Texas A&M football has one of its most massive challenges to date coming up on Saturday, as the Aggies travel to Columbia, Missouri, to face the 14th-ranked Tigers.
Over the last three years, the series has been all Aggies. Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has yet to lose to Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, outscoring them 79-27. The Aggies lead the all-time series, 11-7, but things could look much different come October 10.
Mizzou comes off a massive 45-17 win over No. 8 Florida, in which the Tigers held Heisman hopeful running back Jadan Baugh to just 13 rushing yards on 12 carries while putting up over 500 yards of offense. They have electric weapons everywhere on the gridiron, and they're looking to snap Texas A&M's winning streak in the series.
Here are three areas to watch in the 19th meeting between the Aggies and Tigers on Saturday:
Texas A&M's pass defense vs. Austin Simmons
The Ole Miss transfer has solidified himself as one of the SEC's most prolific gunslingers, ranking No. 3 in the conference with 1,287 passing yards and No. 2 with 13 passing touchdowns. Simmons has four contests with 250 passing yards or more, including a season-high of 340 in the 45-17 win over Florida. He hasn't thrown an interception, either.
After a slow start to the season, Texas A&M's pass defense has flashed at times in recent weeks. The unit allows 191.8 passing yards, ranking No. 6 in the league, but it has allowed nine 30-plus-yard passes.
Can the Aggie secondary prevent Simmons from running wild in CoMo?
Texas A&M's offensive line vs. Missouri's defensive line
The Aggies' offensive line will face one of its toughest obstacles of the season on Saturday, lining up against Missouri's physical, dominant defensive unit. The Tigers made Florida quarterback Aaron Philo feel the heat in Week 5, recording three sacks and tying the unit's season-high with five quarterback hurries.
The Maroon Goons have allowed 9.0 total sacks, which ranks around the middle of the pack in the SEC, but the unit has improved each week slightly. Blake Ivy's status was a pop-up surprise on Wednesday: he was listed as out for the Missouri game on the SEC's Student-Athlete Availability Report, a hit to Texas A&M's depth up front.
Can the Maroon Goons prevent Missouri's defensive line from wreaking havoc in the trenches?
Marcel Reed vs. Missouri's secondary
It is hard to argue against those who point to Reed's inaccuracy and decision-making as the traits keeping Texas A&M's offense from being the explosive unit we saw last season. He ranks last among the SEC's starting quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.0) and quarterback rating (116.16), with the second-most interceptions in the conference (7) in five contests.
Reed's errant throws and inability to stay poised under pressure are concerning, especially heading into Saturday's showdown with the Tigers' elite defensive front. However, Missouri has struggled at times to defend the pass, allowing 231.2 passing yards per contest and 15 pass plays of 20-plus yards entering Week 6.
Can Reed take advantage of Missouri's potential defensive weakness?
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M at No. 14 Missouri: 3 areas to watch against the Tigers
