Greg McElroy predicts Texas A&M to win, Florida to cover in SEC showdown

Florida vs. No. 5 Texas A&M is one of the more under-the-radar, very good matchups for this weekend in the SEC. Now, Greg McElroy has made his pick for who will win between the Gators and Aggies in College Station on Saturday.

On ‘Always College Football’ this week, McElroy made several picks from the schedule for tomorrow in Week 7. That included this one between Florida and A&M, which he mentioned does feature an interesting coaching matchup but is highlighted by quite the quarterback duel between DJ Lagway and Marcel Reed.

“The signal-caller showdown here features DJ Lagway, who has been going through a bit of a roller coaster of a season through five games,” McElroy said. “The numbers are not remarkable, the seven picks are what stands out the most, and, prior to the Texas game, he looked pretty rusty. I mean, he had an offseason injury to his shoulder, he’s had time spent in a walking boot with a calf injury or lower body injury.

“But, against the Longhorns, he was at his very best – maybe his best performance of his career. This was a big breakthrough, and it kind of got us back to thinking about DJ Lagway in the way we thought we’d be thinking about DJ Lagway here in the early part of the season. He’s the real deal when he’s on his A-game, and, last week, he was on his A-game. Can it carry over?

“Marcel Reed, on the other side? He was, at times early in his career, kind of a run-first quarterback, but he has really kind of shed that label to an extent and become really well-rounded and pretty efficient,” McElroy continued. “He still has elite speed. He is constantly a threat in the open field to break you down with his legs.”

Among his five keys to this game, McElroy first mentioned A&M’s passing game against Florida’s secondary on defense. Reed is completing just 59.7% of his attempts, but doing so for 251.2 yards per game and 11 passing touchdowns, targeting one of the best pass-catching duos in the country in Mario Craver and KC Concepcion.

“How will A&M’s passing attack fare against Florida’s secondary?” McElroy asked. “Texas A&M has one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the country. They have a super talented one-two punch at wide receiver…Right now, Marcel Reed is averaging 8.7 yards per attempt, so they’ve been efficient and these guys do a great job after the catch. And they’re going against a Florida secondary that has been a little bit banged up, but played pretty well against the Texas Longhorns last week.”

Two of the other points were about the teams’ respective pass rushes and how they could each impact the game, namely for those two quarterbacks. The Gators have 9.0 sacks and 24 TFLs, with 6.0 sacks and 7 TFLs coming in just their last game against Texas. The Aggies have 18 sacks and 41 TFLS, being one of the best in the country, so far this season.

“How will Florida’s offensive line hold up against A&M’s defensive front? Florida’s offensive line was, for the most part, excellent in the game against Texas,” McElroy said. “They created some opportunities in the run game for Jadan Baugh, who went for over 100. They provided a fairly clean pocket for DJ Lagway…I thought the offensive line, though, given the matchup played very, very well. They’re going against a really big test in Texas A&M’s defensive front. They’re fourth in the country in sack percentage. So, if Florida’s line can replicate its performance and kind of neutralize the Aggies’ pass rush, it will give Lagway the time he needs to operate and to find his playmakers down the field. But, if A&M wins this battle, they could force Lagway into hurried, off-balance throws that have led to turnovers throughout the season.”

Considering all things, especially being in Aggieland, McElroy then made his pick for the game in going with A&M to remain undefeated at 6-0. But, based on what they found last weekend against the Longhorns, McElroy thinks Florida can at least go on the road and cover, with the Gators currently being a one-score underdog plus a hook according to BetMGM.

“I’d take the points in this game. I think Florida can kind of bloody Texas A&M’s nose, but A&M will hold up better in the trenches than Texas did,” McElroy said. “Aggies win, Florida covers in what I think will be a very physical football game there at Kyle Field.”

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