No. 25 Texas A&M To Host No. 9 Missouri In SEC Showdown

On Saturday, the No. 9 Missouri Tigers will hit the road for the first time this season to face the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies in the only Top 25 matchup of the week.

Aggies Battle On

TAMU started the season off not with a bang, but a whimper. Despite playing at home in front of a booming crowd of almost 108,000 people, the Aggies floundered against Notre Dame in their season opener, ultimately losing 23-13.

It was a necessary wake-up call for head coach Mike Elko and his team, and the Aggies have clearly taken it to heart. TAMU has secured four straight wins since the loss, including a gutsy road victory against Florida and a win against a much-improved Arkansas squad.

Sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman has been sidelined since sustaining a shoulder injury in Week 2. He remains a game-time decision on Saturday.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko says QB Conner Weigman (shoulder) will be a game-time decision again this Saturday vs. Missouri.

— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) September 30, 2024

Redshirted freshman Marcel Reed has shown he’s capable of getting the job done in Weigman’s place. However, his underlying statistics leave much to be desired.  Reed’s completion percentage sits at around 54%, and he’s averaging only 7.4 yards per attempt. Instead, much of the Aggies’ success on offense has come on the ground. TAMU ranks 13th in the nation when it comes to rushing offense, averaging 231.6 yards per game. Junior running back Le’Veon Moss has shined for TAMU, ranking 21st in the country with 471 total rushing yards.

Roaring Tigers

Meanwhile, the Missouri Tigers’ last loss dates all the way back to the 2023 campaign. After starting this season 4-0, the Tigers will be shooting for their ninth-consecutive win on Saturday.

These wins haven’t always come easy, however.

Just last week, the Tigers needed double overtime to scrape out a victory against a middling Vanderbilt team. This has sparked new concerns and larger doubts surrounding the Tigers’ offensive capabilities. Senior quarterback Brady Cook has left a lot to be desired with his recent performances, having only four touchdown passes on the season. More concerning is the lack of connection on deep passes. On his 14 pass attempts thrown for 20 or more yards, Cook has only completed three of them.

On the other hand, Missouri’s defense has been lights out. The Tigers rank third in the nation in total defense (219.0 yards per game), and fifth in passing defense (127.3 yards per game).

Key Takeaways

Regardless of who starts at quarterback for the Aggies on Saturday, the team desperately needs a stand-out performance. They’re going against a Missouri squad that has been successful at defending the rush, and TAMU may risk getting shut down offensively if either Weigman or Reed can’t get going.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are going on the road for the first time this season, facing a raucous TAMU crowd. The offense has been effective, but not explosive, and they can’t afford another mediocre game from Cook.

I asked No. 9 #Mizzou FB coach Eli Drinkwitz about the challenges of his team's first road game of the year being at Kyle Field (a stadium which holds 102,000+) ⤵️

1. Gonna be HOT (the hottest game MU's played in)
2. Gonna be LOUD

Drink even brought up that Alabama/A&M game… pic.twitter.com/ESRTQ3KiNf

— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) October 1, 2024

Both teams will look to preserve their winning streak. Missouri may be the current favorites to win, but the Aggies do not look to back down.