Marcel Reed Gets Candid About Texas A&M's Offensive Line After 50-0 Win

Despite what the 50-0 final score may indicate, Saturday wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Texas A&M offense against Missouri State.

Even while facing a vastly overmatched opponent in the season opener, the offense showed plenty of room to grow, as they only managed a 19-0 lead in the first-half. That was before coming out of the locker room following halftime and lighting up the scoreboard with 31 points in the final two quarters.

So, what proved to be the difference? Why did the Aggies finish faster than they started? Per starting quarterback Marcel Reed, it took a little bit of time for the new offensive line to find its footing.

“We kind of had to come to the sideline and figure things out,” Reed said of the offensive line following Saturday’s win. “We weren't sure what they were bringing to us from a game plan standpoint all the time, so we had to come to the sideline. And you know, once we figured that out, we came in at halftime and made the adjustments.”

Marcel Red — Sep 5, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Adjusting

Talent wasn’t the question coming into the season for the offensive line. It was more about how the unit, which is made up of mostly transfers, would gel going into the season. Only Mark Nabou, the starting center, is a returning starter from last year’s offensive line, which makes for a massive lack of continuity.

Texas A&M’s group, which featured four starters who transferred into the program this offseason, needed time to settle in, especially with the scheme Missouri State utilized to attack them early.

“I think the O-line's communication got better. We started to figure out, you know, what it took to, you know, get things passed off or whatever, and they were bringing a lot of pressure at any point in time, …” Reed said. “So we kind of had to figure that out quickly and just some of the plays that we called, but you know, once we got that done, we started to figure it out. Became more comfortable within our offense.”

No place did the offensive line’s comfort show up more than in the run game. After being held to just 76 yards on 22 attempts in the first half, the ground game picked up steam in the final two quarters.

Texas A&M rushed for 160 yards on 25 carries in the second half, with Terry Bussey, Jamarion Morrow, and Carsyn Baker all finding the end zone.

It was a slower start than many would’ve liked from the front five, yet they finished strong.

“I know that they're going to get it done every single Saturday,” Reed said. “So you know, it just it just takes us get in the film room and understand we got to do each Saturday.”

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