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. At the same time, Missouri safety Jalen Catalon represented the Tigers.
For the Aggies, sitting at 8-0 for the first time since 1992, after blowing out LSU 42-25 in Week 9, also earning 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, and outside of Texas A&M’s elite defense, starting quarterback Marcel Reed is playing at a Heisman level through the first ten weeks.
So far, the redshirt sophomore has thrown for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns, combined with 359 rushing yards and six scores. Against LSU, Reed threw for 202 and ran for 108 yards, producing four total touchdowns, and, despite two first-half interceptions, led the Aggies down the field on nearly every drive in the second half.
However, while most fellow players respect Reed’s ability as a pocket passer, his increased awareness 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, leading to Jalen Catalon’s locker-room material-worthy quote regarding how the Tigers plan to slow down 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 forcing Marcel 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, Jalen 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 S Jalen Catalon sends message to Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed
