COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed said he does not like Texas and that the Texas Longhorns will have to pay for beating the Aggies in each of the past two seasons, in an interview with USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer published Tuesday.
Toppmeyer conducted the interview in April, after a Texas A&M spring practice, and it ran Tuesday morning as part of a profile of Reed. The Aggies open the season Saturday.
Reed is 0-2 as a starter against Texas, and both of those losses ended Texas A&M’s path to the SEC Championship game.
“I hate the color orange,” Reed said. “The colors just look so ugly.”
Reed told Toppmeyer that burnt orange is hard to escape in Austin and that hating Texas comes with the rivalry. The back-to-back losses still bother him, especially with the Longhorns coming to Kyle Field this season. Reed said he has something for them.
Marcel Reed’s Record Against The Texas Longhorns
Texas A&M’s latest loss to Texas came Nov. 28, 2025, a 27-17 defeat in Austin. Reed completed 20 of 32 passes for 180 yards, with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. He picked up another 71 yards on 12 carries. Reed took a hit in the first quarter and had to leave for the remainder of that drive. He returned when Texas A&M got the ball back. After the game, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said the injury was not why Reed struggled.
The Aggies entered the game 11-0, their best start since 1992. They fell from No. 3 to No. 7 after the loss.
Texas beat Texas A&M 17-7 at Kyle Field the year before. It was the first time the rivalry had been played since 2011.
Three weeks after the Austin loss, Texas A&M played host to a College Football Playoff game for the first time in program history. Miami won 10-3. Reed went 25 of 39 for 237 yards, with 2 interceptions, and took seven sacks. His final throw was picked off in the end zone on third-and-goal, ending the Aggies’ last possession. Miami went on to play for the national title.
Reed’s final season line was 234 of 377 for 3,169 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. On the ground, he finished with 493 yards and 6 touchdowns on 104 carries. His 3,169 passing yards ranked fourth in the SEC. Through three seasons and 27 games, Reed has 5,407 career passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, and 19 interceptions.
Mike Elko On Marcel Reed’s Offseason
Elko said during fall camp that Reed is more comfortable, knows the reads, and knows what the progressions are supposed to look like.
“He’s taken the step we hoped he would take,” Elko said.
Reed said he spent part of the offseason going back over protections and blitz looks, along with the interception that ended the Miami game.
“I’ve not turned the ball over,” Reed explained. “I think I have done a really good job with that.”
Texas A&M Gets Texas At Kyle Field On Nov. 27
Texas A&M and Texas meet Friday, Nov. 27, at Kyle Field in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. It will be meeting No. 121 between the schools, with the rivalry landing on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a second straight year. Texas owns a 78-37-5 advantage in the series and has taken the past three meetings, beginning with the 2011 finale of the rivalry’s Big 12 era.
Texas A&M enters the season ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason poll, which was released Aug. 17. Texas opened No. 5. The Aggies play their first three games at Kyle Field, beginning Saturday against Missouri State at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Arch Manning is back for Year 2 as Texas’ full-time starting quarterback. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Aug. 24 that Manning had a great fall camp, his first extended run of full practices since January foot surgery. Manning completed 248 of 404 passes last season for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. On the ground, he picked up another 399 yards and scored 10 times. Texas finished 10-3 and was left out of the College Football Playoff.
Texas begins its season Saturday at home against Texas State, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Ohio State comes to Austin the following Saturday, Sept. 12, for a 6:30 p.m. CT game on ABC.
