Texas A&M goes back to classic maroon for The Citadel as the offense looks for answers

Texas A&M is keeping its look simple for Saturday's home game against The Citadel. The Aggies will wear maroon helmets, maroon jerseys and white pants at Kyle Field, according to Yahoo Sports, which showed KJ Edwards modeling the combination ahead of the noon kickoff. Gameday Times framed it as a move away from flash and back to basics.

The last time A&M changed up its look at home, the result was its most complete win of the season. Colorway Sports notes that the desert camouflage Honor and Support set, the only alternate the program has put a date on, appeared once: against Arkansas on October 3, the day the university marked its 150th anniversary. The Aggies won that game 34-7. Saturday's set is the standard home look, so this week is a return to the usual uniform after that alternate.

The uniform is the light part of the week. Roundtable Sports said the Aggies come home with plenty to prove. It pointed to the pressure on quarterback Marcel Reed, a running game that has struggled and Mike Elko still looking for fixes on offense. Those concerns trace back to a 27-6 loss at Missouri last weekend.

What it means for The Citadel

A&M is 3-3. The record has split into two clear halves. The Aggies have beaten Missouri State 50-0, Arizona State 48-20 and Arkansas 34-7, all at home. They have lost to Kentucky 31-21 at home, then 35-6 at LSU and 27-6 at Missouri. They are 1-3 in SEC play and 0-2 on the road.

The road losses explain the questions about the offense. A&M scored 12 points combined in Baton Rouge and Columbia and gave up 62. Over six games the Aggies have scored 165 points and allowed 120, but 98 of those points came in the first two weeks. Since then they have averaged 16.75 points over four games, and they have not topped 21 against an SEC opponent other than Arkansas.

The Citadel visit gives A&M a home game and a chance to get the run game going and let Reed settle in before the rest of the schedule. A lopsided win would be expected and would not prove much on its own. How the offense looks while getting there matters more. A clean, balanced performance would ease some of the concerns from the last three weeks. A sluggish one against an overmatched visitor would only add to them.

The Aggies need a fourth win to keep their postseason path manageable as the second half of the season begins. Kickoff is at noon on SECN+, with A&M in maroon and white and trying to get back to winning at home.