Texas A&M is six games into the season, and the offense has settled into a grim pattern. Most of the unit has sputtered, some of it has flat-out collapsed, and the Aggies have too many issues to just shrug off. Still, if you dig through the mess, there is at least one area worth building around.
The clearest problem is at quarterback. Marcel Reed has not looked in games the way people around the program believed he had in practice, and the offense has paid for it.
He was never the classic NFL-style passer, but he had found ways to make his game fit what Texas A&M wanted to do. Once defenses started taking away the explosives, Reed has struggled, and as Elko has said, it appears to be mostly mental at this point.
Whatever the fix is, it has to come soon. Texas A&M cannot keep operating like this, and Reed’s season has been an abject failure so far. The Aggies are dead last in the conference in passing success rate, passing explosiveness, EPA/pass, and explosive pass rate.
That quarterback trouble has been made worse by uneven play up front. There has been some musical chairs on the offensive line, and the results have reflected it. Texas A&M has shown flashes of quality and flashes of breakdowns in every game.
Pass protection has been the bigger issue. Reed has had his own problems, but the interior line in particular has had a hard time keeping rushers out of his face.
Run blocking has been better at times, though the season low point came against Missouri. There is something to work with here, especially with a young player like Lamont Rogers getting involved, but this is still short of what Aggie fans expected.
The tight end group has been another letdown. Nate Boerkircher’s departure has hurt more than expected, and the room has not delivered enough in the passing game or in run blocking. Houston Thomas, Richie Anderson, and Micah Riley have all had issues in both areas, which is especially disappointing with Riley serving as a captain.
Kiotti Armstrong’s catch-and-run against Arkansas has been the high point for the position so far. That play has given fans a glimpse of what the younger talent in the room could become. Armstrong will need to improve as a blocker, but the athleticism is obvious.
Outside of that, the tight ends have mostly made their presence felt by not doing their jobs well enough, whether that means dropped passes or missed blocks.
Wide receiver has been the biggest disappointment on the roster pound for pound. Injuries have been part of the story, but they do not explain everything. The blocking on the perimeter has been poor enough that it has wiped out concepts before they have a chance to develop, and that has made life even harder for the offense.
Isaiah Horton looked like he might become a major factor, especially in the red zone, through the first two games. Since then, though, the production has vanished, and that is not just on Reed. Losing Terry Bussey could end up being one of the biggest blows to the team because of his toughness and explosiveness.
There is at least one encouraging section of the offense: running back. KJ Edwards starting over Rueben Owens was a move many fans wanted to see, and they got it. Even Owens has been better than expected.
Owens, Edwards, and Baker have brought a physical edge that stands out compared with what Texas A&M has lacked in past seasons. It gets buried under everything else going wrong, but this group has consistently given the offense its best chance to do something positive.
Jamarion Morrow also showed a flash of his old self against Missouri, and if he gets back to full strength, he can add another weapon. For all the problems elsewhere, this is the position group that gives Texas A&M an offensive foundation to work with.
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Texas A&M Faces One Last Tune Up With A Key Uncertainty
Texas A&M gets one last non-conference tune-up at home against The Citadel, and the matchup comes with a familiar late-season wrinkle: managing the health of a key offensive piece. Wide receiver Mario Craver is dealing with an ankle injury, leaving his availability as one of the most closely watched parts of the week as the Aggies try to close out this portion of the schedule on a clean note.
The Citadel arrives with a spread of quarterbacks in the mix, with Quentin Hayes and Nick Billoups leading the way in both passing and rushing production. That kind of uncertainty can make an opponent tricky to prepare for, even in a game where Texas A&M will be expected to control the action, and it gives the Aggies one more chance to sharpen things before the real pressure ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Suddenly Has A Recruiting Fear Fans Cant Ignore
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Miami is still pushing hard, with Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes continuing to make Matthews a priority. A trip to Coral Gables would not change anything immediately, but it would give another program a chance to make its pitch in a setting built to impress, which is exactly why Texas A&M supporters are watching this situation so closely. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Has One Easy Chance To Calm Frustrated Fans
With one final non-conference game left on the schedule, Texas A&M gets a matchup that should give the Aggies a clean stage to settle some nerves. The Citadel is the kind of opponent that offers a chance to sharpen the details, and for a fan base that has seen too many uneven moments already, this is the sort of game that can restore a little trust before league play takes over.
The focus is straightforward: play with control on offense, show a strong defensive effort and get the deep passing game working without giving the ball away. It is also a chance to address the issues that have lingered earlier in the season, because a convincing outing here would not fix everything, but it would at least give Texas A&M something sturdier to build on. [Read more 🡒]