With starting redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman ruled out of Texas A&M’s matchup with Florida due to a throwing-shoulder injury, redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed was the next man up. The athletic signal-caller announced himself in a resounding fashion.

Reed’s playmaking powered the Aggies past the Gators in a 33-20 win Saturday, snapping a 10-game road losing streak.

While it was Reed’s first start for the Maroon and White, he played most of the 2023 Texas Bowl and flashed his dual-threat skillset, racking up 390 total yards. Against a solid Gators’ defense, Reed finished with 261 yards, three total touchdowns and no turnovers.

Reed’s biggest play came after the Florida offense finally got something going. Redshirt senior QB Graham Mertz threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 13 to begin the second half, finally putting some pressure on A&M.

Reed took the field with the raucous crowd at The Swamp gaining momentum. On a play-action pass, he cooly rolled left and lofted a deep pass to junior wide receiver Cyrus Allen, who finished the job and made it all the way to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown. A&M went up 26-7 and never looked back.

It didn’t take long for Reed to show the Gainesville, Florida crowd why he was a top-20 quarterback recruit in 2023. On the second play of the game, Reed broke contain and scurried down the right sideline for a 31-yard gain.

Early in the game, Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong threw a lot of complex looks and pressure at the untested passer. Reed didn’t blink. The Nashville, Tennessee native remained poised and found graduate WR Moose Muhammed III and senior tight end Tre Watson on a pair of third downs to keep the sticks moving on the opening drive. The drive eventually ended in a graduate kicker Randy Bond’s 31-yard field goal.

“I think the dig ball that [Reed] threw to Moose Muhammed was probably every bit as important and impressive, that he stood in the pocket and drilled that one across the middle,” coach Mike Elko said of Reed’s mobility.

On the Aggies’ second offensive drive, Armstrong continued to toss second-level blitzers at Reed, and the quarterback made him pay. Finding his wide receivers on short passes to beat the oncoming pass rush, Reed took advantage of offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s clever play designs. Reed identified a busted coverage on the Gators’ back end and tossed a 29-yard touchdown up the middle to Swedish sophomore TE Theo Melin Öhrström.

The diversity of Klein’s playbook seemed to open up as the game went along. During the third quarter, Reed began to take advantage of a potent Aggie run game and made the choice to take the ball himself on option plays with his legs, gaining 83 yards on 13 attempts and a touchdown on a sneak.

“That’s the dimension [Reed] has,” Elko said. “He has the ability that when a play breaks down. He can utilize his legs and can make something happen.”

The gunslinger also looked comfortable reading defenses and feeling the flow of the Gators’ secondary. Reed misplaced a long throw to junior WR Noah Thomas but made the correct read against a Tampa 2 defense to try a deep shot. Reed’s restraint as a scrambler stood out, as he often got out of the pocket while still attempting passes after the defense adjusted, including a toss to senior WR Jabre Barber.

With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and A&M up multiple scores, the Aggies just needed one play to ice the game. Reed called his own number, got around the left corner and juked Florida senior defensive back DJ Douglas to the ground to get the first and put the final nail in the Gators’ coffin.

While it’s undoubtedly valuable to have a deep quarterback room, Elko will have to navigate a quarterback controversy and decide whether Reed or Weigman gives the Aggies the best chance to reach their goals this season.