Texas A&M vs Missouri Preview
A sleepy 11am game on the road in Columbia. Can the Aggies keep up their momentum?By: The Hammer
Hopefully we see some similar pictures this weekend against Missouri. Photo by Sam Craft, Associated Press
Coming off a historic win, the Aggies head up to Columbia, Missouri for an 11 AM game against the 3-3 Mizzou Tigers. Heading into the year, Missouri fans were optimistic after a surprisingly solid 2020. Fans believed in Connor Bazelak and Eli Drinkwitz, and I did to some extent as well. 2021 has been a disappointment so far though, as the Tigers have not beaten a power 5 opponent. It’s too early to write off Drinkwitz, and Bazelak has not been the main issue, but I was expecting Mizzou to be better than they have shown so far.
The same could be said for the Aggies. Sure, we are coming off a massive win against #1 Alabama, but this team has still lost two games. I didn't see any experts predicting Texas A&M to start 1-2 in SEC conference, so saying this season has been a disappointment for these teams would be accurate. However, the Aggies have momentum. They have belief. I’m not sure Missouri does right now, but we’ll know for sure come 11am on Saturday.
This is a classic trap game spot for A&M. Jimbo even said as much. Big, emotional home win against Alabama the week prior and everyone tells you how good you are for a week. Then you find yourself on the road in the SEC with an 11 AM start time and you are ripe for a let down. I do not see a let down in this game though.
The main reason there won’t be a let down here is because Missouri’s defense is terrible. The Tigers are currently dead last in rush defense, allowing 287 yards per game. To put this in perspective, Kansas, UConn, and UMass all have better run defenses than Missouri. They allow an average of 497 yards per game total and that ranks them 129th out of 130 teams in the FBS.
With this pitiful defense, the Aggies won’t need to be at the top of their game offensively to score points. Just hand the ball off to Spiller and Achane and let them do their thing. Those two guys should have at least 30 carries between them and I could see them both topping the 100 yard mark. I’m not sure what to expect from Calzada and the passing game but if he can continue to play like he did against the Tide, and the line can give him time, the Aggies will win this by 3 touchdowns or more.
Offensively the Tigers are pretty good. Connor Bazelak is completing 67% of his passes and has tossed 12 touchdowns compared to 5 interceptions so far this season. He hasn't been perfect, but he is not the issue on this team. Their only real weapon on offense has been running back Tyler Badie. The Tiger tailback is second in the SEC in rushing with 667 yards and 8 touchdowns this year. He’s also caught 25 passes for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s really fun to watch, but outside of him, Mizzou has no one.
Tyler Badie takes one to the house against North Texas. Photo by L.G. Patterson, Associated Press
I trust our defense to keep him under wraps enough to win this one, especially after last week. I know the Aggies gave up a bunch of yards and points last week, but this defense played really well all things considered. The Aggie defense was in the backfield all night against Alabama, and if they can execute blitzes in a similar fashion this weekend, Connor Bazelak better watch out cause he is not nearly as mobile as Bryce Young and A&M will make Missouri pay.
Last year, the Aggies started the year off really slow with a near disaster against Vandy and a blowout loss in Tuscaloosa to the Tide. Then, we found a win to beat #4 Florida 41-38 at home on a last second field goal...sound familiar? I’m not quite ready to say A&M will win out like last year, but if they can go up to Columbia and take care of business, I just might buy in. Show me a game like last weekend two weeks in a row, and I’ll believe. I know they can, and I’m predicting they can, so let’s make it happen fellas. I’m ready to drink the maroon kool aid again.
Texas A&M 44
Missouri 31
#BTHOMISSOURI
