Arizona State coach praises Aggies QB Marcel Reed ahead of rare Big 12 visit to Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has a unique plan for how to defend quarterback Marcel Reed on Saturday when the Sun Devils visit No. 10 Texas A&M.

“Pray,” Dillingham said with a laugh.

Then he got serious.

“But no, he’s a really good player,” Dillingham said. “He’s athletic, but what people don’t give him credit for is he has unbelievable touch on his deep ball and on his intermediate passing game. Like his touch to the sideline on field throws, he can throw a field-out route that’s caught on the sideline, slash the tick, and it is just -- it looks like it’s supposed to look.”

Arizona State beat Morgan State 70-7 in its opener last week but Dillingham was unhappy with how his team contained the quarterback at times and knows the Sun Devils will have to do a better job of that this week against Reed.

“If we don’t do that this week, he’ll throw it for 400 and run it for 400,” Dillingham said. “He’ll set the record.”

Reed was 21 of 30 for 233 yards and two touchdowns in just over three quarters of work in Texas A&M’s 50-0 win over Missouri State in the opener. Coach Mike Elko was pleased with the performance of Reed, who was playing behind an offensive line that returned just one starter and struggled at times on Saturday.

Elko believes Reed doesn’t get enough credit for how much he’s improved and what he’s done for the team.

“I wish people would start to appreciate who he is, what he does, and how successful he’s been for us as a starter,” Elko said. “He’s now 12-1 as a regular season starter over the last two years. I don’t know what his overall record is but it’s really good for a starting quarterback at Texas A&M.”

The Aggies will also face a challenge in dealing with Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley after his huge debut last week. Boley threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns against Morgan State in his first game with the Sun Devils after spending two seasons at Kentucky.

After the Aggies, the Sun Devils are meeting Kansas on Sept. 19 at Wembley Stadium in London in the Union Jack Classic . Because of the length of the trip, the team will head to London after Saturday night’s game.

“Going from London straight to A&M there are some natural distractions,” Dillingham said. “We’re not hiding away from that. There’s nothing we can do about it. So, we’re going to embrace it.”

It will be the second time Arizona State has played outside the United States and the first since facing Houston in Tokyo in 1990. The Sun Devils have a difficult road slate this season with the team piling up more than 17,000 road trip miles after traveling just 9,000 last season.

Last Saturday marked the second time in Elko’s three seasons that Texas A&M held an opponent scoreless and to less than 100 yards of offense after limiting Missouri State to just 67, the fewest the Aggies have allowed since Elko took over.

While they’re proud of the strong start, the Aggies know they’ll have to continue to improve to succeed as competition gets tougher. Senior linebacker Ray Coney said he thinks they have the right attitude to do that.

“We’re not treating young guys like young guys,” he said. “We treat young guys like no, you’re playing, so we need to all be on the same page. You need to have an older mentality, now that you’re playing. We’re holding everybody accountable to a higher standard.”

Senior receiver Isaiah Horton shined in his Texas A&M debut Saturday, grabbing a TD reception on his first catch and leading the team with 76 yards receiving. Horton, who spent last season at Alabama after a transfer from Miami, already has a special connection with Reed whom he’s known for years.

Along with the touchdown, they showed their chemistry Saturday when Reed found Horton down the sideline for a 36-yard gain.

“Me and Zay clicked on those all offseason,” Reed said. “Him being a vertical threat, a big body who can run and create space and make the throws easy for me that’s a big thing… even when he’s matched I can put it up there and he’ll go take it from the defender.”

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here , visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here