WHAT HAPPENED: Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed, making the first start of his career, accounted for 261 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in engineering a Texas A&M offense that met little resistance on the way to handing Florida a 33-20 defeat in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams Saturday at Spurrier/Florida Field. Reed, who replaced injured sophomore starter Connor Weigman, completed 11 of 17 passes for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing 13 times for 83 yards and a score, and easily stole the game's QB storyline from UF counterparts Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway.When the final numbers were in, A&M had snapped a 10-game road losing streak by scoring on its first five possessions, cranked out 488 yards of total offense, did not turn the ball over and dominated time of possession by more than 15 minutes. The game, which was delayed for 47 minutes in the first half due to lightning in the area, was lopsided from the start, with the Aggies scoring on all four of their first-half possessions (and first of the second, as it turned out). Reed's 29-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter was sandwiched between a pair of Randy Bond field goals. Those three scores came while the UF offense took just 12 snaps on its first four series and totaled minus-17 yards. The killer sequence, though, came after Florida punterJeremy Crawshaw pinned A&M at its 1 with 8:07 to play in the first half. The Aggies proceeded to drive 99 yards in 15 plays — without a pass — and scored on Reed's 1-yard sneak with 44 seconds to go before intermission to take a 20-0 lead into the locker room. At that point, the yards stood at 302-73 in favor of the visitors, with the Gators at minus-4 yards rushing, and offensive snaps favored the Aggies 53-18. Mertz started the second half and threw a 14-yard TD pass toElijhah Badger to make it 20-7 barely three minutes into the third quarter. The Aggies needed just two plays and 49 seconds to answer, as Reed rolled to his left, threw back against his body and hit Cyrus Allen running all alone behind the UF secondary for a 73-yard touchdown bomb and 26-7 lead. The two-point conversion attempt was no good. After an exchange of punts, A&M safety Bryce Anderson picked off a deflected Mertz pass in stride and raced 45 yards untouched for a touchdown and 33-7 lead. UF managed two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, one with each quarterback, both on marches of 70-plus yards, to make the scoreboard and stat sheet appear closer. Lagway threw a 17-yard touchdown to Chimere Dike, while Mertz drove the unit to a 2-yard plunge from Ja'Kobi Jackson with 5:13 to go. Mertz finished 12 of 15 for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Lagway struggled to find the rhythm that allowed him to torch FCS-class Samford for 458 yards last weekend. He completed just six of 13 throws for 54 yards, one score, two interceptions and was sacked twice. The Aggies rushed for 310 yards, led by by Le'Veon Moss's 110 on 18 carries.
UF wideout Elijhah Badger after this third-quarter touchdown reception, one of the few bright spots for the Gators' offense Saturday. (Photo: Catherine McCarthy/UAA Communications)
WHAT IT MEANS: Make that three of the last four years that the Gators have dropped their SEC opener and now have lost six home games under Coach Billy Napier. That so-called "noise in the system" is about to return, following a week off optimism and and praise for the young quarterback. Lagway, though, got a dose of SEC reality Saturday.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Mertz definitely outperformed Lagway, for whatever that means for the rest of the season. Reed, though, way outperformed both of them.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Coming into the game, A&M's last true road victory was a 35-14 win at Missouri on Oct. 16, 2021. Of the 10 in a row the Aggies had lost since, half were against ranked teams.
UP NEXT: Florida (1-2, 0-1) goes on the road for the first time this season with a date at Mississippi State (1-1, 0-0). For the Bulldogs, who lost at home 41-14 to Toledo Saturday night, the game will represent their SEC opener after starting the season with a 56-7 home win over Eastern Kentucky, followed by a 30-23 loss at Arizona State. The Gators own a 34-19-2 all-time advantage in the series, including a 13-6 win at Starkville in 2018. Next week's game will be just the second in the series over the previous 14 seasons.
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