Texas A&M's 27-6 road loss to Missouri was embarrassing in every facet of the game, with the defense giving up 216 yards. Starting quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 147 yards and two interceptions, his second-worst performance, after throwing for 106 yards against LSU. The wheels have fallen off, and the Aggies still have to face Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas after hosting The Citadel on Saturday.
While Marcel Reed was plain bad and a major liability moving forward, Texas A&M's offensive line also struggled, allowing 13 pressures and three sacks while giving up nothing on run blocking, as the Aggies rushed for just 29 yards, averaging 1.3 yards per carry. However, the Aggie defense gave A&M a chance to win, even though
Missouri scored 17 points in the second half.
After the game, third-year coach Mike Elko's untimely comments about some in the Aggie fanbase distracted from the poor play on the field, a problem all season except for the opening-season win over Missouri State and last week's win over Arkansas.
As I do every week, looking at the Pro Football Focus grade has been both informative and discouraging, especially after Saturday's blowout loss. Again, the grades matched the performance: only one offensive player earned a grade above 60.
Offense
- TE Houston Thomas — 67.1 offense, 69.0 pass
- WR TK Norman — 66.6 offense, 65.8 pass
- QB Marcel Reed — 65.2 offense, 61.0 passing, 70.2 running
- LT Tyree Adams — 61.3 offense, 72.0 pass blocking, 52.6 run blocking
- RB KJ Edwards — 61.1 offense, 70.3 pass blocking, 61.4 running
All five players listed above had their moments, and yes, Marcel Reed being the third-highest-rated player is why Pro Football Focus isn't the end-all, be-all for grading football performances. Even after allowing 10 pressures and three sacks, several offensive linemen, including Trovon Baugh (85.4) and Wilkin Formby (83.1), earned prolific pass-blocking grades.
Honestly, that's the only positive takeaway from an offense that totaled three yards in the third quarter and barely looked operational from start to finish.
Defense
- LB Noah Mikhail — 79.3 defense, 79.8 tackling, 85.3 coverage
- DL CJ Mims — 75.6 defense, 71.6 run defense, 73.4 tackling, 66.7 pass rush
- DE T.J. Searcy — 72.2 defense, 67.0 run defense, 72.2 tackling, 61.3 pass rush
- DL DJ Hicks —72.0 defense, 71.7 run defense, 72.4 tackling, 63.5 pass rush
- DL Landon Rink — 70.4 defense, 73.4 run defense, 72.4 tackling, 56.6 pass rush
Texas A&M's defense wasn't the problem on Saturday; Mike Elko deserves credit for having this unit ready and giving the offense every chance to match Missouri's first-half scoring. Led by linebacker Noah Mikhail's impressive day, especially in coverage, the defense generated six pressures and held up against the run, despite RB Jamal Robert's big day on the ground.
Colorado transfer safety Tawfiq Byard led the Aggies in tackles but struggled in coverage, while fellow Colorado transfer defensive lineman Brandon Davis-Swan impressed in his debut, recording a tackle for loss and three tackles; fellow defensive linemen DJ Hicks and CJ Mims were solid against the run and provided some pass rush.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Notable PFF grades after Texas A&M's 27-6 loss to Missouri
