdowns and led the Aggies to five consecutive scoring drives in the second half.
Weigman’s bad day in the pocket included just six completions on 18 attempts, which led Elko to insert Reed to find some offensive energy, which obviously worked.
However, don’t let this performance fool you into thinking he won’t see the field again.
Returning to Texas A&M’s Week 6 41-10 win over Missouri, Weigman’s solid week of practice and increased confidence led to his best game of the season, completing 18/22 for 276 yards.
It’s fair to note that A&M’s offensive line was much better in pass protection than Saturday’s performance, as Weigman was pressured on 54% of his dropbacks against the Tigers.
For those unaware of Weigman and Reed’s close relationship, it’s clear that both players are always each other’s biggest cheerleaders, as Reed noted after the game:
“He said, ‘Let’s go. You got it.’ We are brothers and teammates. I have his back. He has mine.”
Reed went 3-0 as the starter before Weigman regained the job. His accuracy issues in the passing game are a noted weakness. At the same time, despite his recent performance, Weigman is still seen as the better passer. So, where does Elko go from here after Saturday’s result? It’s likely a similar pathway to the week leading up to the Missouri game.
Here’s the scenario moving forward: If Reed is named the starter early in the week, defenses will be able to prepare for OC Collin Klein’s QB run scheme that frustrated the Tigers’ defense. Even if he is the choice, keeping things under wraps while giving Weigman the chance to earn the job in practice is the smartest route.
Again, knowing if good Weigman or bad Weigman will show up has been the primary issue, but the pass protection needs to improve to allow him to go through his progressions if we’re ever going to see improvement.
At the same time, it’s also fair to see if Reed has improved as a passer, providing a brief glimpse against LSU after hitting junior WR Noah Thomas for a 50-plus yard completion in the 4th quarter.
While continuity at the quarterback position is key for most teams, this system has worked so far.
Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2nd at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on either ABC or ESPN+.
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