Texas A&M stayed perfect on Saturday, improving to 9-0 with a dominant 38-17 victory over No. 19 Missouri on the road. Marcel Reed was efficient once again, completing 20 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns while adding 29 rushing yards. The Aggies are having their best start since 1992, and Reed has been at the center of it all. And Johnny Manziel has a surprise in store for his guy this December.

“I talked to him tonight,” Manziel said on the November 8 episode of Nightcap. “I was like, are we going to wear matching suits when we go to New York, or are we just going to keep it casual and Aggie and show love to the family? We’re going because I’m pulling up off the jet this December in New York to Times Square with my dog. Marcel is coming and there ain’t no way he doesn’t do it.”

Mazniel has been mentoring the redshirt sophomore throughout the season. The two have developed a close relationship. The former Aggie has been vocal about Reed’s Heisman chances, previously stating on the November 1 episode of NightCap that “there is still time to go out and have a game or a play, or a series that sets you apart from the rest.” He believes Reed has an advantage over frontrunners like Julian Sayin because of Texas A&M’s remaining schedule.

“Yeah, I’m really looking at Marcel Reed. He does get that moment. If Texas plays the way they did today, you go into the last game of the season. You take care of business in Missouri… You go beat Samford and get Texas the day after Thanksgiving on the road,” Manziel explained. 

Marcel Reed is currently sitting at +850 odds according to most sportsbooks. And he’s firmly in the Heisman conversation alongside Sayin, Fernando Mendoza, and Ty Simpson. However, there’s a growing frustration among analysts that head coach Mike Elko’s cautious approach might be costing Reed his shot at the Heisman. 

Texas A&M beat writer Carter Karels raised the issue during the Missouri game. He questioned why the Aggies were restricting Reed’s running game despite his career-best rushing performance the previous week against LSU. 

“I understand wanting to protect Marcel Reed, but I don’t get why Texas A&M isn’t running him at all. He is coming off a career-best rushing performance at LSU, but doesn’t have a carry through the first four drives while A&M has struggled to run the ball (13 yards on 11 carries),” Karels wrote on X.

Reed finished the Missouri game with just five carries for 29 yards. It was a far cry from the 13 rushes for 108 yards he logged against LSU.

The LSU performance showcased Reed’s full potential as a dual-threat quarterback. Against the Tigers, he completed 12 of 21 passes for 202 yards and rushed 13 times for 108 yards, totaling four touchdowns despite throwing two first-half interceptions. Yet Elko seems hesitant to unleash Reed’s legs on a consistent basis, citing concerns about protection and health. 

The problem is, other Heisman contenders aren’t being held back. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza has rushed for 240 yards and five touchdowns this season. 

Reed has the dual-threat ability to separate himself from the pack. However, if Elko continues to manage him conservatively through the final stretch, that edge might never materialize when voters make their decisions. 

A flawed but formidable Heisman case

It was 10:10 in the first quarter against the LSU Tigers. And Marcel Reed already had it going. With a 41-yard run, escaping the pocket, the elusive Reed marked the first touchdown of the game, and college football was left jaw-dropped. Hours later, that moment would drive his Heisman campaign. But maybe his Heisman odds might blow up due to one glaring issue. 

On the Pat McAfee show, Steve Stanford was all in for the Aggies QB. “I have Marcel at the top (for Heisman),” he said. “His weapons are fantastic, but his elusiveness and how he, you know, the accuracy you saw, what he did at Notre Dame.” Remember the 86-yard TD pass to Mario Craver, in the first quarter, straight into the end zone? He continues, adding to his point. “I think that the way Marcel Reed does things, the way he got himself out of trouble that second half,” Steve explains his point by referencing Reed’s interceptions against LSU.

And that’s the troubling issue on his resume. His completion percentage? Not that lucrative. Marcel Reed is among the top names popping up for the coveted trophy. The list contains Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Diego Pavia, Julian Sayin, and Blake Hovrath. Meanwhile, other QBs’ completion percentages hover under the top 25. Sayin leads with 80%, Mendoza provides solidarity with 72.9%, Pavia is not far behind with 68.8% and Simpson’s average is 67.8%. Meanwhile, the Aggies’ QB, with his 137-of-223 attempts, has a completion percentage of 61.4%, which ranks him #86.​