Texas A&M Football: 3 reasons to believe in backup QB Zach Calzada
Texas A&M football QB Zach Calzada is seemingly at his best when the odds are stacked against him
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Zach Calzada was thrown into a terrible situation for his first few starts as the quarterback of the Texas A&M football team. There are only a handful of quarterbacks who would survive in a situation like that, much less thrive.
What has stood out through this experience is Calzada’s mental toughness — something that is more difficult to come across than any other skill at the QB spot.
This was best exemplified after a loss to Mississippi State. Here’s a video of Calzada after the Aggies dropped their second straight game as a result of lackluster offensive performances.
Football is a sport. It’s a sport we put a lot of passion, money, and emotions into but these are college kids on the field at the end of the day. Although we are not happy with our record, we do and will always have love and respect for #10. pic.twitter.com/ISCjrWrSUL
— Barstool Texas A&M (@BarstoolTexasAM) October 3, 2021
Clearly, Calzada is beyond upset about the fact that an offense that he led was only able to muster up 32 total points in two games. Watching this video was completely heartbreaking for any college football fan, not just Aggie fans.
But what did Calzada do after this?
He played a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide where he looked like a Heisman Trophy contender, passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns, completing 67.7% of his passes. His only interception wasn’t a bad throw — it was a clear miscommunication between him and the receiver.
In short, he responded to adversity by becoming part of a small list of SEC quarterbacks to defeat Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide.
You can say what you want about Calzada, but nobody can question his mental toughness.