Missouri vs. Texas A&M Complete Game Preview
The Texas A&M football team will take on the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field on Saturday. This game could decide the winner of the SEC East.
The Aggies are 7-3 on the season with a 3-3 record in the SEC. Missouri is 7-2 with a 4-1 record in the SEC. The Tigers have a one-game lead on Georgia in the East. They will have to win their three remaining regular-season games in order to win the division.
Texas A&M is coming off a 41-38 upset win over Auburn on the road. The Aggies are playing for a better spot in the bowl order. Missouri had a bye and has had an extra week off to prepare for Texas A&M.
This is a look at how the two teams match up on Saturday.
Texas A&M's Keys to Victory
1 of 6
Texas A&M needs to stop the run on defense and force Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk to beat the Aggies with his arm. If they can contain Missouri's running game and win the turnovers battle, they will come away with a victory.
Missouri is one of the few teams in the SEC that do not feature big running backs. Missouri's top two running backs are both around 5'9" and 195 pounds.
The Aggies have struggled to tackle the bigger running backs in the SEC in 2014 due to their deficiency of size at the linebacker position. This will not be an issue against Missouri.
The Tigers run a spread offense that is built on being effective in the running game. If the Aggies can shut down the Missouri running game, they will cut the legs out of the offense.
Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel prides himself on producing a physical football team. He will try to force the run even if it is being ineffective.
On offense the Aggies need to continue to play their game. They need to spread the field, and whoever lines up under center needs to distribute the ball to the skill players. If the Aggies employ the middle of the field in the passing game like they did against Auburn, then they will be effective on offense.
Missouri's Keys to Victory
2 of 6
Missouri needs to stop the run and force turnovers in order to get a win at Kyle Field. If the Tigers can force obvious passing situations, then they can unleash their pass rush on the Aggies quarterback.
Missouri has registered 30 sacks through nine games. The Tigers feature one of the best pass-rushers in the nation in junior defensive end Shane Ray, who ranks among the leaders in sacks with 12.
If the Tigers can force the Aggies into passing situations, then their pressure should be able to create some turnovers. Offensively, the Tigers need to run the ball effectively to keep the pressure off quarterback Maty Mauk.
The sophomore is only completing 52.4 percent of his passes in 2014 and has thrown nine interceptions. The Tigers need to run effectively so they can set up play action for Mauk.
Texas A&M Players to Watch
3 of 6
The Aggie coaches have not announced who will line up under center against Missouri on Saturday. True freshman Kyle Allen had a very solid outing against Auburn with 277 yards passing and four touchdowns.
Kenny Hill has completed his two-game suspension and will be eligible to play against Missouri. It will be interesting to see how long of a leash the starter will be allowed with a capable backup on the bench.
Sophomore wide receiver Josh Reynolds had a big game against Auburn with six catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, Reynolds has caught 40 passes for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns.
True freshman defensive end Myles Garrett was an impact player against Auburn despite being held to the point of amusement. Garrett only registered four tackles in the game, but he blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown. He lived in the Auburn backfield for most of the game.
The coaches featured junior running back Trey Williams against Auburn. He responded with 64 yards on 10 carries. As long as the coaches give him the ball, Williams can be a major weapon.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Missouri Players to Watch
4 of 6
Missouri junior defensive end Shane Ray is the most effective player on the Tigers defense. He has 12 sacks on the season, which leads the Tigers and the SEC.
On offense, senior receiver Bud Sasser leads the Tigers with 46 receptions for 618 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior running back Russell Hansbrough is Missouri's leading rusher with 591 yards and seven touchdowns.
Senior receiver Darius White can give the Aggies some issues with his size. The 6'3", 205-pound athlete has caught 17 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns on the year.
What They Are Saying
5 of 6
Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin spoke about his team at the postgame press conference after the win over Auburn: "I couldn't be prouder of these guys and the coaching staff. To go into a situation where the odds were stacked against us on the road. That is a complete team and coaching staff effort."
Sumlin talked about the offense and freshman quarterback Kyle Allen: "We were able to use tempo early in the game and get a quick lead. We used our two-tight end set to move the ball in the second half, maybe not score, but to move the ball effectively. He (Kyle Allen) was a lot more relaxed than a week ago."
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel had this to say on his team's offensive approach every week:
"We're going to have to look at it game by game. I think the offensive staff's plan going in was to try to run the ball a little bit more (against Vanderbilt). We wanted to establish that and get in more short third down situations. We like to throw the ball downfield and be vertical. You adjust accordingly to how you're playing. To have two players rush over 80 yards (Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough) is pretty good. That really helped us.
"
Prediction
6 of 6
This is the first SEC game that the Aggies have played in 2014 where they match up well with their opponents from a physical standpoint. Missouri has been somewhat of a schizophrenic team, losing 34-0 to Georgia and then going on the road and running Florida out of its own stadium.
If the Aggies play their game on offense and use the middle of the field effectively in the passing game, they will be able to get a win at home. Missouri does not have the playmakers to keep up with the Aggies offense if Texas A&M takes care of the football.
This is a game the Aggies should win at home by the score of 31-20.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
