Click here to view Texas A&M’s Monday press conference.
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko has seen a lot to love about Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed.
He seems to be frustrated with detractors who don’t see it, too.
During his weekly press conference on Monday, Elko expressed appreciation for Reed. He also suggested Reed is underappreciated.
“I’m very supportive of Marcel because I wish people would spend more time studying him and watching him and seeing how good he really is,” Elko said.
Just entering his second season as a full-time starter, Reed is seventh on A&M’s all-time passing yardage list with 5,640 yards.
By throwing for 233 yards in a season-opening 50-0 victory over Missouri State, Reed passed Ryan Tannehill (5,450) and Stephen McGee (5,475).
If Reed at least equals his 3,169 passing yardage of 2025 this season, his career passing total would reach 8,576. That would put him second among all-time A&M passers.
Kellen Mond holds A&M’s career passing yardage record with 9,661 yards.
The Aggies have also posted 16 victories with Reed as starting quarterback. Of course, that does not include a 38-23 victory over LSU in 2024 when he came off the bench in the third quarter to score three touchdowns and rally the Aggies from a 10-point deficit.
Asked what he wanted detractors to appreciate more about Reed, Elko said:
“All of it. How good of a quarterback he is. How much he helps us win football games. How successful he’s been. How many yards he’s thrown for. How many yards he’s run for.”
Reed had an unspectacular but strong performance in the victory over Missouri State.
He completed 21 of 30 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 36 yards on five carries without two sacks factored in.
Elko said two incompletions were dropped passes. On two others, he said, Reed prudently threw the ball away to avoid losses or perhaps a turnover.
“You know, a couple of balls that he wishes he would have thrown a little better,” Elko said. “A couple of decisions in the pocket where maybe you wish the ball would have gotten out a little bit quicker.
“A couple times where he made things happen when most quarterbacks would have been sacked. I thought there was a lot of progress in him going through progressions and reads. I thought there was a lot of progress in the timing and how the ball comes out of his hands.
“Obviously, completing a high percentage of his passes was good. That was a big emphasis for him and for us, and we moved into this. I think it was a really good performance for game one.”
Lessons learned
Other than, you know, the win, the best thing about the season-opener was what it revealed.
“We needed to figure out where the bar was,” Elko said. “We needed to figure out what people were really capable of doing on the big stage with the big lights.
“Then you needed them to grow through some of those growing pains that I knew was going to exist.
“I think we learned a lot about where we are and then what we need to do to get where we want to go.”
One of the main areas where the Aggies needed clarity was the offensive line. All the starters were playing together for the first time. The starting lineup included three transfers.
“I thought there was a lot of good,” he said. “Certainly, some things we have to clean up.
“I think it was a little bit of a storm in that it was a lot of things we hadn’t practiced with a lot of guys out there playing together.
“You had no idea what to predict the (Missouri State) scheme was going to look like. We certainly didn’t play to the level or standard we need to early in the game.
“Everybody’s aware of that. I think it was just good to see us adjust, settle in and start to make better plays as we moved forward from an O-line standpoint.”
The Aggies rushed for 76 yards and allowed two sacks in the first half. In the second half, they ran for 160 yards and did not allow a sack.
A fresh start
Freshman running backs KJ Edwards and Carsyn Baker made nice first impressions.
Edwards carried five times for 44 rushing yards. Baker had seven carries for 52 yards. He ran 12 yards for a touchdown on his first carry.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in them,” Elko said. “I think they’re both really talented players.
Of course, playing running back means more than running with the football. Freshmen often have to improve their pass blocking and receiving before getting extensive playing time.
“That’s all part of the fundamentals of being a running back at Texas A&M,” Elko said. “You don’t get on the field if you can’t do those things.
“They work really hard at it, and we’re pleased and excited about that.”
How about Henderson?
As transfer portal additions go, defensive end Ryan Henderson has been overshadowed by transfers like receiver Isaiah Horton and defensive end Anto Saka.
But he made himself known on Saturday. Although he was only in for four plays, he registered the Aggies’ only sack and forced a fumble. He had another tackle for loss on a fourth-down stop.
“He’s a really, really talented player,” Elko said. “Again, another one of those guys that I think we identified off tape to be maybe a little bit better than perception was.”
Penalty issues? Nope?
The Aggies were penalized eight times for 80 yards in losses vs. Missouri State.
Typically, that would drive coaches crazy, especially because penalties were a problem for A&M last season.
But Elko wasn't too upset.
“I do think (the penalties) were different,” he said. “I think, last year, we had a lot of really lazy focus penalties. I didn't think that was the case. A lot of them, in my opinion, were kind of on the line.
“I thought Anto's (roughing the passer) was on the line. I thought Isaiah Horton's (offensive pass interference) was on the line. I certainly felt like the one they called on Bravion Rogers for blocking too hard was on the line.
“Not to say they were bad calls. They just were not ... I didn't feel they were egregious, lack-of-focus penalties.”
Notes
• Receiving weekly honors were Marcel Reed (offense), Ryan Henderson (defense), Mario Craver (special teams). Tackle Tyree Adams was offensive lineman of the week. End T.J. Searcy was the defensive lineman of the week. Scout team honorees included Tylan Wilson (defense), Avery Morcho (offense) and Luke Braden (special teams).
• Elko encouraged fans coming into College Station for the football game vs. Arizona State on Saturday to attend No. 19 A&M’s volleyball game vs. No. 6 Wisconsin on Friday night.
