Texas A&M kicked off the 2026 season with a dominant 50-0 win over Missouri State on Saturday night, scoring 31 of its 50 points in the second half after the offensive line fixed its issues, leading to the Aggies' rushing attack producing 236 yards on the ground and three scores, while starting quarterback Marcel Reed finished the game with 233 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.
Overall, winning 50-0 says more about Texas A&M's defense, which limited the Bears to an eye-popping 67 total yards, including 30 passing yards from QB Skyler Locklear. However, Marcel Reed's impressive day, which included several NFL-level throws, further proved that the redshirt junior is on track to reach his full potential as a passer, while new OC Holmon Wiggins is allowing
his starter to make more plays outside the pocket.
Still, if A&M's offensive line fails to fix its issues and find consistency heading into Saturday's home matchup vs. Arizona State, it's fair to say that the Aggies will be on upset alert after the Sun Devils scored 70 points during their season-opening win vs. Morgan State.
While Mike Elko stated after Saturday's win that the O-line's second-half performance provided some relief, the third-year head coach provided his official grade for the revamped unit during Monday's press conference, while praising LSU transfer left tackle Tyree Adams, who was Pro Football Focus's highest-graded Texas A&M offensive lineman after the win.
"I thought there was a lot of good. Certainly some things that we had to clean up. It was a little bit of a storm in that it was some things that we hadn't practiced with the guys we had out there."
"We did not play to the level or standard that we needed to early in the game. Everyone is aware of that."
While it was expected that this newly formed group would struggle early on, Tyree Adams' impressive debut is great news for the rest of the rotation, knowing that junior guard Blake Ivy vastly improved in the second half, while Alabama transfer right tackle Wilkin Formby, who left the game due to an undisclosed injury, is reportedly ok, and set to return on Saturday.
"Tyree (Adams), there wasn't a ton of tape, but the tape we saw was really impressive. He was probably a lot higher on our board than your crew had on your board."
"He was the one that we really wanted. We were really excited when we landed him."
The expectation is that the rotation with Tyree Adams, Blake Ivy, Mark Nabou, Trovon Baugh, and Wilkin Formby will once again start vs. Arizona State. However, if this group continues to struggle early in games, Mike Elko and OL coach Adam Cushing won't be afraid to make changes.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Mike Elko grades Texas A&M offensive line performance after 50-0 win
