The Missouri Tigers are in win-out mode in order to have any chance at the College Football Playoff. Coming off the bye week, Mizzou will host undefeated and No. 3 Texas A&M with true freshman quarterback
Matt Zollers leading the way.
Kick-off on Saturday afternoon in Columbia is set for 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC with Joe Tessitore (pxp), Jesse Palmer (analyst) and Katie George (sideline reporter) on the call.
To discuss Saturday’s matchup with Texas A&M, we chatted with Robert Behrens from Good Bull Hunting to get an Aggies perspective.
Here’s the Q&A to get your ready:
Sammy Stava: Texas A&M comes in with an undefeated 8-0 record and currently ranked No. 3 in the country. What were the preseason expectations for the Aggies in year two under head coach Mike Elko?
Robert Behrens: I think for most Aggies, the expectations coming into this season were simply improvement. Certainly we all saw the potential this team had, but I don’t think anyone thought we’d be sitting here at 8-0 headed into the home stretch. It’s been a great ride thus far, and Mike Elko, his staff and his players have set us up for what could be a great finish. But they have to do just that: finish. It’s been the team’s mantra all offseason after faltering down the stretch in 2024, and they’ll look to put that on display again on Saturday in Columbia.
SS: There’s a lot of Heisman hype surrounding sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed and deservingly so. He’s coming off SEC Offensive Player of the Week in their latest road win over LSU. Do you think Reed ends up being a Heisman finalist?
RB: If A&M keeps winning (fingers crossed), I do think there’s a good chance Marcel ends up in New York in December. That’s the nature of the Heisman – if you’re a good QB on a top team, you’ll likely be in the running. That said, Marcel isn’t a generational QB – he isn’t carrying this team on his back. He has elite moments but also has lulls. Luckily, A&M isn’t asking him to carry the team, they’re asking him to operate the offense, and he’s done a great job of doing just that. But put a player like that behind a good offensive line and give him elite weapons at WR, and it makes for a pretty darn dangerous offense, which is what we’ve seen thus far this season.
SS: Texas A&M’s defense is led by defensive end Cashius Howell – who was just named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week and NC State transfer Kevin Conception is having a successful season at the wide receiver position. Who are some other names to watch on the offensive and defensive side of the ball?
RB: On offense, WR Mario Craver is the other playmaker alongside Concepcion, with Craver leading the team in receiving yards. He’s got speed, and a somewhat surprising ability to slip out of tackles and gain extra yards given his slight frame. I’ll also throw out speedy true freshman RB Jamarion Morrow. He’s been getting worked into the rotation more and more each week (particularly after the injury to Le’Veon Moss), and has scored three touchdowns in the past two games against Florida and LSU.
On defense, you can’t talk about that unit without mentioning MLB Taurean York. He’s undersized, but has an exceptionally high football IQ that makes up for a lot of his physical shortcomings. He leads the team in tackles, and you’ll see him barking out calls and signals to his teammates all game long. Another name to keep an eye on is third year CB Dezz Ricks. A former five-star transfer from Alabama, Ricks often looked like an outright liability a season ago, but has taken major strides in 2025 to become perhaps A&M’s best cover corner.
SS: What is the biggest strength of this Texas A&M team? If the Aggies have any, what are their weaknesses?
RB: I think the unquestioned strength for A&M has to be the offensive line. They returned every starter from a season ago, and it has paid dividends, with A&M leading the country in fewest tackels for loss allowed, and also top 10 in fewest sacks allowed. As you can imagine, that’s played a pretty huge role in the Ags’ offensive success this season.
As far as weaknesses, this team doesn’t have many glaring ones, which is a big part of why A&M fans are so optimistic. But one area they do struggle is giving up big plays in the run game, ranking No. 99 nationally in giving up running plays of 20+ yards. Against Ahmad Hardy, that is one stat that could be cause for concern.
SS: Texas A&M comes into this game as a 7.5-point favorite. How do you see this game playing out on Saturday? Have a final score prediction?
RB: Mizzou is a good team on the road, which is always a tall task in the SEC. However, A&M has proven to be the better, more physical team in each of their games, and I think that trend continues Saturday. I think the Tigers will find some success in the run game, and it will be a close game for three quarters, but in the end, A&M will wear them down and just enough to get to 9-0. Final score: A&M 27, Mizzou 20.
Thanks to Robert for the time for answering our questions. Follow him and Good Bull Hunting on Twitter (X) for all things Texas A&M coverage leading up to Saturday’s game.
