Down 17-7 in the third quarter on Saturday, Texas A&M first-year coach Mike Elko made a big decision, benching starting quarterback Conner Weigman for true freshman Marcel Reed.
The Aggies' next five drives resulted in 31 points and Texas A&M won by 15 in a pivotal home game against conference rival LSU.
Johnny Manziel knows something about big wins at Kyle Field. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner for the Aggies made his weekly appearance on our own BBOC YouTube channel, Action Network's flagship college football platform, and discussed A&M's big win and whether the Aggies are in better hands with the true freshman.
"I think it would be really hard right now to go away from Marcel Reed and the energy and vibe that he brought to that team on Saturday," Manziel said.
As of recording, Elko hadn't made a decision about who would start Texas A&M's next game, which comes on Saturday at South Carolina, but Manziel thinks it's a benefit to the Aggies to have two options.
"Right now, I would anticipate on Saturday Marcel Reed being the guy," Manziel said. "But it definitely is nice having the option to be able to go back and forth. You obviously have a very capable guy in Conner Weigman as well, and you don't want to get to the point where Texas A&M is too one-dimensional and having to rely on running the football too much."
The Aggies' offense is starkly different with Reed under center. He only attempted two passes after coming into Saturday's game, while on the ground he accounted for 62 yards on nine carries with three touchdowns.
Weigman, on the other hand, was 6-of-18 for 64 yards passing at the time of his benching. On the season, he's completing 56.9% of his passes with three touchdowns to go along with four interceptions.
Johnny Manziel appears weekly on Action Network's BBOC YouTube channel, with Johnny's Intangibles releasing every Monday and Johnny's Scramble Drill releasing every Friday. He also appears on BBOC Live, which airs every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET on the BBOC YouTube channel and the Action App.
