Texas A&M defeated The Citadel 41-0 yesterday in their second shutout of the season. This was an all-around team win for the Aggies, and it was just as dominant as you'd hope it would be with an opponent like this.
Consequently, this week's edition of winners and losers will really only feature the former— it's hard to pick an area of the team that was far below expectations, given how this one played out. Let's jump in and discuss the three biggest winners from this game.
Winners and losers for Texas A&M against The Citadel
Winner: Marcel Reed
Reed ended his day against the Citadel with a clean sheet and a much more impressive performance than we've seen out of him the last few weeks. That's what you'd hope, of course, given the fact that Reed was facing an FCS opponent, but the Aggies needed a mental reset in a bad way in this one, and it looked like that's exactly what Marcel got.
There were several throws that he made that were right on the money, despite being well downfield. These were the kinds of throws that he would often miss, no matter whether the receiver was open or not, in previous weeks— it could have to do with a lack of pressure from The Citadel, or simply that Reed is starting to get past some of the blocks he's had.
His process looked a lot better overall. His drops were not quite as deep and he was decisive when he went downfield with the ball rather than the hesitancy we've seen all too often out of him. If he can keep that same process going forward, and mix in a couple of runs, then A&M does in fact stand a chance of beating Alabama this week.
Winner: Texas A&M defense
The Aggies shut out another opponent this year, and though it's not a big name, this is the first time since 1993 that A&M has blanked two teams in one season, as Mike Elko noted after the game.
The Citadel held the ball for as long as they possibly could, actually ending with a greater time of possession despite being outgained by more than 300 yards, but the Aggies stopped them from doing anything of significance on offense.
The one spot that doesn't look the greatest for the Aggies is third down conversion, as the Bulldogs picked up 5 out of 15 tries, but that had more to do with the fact that the triple option attack often had them in third and very short. This was a great performance by the A&M defense, and they should be recognized for it, no matter the opponent.
Winner: Jamarion Morrow
In all the excitement (well-deserved excitement, it should be said) about KJ Edwards, I think fans have forgotten just who Jamarion Morrow is. He put that on full display today: he got the most touches that he's had all season, and he put on quite a show every time he got the ball.
He ran with power, elusiveness, and a level of burst unmatched on A&M's roster outside of Edwards. With Rueben Owens likely to move on after this year, Morrow looked every bit of a lead back— or a 1A to Edwards' 1B— going forwards.
Adding him to the mix gives another lethal weapon to an A&M offense in dire need of as many as they can get. The Aggies will need everything they can muster to get some wins down the stretch of the year, and Jamarion will be a key part of that.
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