Arkansas knows better than to let Marcel Reed’s recent stat line fool it.
Texas A&M’s quarterback has hit a rough patch over the last two games, but Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield isn’t taking the bait. Reed has already shown Arkansas exactly what he can do when everything is clicking, and that memory still carries plenty of weight in Fayetteville.
Last year at Razorback Stadium, Reed carved up Arkansas for 280 passing yards, three touchdown throws, 55 rushing yards and another score in a 45-42 Aggies win. He also accounted for three touchdowns in Texas A&M’s 2024 victory over the Razorbacks. That’s the version Arkansas is preparing for, not just the one that has stumbled lately.
Reed opened the 2025 season in strong form, piling up 25 touchdown passes and eight interceptions through his first 10 games. But the last two outings have been a different story. Against Texas in A&M’s rivalry game and then in the College Football Playoff loss to Miami, he threw two interceptions in each contest and failed to throw a touchdown in either.
The slide has continued this season. Reed looked fine against Missouri State and Arizona State, but he was much less effective in losses to Kentucky and No.
11 LSU. Against Kentucky, he went 26-for-49 for 236 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Against LSU, he finished 10-for-26 for 106 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Even so, Silverfield said Monday that Arkansas has no choice but to respect what Reed brings to the table.
"People are trying to use a two-game sample saying, 'Well, it's not working.' ," Silverfield said. "You can go back and watch where he took them to the College Football Playoff with his arm...
I think he is just so capable. Obviously we study those games, see what they did defensively to see if there's anything we can implement within our scheme that will allow us to affect him.
"But listen, there's a reason why your 20-plus game starting quarterback, year three starting quarterback in the SEC and a team captain with that first round draft grade on you, he is certainly capable."
And Reed’s threat doesn’t stop with his arm. Even in the Kentucky loss, he still found room to run, finishing with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown.
"We have to do a much better job of stopping these mobile quarterbacks," Silverfield said. "That's something we got to clean up.
You try to replicate as much as you can in practice. That's an age-old question: how do you prepare for some of those runaround quarterbacks?
But we've got to be on it, and that's the thing about Reed: he can do it with his arms and his legs."
Arkansas and Texas A&M are set to kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday. The game will air on ESPN2 and the Razorback Sports Network.
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