The Longhorns are facing off against the Aggies for the first time in 13 years on Saturday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m. Central. For this matchup, the Texas Longhorns are ranked #3 by AP and Texas A&M is ranked #20. But how do the starting quarterbacks, Quinn Ewers and Marcel Reed, match up? And what are their comparative betting odds? Here’s a closer look.
Both Reed & Ewers Have Unique Strengths that Play in Their Favor
Both quarterbacks come to the game with unique strengths, coupled with weaknesses that will make the game a challenge for both of them.
Freshman Marcel Reed, #10, is 6’2″ and 180 pounds, according to ESPN’s stats. Quinn Ewers is 6’2″ and 210 pounds.
Reed’s overall completion percentage for the season is at 60%, for a total of 105 out of 175 attempts, ESPN notes. He has 1,426 passing yards and has 12 passing touchdowns.
For 2024, Ewers has an overall completion percentage of 68%, for a total of 189 out of 278 attempts. He has 2,089 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns.
Ewers comes into the game with a clear experience advantage over Reed. Although this will be his first game against Texas A&M, he has played multiple times against OU, another hyped Longhorns rival. In 2022, he led the Longhorns to a 49-0 win over OU. However, OU beat Texas in 2023 in a close 34-30 game. But in 2024, Ewers returned after being out for an injury and led the Longhorns 34-3 over OU.
Ewers’ frequent injuries make him more fragile than Reed. And he’s had quite a few injuries in his college career. Most recently, Ewers injured his ankle during the second half of last week’s game against Kentucky, which the Longhorns ultimately won 31-14. By the end of the game, Ewers was struggling and handing off the ball because he appeared to be unable to move well. An MRI on Monday revealed that Ewers doesn’t have any structural damage to his ankle, Longhorns Wire reported. However, he still may not be at 100% for today’s game.
While Ewers was listed as “probable” on the injury report, Reed has no injuries. However, Reed will face his own hurdles as the Texas A&M offense has to face off against the formidable Longhorns defense. (And although Reed is healthy, the Aggies aren’t without their own injuries. Reuben Owens was listed as questionable, along with defensive backs Will Lee III and Jaydon Hill, SI reported.)
If Ewers needs to step down, backup Arch Manning has proven himself more than capable of stepping in. But Reed also has a strong backup in Conner Weigman. Weigman was the Aggies’ starter until November 2, when coach Mike Elko decided to move him into the backup role.
Betting Odds Indicate Both Quarterbacks May Struggle
As far as betting odds, SI.com is betting Ewers will be under 228.5 passing yards, due to his injury and the Texas offense struggling in the last two games. Facing such a hostile on-the-road environment, SI.com believes the Longhorns will play conservatively and possibly switch to Manning at some point in the game.
SI.com is also listing a good bet for Reed being under 32.5 rushing yards. Despite Reed being a powerful rusher, the Longhorns have a strong defense that fared well against Michael Hawkins of Oklahoma and Taylen Green of Arkansas.
In overall betting odds, Bettors Insider thinks the Aggies are a best bet at +6 (-110), in part due to how the Longhorns lost against Georgia and the Aggies’ schedule against other teams.
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