GAINESVILLE, Fla. (KBTX) – No Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman? No problem. Freshman quarterback Marcel Reed managed a solid Aggie offense with a stellar performance from the offensive line in A&M’s 38-20 win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Here’s the game report:

Why did Texas A&M win? Reed, starting for the first time in his career, proved he is a ready-to-play quarterback in the Southeastern Conference after being given the last-minute nod.

According to a report from the ABC broadcast, Weigman suffered an AC joint injury during the Aggies’ loss to Notre Dame. His play was on hold all week and was not decided until Saturday. According to a source familiar with the situation, Reed took most of the first-team duties at A&M’s practice this week. Weigman dressed for warm-ups but had a long conversation with coaches about 90 minutes before kickoff in which he apparently said he could not participate.

Reed couldn’t have put in a more confident performance. He finished the game with 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and 2 passing touchdowns. He also rushed for 83 yards on 13 carries.

Reed was the Aggies’ key player in the first quarter in particular, completing 3 of 5 passes on third down. Reed threw passes of 20 and 15 yards on A&M’s first two conversions.

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein wasn’t afraid to make big passes with the rookie. Reed completed 3 of 6 passes for 15 yards, including Reed’s 73-yard touchdown pass on a bootleg to wide receiver Cyrus Allen. He also completed 3 of 4 intermediate-range passes between five and 14 yards.

A&M’s defense closed the gap in run stopping technique and held the Gators to 52 yards of ground clearance in the game.

A&M totaled 488 yards, Florida 301.

Who stood out in the game? A&M’s offensive line had the best performance of any Aggie front five since 2020, when that group finished second for the Joe Moore Award. The Aggies totaled 310 yards on the ground and did not allow a sack by Reed in the game. Running back Le’Veon Moss led the Aggies with 110 yards on 18 carries, followed closely by Reed. Amari Daniels totaled 68 yards on 13 carries.

What was a key game? Let’s make it a key drive. The Aggies got more than seven minutes of game time off the second quarter clock by launching a 15-play, 99-yard touchdown drive. It started with freshman punt returner Terry Bussey calling for a fair catch, not realizing a Gator shooter was running behind, and stopping the ball on the one. The Aggies ran the ball on the next 12 plays, taking them to the Florida 19. Then two penalties gave the Aggies a 1st and 35 on the Florida 44. A completed pass and two Reed keepers gave the Aggies the point on the marathon drive.

What was an important statistic? 10. A&M ended its 1,064-day road losing streak at 10 games and picked up its first road win of the Mike Elko era. A&M’s last road win before Saturday was against Missouri in October 2021, when Elko was the defensive coordinator at A&M.

Position breakdown:

attack

• Offensive line: A-
  • Just look at the Aggies’ 99-yard touchdown drive to end the second quarter. Without penalties, A&M wouldn’t have had to throw a pass to score. Yes, the offensive line was the key unit, but the only thing keeping them from an A+ was five penalties.
• QB: A note
  • It’s really hard to criticise anything about Reed’s performance when he was called into action before the game. He managed the game well and didn’t force anything that could have cost his team.
• WR: A
  • The focus was on this unit in the first two games of the season after Elko criticized them for a lack of spacing in the loss to Notre Dame. They found space against Florida’s secondary and executed the scramble drill well.
• RB: A
  • It wasn’t a difficult day at the office when the offensive line opened up such holes and wrinkles.

defense

• DL: A
  • After losing a lot of rushing yards in the first two games of the year, the defensive line held the Gators to seven yards on the ground in the first half and recorded their second sack of the season.
• POUND: B+
  • Was a big part of the dominant performance against the rush. Did his job until the end of the game.
• Database: B-
  • They did their job well for the most part. They allowed four passes during the game. Dalton Brooks was also sent off for the second time this season for targeting.

• Special teams: B
  • Randy Bond made 2 of 4 field goals for a maximum score of 48 and missed his first two field goals of the season in the fourth quarter.

• Coaching: A-
  • The quarterback situation could not have been handled better. Reed had plays tailored to his strengths that got the offense humming. The only downside was 13 penalties for 114 yards in the game.

What does this mean for the future? First, it’s time to take a completely different look at A&M’s offensive line and offense in general. The front five may be the strongest unit on this team. Next, prepare for a week — and perhaps a season — of questions about the playing time of A&M’s two quarterbacks.

What happens next? The Aggies return to Kyle Field to face Bowling Green on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Falcons upset then-No. 8 Penn State 34-27 in Week 2 and are coming off an off week. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

All rights reserved.