Unbeaten Texas A&M heads to Texas behind QB Marcel Reed and one of the nation’s most balanced teams, aiming to stay perfect in a rivalry loaded with history.

AUSTIN, Texas — Unbeaten No. 3 ranked Texas A&M heads into Friday’s rivalry clash with No. 16th ranked Texas riding one of the most successful starts in program history — and with everything still in front of them.

The No. 11 Aggies enter the matchup 11-0 for just the third time ever and the first time since 1992, when R.C. Slocum’s team capped a perfect regular season. A&M has already secured its first 10-win season since 2012 and owns a 7-0 SEC mark, its best conference start in any league since the early 1990s Southwest Conference run.

This year’s meeting marks the 120th installment of one of college football’s most historic rivalries. Texas leads the all-time series 77-37-5, but the teams have split the last 50 matchups. The Longhorns have taken the last two games in College Station, while A&M has won two of the past three showdowns in Austin.

The Aggies roll into the Friday night spotlight with the nation’s best résumé on the road. A&M owns three road wins over AP Top 25 opponents — No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 20 LSU and No. 19 Missouri — the most in college football this season. They are also 5-0 against Sagarin top-30 teams while navigating one of the sport’s toughest schedules.

Complementary football has defined Texas A&M’s rise. The Aggies are one of just four teams nationally ranked inside the top 20 in both total offense and total defense. And at the center of it all is quarterback Marcel Reed.

The redshirt sophomore has emerged as one of the SEC’s most productive players, throwing for 2,752 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding six more scores on the ground. Reed enters the week ranked top-five in the SEC in passing yards, passing touchdowns, efficiency and total offense. He has already posted five games with three or more touchdown passes and holds a 15-4 record as A&M’s starter.

His teammates say Reed’s consistency — and leadership — have helped keep the Aggies grounded during one of the biggest seasons in school history.

“It’s Week 12. That’s all he had to put on the board because we got everything in front of us,” offensive lineman Ar’maj Reed-Adams said. “We’re playing for championships. We’re playing for rings, so he could have put anybody on the board and we would have been up for it.”

Senior cornerback Will Lee, who scored the Aggies’ only touchdown against Texas last season on a pick-six, said the magnitude of the rivalry fuels the team’s focus.

“It’s really about just being the togetherness as a team,” Lee said. “If you care about the man next to you and he’s from Texas and you care about the history of the program, you know how big this game is. Everybody’s tied in together as a team and as a family.”

Head coach Mike Elko said controlling emotions will be critical in a game loaded with stakes, history and national attention.

“You know the emotions are gonna be high, you know the energy is gonna be high,” Elko said. “Through all of that you’ve gotta find a laser focus to do the things that you have to do to go out and be successful play in and play out. Sometimes you can want something so bad it almost blinds you. … It’s the team that can really rise above the moment a little bit and maintain that focus and maintain the composure they need to go out and be successful.”

With an undefeated season, SEC title hopes and College Football Playoff implications hanging in the balance, the 120th meeting between Texas and Texas A&M promises to be one of the rivalry’s most consequential chapters yet.

Kick off is set for 6:30 p.m. from Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. KCEN will have coverage from the game.