Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko explains the reason for hiring Conner Weigman

After Mike Elko showed what he was capable of at center for three games, Marcel Reed was benched again in favor of Conner Weigman in Texas A&M’s 41-10 win over the Missouri Tigers.

Many were against Elko’s decision to reinstate Weigman, but as it turns out, it might not have been such a bad idea after all.

Weigman was nearly perfect in his passing, throwing for 276 yards with no touchdowns, thanks to the performance of the Aggie running game, which saw Weigman contribute 33 yards to the team’s 236 yards on the day.

While Conner Weigman’s doubters sat down last weekend, others were still wondering what motivated Elko to use its red-shirted sophomore after he missed the last three contests with a shoulder injury.

Elko’s answer? A fully healthy Weigman gave the Aggies their best chance at a win.

“I think the conversation for us was, you know, we wanted to see Conner at 100 percent. We felt like Conner gave us 100 percent and gave us the best chance to win,” said Coach Elko. “If we felt like he was going to be there, we wanted to go in that direction.”

Although Weigman was most likely to get the starting nod from here on out, Elko didn’t shy away from the impression Reed made in his starts.

“Of course we had complete confidence in Marcel if that was the direction we took or had to go,” said Elko. “We felt like this was the right thing to do.”

With SEC play now in full swing, Elko’s dual option at quarterback could be just the advantage the Aggies need against opponents, regardless of who starts.

Weigman will have his next chance to show why he deserves the starting job when the Aggies visit Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 19.