Eagle's Alex Miller sizes up Texas A&M's trip to No. 14 Missouri

Texas A&M heads to Columbia on Saturday to face No. 14 Missouri, and Alex Miller of The Bryan-College Station Eagle expects a tough test for the Aggies.

In a question-and-answer session with the Columbia Missourian, Miller, the Eagle's digital content coordinator, said his early inclination was that Missouri would win. He said he likes what the Tigers are doing on offense and what he has seen from quarterback Austin Simmons, though he expects A&M to play better than it did against Kentucky and LSU and the game to be closer.

A season that has wobbled

The Aggies opened the year at No. 8 in the preseason AP poll after reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. Losses to Kentucky and LSU knocked them out of the rankings before a 34-7 win over Arkansas last week.

Miller said there were warning signs before the season: new coordinators Holmon Wiggins (offense) and Lyle Hemphill (defense), rebuilt lines on both sides of the ball, the departure of top receiver KC Concepcion to the Cleveland Browns and open questions about quarterback Marcel Reed's growth.

Reed has 908 passing yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions through five games. Miller said Reed's throws were off against Kentucky and that LSU's aggressive defense kept him under pressure.

Injuries at receiver added to the problem. Terry Bussey was hurt on the opening kickoff against Kentucky and is out for the season, Mario Craver has been banged up recently, and Ashton Bethel-Roman did not play against the Wildcats. Miller also credited Kentucky for creative use of its tight ends.

Leaning on the run

Against Arkansas, Miller said, A&M leaned on a run-heavy plan, moved Reed outside the pocket and controlled the line of scrimmage. He said the running game could become a strength, noting that A&M ran the ball well against Missouri in each of the past two meetings, though Missouri's defense was strong against the run in its win over Florida.

Missouri comes in after upsetting then-No. 8 Florida on its homecoming weekend. Mike Elko, A&M's coach since November 2023, is 2-0 against Missouri, including a 38-17 win in Columbia last season.

Sources

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