Texas A&M is getting set for their lone home game between October 3 and November 14 this weekend, which will also be their final nonconference game. The Citadel is rolling into town at a very opportune time for the Aggies, who are in desperate need of a win in this one.
According to the latest odds from Fanduel, the Aggies are a 45.5-point favorite over the Bulldogs coming into this game, reflecting how unlikely it would be for the Aggies to lose to an FCS team. However, with A&M's anemic offense still struggling in a major way, it's questionable as to whether they can cover.
A&M's last two games against FCS teams were won by scores of 48 (48-0 over Samford) and 42 (52-10 over McNeese), so they routinely win by large margins in these games. However, Elko has a penchant for packing it in in the second halves of these games and salting away the win with long, clock-consuming drives— but that's the opposite of what Texas A&M needs in this one.
Final odds and predictions for Texas A&M's game against The Citadel
Texas A&M needs to get as many possessions in as they can in this game, without question. Marcel Reed needs some quality snaps in this one so that he can do whatever possible to get himself out of the funk that he is currently in.
And if not for Marcel's sake, this needs to be done for the sake of the other quarterbacks. There is a very low likelihood that anyone other than Reed will be starting in Tuscaloosa, but after the bye week, the Aggies will have a decision to make if things go very poorly against the Tide.
In that vein, this may not be the most efficient offensive performance possible for the Aggies— if that was what A&M was aiming for, they would have a run/pass split much like the one we saw against Arkansas, where they ran the ball 49 times to only 19 pass attempts. Rather, the Aggies need to throw the ball against the Bulldogs in order to grease the wheels of this offense— or get a quarterback ready to go down the stretch.
I predicted yesterday that we see Marcel Reed throw for 300+ yards in this one, and I think that is still a strong possibility if the playcalling proceeds in the way that I'm anticipating. I could be way off, though, and Elko could simply run the ball all day in order to secure a win as efficiently as possible.
On the defensive side, the Aggies should be able to pitch a shutout against this Citadel team. The Bulldogs have yet to be shut out this year, but A&M blanked Missouri State earlier this year, who has scored double-digit points in every other game they've played, including 24 against SMU.
I think the Aggies win this one somewhere in the neighborhood of 57-0 when all is said and done. It's possible the Bulldogs put up a field goal or touchdown against the backups, but the Aggies should well and truly roll in this one— but it's not the final score that will make Aggies feel better. Rather, it's how Marcel Reed and this passing offense goes— and I think there will be reason for a little bit of hope there once this game is over.
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