Texas A&M’s early-season offensive issues are putting Marcel Reed in a tough spot, and Gigem 247’s Jeff Tarpley thinks the quarterback is carrying too much of the load.
Tarpley, speaking on Your Afternoon Stretch with host Glenn "Stretch" Smith after the Aggies’ loss to Kentucky, said Reed’s problems are tied as much to what’s happening around him as to anything he’s doing at quarterback. Reed finished 26 of 49 with two ill-advised interceptions, while also running 10 times for 80 yards.
Smith pointed to the transition into Coach Holmon Wiggins’ offense and asked what was behind Reed’s struggles. Tarpley pushed back on the idea that the system itself is the main problem.
"I don't know that A&M is running an offense that is going to be more difficult for him to comprehend, or more difficult for him to execute. One issue is, and we talked about this with regard to the running game last week, they have got four new starters up front, and they're just really struggling to get any consistent push in terms of running the football. They had the one good drive running the football last week, the opening drive, and they never really ran the ball that well again."
That offensive line situation, Tarpley said, is still unsettled. Texas A&M is looking for players it can trust up front, and the staff is sorting through how to balance run blocking and pass protection. He pointed to former five star Lamont Rogers being moved around, with snaps at both right tackle and left tackle.
"In those terms, you've got some tough decisions to make. It's going to be really interesting to see if A&M plays some of those younger, bigger guys that are better run blockers or if they're going to continue to stay with the guys that might be better in pass protection and help them get the ball down the field more, maybe protect Reed a little bit more."
For now, Tarpley said, the line has been part of the issue in both phases.
"The protection is an issue, the run game is an issue, and so Reed's having to do more by himself."
He also pointed to Reed’s decision-making on a key fourth-and-one on the opening drive. Tarpley said the play may not have been about a missed block at all, but about Reed making the wrong read.
"His decision making…I don't know if you noticed this or not, but on the fourth and one that they had on the opening drive, everybody saw the defensive end crash in and tackle Owens, the running back, but I'm not sure that it was a missed block. What may have happened is Reed should have pulled the ball when he saw the end coming in and thrown it outside to a tight end who had flared out along the line of scrimmage.
The throw was wide open. Instead, he handed the ball off, the end crashes in, makes the stop short of the line to gain, and Kentucky gets the ball back."
That kind of sequence, along with the interceptions, is why Reed’s play is drawing so much attention.
"It's decisions like that, in addition to the interceptions, that are making everyone ask what's going on with Reed."
Tarpley said Reed is best suited as a piece of a more balanced offense, not the entire engine.
"I think he's more of a complementary player. For that reason, A&M's got to figure out a way to get the offensive line blocking better and to take some of the burden off of him. If they can do that, then he'll look more like the guy that we all expected him to be coming into this season."
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