COLLEGE STATION — Marcel Reed’s brain derived clarity from the chaos. But his right arm betrayed him.
As the Texas A&M quarterback dropped back with the fate of the Aggies’ season cradled in his hand, he accurately predicted how the Miami Hurricanes — darting around Kyle Field’s northern end zone like white-faced hornets — would react to Texas A&M’s look.
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Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver (1) evades a tackle by Miami defensive back Ethan O’Connor (24) during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman (3) makes a catch during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) celebrates a defensive stop during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss (8) is tackled during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) is sacked by Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York (21) during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) looks for an open receiver during the round one College Football Playoff game against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) directs his team during the round one College Football Playoff game against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is pressured during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver (1) catches a pass during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko disputes a no-call during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M wide receiver Terry Bussey (2) runs the ball during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver (1) catches a pass during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami offensive lineman James Brockermeyer (52) is tackled by Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) and Texas A&M linebacker Daymion Sanford (27) during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (11) celebrates a forced fumble during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (11) forces a fumble by Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M fans celebrate a missed field goal by Miami during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs the ball during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M linebacker Daymion Sanford (27) celebrates a fumble recovery during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) is tackled by Miami defensive back Jakobe Thomas (8) during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M running back Rueben Owens II (4) runs the ball during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis (17) leaves the field with an injury during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) throws a pass during the round one College Football Playoff game against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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A sideline host loses his hat in the wind during the round one College Football Playoff game between Texas A&M and Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M fans cheer during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M running back Ej Smith (22) is hit during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) hands the ball off to Texas A&M running back Ej Smith (22) during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) is tackled during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs the ball during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) misses a catch during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) looks for an open receiver during the round one College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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A Texas A&M fan reacts to a Miami touchdown during the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami players and coaches celebrate a final interception in the end zone during the round one College Football Playoff game against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Texas A&M linebacker Scooby Williams (0) leaves the field after the loss to Miami in the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Miami defensive back Jakobe Thomas (8) meets Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) after the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas. Miami defeated Texas A&M 10-3.
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Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko leaves the field after the loss to Miami in the round one College Football Playoff game at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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Linebacker Chase Smith would pass his man off to 6-foot-1, 185-pound freshman safety Bryce Fitzgerald, creating a size mismatch for tight end Nate Boerkircher, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds. And Miami’s linebackers would drop, leaving Reed with a simple task: Deliver the ball.
Miami defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald (13) gets up after a final interception in the end zone during the round one College Football Playoff game against Texas A&M at Kyle Field on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
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“I got it just over (the linebacker), but it wasn’t in the right spot,” Reed said after the game.
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The third-down pass nestled in Fitzgerald’s hands with 24 seconds on the clock, marking the third decisive turnover of the Aggies’ 10-3 loss Saturday afternoon to the Hurricanes, ending Texas A&M’s season in fitting fashion.
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A 2025 campaign speeding toward greatness instead crashed into a barricade full of giveaways. The Aggies turned the ball over 14 times in their final six games. In a late-season free fall that included three poor performances sandwiched around a win over FCS opposition, the Aggies committed eight more turnovers than they forced.
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“It makes it really challenging,” A&M coach Mike Elko said. “I think it’s a huge part of it. I think we finished the season minus-8 in turnover margin. It’s not a great stat. That’s not where you need to be. You have to be on the other side of that ledger.”
Elko attributed his team’s turnover issues to what he described as a failure to control the line of scrimmage. Miami sacked Reed seven times, with elite edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. acquainting Reed with the turf three times on his own.
Both of Reed’s interceptions came with a mostly clean pocket. On a third-and-17 play in the third quarter, he threw behind receiver Mario Craver right into the gut of the waiting Fitzgerald. In the first half, though, Keionte Scott forced a fumble after flushing Reed from the pocket and snagging his arm from behind as he wound up to throw.
“We didn’t win the line of scrimmage,” Elko said. “You can’t play playoff football and not win the line of scrimmage.”
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TAKEAWAYS: Offense sputters in critical game vs Miami
History shows that the same rule applies to the turnover battle. Only one team has claimed a national championship with a negative turnover differential since 2000. Even by winning 11 games, the Aggies defied most recent precedents. The only other team since 2020 to register a 10-win season with a minus-8 turnover differential was Kentucky in 2021.
Feasting on a schedule comprised exclusively of bottom-half SEC teams until the final week of the season, the Aggies never felt the brunt of their turnover problem on the scoreboard.
Then Texas intercepted Reed twice in the fourth quarter Nov. 28 while the Aggies failed to force any takeaways of their own. That dynamic helped inflict the first defeat on Elko’s team and kept Texas A&M out of the SEC championship game, sending the Aggies to the first round of the CFP instead.
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Reed progressed substantially in 2025, beating his passing yardage total from the previous season by more than 1,000 yards and scoring nine more touchdowns. But the turnover bug persisted. Against the Hurricanes, its bite proved lethal to the Aggies’ season.
“It’s kind of the story of this one,” outgoing offensive coordinator Collin Klein said. “From the turnover point and no points in the red zone, that’s the way you get beat.”