In the words of Darius Rucker, “there’s two times of year for me: football season, and waiting for football season.”
After three long months without college football, it’s finally back. Well, kind of.
Texas A&M football ended its spring campaign on Saturday, April 18, with the Maroon & White Game. The 12th Man packed into Kyle Field — free of charge — to feast their eyes on this year’s roster. The scrimmage satisfied offensive and defensive superfans alike, with Maroon beating White, 15-13, in fourth-quarter fashion.
As White left the huddle for its inaugural offensive drive, redshirt junior quarterback Marcel Reed stepped onto the field for the first time since throwing a game-sealing interception against Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20, 2025.
With his first snap under center, Reed preserved his arm, handing the ball to sophomore running back Jamarion Morrow. White showed flashes of productivity on its first drive, including a 23-yard rush by Morrow and a 15-yard pass to junior wide receiver Mario Craver. But failing to convert in the red zone, it settled for a 31-yard field goal by graduate student kicker David Olano.
Over the course of the 2025 season, A&M’s kicking staff converted 16 of its 26 field goal attempts, featuring a season-high 49-yard field goal by graduate student kicker Randy Bond against Notre Dame on Sept. 13, 2025.
Freshman K Asher Murray forecasted future success for the Aggies’ special teams, knocking down a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter. Murray and Olano combined for a perfect 5-of-5 from field-goal range.
Maroon found early success on offense, as the Aggies’ prospective backup arm, redshirt freshman QB Brady Hart and Alabama transfer graduate student WR Isaiah Horton found each other quickly, connecting for a 16-yard pass.
“I thought he did a lot of what we had hoped that he would be able to do for us: make contested catches,” head coach Mike Elko said. “ … Obviously, we were huge fans of him, trying to get him to come here. We were excited that we were able to land him. He’s had a really good spring for us, and, obviously, we expect him to be a major player for us this fall.”
Broken by rushing attacks from redshirt junior RB Rueben Owens II, Hart made connections with an array of Aggie wide receivers, including redshirt freshman TK Norman and redshirt sophomore Ashton Bethel-Roman.
In an outing that featured 517 yards of total offense, White’s defense secured its only house call of the game with a 30-yard interception return by sophomore linebacker Noah Mikhail. White outperformed Maroon in all defensive categories, most notably towering above Maroon by 76 yards in tackles for loss.
With two minutes left in the second quarter, the Aggies headed to the locker room for an early halftime due to a lower left leg injury to senior LB Daymion Sanford. Prior to A&M’s spring game, Sanford was named a team captain for the 2026 season, but after being carted off the field with an air splint, it’s unclear if he’ll return for the Aggies’ fall campaign.
“Losing a player like that, it’s not something that can be replaced,” Mikhail said. “As much as we want to rally and not think about it, it’s definitely still there. It’s still going to hurt. It’s not going to go away. But, as bad as it is, we have to push forward and just see what holds us next.”
Offensive relationships seemed to survive their four-month football hiatus, as Reed and Craver connected 40 yards downfield in the third quarter. Reed led 6-of-8 drives for White, going 7-for-13 for 80 yards before temporarily substituting out for redshirt freshman QB Eli Morcos. The Montgomery native completed four passes for 60 yards, highlighted by a pair of second-down dimes to redshirt freshman WR Will Hargett.
On the Maroon side of the ball, Hart led the aerial attack, going 9-for-16 for 74 yards. Freshman QB Helaman Casuga took snaps under center, but failed to pick up more than a pair of completions until the final drive of the game.
Eight minutes into the fourth quarter, Maroon took the field at its own 39-yard line, facing a 13-9 deficit and hoping for a miracle. With three straight eight-yard plays, freshman RB Carsyn Baker marched his team into opposing territory.
After back-to-back incomplete passes, Casuga scrambled for the first down to keep Maroon’s drive alive on a pivotal fourth-down play. On 3rd-and-10, the freshman field commander connected with redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Braden for an 11-yard pass to move within three yards of the red zone.
With only seconds remaining on the scoreboard, Casuga met Braden in the middle of the field to put Maroon ahead, 15-13, with a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Casuga went 3-for-8 in his game-winning offensive campaign, passing for 42 yards and a touchdown.
“I think what you saw at the end was what we want the spring game to be, which is the kids having fun and playing football,” Elko said. “ … It’s still competition, you’re still playing to win, and you still get unbelievable energy. That’s what, to me, spring games are. It’s literally all about the kids for me. It’s about them getting to choose teams. It’s about them getting to go play a real game. It’s about them getting to go out there in Kyle Field and enjoy it. I think it’s a really good opportunity for those guys.”
With 140 days until A&M kicks off its season at Kyle Field against Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 5, the Aggies will turn their attention to their summer training programs, as they prepare for their upcoming CFP campaign.
