A win over a top 10 team is within reach
After dropping the season opener to Notre Dame, Texas A&M has reeled off four straight wins and sits at No. 25 in the AP Poll as they welcome the Missouri Tigers to Kyle Field this Saturday. For Mizzou (No. 9 in the AP) this will be their first road game of the season.
Coming off an 11-2 season a year ago, the Tigers started out hot with wide-margin wins over Murray State and Buffalo. However, against the two Power Four teams they have faced so far (Boston College and Vanderbilt), they have been fortunate to escape.
In their last two contests, things haven’t really clicked on offense and their defense has been merely OK. Texas A&M has significantly more talent than Boston College and Vanderbilt, and they get to play the Tigers in front of 100,000+ raucous Aggies. Here are a few key matchups that would go a long way in securing a win if they end up in A&M’s favor.
Texas A&M’s Run Defense v. Nate Noel
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Since allowing a handful of explosive runs against the Irish, the A&M run defense (for the most part) has shut down opposing running games. Where they do have lapses is occasionally on outside runs, but overall, the run defense is a big strength of the team.
For Mizzou, their offense has not looked crisp at all in the past few weeks, but has relied on explosive plays to score points. RB Nate Noel is flat out explosive and can take it the distance when he gets into the open field. This is a game where A&M’s linebackers and safeties need to shine. If they can keep Noel from getting into the open field, it will put a ton of pressure on Mizzou’s passing game.
Texas A&M’s Secondary v. Mizzou’s Receivers
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Speaking of Mizzou’s passing game, QB Brady Cook has been up and down so far this season and didn’t see the field particularly well against Vanderbilt (who runs a similar defense to A&M with Clark Lea at the helm). Nonetheless, the Tiger receivers are dangerous with future first-rounder Luther Burden III leading the way.
Other receivers such as Theo Wease and Mookie Cooper are good players, but the passing game runs through Burden. Mizzou is creative in how they get the ball in his hands and he is a difficult assignment to bring down when he’s in the open field.
A&M CB Will Lee III has turned in a couple of dominant performances lately and will have his toughest task of the season so far this weekend. The Aggies might have something in CB Dezz Ricks, who seems to get better each week. Still, they need one of BJ Mayes or Jaydon Hill to step up at nickel this week.
A&M doesn’t need their secondary to completely blanket Mizzou’s receivers, just stay with them long enough for their fierce pass rush to get to Cook. And when Luther Burden touches the football: wrap him up.
Texas A&M’s QB v. Mizzou’s Secondary
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Whether it’s Marcel Reed or Conner Weigman, this one is simple: hit the open receivers. For two games straight, A&M’s opponents have loaded the box to stop the run and dared them to pass. The results have been inconsistent.
However, the plays are there to be made, and we’ve seen how successful the running game can be when the threat of a passing game is there. Mizzou’s defense is an average unit. Take what they give you, hit the open receivers, and let Collin Klein, Le’veon Moss, and the Aggie OL go to work.
Bonus: Win the Matchup of Field Position
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Both Texas A&M and Missouri rank inside the top 30 in average starting field position. Missouri has benefitted from turnovers and some nice punt returns from Luther Burden (yes, he returns punts too), while A&M has benefitted from turnovers and stellar punting from Tyler White.
Winning the turnover battle goes without saying, but A&M could have an advantage in terms of field position if White can keep booming punts and force Burden to make fair catches.