August 31: Texas A&M had the worst start to the season imaginable…Not only did the Aggies lose 13-23 to Notre Dame, but their starting quarterback Conner Weigman fell prey to an unfortunate injury that only worsened over time—during the Week 1 game, the QB hurt the AC Joint in his throwing shoulder, which aggravated in their Week 2 clash against McNeese—forcing him to be out since September 7 and miss three consecutive games.

In the meantime, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed took over, helping the team go 3-0 (33-20 against Florida, 26-20 against Bowling Green, 21-17 against Arkansas) and averaging 397.6 yards of offense and scored 26.6 points per game. However, as Texas A&M readies itself to battle the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Mike Elko seems set to welcome his star QB to the team. And, no, this not mere assumption…

As per several reports, Weigman is expected to be available this week. ESPN’s Peter Thamel revealed today, “After not dressing against last week against Arkansas…Weigman has taken meaningful reps and improved enough to be back in uniform for the No. 25 Aggies.”

“The decision whether to start Weigman or Marcel Reed is a game-time one…Reed looms as the expected starter for the fourth-straight game, per sources, but sources cautioned that if Weigman is feeling 100 percent, there’s a chance that he could resume his starting role,” the veteran journalist further added.

Notably, this comes days after Elko had shown optimism about the QB’s injury. “He (Weigman) is now throwing. We are able to get him out there and function a little bit more, which is good. This will be a game-time decision this week,” the coach had said in the weekly SEC teleconference on Wednesday.

As for Reed, he’s also shown what he’s capable of, attracting quite the attention from industry veterans…

Marcel Reed’s hot streak

“I’m always ready when my name is called,” Reed had said three days ago, which is an apt statement given how good he’s held the fort for the Texas A&M team. The QB posted some pretty impressive numbers, too: 585 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s also added a bit of a running threat with 45 rushing yards and a touchdown. Still, the QB has not only been managing these games, but he has also been supporting the Aggies. And that’s why Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz isn’t buying the idea that Texas A&M is just gonna drop him for Weigman.

“I mean, at this point, I know on their depth chart, it says the other kid (Reed) is the starting quarterback, but that’s just semantics in my opinion,” Drinkwitz said earlier this week. “The other guy’s 3-0 as the starter, and whether he’s listed as questionable or whatever, I don’t see them going back.”

Drinkwitz isn’t wrong. Well, Reed’s been good, and Texas A&M has tailored its offense around Reed. As the coach put it, “They have a different offensive identity when this guy is their quarterback, and they’ve built an offense that fits around his system.” Mobility and efficiency are very unique aspects that are new to the Aggies’ offense, thanks to Reed.

Therefore, does Elko risk disrupting that just because Weigman is back in the mix? Whatever the case, one thing is for sure: The fans are going to be thrilled to the bones. The game against Missouri is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET and it doesn’t matter who is under center–Reed or Weigman–it’s going to be a wild one.