Missouri enters this matchup with the kind of momentum that can change a week’s worth of conversation in one Saturday. The Tigers are 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, and they’re coming off a huge 45-17 win over then-No.-8 Florida. That result pushed Missouri to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 and put a spotlight squarely on what this team might be capable of when it hits its ceiling.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, arrives at 3-2 and 1-2 after a 34-7 win over Arkansas. The Aggies have flashed enough to keep the conversation alive, but they’ve also spent much of the season trying to find steadier footing. This trip to Columbia offers another test against a Missouri team that has already shown it can deliver a statement win at home.
At quarterback for Missouri is Austin Simmons, who opened last season as the starter at Ole Miss before losing that job to Trinidad Chambliss. He’ll lead a Tigers offense that ranks No. 59 in rushing and No. 29 in passing. That unit draws a Texas A&M defense sitting at No. 48 against the run and No. 44 against the pass.
The Aggies’ offense brings a different set of numbers to the table. Texas A&M is No. 60 in rushing and No. 104 in passing, and that group will be trying to work against a Missouri defense ranked No. 15 versus the run and No. 99 versus the pass.
The run game, in particular, looms large for A&M after it leaned heavily on the ground in the win over Arkansas. Marcel Reed used his legs more, and freshman running back K.J.
Edwards emerged as well. But Missouri’s run defense is built to make that path much harder.
If the Aggies can’t get traction there, it becomes difficult to see Reed’s arm carrying them.
This is also a spot where Missouri has to manage the emotional hangover that can follow a top-10 upset. The Tigers are coming off a massive win, but they’ve also shown vulnerability against Troy and Mississippi State.
Add in the fact that they have another top-10 game next week against Ole Miss, and the possibility of a letdown is obvious. On the other side, Texas A&M is trying to prove it can match the level of a ranked opponent on the road.
The history between these teams adds another layer. Texas A&M leads the all-time series 11-7, owns a 4-2 edge since joining the SEC, and hasn’t lost to Missouri since 2014.
This is the second straight year the teams have met in Columbia and the third straight year they’ve played overall. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is still looking for his first win over the Aggies, having gone 0-3 against them while losing by an average score of 38-14.
Missouri, for its part, comes into this one with a roster and a fan base ready to keep pushing after that Florida win. And while the spotlight is on the football field, the school’s list of famous alumni is a long one: Jon Hamm, Chris Cooper, Tom Berenger, Sheryl Crow, Walmart founder Sam Walton, Stan Kroenke, SportsCenter’s John Anderson, a slew of other journalists, and Chase Daniel, who earned more than $41 million in his 14-year NFL career despite starting only five games.
In Other News...
Texas A&M Weekend With BenDaDonnn Took A Wild Turn Fast
What started as a feel-good Texas A&M football weekend with BenDaDonnn quickly turned into a far messier scene. He was initially welcomed at the game, a sign that the night could have stayed in the usual orbit of a high-profile visitor around Aggieland, but things shifted when coaching staff later denied him access to the teams locker room.
The aftermath moved well beyond the stadium. After the game, a confrontation involving BenDaDonnn and law enforcement unfolded in the Northgate bar district, and it ended with his arrest on an evading arrest charge. His bodyguard was also arrested on an interfering-with-duties charge, turning what had begun as a routine game-day appearance into a night Texas A&M fans will be talking about for reasons nobody expected. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M Win Raised A Bigger Question About This Offense
Texas A&Ms win over Arkansas added another comfortable chapter to a series that has gone the Aggies way often since they joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012, but the bigger takeaway was less about the scoreboard than the shape of the offense. True freshmen Carsyn Baker and KJ Edwards both offered glimpses of what the backfield can become, giving the Aggies another layer to consider as they keep sorting out how this unit wants to function.
Marcel Reed also helped steady things with his game management, and David Olanos recent progress continued to show up in a meaningful way. His two long field goals gave Texas A&M a reliable boost, but the mix of youth in the backfield, Reeds command and Olanos leg only sharpened the larger question hanging over the offense moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Texas A&M May Have Finally Found Its Offensive Identity
After two straight losses, Texas A&M looked far more like a team with a plan on offense in its 34-7 win over Arkansas at Kyle Field. The Aggies leaned hard on the ground game, piling up 231 rushing yards on 49 carries, with KJ Edwards, Marcel Reed and Rueben Owens II all helping set the tone as the offense controlled the pace from start to finish.
Mike Elko pointed to the offensive line and the run game as the biggest reasons the unit finally found some rhythm, and that kind of balance is exactly what Texas A&M needed. The challenge now is whether this was a one-game fix or the start of an identity the Aggies can carry into the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]