Before No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) takes on No. 19 Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC) in Columbia on Saturday afternoon, Texas A&M freshmen defensive end Marco Jones and running back Jamarion Morrow spoke to the media on Tuesday. Missouri safety Jalen Catalon represented the Tigers.
The Aggies are 8-0 for the first time since 1992 after blowing out LSU 42-25 in Week 9. It was their first win in Baton Rouge since 1994. The sky is truly the limit for a program that has not won nine games since the 2020 season. In addition to Texas A&M’s elite defense, starting quarterback Marcel Reed is playing at a Heisman level through the first 10 weeks.
So far, the redshirt sophomore has thrown for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 359 yards and six scores. Against LSU, Reed threw for 202 yards and ran for 108, producing four total touchdowns. After two first-half interceptions, he led the Aggies down the field on nearly every drive in the second half.
While most fellow players respect Reed’s ability as a pocket passer, his awareness and ability to gain chunk yards on the ground and utilize his legs more often has led to the tired and overused trope that dual-threat quarterbacks have to rely running the ball to find success. That led to Catalon’s locker-room material-worthy quote regarding how the Tigers plan to slow Texas A&M’s 19th-ranked offense.
“We just have to make him play quarterback.”
While disrespectful, Catalon and the Tigers hope to make Texas A&M’s offense one-dimensional, meaning eliminating the run game and force Reed to pass on nearly every down. Still, it’s almost like Catalon is ignoring the fact that he’ll be covering transfer wide receiver Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, who have not had an issue against any secondary this season.
Per Pro Football Focus, Catalon has allowed six receptions for 61 yards, while earning poor to average coverage grades against Kansas (53.3) and Vanderbilt (61.0).
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Missouri safety sends a message to Texas A&M star quarterback
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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