Texas A&M undecided on starting quarterback. South Carolina plans to be ready for both
The presumption all week has been Marcel Reed will start at quarterback for Texas A&M this weekend. Just based off the numbers and the jolt he gave the Aggies in a 38-23 win over LSU last Saturday, it makes sense.
But in a college football season where nothing has truly made sense, it’s not a guarantee that Reed will be the starter against South Carolina. Aggies head coach Mike Elko has kept things close to the vest and not named a starting quarterback.
And Elko has no reason to give away what his plans are. LSU admitted it wasn’t prepared for the possibility of seeing two quarterbacks, Reed and Conner Weigman, and the results proved that in a 31-6 second half drubbing.
Now this week, South Carolina is not taking any chances and preparing for both quarterbacks.
“We have an idea that we’re definitely going to see both quarterbacks at some point, maybe one or maybe two,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “But our guys understand rushing quarterbacks in this league. The past couple weeks have been very mobile guys. I think most of the guys can move around.”
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Saying the defense is going to be ready for both guys is one thing. But it’s not as simple as that. Reed and Weigman are different in a lot of ways. Reed, who has played sporadically this season, is much more of a dual-threat player. He can certainly beat you with his legs. He only threw two passes against LSU, but he had a 54-yard completion and hasn’t thrown an interception yet.
On the other hand, Weigman is a pass-first quarterback. He’s only completed 56.9 percent of his passes so far, but he’s shown at times he can be as accurate as it gets. In a 41-10 win over Missouri a few weeks ago, he finished 18-of-22 passing, good for an 81.8 completion percentage.
Whichever direction Elko and A&M decide to go at quarterback, it’s going to be a challenge for the Gamecocks. There is some good news, though. By this point in the year, South Carolina has faced a wide variety of quarterbacks, whether it’s Alabama’s Jalen Milroe’s dual-threat abilities or LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier being more of a gunslinger.
“It definitely helps, for sure. It’s not their first time going against a mobile quarterback,” White said. “Some of your things, some of your tools that you put in your toolbox for those kind of quarterbacks is already in there. They’ve already been used. They’re not tools that you have to kind of open the pack and then they’re rusty. That’s always good to have those things already oiled up and ready to go.”
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On top of having those key experiences, the defense also goes up against its own quarterbacks every day in practice. LaNorris Sellers and Robby Ashford, who can provide multiple looks, have given the defense what it needs to feel good this weekend.
“We call it ‘bank reps’ so they’re sitting in the bank. We’ve been using it and we just got to keep using them. You have to make sure you’re practicing it well and your quarterbacks are giving you a good look, because it can surprise you on a game day if you don’t work it and you don’t go against it,” White said.
“Like I said, it really helps that we have LaNorris and Robby, so when we go good on good against our offense, we’re getting the same exact feel that we would get on a Saturday against a mobile quarterback.”
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By the time South Carolina and the Aggies kick off on Saturday, (7:30 p.m., ABC), the Gamecocks should have a good idea of who will be under center on the other side. A&M might end up using both players throughout the game. One of the big keys for the defense will be to be “sound in our rushes.”
“Let’s not get too crazy on speed rushes,” Kyle Kennard said, “and jumping outside very quickly knowing that we might see a mobile quarterback and we might have to face his legs. So, containing that part of (Reed) and just doing that and controlling our rush.”
