Missouri didn’t just beat Texas A&M. It controlled the game, wore the Aggies down, and walked out with a 27-6 win that looked a lot like the kind of performance this team has been building toward.
The Tigers did it with a defense that kept hammering away and an offense that, while far from perfect, did enough once it settled in. The yardage gap told the story by the end, and the result was a comfortable three-score victory over a team that had given Eli Drinkwitz trouble in each of their previous three meetings.
The first quarter, though, was rough again for Missouri’s offense.
After the Tigers made a point of getting off to a fast start against Florida, that momentum never carried over here. The opening 15 minutes against Texas A&M featured five rushing attempts for 15 yards, 12 pass attempts for 37 yards and an interception, plus a 26-yard punt. It was the kind of start that leaves no one feeling good.
That slow opening fed into the offensive slog that followed, even against an A&M defense that probably deserved better support from its own offense. Whether it was the defense across the line or just Missouri’s usual first-quarter sluggishness, the Tigers once again spent the early part of the game digging out of a hole.
Eventually, Missouri leaned into the run game and used it to drain the clock and squeeze the life out of A&M. That part worked. Still, with the schedule getting no friendlier, the Tigers would probably like to stop making the first 15 minutes feel like a separate sport.
The real star of the afternoon was Missouri’s defense, and Nicholas Rodriguez was right in the middle of it.
By the time Texas A&M had run 34 plays with six minutes left in the third quarter, Nick Rodriguez had already piled up 11 tackles. He added a sack and several pass breakups and looked like one of the best players on the field.
Donta Simpson was just as disruptive with two sacks, and Trajen Greco delivered a pass breakup that led to an interception before grabbing one himself. In the same game.
Marcel Reed has already taken a step back under Hollmon Wiggins, and Missouri made him look even worse. The Tigers’ defense didn’t just contain him; it made life miserable for him snap after snap.
That’s also where Corey Batoon keeps building his case as one of the year’s quiet success stories.
When Blake Baker left for LSU after saying he was staying, there was understandable skepticism about the replacement. Batoon wasn’t the flashy name, but the fit made sense, and the experience was there. Missouri’s earlier defensive success could be explained away in other ways, whether it was the talent already on hand or veterans returning from one year to the next.
This season is different. Every defensive starter from the ‘25 team was gone, and the production hasn’t dropped off.
Batoon has pieced together a defense from transfers and backups that still has flaws, but has been every bit as effective as those earlier versions. That could still get tested by the brutal stretch ahead, but through the first half of the season, he’s done excellent work with limited continuity.
Special teams, meanwhile, stayed messy.
There were positives: a 50-yard field goal without much drama, punts that pinned Texas A&M at or beyond its own 20, and multiple punt returns that saved Missouri an extra first down by picking up 8-10 yards. But the bad was still there too, including a blocked field goal to end the first half and a shanked punt that handed A&M the ball in scoring position.
The hope when Erik Link was fired moved on to other opportunities and John Papuchis came in was that the negative plays would shrink and the unit would settle down. That hasn’t happened yet.
Still, the biggest development was simple enough: Eli Drinkwitz finally got past Texas A&M.
He entered the game 0-3 against the Aggies as Missouri’s head coach and 1-5 against Mike Elko overall, with that lone win coming back in the NC State/Wake Forest days. Texas A&M had been one of the SEC teams that had consistently been in Drinkwitz’s way since he arrived in Columbia.
Not anymore. Missouri beat a Mike Elko Texas A&M team, and that line in the record book finally changed.
In Other News...
Mizzou Just Sent A Serious Message With That Texas A&M Win
Missouris win over Texas A&M was about more than just ending a skid against the Aggies. The Tigers controlled the game from the start, leaned on a relentless defense and got a huge night from Jamal Roberts, who ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns while extending a remarkable personal surge. It was the kind of performance that made Missouri look firm in the trenches and confident on both sides of the ball.
The defense did its part too, holding Texas A&M to six points and keeping the Aggies from ever really finding a rhythm. Nicholas Rodriguez led the Tigers in tackles, and the pass rush added pressure with sacks and interceptions to back up the offenses big night. For Missouri, the larger question now is whether this was a one-off statement or the start of something that can carry forward from here. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's Secondary Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against Texas A&M
Missouri heads into its matchup with Texas A&M with its secondary set for a real proving ground, and the challenge starts with the Aggies receiver pairing of Isaiah Horton and Mario Craver. They bring different problems for a defense to solve, which is part of what has made them such important pieces of Texas A&Ms offense. For a Mizzou back end that has been trending better recently, this is the sort of assignment that can tell you a lot about how much progress has actually stuck.
The Tigers do not just have to stay attached to a couple of dangerous targets, either, because Texas A&Ms passing game has been a steady force and Marcel Reeds season has helped drive it. That raises the stakes for Missouris coverage group, which will need more than clean technique and a few timely stops to get through the afternoon. If the Tigers can keep Horton and Craver from dictating the game, it goes a long way toward making the rest of the matchup tilt their way. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Suddenly Faces A Road Test That Could Expose Everything
Missouris uneven start keeps making each week feel a little more revealing than the last. The Tigers have shown enough in stretches to stay in the ranked conversation, but their inconsistency has also left plenty of questions hanging as the regular season moves deeper into October and the schedule keeps getting less forgiving.
That backdrop makes every upcoming matchup matter a little more for a program still trying to sort out what it really is. Around the league, other ranked teams are dealing with their own stress points, from injuries to defensive lapses to unbeaten seasons suddenly looking vulnerable, and Missouri is trying to avoid becoming part of that same discussion by proving it can settle in before the next big test arrives. [Read more 🡒]