The 14th-ranked Missouri Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) host the Texas A&M Aggies (3-2, 1-2 SEC) looking to build momentum after their win over Florida last week. Kick-off on Saturday in Columbia is set for 11:00 a.m. CST on ABC as Eli Drinkwitz looks for his first win over Mike Elko.
To discuss the Tigers and Aggies, we previewed the matchup with Robert Behrens over at our SB Nation friends Good Bull Hunting.
Here’s the Q&A to get you ready:
Sammy Stava: Texas A&M comes in with a 3-2 record, but the Aggies
were predicted to finish 4th in the SEC and were ranked No. 8 in the preseason Top 25. Considering the expectations, have they been the biggest disappointment in College Football leading up to this point?
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Robert Behrens: They are certainly in the running for the biggest disappointment thus far (though Oklahoma and Michigan look like they may give us a run for our money). It’s been an extremely frustrating start for the Aggies, not just because they lost, but because they looked so thoroughly outclassed in both losses. Obviously college football seasons can take some crazy turns, but objectively, it’s hard to see A&M’s myriad issues getting solved this year, and that’s a hard pill to swallow in year three of Mike Elko’s tenure in Aggieland.
SS: Marcel Reed has struggled this season with six touchdown passes and four interceptions. What are his strengths that can cause problems for Mizzou, and what are his weaknesses that Mizzou can potentially exploit?
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RB: When discussing his strengths, you have to start with Marcel’s legs. He possesses good straight line speed, but more importantly, is extremely shifty and able to make defenders miss in the open field. However, you won’t see A&M use him on a ton of designed runs/RPOs. The majority of his rushing comes from pass plays where he decides to take off when he sees an open lane. He seemed a bit more willing to do that quickly against Arkansas, which felt like an intentional pivot, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he is taking off early and often against Mizzou if opportunities present themselves.
The downside of Marcel this year, unfortunately, has simply been chronic inaccuracy. He is routinely missing open receivers, either forcing incompletions or eliminating YAC opportunities as receivers have to adjust to the ball. He’s always had stretches where his accuracy would stray, but it’s been far more frequent in 2026, and that has been the source of many of A&M’s offensive struggles.
SS: Besides the quarterback position, who are some players to watch on offense for the Aggies? Who on the defensive side of the ball has made a big impact?
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RB: The biggest playmaker on the A&M offense is WR Mario Craver, a smaller WR who possesses elite speed and is able to break tackles regularly. However, Craver has been battling nagging injuries in recent weeks, missing at least portions of the past three games. Even if he plays, there is a good chance he is still not at full strength.The other primary WR for the Aggies is Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton, who has been targeted heavily in the red zone, but has failed to generate consistent production otherwise.
In the run game, the player to watch for is undoubtedly freshman RB K.J. Edwards. He entered the season as the third RB behind senior Rueben Owens and sophomore Jamarion Morrow, but Edwards has flashed virtually every time he touches the ball. He is averaging 6.5 yards per carry this season, and rushed 11 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns last week against Arkansas. I think the expectation/hope is that he will soon take over the bulk of the workload in the A&M backfield, and we may see that as soon as this Saturday.
On the defensive side, Dezz Ricks has been the Aggies lockdown corner this season. The former Alabama transfer has allowed 1 or fewer receiving yards against him in all but one game this season. The defense could also benefit from players coming back from injury like LB Damyion Sanford and S Tawfiq Byard. Both missed several games to begin the season and saw a significant uptick in playing time last week against Arkansas. I’ll also throw in DEs T.J. Searcy and Marco Jones.
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SS: Despite the disappointment, the Aggies still have a talented roster, and Mike Elko has had Eli Drinkwitz’s number. What are the keys for Texas A&M for that to continue and pull off a minor road upset?
RB: In simple terms, it’s all a matter of which versions of these teams show up. If we get the Mizzou we saw against Florida and A&M we saw against Kentucky/LSU, it could get ugly. But Mizzou has had their own lulls/issues, and A&M, despite the record, is showing improvement, especially along the offensive line that was breaking in four new starters to begin the season (and has seen a shuffle even since then). For the Aggies, I’d say the keys are as follows:
1. Do we get good Marcel Reed? He hasn’t shown up much this season (if at all), but if we get the version of Marcel that won A&M several games last season – with accurate passing and strategic running – he could do enough to make this a very competitive game.
2. Continued OL improvement. A&M’s offensive line has had some growing pains as they cobbled together a group of transfers with only one returning starter. But they have seemed to improve week over week. That will be put to the test this week in a major way, especially against the run, so they’ll need to step up if A&M wants any hope of pulling off the upset.
3. Opportunistic defense. Mizzouri might be the best offense A&M has faced so far this season, which is concerning given A&M’s defensive struggles, especially in the secondary. There are plays to be made against this defense, so I think the defense’s most important goal is taking advantage of big plays when they present themselves. Get home and impact the QB when you can. Don’t drop that INT. Get your hands on that fumble. As always, there are a handful of plays that decide each game, and they need to make sure theirs don’t slip through their fingers.
SS: Mizzou comes in as a 3-5-point favorite. How do you see this game playing out on Saturday? Have a final score prediction?
RB: Whether it’s points spreads or statistical models, the “experts” seem to think this game will be a lot closer than many would assume. As someone who has watched this A&M team with baited breath all season, I have a hard time agreeing with that. I’ll always hold out hope that things “click” and the team starts playing to their potential (which is undoubtedly there), but the problems have been too numerous and persistent to ignore. Even in a stastically dominant win over Arkansas last week, you saw hints of the issues that have plagued this team all year – issues that a better team will make you pay for. As much as I want to buy the “Elko owns Drink” narrative, I think Missouri has constently been the better team this season, and that plays out on Saturday. In particular, I think the performances of Austin Simmons and Marcel Reed will present a stark contrast, and Mizzou will roll 38-20. Life is pointless, eat at Arby’s.
Thanks to Robert for chatting with us (and his Mizzou win prediction). Follow him and Good Bull Hunting on Twitter (X) for Texas A&M coverage this week.
