Everything that could go wrong for Texas A&M against South Carolina has gone wrong today, and the top of that list has unbelievably been Marcel Reed. The Aggies' signal caller has been on track to contend for the Heisman up until this point in the year, but the game he's putting out in Kyle Field today has all but put those dreams to bed.
The more pressing matter right now, of course, is that the Aggies are down by 27 heading into the half against the Gamecocks. Reed has turned the ball over three times in the game— once as a fumble that turned into a scoop and score, and twice as interceptions (one in the end zone).
Reed's turnovers have led directly to 17 of Carolina's points, and though Aggie fans were having a lot of fun hyping him up over the course of this week, there's not much to celebrate so far today. Things need to change in a hurry for Marcel Reed, or the Aggies will be losing their first game of the year today.
Marcel Reed's implosion is costing Aggies in major way, as bleeding must stop immediately
The Gamecocks were sitting on the run early against Texas A&M, putting them outside of their comfort zone. The Aggies have been able to pass well this year and get teams out of those kinds of defensive looks, but early inconsistency has turned into an avalanche of mistakes.
There have been drops galore in this game— one that would have extended an Aggie drive, and one that would have scored a touchdown— but Reed has also been somewhat questionable on certain throws. Not everything has been off-target, but he's cost them dearly when he has been.
He's not all that's gone wrong in this game, by a long shot— two missed kicks from Randy Bond have not helped the cause in the slightest. But there is going to have to be a display of the ultimate mental toughness from Reed here in the second half if the Aggies want to win— a prospect that is looking dimmer and dimmer with each minute of game time that passes.