Fans expected the Aggies’ first playoff game to be an offensive fireworks show. Instead, the unit struggled against a tough Miami defense. Attention quickly shifted to OC Collin Klein, who may have been balancing his focus while preparing to take over as head coach at Kansas State. Still, after his final game with Texas A&M, the coach took a moment to deliver a heartfelt message to his offense, with special words for Marcel Reed.

“Well, Marcel is dear to me,” Klein said after the game. “I couldn’t be more proud of, first of all, the whole unit, but how he has grown into leading that unit. It was a joy and an honor to come to work with them.

I told him after our first spring scrimmage two years ago that he has a chance to be as good as anybody that’s come through this program. The sky is the limit for him. His character and talent are outstanding. It’s extremely bittersweet.”

Marcel Reed and Collin Klein built a special bond after Klein took over the offense at College Station last year. Reed has openly called Klein a “second father,” saying he grew up around coaches since his own dad coached him. That feeling went both ways. Klein has spoken just as highly of Reed, saying their relationship will “last a lifetime” and admitting it was “extremely bittersweet” to move on.

When Collin Klein announced his enthusiasm for the $4.3 million job at Kansas State, Reed wasn’t very happy about that change. “I don’t want this guy to leave,” Reed said. “He’s been like a father to me. I’m used to having my dad as a coach, so I’m used to having coaches as fathers.”

Even after the final game, Reed echoed the same sentiment. “We always knew it was a dream for him to coach at his alma mater. Things change, that’s life. I love this guy to death. He’s done a lot for me.”

As a former dual-threat quarterback himself, Klein understood exactly what Reed was dealing with on the field. He shaped the offense around Reed’s strengths, letting him use his legs like a running back while still attacking defenses through the air. The results showed. According to SP+, Bill Connelly’s well-respected power ratings model, the Aggies had the seventh-best offense and 21st-best defense.

Klein leaned more heavily into play-action and screens. The play-action climbed to 34.1% of dropbacks from 26.4% the year before, while screens skyrocketed from 7% to 26.8%. Marcel Reed took a big step forward under Klein’s guidance. In his first full season as a starter, he threw for 3,169 yards, added 493 more on the ground, and accounted for 31 total touchdowns. In fact, he was ranked 5th for most passing yards in a single season in program history. By the end of the year, the 21-year-old had worked his way into the Heisman conversation.

Mike Elko breaks the silence after the Miami loss

The Aggies’ 10-3 loss to Miami left head coach Mike Elko deep down in an emotional well. “We lost the game at the line of scrimmage,” Mike Elko said in the post-game presser. “They finished with seven sacks. You can’t play playoff football and not win the line of scrimmage. We lost the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”

Miami’s defensive line, led by Rueben Bain Jr., turned a statistically elite Aggie offensive line into a liability. The 7 sacks number is staggering when placed against the context of A&M’s season. The same unit had surrendered just 12 sacks across the entire regular season, averaging roughly one per game before giving up more than half that total in a single night. Marcel Reed still managed 25 completions on 39 attempts for 237 yards. However, constant pressure forced hurried decisions, culminating in two interceptions, including an end-zone pick in the final minute that sealed the Aggies’ season.

But the head coach remained hopeful about his QB. “He (Marcel Reed) is still a young quarterback. There’s a lot of room for growth for him. You saw some strides this year. He’s a great kid and a hard worker. He’ll go to work in this offseason, and you’ll see a better kid next year with another year of development.”

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The run game took a massive hit. All season, the Aggies’ identity had been their ground game, which powered an 11–1 regular season behind a three-headed rushing attack. Reuben Owens II led the way with 639 rushing yards at 5.4 yards per carry. He was supported by Le’Veon Moss’s 404 yards and Reed’s dual-threat 493 yards, with the trio combining for 17 rushing touchdowns.

All of that went to waste against Miami. Texas A&M mustered just 89 rushing yards and a bare 2.5 yards per carry. And while the Aggies struggled, Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. produced the final moments of the night. It was a 56-yard run late in the fourth quarter that set up the game’s only touchdown and effectively flipped a defensive slugfest in the Hurricanes’ favor.