The Mike Elko era officially began with the Maroon & White Game on Saturday in a true old-school spring game. While cancelations and dog and pony shows chip away at the spring dress rehearsal, the Aggies bucked the trend. Texas A&M allowed its two captains – left tackle Trey Zuhn and linebacker Taurean York – to pick teams for the four-quarter football game at Kyle Field. 

“I think our kids deserve an opportunity at the end of spring to go out and play a game,” Elko said during the week. “It is really hard to go 14 practices and end with another intrasquad scrimmage. We want to do the best we can to make it game-like.” 

The next time his team steps onto Kyle Field in front of the 12th Man will be for the season-opener against Notre Dame. Fans in attendance on Saturday, and the ones who avoided the rain by watching the stream, saw a lot of new faces on a team that’s added over two dozen transfers since Elko took over. 

Zuhn’s Maroon squad won 24-10 in a crisp effort considering the circumstances. 

FIVE THOUGHTS 

Marcel Reed shines: The best performance of any of the Aggie quarterbacks on Saturday was Reed’s. After missing his first attempt of the game, he completed 10 of his next 11, including a one-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas to end the first half. The quarterback position is intriguing with Collin Klein taking over as the new offensive coordinator. Conner Weigman returns and figures to be the starter, but his injury history suggests the Aggies need multiple quarterbacks. Reed and Jaylen Henderson figure to be the options as the No. 2. If Saturday was any indication, Reed has a leg up. 

Nic Scourton is the truth: Anyone who leads the Big 10 in sacks is probably legit but seeing it with your own eyes is comforting. For the Wrecking Crew to terrorize defenses the way Elko expects, they must get after the quarterback. Scourton was unblockable on Saturday, ending the day with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL. He also batted down a Weigman pass at the line of scrimmage. Scourton wasn’t the only edge player to shine for Texas A&M during the spring game because Shemar Stewart also excelled. 

Le’Veon Moss looks like the workhorse: Texas A&M ran the ball 53 times in the spring game – Moss ran it 13 times, which was seven more than any other player. Moss finished with 69 yards and a touchdown. He was running behind most of the expected first-team offensive line while Reuben Owens and Amari Daniels played for the White team. Owens did show his big-play ability late in the game with a 61-yard touchdown run. 

The offensive line and secondary are incomplete puzzles: Observers weren’t provided with many hints about the starting units along the offensive line and secondary because the teams were assembled via captain picks. Elko said numerous times during the spring that the Aggies are mixing and matching players on the offensive line and in the secondary. Trey Zuhn is etched into the starting lineup at left tackle. The guard spots feel like a three-man battle between Chase Bisontis, Kam Dewberry, and Ar’maj Reed-Adams. Center received a boost before the spring game when Utah transfer Koli Faaiu pledged to the Aggies. Right tackle is the question mark. Both Dametrius Crownover and Reuben Fahteree II played today with mixed results against Texas A&M edge rushers. All five secondary spots feel like open competitions heading into the summer. Bryce Anderson looked more comfortable as a deep safety.

Scooby Williams looks like a starter: York is the clear leader of the defense, but his running mate was a question mark because Edgerrin Cooper is prepping for the NFL draft. Williams, a Florida transfer, tied with York with five tackles during the spring game. He looked comfortable at the second level.