If you were clinging to Texas A&M HC Mike Elko’s classic “uh, we’ll see” from Monday, you can let go now. The coach didn’t budge in the presser, but now the truth dropped and it wasn’t the one Aggies fans wanted. Four Aggies are out before a rivalry game that already feels like a crucial title fight. And the first big blow came to the heart of the offense.

“Texas A&M RB Le’Veon Moss and LB Scooby Williams have officially been ruled out for Friday vs. Texas,” Pete Nakos reported on X on November 27. 

Fans hoped the SEC availability report would bail them out. Instead, Le’Veon Moss and Scooby Williams went from “doubtful” to “out” by Thursday, leaving A&M scrambling for depth in two key spots that stabilize Mike Elko’s squad.

Le’Veon Moss’ absence is a full-on punch to the Aggies’ ground game. The preseason All-SEC back was flashing upsides, rattling off 389 yards and six touchdowns on just 70 carries. He went down with a leg injury on Oct. 11 vs. Florida, twisting his leg awkwardly on a tackle. He missed five straight games with all the five straight availability reports reading the same discouraging line. As for Scooby Williams, his injury situation has been a slow burn of frustration for A&M fans. What started as an ankle tweak at Notre Dame on Sept. 13 spiraled into three straight missed games. 

For their replacements, Rueben Owens II could step into the RB1 spotlight, while Daymion Sanford fills in for Williams. But the bad news didn’t stop there. Two more Aggies are officially out. S Bryce Anderson and S Rashad Johnson. Anderson was expected to redshirt, Mike Elko confirmed, after a head injury derailed his momentum post-Notre Dame. Johnson hasn’t dressed since LSU, and the HC hasn’t said much on that front. 

Meanwhile, the Longhorns aren’t exactly strutting in at full strength either. Texas also revealed its Thursday availability report. Linebacker Ty-Anthony Smith is out for the first half, while Anthony Hill Jr., the tone-setter of the defense, is questionable. Hill’s trying to return from a broken bone in his hand suffered against Georgia. Smith is serving his suspension for the first half for targeting against Arkansas in the last game. One team is missing offensive firepower, the other missing defensive teeth. All these injuries set up Friday night’s Lone Star Showdown, ABC’s Black Friday closer, as a survival contest. No Moss. No Scooby. No Anderson. No Johnson. And possibly a compromised Texas linebacker unit. But if you zoom out for a second, the stakes are even bigger.

Texas vs Texas A&M- A showdown of survival

For just the second time since Thanksgiving 1940, Texas A&M arrives in Austin with a spotless record this late in the year. Win, and the Aggies punch their historic first-ever ticket to the SEC Championship Game. Lose, and the dream collapses. And the outcome could fall heavily on the QBs coming in with their own arcs.

Texas’ QB Arch Manning opened the year a Heisman favorite before the critics piled on. Over the last month, he punched back with 1,314 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and two more on the ground. A rivalry rebound now gives Texas (8-3) a backdoor shot at the Playoff. But Aggies QB Marcel Reed has been the silent assassin of the SEC.

Marcel Reed flipped his narrative too. He was labeled a run-first guy last season. Now he leads the SEC with 14.6 yards per completion and ranks second with 25 touchdown passes. He needs just 248 yards Friday to become A&M’s fifth-ever 3,000-yard passer. And with both teams battered, bruised, and desperate, you already know what’s coming.

The final game-day availability report drops Friday at 5 p.m. And in a matchup dictated by who’s physically standing, those last-minute statuses might decide a 120-year rivalry.