Texas A&M's chances of making it back to the College Football Playoff took a massive hit after the Aggies' 31-21 home loss to Kentucky and first-year coach Will Stein, as the Wildcats dominated in the second half, building a 28-7 lead in the third quarter and outright bullying Texas A&M's defensive line and linebacker rotation.
After allowing Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris to gash A&M's secondary for 189 yards and two touchdowns a week prior, it became abundantly clear that communication issues on defense, especially for a cornerback and safety rotation that was widely considered one of the deepest rotations in the country, once again struggled in coverage against Kentucky.
Set to face No. 10 LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, both
programs have everything on the line after the Tigers fell to Ole Miss on the road 32-24, which marked coach Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford after departing this offseason. Emotions will run high, and for the Aggies, any shot at an upset requires redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed, who threw two interceptions against Kentucky, to play free and loose.
During Wednesday's Aggie Football Hour, third-year coach Mike Elko further defended Marcel Reed, citing his past success, including his career-high 3,169 passing yards and 25 touchdowns last season, while the second-year starter made his second media appearance on TexAgs after the Kentucky loss and said everything Aggie fans want to hear.
It's clear that Marcel Reed, as Mike Elko said after the loss, was "pressing" and worried about making a mistake more than just playing football, which was the focus this week. Speaking with TexAgs, Reed wants to get back to "having fun" and "playing free and being loose," which has reportedly been the locker room message all week.
Texas A&M will face LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., and the game will air on ABC.
The message is simple 🗣️@Marcel10Reed | #GigEm pic.twitter.com/y0Zweq62jL
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 24, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 'Just go play': Texas A&M QB is ready to play 'free and loose' vs. LSU
