So, Texas A&M football fans, let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
Although, I guess, given some of the feedback that’s been thrown out since game one, this may be a point of excitement for a certain corner of the fanbase.
It’s looking to be a very distinct possibility that the Aggies are without their starting quarterback this weekend in the swamp. For a team intending to win their first road game in three years, it’s tough to think of a bigger setback than this.
But it’s not as though all is lost.
Can Texas A&M football still take down the Gators this weekend if Marcel Reed plays in place of Weigman?
Last time Marcel Reed was pressed into service, we saw him have a pretty great game against Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl. Now, that wasn’t a stellar defense, but Reed ended up with some impressive numbers.
Last game, though, Reed’s play certainly left something to be desired. Even against a lower-quality opponent, you could tell the way the offense ran with Conner was a step above how it did with Marcel.
And that’s to be expected—Weigman was a highly-touted five-star who has been on campus for two years, while Reed is only beginning his second.
But if the Aggies are indeed forced to rely on no. 10 for a win down in the Swamp, do they have a real shot? I think the answer is clearly yes.
No matter who starts at quarterback, the Ags will be committed to running the ball. Florida is extremely susceptible to a scheme like Klein’s up front, and so I foresee the Ags taking full advantage.
In a way, given Marcel’s speed, the availability of the QB run game could accentuate that aspect of the offense. The tradeoff is a vastly reduced passing package compared to what Weigman can do, but that may have been a smaller part of the gameplan this week no matter what.
If Reed starts, I think we see about a 65/35 split run to pass. Of course, that’s assuming things go to plan—if disaster strikes and A&M is down and out early, they’ll obviously be passing a lot more to get back in the game.
Ideally, though, Klein has been planning to leverage Reed’s speed to fleece the Gator D. While I’d rather have Weigman out there because of what he can do throwing the ball, I still would favor the Ags if it’s no. 10 at the controls.