Missouri Tigers prepare to face Aggies’ backup quarterback at Texas A&M Saturday
After missing the last three weeks with a strained throwing shoulder, Texas A&M starting quarterback Conner Weigman will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s matchup with Missouri, Aggies coach Mike Elko said.
Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers are preparing to face the Aggies without him.
Weigman, a redshirt sophomore, has appeared in just two games for the Aggies this season, throwing for 225 yards, a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions on 44 pass attempts before being shut down with a strain in his throwing shoulder.
If Weigman is unable to play Saturday, redshirt freshman Marcel Reed will start in his place. Reed has appeared in four games this year for the Aggies. The former four-star recruit was tabbed as the SEC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 16 for his efforts in a road victory at Florida.
“Their new quarterback, Marcel Reed, has clearly become the focal point of what they’re doing offensively,” Drinkwitz said. “I know on their depth chart it says the other kid (Weigman) is the starting quarterback. That’s just semantics, in my opinion. ... (Reed)‘s 3-0 as a starter. I don’t see them going back.”
Family ties
Saturday could potentially be Reed’s first game against Missouri, but that doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with the program. In fact, the Nashville native has a deep connection to Missouri. His older sister, Briah, happens to work for the university’s football program.
The elder Reed — an Alabama graduate — joined the Tigers football staff in the offseason. Reed previously worked as Head Coach Student Assistant at Alabama prior to her graduation and announced her move to Missouri on June 24.
Officially titled Assistant Director of On Campus Recruiting, Reed works closely with the Tigers on the practice field throughout the season — except not this week.
“She’s not allowed at practice this week. Didn’t know that until about three weeks ago,” Drinkwitz said. “Obviously, I’m happy for their family. Bree does an excellent job here.”
Silencing the Kyle Field crowd
Kyle Field has earned a reputation for being among the most rowdy environments in college football, and for good reason.
The Southeastern Conference cathedral holds 102,733 seats, making it the sixth-largest stadium in the world and fourth-largest in college football.
Despite the colossal crowds that Kyle Field can draw, the Tigers aren’t all too concerned with the fan factor of Saturday’s Top 25 contest.
“I think at some point, it can only get so loud,” Missouri quarterback Brady Cook said. “It’s kind of just part of the experience, part of the challenge.”
Cook went on to say that the road-like atmospheres that Missouri recreates in its practice facilities are “just as loud or louder” than other SEC road environments he’s played in.
“We’ve been doing that every single rep this week. So hopefully the offense and me and the rest of the guys are feeling good going into the first series.”
Wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. - an Allen, Texas native - also downplayed the crowd’s importance ahead of the Tigers’ first road game of the season.
“As long as we execute, the crowd won’t be loud,” Wease said.
Speedy Johnson slowed by ailment
MU receiver Speedy Johnson’s regular-season return to his home state of Texas may be spoiled by a bum ankle.
Johnson, a sophomore from Dickinson in the Houston metro area, left the Tigers’ Week 4 contest against Vanderbilt late in the third quarter and subsequently limped to the locker room. He did not return to the game.
Postgame, coach Drinkwitz downplayed the severity of Johnson’s injury, saying that the team doesn’t see the injury as severe. Now, over a week later, questions loom about Johnson’s availability for the Tigers’ first game after their bye week.
Through their first four contests, Johnson finds himself third on the team in receptions with 12 for 117 yards. Should the sophomore require another week of rest before returning to game action, graduate student Mookie Cooper could be in line for an increased workload.
“Other than Marquis, everybody is going to be ready to roll,” Drinkwitz said.
Upcoming Aggies remain in Top 25
After a tightly contested matchup with Arkansas resulting in a 21-17 win for Texas A&M, it appeared that Missouri’s Week 5 opponent would remain in the AP Top 25 and turn Saturday’s contest in College Station into a ranked affair. Upon the AP’s release of its Week 5 poll, however, that was seemingly not the case.
It initially appeared that the previously 24th ranked Aggies had dropped out of the poll entirely: 4-1 Texas A&M had not only not remained in the Top-25 but had received no votes whatsoever, according to the AP’s website. Fortunately for the Aggies, and for Missouri’s strength of schedule, that was not the case.
As it turns out, an unusual voting pattern had caused a glitch in the AP’s system. Both Texas A&M and the Mountain West Conference’s UNLV, led by former Missouri coach Barry Odom, received an identical number of votes in the week’s poll and resulted in a tie for the 25th spot in the poll.
The AP’s website was not programmed to handle this unusual situation and erroneously omitted Texas A&M from the website, resulting in confusion.
The Aggies will be the Tigers’ second ranked opponent of the season. Missouri defeated then-No. 24 Boston College 27-21 on Sept. 14.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Missouri Tigers prepare to face Aggies’ backup quarterback at Texas A&M Saturday."