'We Didn't Execute': How Predictability Became Biggest Downfall for Aggies' Offense

The Texas A&M Aggies decided to stick with Marcel Reed over Conner Weigman heading into November, and while that decision didn't yield positive results this year, it bodes well for the young quarterback's future.

Nov 30, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks for an open receiver as Texas Longhorns linebacker Trey Moore (8) defends during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

COLLEGE STATION — Marcel Reed knew he hadn't done enough after the Texas A&M Aggies fell to the visiting Texas Longhorns in the first iteration of the renewed Southwest Classic.

He knew how bad it looked, especially with his offense failing to reach the end zone despite several chances in the red zone. He just didn't know what it was that went wrong.

“I have to go back and watch," he explained after the game. "I don’t know where we missed, where I missed. I feel like the defense played a great game ... we didn’t execute.”

A "sideline spirit" veteran watching from the end zone at Kyle Field could have said that, too.

During the fourth quarter — when Mike Elko was debating going for it on fourth-and-goal following a blocked punt — the aggressive fan was the one calling for the Maroon & White to run the ball up the middle. Little did he know, he was about to get his wish.

And it wasn't going to work.

"The play we called didn't work at all," Elko said. "It wasn't good enough. ... I hold to the fact that if we want to be the team that we need to be, we have to be able to convert fourth-and-1s.

"You have to, and obviously, we didn't."

Was the fan wrong for suggesting such a play? To Elko, not at all. At the moment, it seemed to be the best option, though the jury is out on whether a more "creative" play would have worked better. Reed himself chose not to throw himself into the fire with that debate, however.

“We practice things like that all the time," the quarterback said. "I am not going to say we should have ran something different. I am not the one making the calls. We didn’t get it. That’s the bottom line.”

Whether it was a decision as big as trusting the play call for the second time on fourth down, despite a previous failure on the Aggies' first offensive possession, or a smaller one like evening his feet in the backfield to signal a run play, Reed wasn't able to will Texas A&M to victory.

Since being named the full-time starter, that outcome was subtly written on the walls.

When Reed was option No. 1 for the Aggies early in the season while Conner Weigman was sidelined with multiple injuries, it was a mixture of surprise and facing lesser teams that inflated his success.

Reed knocked off a then-struggling Florida squad (the Gators were still figuring out what their quarterback situation looked like), did just enough to fend off Bowling Green at home and took care of business in Arlington, Texas in a highly competitive contest against Arkansas.

Neither of those wins — beyond Florida, which finished bottom two in the SEC in both opponent yards per game and touchdowns per game — looked completely convincing.

At that point, it was Weigman's turn to return as the Aggies' No. 1 quarterback option. On his own, he handled Missouri and Mississippi State handily but had to be saved by Reed, who was seemingly unstoppable as a mobile quarterback, when he struggled against LSU.

From then on, it was clear that Texas A&M had two options: Stick with Reed or play both him and Weigman in different ways. It opted for the former, and off to the final three SEC contests it went.

"He is the starter now," Elko said of Reed following his win over LSU. "(Now), we will see where we go."

It lost all three of them.

With Reed on film, teams were no longer surprised by his mobile play style. Add on the fact that they had better defenses — save for Auburn, whose win was more a testament to the Aggies' total offense stagnancy than its own defensive prowess — and he wasn't able to put together consistent drives.

Against South Carolina, that began to get clearer. But against Texas?

It might has well have been featured on the jumbotron.

“It’s difficult to get the pass game going when the other team knows you can’t get the run game going," Reed said. "That killed us tonight.”

Elko explained that the Aggies' offensive struggles weren't a byproduct of inept personnel, and he isn't wrong. Reed is likely to be a major threat for the Aggies beginning next season, especially with an offseason to work on his arm, and Texas A&M will work to develop the weaponry around him in order to create a much more put-together unit next season.

Unfortunately for the dreamers who saw the 5-0 Aggies atop the SEC entering November, they just weren't there this year.

“We didn’t get where we wanted to go," Reed admitted, "but we took tremendous strides from last year ... we have come a long way."

As much as a 0-3 finish to their conference slate will "haunt" the Aggies, they did take strides from a year prior. Elko proved to be a voice of reason throughout the season and helped change the culture around the program that was missing under Jimbo Fisher.

Now, he has a budding leader in Reed who's poised to be as impactful off the field as he is on it.

“Being able to be a leader and have the team follow me," Reed began, "As the season went on, more people felt comfortable with the position I was in. I feel like I took some strides this year in that.”

As Texas A&M's bowl game approaches, he'll continue to do so. The version of him on display Saturday evening might be under center once more, but it gives him a foundation to build on.

When next season rolls around, the best case scenario is clear: Marcel Reed will be a dangerous dual threat, and the Aggies will have a consistent offense. Maybe then Reed will deliver on his promise to bounce back.

And he'll hope that's the only predictable thing about him.

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