Texas A&M Football: 3 reasons for optimism after close call at Colorado

Reason No. 3: Texas A&M Football backup QB Zach Calzada getting experience could go a long way down the road

It’s important to remember that this team isn’t necessarily married to the idea of having Haynes King as their starting quarterback. King and Zach Calzada were still dueling it out for the starting job up until a week before the season.

You’d also be lying if you thought that King was doing anything that Calzada wasn’t before his injury. Yes, it was early, but the offense was struggling offensively with their original starter in the game. The Aggies accumulated 12 yards in two drives with King in the game.

It would be a stretch to say that he was at risk of being benched, but it’s also extremely important to remember that if King isn’t doing an adequate job, Calzada is the next guy up. Getting him real snaps will be huge down the road.

Calzada didn’t have a great game. He had a performance that I will continually refer to as “adequate.” The backup quarterback completed 18-of-38 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t a pretty performance, but it was reminiscent of Kellen Mond — it was safe.

Even if Calzada continues to ride the bench, it’s infinitely rewarding to have a backup quarterback with meaningful experience, something that Calzada has in spades after the Aggies’ close call against Colorado.