The Maroon team, which consisted mostly of starters, handled the White team 23-6 in Saturday's Maroon & White Game. The game was almost as notable for who didn't play as much as who did, with many of A&M's biggest names sitting this one out with minor injuries.

The biggest storyline, however, did play out on the field: the competition for the starting quarterback job between Haynes King and Zach Calzada. King took the most snaps with much of what is projected to be the starting offensive line, completing 16 of 31 passes for 211 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He was also plagued by drops from veteran receivers, something coach Jimbo Fisher noted after the game.

"He had about four or five dropped balls on him in the first half. I love his athleticism, but he’s throwing the ball very well too," Fisher said of King.

One of the drops would have been a long touchdown, as King threw a perfect deep ball to Hezekiah Jones, who dropped it. Still, the Maroon team was able to put together a 14-play, 69-yard drive to set up a short field goal by Seth Small as the first quarter ended.

The White team, on the other hand, was moving the ball efficiently and getting nothing in return. Calzada engineered a 12-play, 58-yard drive on the team's first possession that included two third-down completions to receiver Devin Price. But on 3rd and 1 on the Maroon 15, running back Deondre Jackson was stripped of the ball by defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson, with defensive end Fadil Diggs falling on the ball.

The White team would get on the board on their next possession, as Calzada (combined 19-40, 251 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) threw a pair of completions to Moose Muhammad and a 16-yard catch and run by Jackson. Caden Davis came on to kick a 51-yard field goal to tie the game at 3.

The next time Davis trotted on to kick a field goal, it was for the Maroon team -- and it was memorable. On a drive highlighted by a 23-yard completion from King to Ainias Smith, the Maroon team were able to get in range for a long field goal attempt and Fisher called on Davis to come on from the opposing sideline. He did so and hit a 56-yard attempt with plenty of leg to spare.

The next possession for the White team was brief. Calzada was picked off by safety Demani Richardson, who would have scored on a 51-yard return in a normal game. Instead, the ball was given to the Maroon team at the White 20, where Richardson was "tackled". After three incompletions by King, including a botched route by Smith that drew the ire of his coach, Small hit a 37-yard field goal to make the score 9-3.

The White would kick a field goal on their first possession of the second half after a fumble by King set them up with a short field, and that was all the scoring in the third quarter. Things got more explosive in the fourth, with both King and Calzada impressing.

Calzada switched sides to the Maroon team and led a scoring drive, connecting with Jones twice for 29 yards and adding a 17-yard completion to tight end Max Wright. He capped the drive with a quick pass to Smith, who eluded one defender before scooting into the end zone from 6 yards out.

"I thought Zach had great command of what he did," Fisher said. "I thought Zach had an outstanding day."

King threw a touchdown pass of his own on the next Maroon drive, hitting Jones for 21 yards before hitting walk-on Reese Mason in stride with a lop to the front left corner of the end zone. Even though Calzada and Smith would hook up for a 57-yard pass and run on the next possession for the Maroon and freshman Eli Stowers (3-11, 44 yards; 5 carries, 25 yards) led a solid drive for the White team on a late possession, the scoring was complete.

After the game, Fisher faced the expected questions: what do you think of the quarterbacks now? Who's ahead? What did they do well?

"Everybody’s worried about the quarterback. That’s the last thing I’m worried about," he said. "I’m very pleased with them. There are pieces around them that have to play better."

After the way the starters played with a lot of big names out, odds are the defense will not having any problems performing at a high level.