Death by a thousand cuts.
That’s what the 38-17 loss to #3 Texas A&M felt like. Fans left Faurot Field defeated as their College Football Playoff hopes drifted into the abyss. It was a game filled with
stinging moments and gut punches.
On Mizzou’s first possession, there was a controversial no-call on a defensive pass interference and Donovan Olugbode couldn’t come up with the football. It was tone setting.
Penalties weren’t called and Mizzou couldn’t find other ways to break through the highly rated Texas A&M defense.
On the flip side, Mizzou was called for a few silly mistakes. A lack of mental toughness. In the first ten minutes of the game, the Tigers handed the Aggies 26 free yards from pass interference and unnecessary roughness.
The Aggies ultimately struck first with a 4-yard touchdown catch from Ashton Bethel-Roman. Marcel Reed threw a dart perfectly into Bethel-Roman’s hands as a Mizzou defender was inches from intercepting the pass.
The second quarter the trend continued.
Zollers couldn’t connect with any of his receivers, Hardy and Roberts would have breakaway explosions that weren’t backed up, and thanks to the defense the Tigers remained in the game.
The second was relatively quiet before the wheels fell off the bus at the end.
Finally making it down the field, the Tigers ruled that 50 yards out was a possbilty for new kicker Oliver Robbins. He was just short but Mizzou was bailed out on an offsides. Going for it on fourth down and five, the Tigers still couldn’t convert and turned the ball over on downs.
With less than a minute left, Zollers was sacked and fumbled the football directly into the hands of Dalton Brooks who then ran it 26 yards to the 2-yard line.
With time draining, the Aggies rushed into the endzone and led 14-0 at half.
Texas A&M carried the momentum into the second half, sending some students for the exit after Marcell Reed displayed the cannon and blasted a pass to KC Concepcion who took it 48 yards to the house.
Mizzou finally had an answer on the next drive with the help of DaMarion Fowlkes returning the kick for 55 yards as well as a offsides call on a decisive 3rd and 7 which was pushed up five yards and followed with a rushing first down. Two plays later the Tigers finally put points on the board with a Jamal Roberts touchdown.
A sense of hope was instilled when it seemed Mizzou had forced A&M to punt after they were unable to convert on third down but Mike Elko and the Aggies had tricks up their sleeve. Lining up to punt, A&M faked it and Dalton Brooks exploded on a run for 48 yards, the drive later ended in a field goal to pad the lead.
Perhaps it was the energy of Mr. Brightside that gave the Tigers a second life in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M was hunting for another touchdown but a Bethel-Roman fumble was recovered by Marvin Burks and halted the looming threat. Soon, pieces started clicking. Zollers was connecting with his receivers and Roberts broke away for 40 yards. However, it wasn’t enough, though Mizzou did add another three points after Oliver Robbins sent a 49-yard kick through the uprights, the longest of his career.
The cycle repeated and the knife twisted.
Texas A&M scored and while celebrating his touchdown Rueben Owens II waved goodbye to the Mizzou faithful in celebration after running the football 57 yards home and soon the Tigers were once again down 21 with no hope on the horizon.
However, there was still some fight left in the fourth quarter Tigers. In classic Ahmad Hardy fashion, the running back refused to go quietly and collected a 45 yard rushing TD.
The cycle repeated again. Owens II found the endzone again and sealed it for A&M. On the subsequent kick, the Tigers muffed the football and turned it over.
The puzzle was just never fully completed. Something was missing. A spark couldn’t turn into a flame.
True freshman Matt Zollers was under serious strain and facing an elite defense in his first ever collegiate start and it showed. The quarterback threw 22 passes, yet only seven were successful. There also wasn’t much variety in the plays Kirby Moore drafted up for the young buck. Meanwhile, Marcel Reed threw for 221 yards, nearly three times the amount Zollers threw. Reed also collected two touchdowns.
Additionally, the offense suffered on third down, resulting in a 38% completion rate on third down. It wasn’t pretty and the Aggies took complete advantage of the situation, further proving why they are top three in the country.
The bright spot: defense. The 38 points on the board are unrepresentative of the fight this squad showed to give the team a chance to claw their way back in. Triston Newsom led the group with 11 tackles, including one for loss. Nick Rodriguez and Josiah Trotter followed him up with 6 tackles a piece, both with 0.5 tackles for loss.
Mizzou will look to get back on track next weekend with a home game against Mississippi State.
