Texas A&M’s quarterback problems are becoming difficult to ignore, and the loss to Missouri has exposed just how limited coach Mike Elko’s options might be. The Aggies managed only six points in a 27-6 defeat, with senior Marcel Reed struggling again.
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For Texas A&M alum and reporter Gabe Bock, the problem goes beyond Reed’s performance, and he believes the coaching staff’s failure to build solid depth at quarterback has left the offense with no clear way out of its current slump.
“I love Texas A&M. I want Elko and A&M to be successful in football. Hate sounding like a j***, but we have to be honest…,” Bock wrote on X before delivering his blunt assessment.
“It’s coaching malpractice to be in a position where this is literally your only option at quarterback,” Bock continued. “The offense is absolutely broken and due to lack of roster management at QB, you have no answer at all and have to wallow in this mess week after week. Very sad to watch.”
His criticism comes after another difficult outing for Reed, who struggled to get Texas A&M’s offense moving against Missouri, while the points came from field goals, as the Tigers controlled the game in Columbia.
Texas A&M ran the ball 23 times and gained just 29 yards. Missouri ran for 252. The Aggies also had only two first downs through three quarters, so they never had a real chance to get back in the game.
Marcel Reed had a rough day, too. He hit 19 of 39 passes for 187 yards and threw two interceptions. He also ran seven times and lost 18 yards, and Missouri sacked him three times. It was one more bad outing for a quarterback spot that’s already a big worry for the Aggies.
The defeat also continued a troubling pattern against SEC competition. Texas A&M failed to score a touchdown for the second time in as many conference road games, following its 35-6 loss to LSU in September. While the defense kept Mizzou from running away with the score early, the offense could not take advantage of its opportunities.
In September too, Reed had a difficult outing against LSU, completing 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards and throwing an interception. After that loss, in the postgame presser, Elko was asked whether he would consider making a quarterback change and answered with a firm “No.”
The most probable result of that decision was seen today, because the offense continued to struggle. Backup quarterback Brady Hart, a freshman, has limited experience, and his interception on his only pass attempt against LSU did little to ease concerns about Elko’s options.
The Missouri loss has now intensified the debate over whether Texas A&M has enough depth at the position to respond when its starter is struggling.
Reed is part of the problem, but the bigger issue is that A&M has no proven backup, which is Bock’s point. That leaves the coaches without many good choices. Switching quarterbacks wouldn’t automatically fix the offensive line or the way the team plays overall.
Still, when the starter struggles week after week, it gets harder to ignore that there’s no solid Plan B. The transfer portal doesn’t make it any easier. Elko has reportedly called it “impossible” to get established quarterbacks to come in as backups, because players with experience usually want a clear shot at starting.
That is a real roster-management challenge, but it does not remove the responsibility to build depth at one of football’s most important positions. Texas A&M now has to find a way to get its offense moving before the season slips further.
The Aggies are scheduled to host The Citadel next on October 17, offering a chance. The bigger question raised by Bock is why the Aggies appear to have so few viable options if their starting quarterback cannot turn things around.