Arkansas at Texas A&M: Silverfield Defends Struggling Marcel Reed

Arkansas (2-2, 0-1 SEC) visits Texas A&M (2-2, 0-2) on Saturday, Oct. 3, with Ryan Silverfield defending struggling Aggies QB Marcel Reed despite a two-game slide.

Arkansas and Texas A&M meet Saturday, Oct. 3, with identical 2-2 records and little margin for error in SEC play. The Razorbacks carry an 0-1 conference mark into a road game against an Aggies team that has started 0-2 in the league.

The two programs arrive at the game from very different places. Arkansas came into its Week 4 home date with Tulsa facing heavy scrutiny and came away with a win it badly needed. Texas A&M has since lost consecutive conference games, and another defeat this weekend could effectively end the Aggies' postseason hopes.

Quarterback Marcel Reed has become the focal point of Texas A&M's slide. Across the losses to Kentucky and LSU, he threw one touchdown with three interceptions. LSU limited him to 106 yards passing, a 38.5% completion rate and four sacks, raising fresh questions about his play.

Silverfield is refusing to judge Reed on two bad weeks. He described the quarterback as having the ability of a first-round draft pick, dismissed the criticism as a rush to conclusions based on a small sample, and noted that Reed's passing had previously carried the Aggies into the College Football Playoff.

Reed's track record supports that caution. Last season he produced 31 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards passing, and he is back for a third year as the starter. His return was a major reason Texas A&M opened the year as a consensus top-10 team with playoff expectations.

The broader numbers are also working against the Aggies. Their offense ranks 112th nationally in yards per game and 108th in passing, and the defense has likewise fallen short of expectations.

Reed's mobility may be his best path to attacking Arkansas. Utah's Devon Dampier and Georgia's Gunner Stockton, two quarterbacks willing to run, combined for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the Razorbacks. Silverfield said the staff tries to simulate those situations in practice but finds them hard to recreate, pointing to the Georgia, Utah and even North Alabama games as issues that need correcting.

Aside from one long designed run by Stockton, most of the damage has come when quarterbacks improvise on passing plays. Silverfield did not reveal his plan for Reed, though the Razorbacks could use a spy and will need to hold their rushing lanes and finish sack opportunities. If they cannot force Reed into the mistakes Kentucky and LSU produced, a road upset becomes far less likely.

On offense, Silverfield made his first meaningful in-game offensive line change of the season against Tulsa, replacing Bryant Williams with Adam Hawkes at right tackle midway through the third quarter. Williams had played 53 snaps to Hawkes' 29, and Arkansas kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown on Hawkes' four drives. Silverfield would not commit to either player starting against Texas A&M, saying the plan is to open with the same five linemen while keeping competition alive. Hawkes holds a 74.1 Pro Football Focus grade on limited snaps versus 54.8 for Williams, and the Razorbacks rank 129th nationally at 3.25 sacks allowed per game.