Missouri vs. Texas A&M: Complete Game Preview

The No. 9 Texas A&M Football team will take on the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday. The game is important for bowl positioning for the Aggies. It is Missouri's last chance to win six games and become bowl-eligible for the eighth year in a row.

Missouri has come to Kyle Field and won each of the past two years. The current senior football players at A&M have never beaten Missouri during their college careers.

It should be a great matchup of the two first-year programs in the Southeastern Conference. The Ags are trying to play their way into a BCS bowl game while Mizzou is just trying to qualify for any bowl.

This is a complete preview of the game between Missouri and Texas A&M.

Game Day Information

Who: Texas A&M Aggies vs. Missouri Tigers

When: 6:00 p.m. CDT

Stadium: Kyle Field

TV:  ESPN2

Radio: WTAW 1620, Sirius 93, XM 201

Rankings: Texas A&M No. 9 BCS, Missouri unranked

Records: Texas A&M 9-2, 5-2, Missouri 5-6, 2-5

Texas A&M Depth Chart

Offense

QB: Johnny Manziel

Backup: Matt Joeckel

WR: Mike Evans

Backup: Derel Walker

LT: Luke Joeckel

Backup: Germain Ifedi

LG: Jarvis Harrison

Backup: Germain Ifedi

C: Patrick Lewis

Backup: Mike Matthews

RG: Cedric Ogbuehi

Backup: Ben Compton

RT: Jake Matthews

Backup: Joseph Cheek

TE: Michael Lamothe

Backup: Nehemiah Hicks

WR: Uzoma Nwachukwu

Backup: Sabian Holmes

WR: Ryan Swope

Backup: Malcome Kennedy

WR: Kenric McNeal

Backup: Thomas Johnson

TB: Ben Malena

Backup: Christine Michael

Defense

DE: Gavin Stansbury

Backup: Julien Obioha

NG: Kirby Ennis

Backup: Jonathan Mathis

DT: Spencer Nealy

Backup: Ivan Robinson

Rush: Damontre Moore

Backup: Tyrone Taylor

WLB: Steven Jenkins

Backup: Donnie Baggs

MLB: Jonathan Stewart

Backup: Justin Bass

SLB: Sean Porter

Backup: Michael Richardson

CB: Deshazor Everett

Backup: Dustin Harris

CB: De'Vante Harris

Backup: Floyd Raven

BS: Howard Matthews

Backup: Johntel Franklin

FS: Steven Terrell

Backup: Toney Hurd Jr.

Missouri Depth Chart

Offense

LT 72 Elvis Fisher – 6-5, 300, Sr., 3L
70 Anthony Gatti – 6-6, 295, So.

LG 77 Evan Boehm – 6-3, 310, Fr.
67 Michael Boddie – 6-5, 285, RSFr.

C 63 Brad McNulty – 6-4, 295, RSFr.
60 Connor McGovern – 6-4, 300, RSFr.

RG 61 Max Copeland – 6-3, 290, Jr.
78 Nick Demien – 6-6, 295, So.

RT 65 Mitch Morse – 6-5, 300, So., 1L
74 Chris Freeman – 6-8, 315, So.

Y 81 Eric Waters – 6-4, 235, Jr., 2L
15 Dorial Green-Beckham – 6-6, 220, Fr.

QB 1 James Franklin – 6-2, 228, Jr., 1L
13 Corbin Berkstresser – 6-3, 230, RSFr.
7 Maty Mauk – 6-2, 200, Fr.

TB 4 Kendial Lawrence – 5-9, 195, Sr., 3L
6 Marcus Murphy – 5-9, 185, So., 1L
32 Russell Hansbrough – 5-9, 185, Fr.
38 Jared McGriff-Culver – 5-11, 250, Sr., 3L

X 2 L’Damian Washington – 6-4, 195, Jr., 2L – OR –
85 Marcus Lucas – 6-5, 215, Jr., 2L

H 28 T.J. Moe – 6-0, 200, Sr., 3L
3 Gahn McGaffie – 5-10, 190, Sr., 2L
88 Jimmie Hunt – 6-0, 205, So., 1L

Z 21 Bud Sasser – 6-2, 215, So.
5 Rolandis Woodland – 6-3, 200, Sr., 1L
14 Jaleel Clark – 6-4, 220, Jr., 2L

Defense

DE 57 Brad Madison – 6-4, 265, Sr., 3L – OR –
47 Kony Ealy – 6-5, 265, So., 1L
33 Markus Golden – 6-3, 230, So.

DT 34 Sheldon Richardson – 6-4, 295, Jr., 1L
96 Lucas Vincent – 6-2, 295, So., 1L
94 Marvin Foster – 6-1, 295, Jr., 1L

NG 89 Matt Hoch – 6-5, 300, So., 1L
91 Jimmy Burge – 6-2, 295, Sr., 2L

DE 52 Michael Sam – 6-3, 260, Jr., 2L
56 Shane Ray – 6-3, 240, RSFr.
55 Brayden Burnett – 6-2, 250, Jr., 2L

W 25 Zaviar Gooden – 6-2, 230, Sr., 3L
12 Darvin Ruise – 6-1, 235, So.

M32 Will Ebner – 6-0, 230, Sr., 3L
8 Donovan Bonner – 6-1, 235, Jr., 2L

S 48 Andrew Wilson – 6-3, 235, Jr., 2L
10 Kentrell Brothers – 6-1, 230, RSFr.

CB 1 Kip Edwards – 6-1, 200, Sr., 3L
7 Randy Ponder – 5-10, 195, Jr., 1L

CB 31 E.J. Gaines – 5-10, 195, Jr., 2L
26 Xavier Smith – 5-11, 185, So., 1L
28 Ernest Payton – 6-2, 210, RSFr.

SS 30 Kenronte Walker – 6-0, 210, Sr., 1L
21 Ian Simon – 5-11, 190, RSFr.
4 Daniel Easterly – 6-4, 195, So., 1L

FS 9 Braylon Webb – 6-0, 210, So., 1L
17 Matt White – 6-0, 195, Jr., 2L
5 Cortland Browning – 6-1, 210, RSFr.

What Happened to the Aggies Last Week?

The Texas A&M Football team beat Sam Houston State 47-28 on November 17 at Kyle Field. The Ags led the game 40-0 early in the third quarter when head coach Kevin Sumlin pulled all of the starters.

SHSU outscored the Aggies' reserves to the tune of 28-7 for the rest of the game. The second half emphasized the need for the Aggie coaches to add more depth to the program through recruiting.

Aggie freshman quarterback and Heisman contender Johnny Manziel had 267 yards passing and 100 yards rushing with five total touchdowns in the game. He only played one offensive snap in the second half.

The win marked the second time in the past three years that the Aggies have won nine games in a season.

What Happened to Missouri Last Week?

Missouri lost by a score of 31-27 to Syracuse in their final home game of the season. Syracuse scored with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which both won the game and made them bowl-eligible. 

The Tigers have had bad luck with injuries all season. That continued against Syracuse as Missouri quarterback James Franklin had to leave the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter.

Franklin's status for the A&M game at this time is unknown.

Missouri gained a lot of negative publicity earlier in the season for referring to the SEC as "old man football." The Tigers have struggled to win games both in and out of the conference during the 2012 season.

It appears that they were not physically ready to play in the SEC.

What Would a Win This Week Mean for the Aggies and Tigers?

If the Aggies beat Missouri, then they will finish the season a surprising 10-2. More importantly, they will finish the regular season ranked in the top 10 and will have a shot at a BCS bowl game.

Missouri needs the win simply to qualify for a bowl.

The Missouri players ruffled a lot of people's feathers in the preseason by not showing the proper amount of respect for their conference brethren. They then went out and did not back up any of their words up with their play on the field.

The Tigers were able to excel in the Big 12 by running a spread offense with undersized running backs. Against SEC defenses, their spread has been shut down. Most of their players at skill positions have missed part of the season with injuries.

By all appearances, they were just not physically ready to compete in their new league. The Tigers are now just trying to salvage what is left of their season and become bowl-eligible.

Key Player for the Aggies

Aggie outside linebacker Sean Porter is playing his last game ever at Kyle Field on Saturday. He will be instrumental in stopping the Tigers' spread offense.

Porter helped set the tone against Alabama by making a tackle for no gain on the Crimson Tide's first running play and getting an interception on their second series. He needs to play like that against Missouri.

Porter will need to help contain Missouri running back Kendial Lawrence and stuff the Mizzou running game. If Porter has a good game and keep the Tigers' running game in check, the offense will become one-dimensional and much easier to stop.

Key Player for the Tigers

Missouri senior running back Kendial Lawrence will be the key to their offense on Saturday. He needs to have a big day running the ball to take the pressure off whomever lines up under center for the Tigers.

Lawrence is an elusive runner who is an ideal fit for the Missouri spread offense. He leads the Tigers with 938 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the season.

If Lawrence can successfully run the ball against A&M, the Tigers will be able to move the chains and keep the Aggie offense on the sideline.

If the Ags are able to stuff Lawrence, they will make Mizzou into a one-dimensional passing team and will be able to tee off on the Tigers' QB.

It is imperative that Lawrence have a good game if the Tigers want to win at Kyle for the third year in a row.

Aggies Will Win If.....

The Aggies will win the game if they limit turnovers and play on offense like they have for the past four games. The Missouri secondary is very poor and the Aggies should be able to move the ball against them.

Missouri has allowed opponents to compete 64 percent of their passes, which is why Manziel and the Aggies should be able to score against Mizzou.They just need to limit turnovers and not give Mizzou any extra confidence.

The Tigers have won two games in a row at Kyle. They will come into College Station believing that they are going to win the game. The Ags need to protect the football and go about their business.

A&M is a better football team than Missouri. They just need to take care of business on the field and prove it.

Missouri Will Win If....

Missouri can win the game if they force the Ags to turn the ball over and James Franklin starts at quarterback. Franklin has struggled a little with his passing this season, but he is still a very dangerous football player.

If Franklin plays, the offense can get on a roll. The Aggies' defensive weakness is in the secondary. Franklin could exploit that with Missouri's deep corps of quality receivers, as they have has four receivers who have caught 24 passes or more on the season.

If the Tigers' defense can force turnovers, then Missouri could use the extra possessions to get into a shootout with the Aggies.

Prediction

Prediction: Texas A&M 51 Missouri 20

The Aggies simply have too much offense for the Tigers to handle. Mizzou has not faced a player like Manziel all season, and they will struggle to contain him.

"Johnny Football" will put a exclamation point on his Heisman campaign with a big win over Missouri. The seniors on the Aggie defense will refuse to allow Franklin to beat them at Kyle three years in a row.