A recipe for success this weekend in Columbia, Missouri, for Texas A&M is getting three players going early and often.
David Olano. Marcel Reed . Mario Craver.
Three key pieces to this roster that must be on their A-game to give their team a shot at winning. Each of these guys has mustered a ton of big plays over the last couple of weeks, helping the program play over .500 football.
Head coach Mike Elko knows it'll take both sides of the ball to come out victorious, but here are the X-factors at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.
Oct 3, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies place kicker David Olano (24) celebrates after kicking a field goal during the second quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Maroon and White had a few questions to address for the 2026-27 season, and one the coaching staff felt improved was the kicking game. That proved true after last weekend's outing, when kicker David Olano came up clutch in two situations and will do so again in a hostile environment.
Both field-goal attempts were successful and came from long range. The first came from 57 yards out before intermission, and the other from 50 yards out at the start of the fourth quarter.
Olano remains perfect in his kicks this season, sitting at a 100 percent success rate. He is a perfect 7-of-7 on field goal attempts and is also accurate on extra points, having drilled all 19 up to this point. His attitude and clutch kicking stand out. Mark him down as an X-factor.
Oct 3, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs the ball as Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Shelton Lewis (2) defends during the first half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In last week's matchup against Arkansas, quarterback Marcel Reed finally got back to playing cleaner football, with a much better completion percentage near his season high. He completed 68.4 percent of his passes, including a season-high 54-yard pass.
After Week 1, his completion percentage was 70 percent, but it spiraled downward from Week 2 to Week 4 before returning to an effective rate. The Razorbacks' defense allowed him to throw for 170 yards, and he completed 13 of his 19 passes. With the way the Tigers' defense operates, expect Reed to have to throw more and hit his receivers to have any shot at staying in the game.
Reed has been dynamic when he has faced Drinkwitz & Co. in the one game he faced them. In that 2025 game, he recorded 20 completions on 29 attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns. There were no interceptions then, and there were none this past weekend. Offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins has Reed playing better football lately and will again after a more comfortable outing this past week.
It was a quieter week for the Birmingham, Alabama native, who had only one catch a week ago, a season low for him. That definitely changes for one of the top 100 players in the country.
Mario Craver has been a superstar for Reed and has been pretty reliable and precise in his route running. He is fully invested in this program and has plenty of confidence that he and the team can turn things around. That certainly should happen against the Tigers.
Up to this point, Craver has caught 23 passes, the most of any wide receiver on the roster, and has 235 yards, second-most on the team. He is averaging over 10 yards per catch and has two scores, so he is craving to add to that total on the road trip. His exceptional speed and ability to rack up yards after the catch go on full display once again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tamu as 3 X-Factors That Texas A&M Needs To Get Hot To Defeat Missouri .
