Texas A&M Heisman candidate Marcel Reed says South Carolina game 'is personal'

South Carolina (3-6; 1-6) and Texas A&M (9-0; 6-0) will play this Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station. The Gamecocks won last year’s Battle for the Bonham Trophy, 44-20, in Columbia.

Because of that beatdown, Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed argued this week that the rematch is a bigger deal for the undefeated A&M squad than just another opportunity on the schedule and a somewhat-manufactured “rivalry” that the SEC created in 2014.

“It is personal,” he said. “They were one of the teams that kind of got us out of getting into the Playoff last year. They took us out of the SEC Championship conversation.”

Texas A&M went 8-4 during the 2024 regular season and finished 5-3 in SEC play. Had the Aggies beaten South Carolina, they would have been 9-3 and 6-2 in league play, tying them with several other teams for second in the SEC. Depending on how the tiebreakers would have played out, A&M could have earned a spot in the SEC title game against Texas.

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Reed didn’t have his best game against USC last season, either. Playing as a redshirt freshman, he threw an interception and had two fumbles in the loss to the Gamecocks. He also posted his second-lowest QBR of the season against Carolina.

Despite it being personal, Reed said that he and his Texas A&M teammates can’t dwell too much on the 2024 disappointment. “Obviously, you can’t, you know, look back at last year and try to bring that type of energy into it,” he explained.

Remaining in the present should be a little easier for the Aggies, as the 2025 versions of the Aggies and Gamecocks don’t look quite the same as the ones that took the field last season.

This year has been much better for Reed, too. He is a Heisman Trophy candidate and has led Texas A&M to a perfect 9-0 record. He has thrown for 2193 yards, scored 25 total touchdowns, and thrown six interceptions.

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At the time of this writing, South Carolina is a 19.5-point underdog ahead of Saturday’s SEC showdown. Despite taking the last two in Columbia, the Gamecocks have never won in College Station.

Kickoff between Carolina and A&M is set for noon (Eastern). ESPN will handle the broadcast, while the ESPN app makes the action on the field available via streaming.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!