Marcel Reed reveals his first experience at LSU's Tiger Stadium was 'a little underwhelming'

Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed called his first experience at Tiger Stadium “a little underwhelming,” during his freshman season in 2023. Two seasons later, he’s hoping to get the real experience under the bright lights in Baton Rouge during Week 9.

“It wasn’t a night game,” Reed explained, joining Mark Ingram, Urban Meyer and Rob Stone on the Triple Option Podcast to discuss the Aggies’ fast start to the season and upcoming matchups.

“I think it was 11 a.m. (CT) So, a little underwhelming at that point, but I’m just really excited to see what the atmosphere is like. You know, I’ve heard a lot of things. I’ve heard the fans are crazy. They do all types of stuff. And then we’re gonna be running out the tunnel, people talking, there’s going to be smoke in the air because they shoot fireworks.”

Reed did not record any stats during the 2023 matchup — a 42-30 win for LSU. This year’s matchup will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET with a national audience on ABC to watch Reed attempt to give the Aggies an 8-0 start to the season.

Last season’s matchup was a different story. The Aggies defeated LSU 38-23 in College Station after outscoring the Tigers 31-6 in the second half.

A victory over the Tigers on Saturday would mean that Texas A&M’s record would improve to 8-0 for the first time since 1992. That year, the Aggies finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record. 

Additionally, Texas A&M’s 4-0 start to SEC play is the second time in as many years that head coach Mike Elko’s squad has been undefeated the begin conference play — the third time they’ve done so since joining the SEC in 2012. They went 5-0 last season before suffering their first SEC defeat.

Saturday’s matchup is also the second game in a three-game road trip for the Aggies. Last week, Texas A&M outlasted Arkansas 45-42 and will travel to Missouri to play a ranked Tigers team in Columbia.

After giving up 42 points to the highest-scoring offense in the SEC, expect Texas A&M to pressure the Tigers often during the contest. Elko’s defensive group ranks sixth nationally in sacks (3.6 per game) and tackles for losses (7.9) coming into the matchup. Texas A&M has produced at least 6.0 TFLs in every game, which included 8.0 vs. Arkansas last week.

Reed and the Aggies offense have been firing on all cylinders as well. Over the past three games against SEC opponents, the Aggies are averaging 36.7 points. They’ll look to continue that again this weekend under the lights in Baton Rouge.