Texas A&M had Alabama on the ropes Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. Unfortunately for the Aggies, another mistake-filled performance from quarterback Marcel Reed helped turn a potential upset into another frustrating SEC loss.

No. 13 Alabama rallied for a 31-20 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium, handing Texas A&M its fourth conference defeat and reigniting an uncomfortable question for head coach Mike Elko: Is it finally time to consider benching Reed?

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The Aggies entered Saturday desperately needing an offensive breakthrough after struggling to score against SEC competition. Instead, their first two possessions ended with Reed interceptions.

The first was particularly damaging.

Alabama cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. jumped a Reed pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown, giving the Crimson Tide a 7-0 lead without its offense needing to score.

Reed threw another interception on the following possession, immediately putting Texas A&M in an even more difficult position.

To his credit, Reed recovered.

He connected with Mario Craver for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game and later scored on a four-yard run that briefly put the Aggies ahead 14-10.

Texas A&M eventually reached halftime tied 17-17 after David Olano connected on a 32-yard field goal.

And when Olano added a 25-yarder in the third quarter, the Aggies carried a 20-17 lead into the fourth.

But they couldn't finish.

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, finding Michael Pritchett for a five-yard score before connecting with Kewan Edwards for an eight-yard touchdown that stretched the Crimson Tide's advantage to 31-20.

Reed finished 14-of-21 passing for 163 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Craver led the Aggies with six catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Russell threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while Rico Scott accumulated 156 receiving yards.

For Texas A&M, the result underscores a season-long problem: Reed can produce exciting moments, but his inconsistency continues to undermine the offense.

His two interceptions pushed his season total to eight, compared with seven touchdown passes entering Saturday.

Should Elko bench him?

At this point, the answer deserves serious consideration.

Reed's athleticism and occasional flashes of brilliance remain valuable. But turnovers, questionable decisions and an inability to consistently finish drives have become recurring problems against quality SEC opponents.

The Aggies shouldn't make a quarterback change simply to satisfy frustrated fans. But Elko owes his team a genuine evaluation of whether another option gives Texas A&M a better chance to win.

Saturday wasn't entirely Reed's fault. The defense surrendered the lead, and the offense failed to score in the fourth quarter.

But when your quarterback throws two interceptions on his first two possessions, including a touchdown to the opposition, the conversation about his future as the starter becomes unavoidable.

MORE: Alabama's Keelon Russell Presents Unique Challenge for Texas A&M

Texas A&M falls to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play. The Aggies have plenty of problems to solve.

Whether Marcel Reed should remain their starting quarterback is now one of the biggest.

Source: Yahoo Sports