COLLEGE STATION — First Missouri’s Brady Cook questioned Kyle Field’s acoustics and came to regret it, then LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier did the same. Don’t they have WiFi in Baton Rouge? If visiting quarterbacks want to make fun of Kyle Field’s technique, be my guest. Please. The press box moves like a cork when fans even stand up to let someone out of their row. I practically needed Dramamine to type this.

But never challenge Aggies about how loud they can get because they take it personally.

It turns out their football team is making some noise too.

Backup quarterback Marcel Reed led 14th-ranked Texas A&M’s thunderous second-half comeback against eighth-ranked LSU in a 38-23 victory, sending a message loud and clear to the rest of the SEC and sent to their old rivals in Austin: who narrowly escaped Nashville with a win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The top team in the SEC is the one with the biggest built-in advantage in the league, as 108,852, the third-largest crowd in stadium history, once again demonstrated.

“There are a lot of things we need to take to the next level,” said Mike Elko, who started his postgame presser with a shout-out to the crowd, “but our home atmosphere isn’t one of them.

“That was really special.”

The Aggies and Tigers shared a number of similarities during the game. Both had bounced back from an opening loss with six straight wins, and both were the last undefeated teams standing in SEC play.

The biggest difference between the two?

One features an NFL-caliber quarterback.

The other is just a winner.

Nussmeier — who succeeded Jayden Daniels, the NFL rookie of the year and perhaps even an MVP challenger — waited a long time for his opportunity. Three years. An eternity by today’s standards. Some of his colleagues who come from Flower Mound Marcus are now on their third different fight song.

Back at Marcus, Nussmeier passed for 8,160 yards and 83 touchdowns while his father, Doug, a former quarterback himself, was an offensive assistant for the Cowboys. Dad, now the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach, raised his son well. Nice arm, good vision, a bit of a gambler.

First example of the latter: Nussmeier came out from under a storm in the third quarter, rolled to his left and, near the sideline, floated a pass into the middle of the field. Not good. B.J. Mayes intercepted the ball and returned it to the LSU 8, where Reed, filling in for an ineffective Conner Weigman, began what would be a 31-6 comeback in the second half.

Second example: Just two possessions later, after the Aggies took their first lead of the game on a 60-yard drive capped by Reed’s 8-yard run, Mayes Nussmeier picked off again, this time on a dangerous sideline route, to give A&M return the ball deep into LSU territory.

Even a targeting penalty that wiped out Le’Veon Moss’ touchdown run didn’t keep the Aggies out of the end zone. He simply ran the ball twice, with Reed picking up the last four yards for a 28-17 lead.

Considering the events of the first half, when Weigman completed five of fourteen passes for 49 yards to Nussmeier’s 259 yards and two touchdowns, the second half was a blast. Reed’s production – just two fumbles, both completed, for 70 yards and nine carries for 62 yards and three touchdowns – gave the Aggies the “spark” Elko said he was looking for and supported his idea of ​​winning football.

Kelly also gave it his approval.

“Right now,” he said, “I’d let the quarterback play against us.”

Elko has compiled a 7-1 record on defense and a productive running game. A&M ran for a whopping 242 yards while holding LSU to 24. Nussmeier passed for 405 yards, but the Aggies also sacked him six times and forced the three picks.

But the difference was Reed, who kicked off the Aggies’ wins over Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas and added one in relief on Saturday.

And this is what he said to Weigman after it was over: “I got you.”

“We’re brothers,” Reed said. “We are teammates.”

But who is the starter? If it’s Reed — who gets the fan votes, judging by the chants of his name — can he offer enough as a passer once the defense loads the box?

Before the Aggies can think about a run in the conference championship game with Texas, you would think they would need a more complete game at quarterback. Say what you want about Quinn Ewers, who threw two interceptions against Vandy. He still passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. No game is beyond his reach.

On the other hand, Nussmeier has all the tools to play at the next level as well, and the Aggies’ defense short-circuited everything he tried in the second half. It’s not clear if he regrets that Kyle Field isn’t as loud as Death Valley. He might even be right about that. But it was another quarterback – a closer, even – who had the final say on Saturday.

Find more Texas A&M coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.