A potential springboard game looms this Saturday for No. 25 Texas A&M as they host the No. 9 Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. The winner stays undefeated in SEC play and notches their most impressive win of the season. The loser likely starts re-calibrating some expectations. And speaking of expectations, we spoke to Sammy Stava of Rock M Nation, SB Nation’s Mizzou team site, to see how they are feeling heading into this one.
Good Bull Hunting: Mizzou has undefeated, but it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. What’s the feeling of the fanbase headed into this game?
Sammy Stava: I would say that the Mizzou fanbase is cautiously optimistic heading into this game. Having said that, there was a lot of angst after the Tigers barely escaped Vanderbilt in double-overtime. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers. Meanwhile, 4-0 is still 4-0 – and I would bet many other College Football teams would like to be in Missouri’s position right now. This feels a whole lot like last year where Mizzou struggled through an undefeated start and doubt started to creep in, but they pulled off a massive win against a ranked Kansas State squad.
GBH: Despite the fact that we’ve been in the same conference as each other for 30 years now, it’s hard to muster up all that much animosity for Mizzou on our side. Does it feel the same way for y’all?
SS: Yeah, there’s not a whole lot of animosity from Mizzou fans toward Texas A&M, at least there shouldn’t be – especially since the Tigers and Aggies were in different divisions. Missouri has had some good moments recently against A&M, but I generally think the fanbase respects the Aggies program. No matter the outcome on Saturday, Mizzou fans would like A&M to successful season and vice versa due to the strength of schedule.
GBH: How would you describe Mizzou’s offensive and defensive philosophies? At what do they excel and where to they struggle?
SS: Mizzou’s offensive isn’t explosive right now, but it’s successful. Simply, their getting the job done and establishing the run game. The weakness right now in the offense is the inability to breakthrough on big passing plays. On the defensive side – it’s a very aggressive approach led by first year DC Corey Batoon but they also struggle in the secondary allowing big passing plays from time-to-time.
GBH: We’re all aware of Brady Cook and Luther Burden, but who are some other impact players that Aggies need to know, both on offense and on defense?
SS: I mention that Mizzou’s offense is establishing the run game – and that’s due to Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel who was fresh off SEC Offensive Player of the Week in the win over Vanderbilt. He’s had back-to-back 100-yard plus rushing games. On the defensive side, Florida transfer Chris McClellan has been a big addition to the Tigers’ defensive line – as he ranks third on the team with 17 total tackles and leads the team with two sacks on the year.
GBH: Missouri has yet to play on the road this season. Do you think dealing with the Kyle Field crowd will pose any problems?
SS: Oh, absolutely it will. Kyle Field poses problems for a lot of teams in the country as it is one of the toughest places to play. Playing your first road game of the season at Texas A&M isn’t exactly ideal, but I guess it’s better to play at 11 a.m. than at night, right?
GBH: What do you think the ceiling is for this Tigers team, and how much of that is dependent on a win this Saturday?
SS: The ceiling for this Missouri team is to reach the College Football Playoff, and this game will have massive implications for that as they’re currently a projected bubble team. A loss at Texas A&M doesn’t necessarily kill the Tigers’ chances of making the CFP, but I would say that a win could potentially make them a near-lock with advantageous upcoming schedule.
GBH: Alright, give me your score prediction, and how you think this game will play out.
SS: While I am starting to feel confident coming into this game, I did predict Mizzou would go 10-2 on the season with losses to Texas A&M and Alabama – and I can’t change that now. Perhaps it would be a different story if this game was in Columbia. I’ll say Texas A&M 24-20.