Expert Analysis: Missouri vs. Texas A&M – Matchup Preview & Predictions Week 6 NCAAF

The only Top 25 matchup in college football’s Week 6 is from the SEC, as No. 9 Missouri visits No. 25 Texas A&M at noon ET.

They are two of six SEC teams unbeaten in league play in the early going, with A&M the only 2-0 team in SEC action. The Aggies are short favorites on the NCAAF odds.

Missouri Tigers +107

No. 9 Missouri (4-0, 1-0 SEC) has been off since opening SEC play with a wild 30-27 double overtime win vs. Vanderbilt on Sept. 21. Blake Craig kicked a 37-yard field goal on the first possession of the second overtime for the winning points. Craig’s score came after Brady Cook found Luther Burden III for a 25-yard touchdown to send the game to a second extra period. The Commodores had an opportunity to tie the contest but saw a 31-yard field-goal attempt go wide left.

Game Review

Vanderbilt got the ball first in overtime and scored on a two-yard pass from Diego Pavia to Gabe Fisher. But Missouri answered on its first extra time play, with Cook hitting Burden III in the back left corner of the end zone. Cook finished 23-of-37 passing for 226 yards and two scores, with Burden posting six receptions for a game-high 76 yards while catching both of those touchdown passes. Nate Noel ran for 199 yards on 24 carries as well as the Tigers finished with 442 yards of total offense.

Missouri’s 13-10 halftime deficit ended a streak of 15-straight regular season contests in which the Tigers hadn’t trailed at the break (Nov. 25, 2022 vs. Arkansas). It represented the second-longest streak in program history (18, from Oct. 18, 1997 to Sept. 25, 1999).

The Record

The Tigers registered their eighth-straight victory, matching a 1941 streak for the second-longest in school history; the current win streak also marks their longest since 1960-61, when MU officially won a program-record 13 games in a row, spanning Sept. 17, 1960 through Sept. 30, 1961. Mizzou holds the nation’s longest FBS win streak, which dates back to Nov. 11, 2023. MU won its second-consecutive SEC opener (also vs. Vanderbilt on Sept. 30, 2023) and improved to 5-8 all-time in SEC openers.

“Just really proud of the grit our team showed. Faced a lot of self-inflicted wounds and adversity, but didn’t flinch. Especially proud of the defense to keep coming back out there. It’s great to be 4-0, it’s as good as we can be,” Coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

The AVG

Missouri has outscored its first four opponents by a combined 146-48 margin; the +98 scoring margin marks the Tigers’ best through the program’s first four games of a season since 2016. Missouri’s average of 472.3 yards per game is the Tigers’ best through the first four games in a season since 2021, when they averaged 483.0.

Brady Cook

Cook increased his career passing yardage to 7,424 yards, trailing Brad Smith (2002-05) by 1,375 yards for the No. 3 spot on Mizzou’s all-time list. Cook’s 200-yard passing day was the 23rd of his career, the third-highest total in program history. He inches closer to Chase Daniel (2006-09), who’s in second with 30 200-yard performances, as Drew Lock (2015-18) holds the record with 34.

#Mizzou QB Brady Cook feels more confident about their red zone offense, after repping it in the bye week.

"If you look at the numbers…maybe 3/10 in like the last two or three games in the red zone scoring touchdowns. It's hard to win games like that. Luckily, we did." pic.twitter.com/l6sPQMkIP0

— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) October 1, 2024

Luther Burden III

Burden III has logged a touchdown in five-straight games (since Dec. 29 vs. Ohio State) and has hauled in a reception in 26-straight contests dating back to Oct. 1, 2022; Chase Coffman (2005-08) holds the school record streak of 45-consecutive games with at least one catch. Burden III moved into sixth place all-time in program history with 19 receiving touchdowns, teaming up with Cook on 18 of those. Noel increased his total to 3,515 career rushing yards; he ranked third among all active FBS rushers for career yards entering play Saturday.

Texas A&M Aggies -131

No. 25 A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) beat Arkansas 21-17 this past Saturday at a neutral site in Dallas. The Aggies claimed their first and only lead of the day with 9:00 remaining in the game as Marcel Reed connected with Tre Watson for a 5-yard touchdown. The eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive was sparked by Le’Veon Moss, who compiled 46 yards on the ground. It was A&M’s first fourth quarter comeback win since their 2021 home win over Alabama.

Nic Scourton

The Aggie defense put the final touches on the win as Nic Scourton logged a strip sack and Jaydon Hill recovered the fumble to seal the victory. The play capped off a strong performance from Scourton, who recorded four tackles, all of which were solos and tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks.

Marcel Reed

Reed finished 11-of-22 passing for 163 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 13 yards on the ground and one score. Moss logged a career-high 117 yards on 13 carries in the win, marking the third 100-yard game of his career and second straight against the Razorbacks. Among the receivers, Noah Thomas put forth his best performance of the season, hauling in six passes for a career-high 109 yards and a touchdown. Thomas caught a career-long 58-yard pass to score the ninth touchdown of his career to move into a tie for 26th in program history with Speedy Noil (2014-16) and Jimmy Teal (1982-84).

Dalton Brooks

On the defensive end, the Aggies wreaked havoc up front as they totaled 10.0 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries and 3.0 sacks. Brooks led the way with seven tackles, two of which were for loss. The Aggie defense has racked up 32.0 tackles for loss on the season, which ranks 29th nationally and fourth in the SEC. A&M has limited its opponents to 100-for-fewer yards on the ground in three straight games, after only giving up 100 yards to Arkansas.

The Streak

Texas A&M registered its seventh interception of the season and fourth consecutive game with a pick. It marked the first four-game streak with an interception since 2021 when the Aggies recorded a pick against Alabama, at Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn. The team’s seven picks are the most by the Maroon & White in a four-game span since tallying seven in four games during the 2013 season. Takeaways have been a key piece of the Aggie defense early on, as A&M sits at No. 2 in the SEC and No. 16 in the country in turnover margin (1.2/g).

Conner Weigman

Starting QB Weigman has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury and will be a game-time call for Missouri, according to head coach Mike Elko: “It’s just one of those things with the shoulder. He’ll be a game-time decision this week, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Since stepping in for the injured Conner Weigman, Marcel Reed has demonstrated growth as Texas A&M's QB@lukewhite03 broke down what the Aggies said ahead of their matchup with No. 9 Missouri👀

Link: https://t.co/BRBvTIxPUd pic.twitter.com/3WbM9PPtAg

— SportsDayDFW (@SportsDayDFW) October 1, 2024

Through 11 career games, Weigman has thrown for 2,100 yards on 178-of-295 passing, including three 300-yard passing games. If Weigman is unable to go Saturday, then Reed would remain the starter under center. Reed ranks 18th overall in the SEC, averaging 57.5 rushing yards per game, while his 5.5 yards per carry is the best average among league QBs.

Missouri vs Texas A&M NCAA Football Info

When: Saturday, noon ET
Where: Kyle Field
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com

Missouri vs Texas A&M Series History

The history between these two fairly new SEC programs is not expansive. Both joined the league in July 2012, meeting 16 times since. A&M holds a small lead, 9-7, over the Tigers. The latest result was a 35-14 convincing win for the Aggies in 2021. Texas A&M hosts Missouri for the first time since 2014.

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