Five Takeaways From Texas A&M's Win In The Swamp

The Aggies never trailed in the 33-20 route of the Florida Gators in Gainsville, their first road win since October of 2021.

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies running back Terry Bussey (2) runs toward Florida Gators linebacker Shemar James (6) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Texas A&M Aggies were finally able to take home a road win, their first in nearly three years, after downing the Florida Gators in Gainsville Saturday night in the first SEC game of the year, 33-20.

A lot went the Aggies' way today in the victory, how will that all shape up next week against Bowling Green and other SEC opponents?

We'll have all week to think about that, so right now, let's soak in the win, and take a look at five takeaways from the game:

Marcel Reed Shines In First Career Start

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the ball against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

After originally being listed as questionable in the Aggies' pregame injury report earlier, quarterback Conner Weigman was later downgraded to out with an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder that he suffered in the season opener against Notre Dame.

Enter redshirt freshman Marcel Reed.

After suffering an injury-plagued year last year himself, Marcel Reed saw the majority of his playing time against Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl last year, filling in for Jaylen Henderson after he was injured on the first offensive drive of the game. Reed shined then, throwing for 361 yards and rushing in for a score, and it seemed to have made a perfect transition over to this season.

Reed bloomed in his first collegiate start, completing 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and two passing touchdowns. Reed was again dangerous on his legs as well, tucking it 13 times for 83 yards and an additional touchdown, the second-best yardage on the team behind Le'Veon Moss' 110 as the Aggies ran for over 300 yards for the second game in a row.

Sep 14, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) throws the ball under pressure from Florida Gators defensive back Jason Marshall Jr. (3) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Return of the "Wrecking Crew" Defense

Coming into this game, the Texas A&M defense allowed an average of 183 rushing yards per game. Leaving this game, that average took a massive plummet to 138 yards per game after the Aggies held the Florida backs to only 52 yards, a substantial improvement compared to the last two games. Montrell Johnson Jr. ran for negative yardage, and the longest run that the Gators put together was only 14 yards. Something clearly clicked during practice since the McNeese game, and the 12th Man is going to hope that it continues to do so throughout the season.

Jabre Barber Nabs First Receptions As An Aggie

Junior wide receiver Jabre Barber, who transferred over from Troy over the offseason, finally got his hands on some passes in the game against the Gators, catching two passes for nine yards. He would've had his first touchdown reception in an Aggie uniform, but a holding call erased the big play. After showing his potential in a big game like this, Barber should get more looks his way as he nurses a foot injury that kept him out against Notre Dame and only saw him run routes against McNeese State.

Conner Weigman's Injury

Minutes before the opening kick, word got out that Conner Weigman would be out for today's game after suffering a sprain on his AC joint in his throwing arm.

Coach Elko told the media that Weigman was good to go all the way until the day before they left for Gainsville.

"This week he had a full practice on Wednesday, but then he had a setback on Thursday," Elko said.

It's safe to assume Weigman will be 100 percent within the next couple of weeks, but with how well Marcel Reed performed today, Weigman's starting position could very much be in peril.

The Aggie Secondary Comes To Play

So far this season, the A&M pass defense has made up for the dismal performance the run defense has put on, and today was no different besides the fact that both defenses were well-oiled machines today. Marcus Ratcliffe secured an interception for his second straight game, picking off D.J. Lagway to close out the first half.

Bryce Anderson picked off Graham Mertz and took it 45 yards to the house in the third quarter, and Jayvon Thomas intercepted D.J. Lagway to seal the game late in the fourth quarter. The defense did give up a couple of pass plays that went for over 30 yards, but that was the only negative that they had on the day.

The Aggies will ride this momentum all the way back to College Station as they take on the Bowling Green Falcons in primetime next Saturday.