No. 25 Texas A&M had a big win over No. 9 Missouri, opening up a 24-0 lead at halftime. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
No. 25 Texas A&M defeated No. 9 Missouri 41-10 on Saturday in College Station.
Nothing went well for the Tigers. Almost everything went well for the Aggies. Texas A&M built a 24-0 lead at halftime, and Le’Veon Moss’ 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the third quarter at the start of the second half made it clear Missouri State couldn’t come back.
Missouri State lost four yards on third-and-short on its next possession, and given A&M’s good play, the game was all but over.
A&M QB Connor Weigman made his second start since injuring his shoulder in the Aggies’ season opener against Notre Dame. Weigman picked at a Missouri defense that couldn’t apply pressure and used his legs to good effect when he had room to run. Weigman finished the game completing 18 of 22 passes for 276 yards. Texas A&M came up big in the fourth quarter, allowing Weigman to miss much of the final slot.
Missouri State had every right to be upset about being inexplicably called for a pass interference penalty on a fourth-down pass attempt on the Tigers’ first drive. If the flag had been left on the field correctly, Missouri State would have been in top scoring position.
But that doesn’t explain how bad the Tigers played the rest of the first half. And even if they showed brilliance, there was something that nullified it. After Texas A&M took a 10-0 lead, Mizzou had a 75-yard TD pass to Luther Baden III, but it was erased by an accurate call to a lineman downfield.
Late in the second half, QB Brady Cook made a great play to convert third down to first down, but he was called back in a foul formation and couldn’t convert on the ensuing third down, forcing Mizzou to punt.
Moss finished the game with over 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Connor Weigman shines in return
It’s safe to say that A&M’s ceiling depends on how well Weigman plays the rest of the season. Marcel Reed played well in his absence in the last three games, but Texas A&M was seen as a No. 2 prospect in the SEC before the season because of Weigman’s potential.
After being named the Aggies’ starter in early 2023, Weigman suffered a season-ending foot injury in the fourth game of the season against Auburn. During that time, he showed he could be the Aggies’ answer at QB. Before his injury, Weigman completed 82 of 119 passes for 979 yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions.
Weigman started this season in Week 2 after injuring his shoulder against the Irish, but aggravated the injury against McNeese State. Reed took over as the team’s starter for the final two games, leading the Aggies to wins over Florida and Arkansas.
If Weigman can perform as well as he did Saturday, Texas A&M still has plenty of room to play in the SEC and could be more than a spoiler. The Aggies have only two ranked teams left on their schedule: No. 13 LSU and No. 2 Texas.
Big setback for Missouri
The Tigers also still qualify for the SEC and College Football Playoff, but it’s much harder to imagine both possibilities than it was Friday. The Tigers are dominated by the Aggies on both the offensive and defensive lines, and the passing game still isn’t quite right.
Missouri State was 10-2 before the season thanks to Cook’s emergence as a passer. Missouri’s passing game has been up and down at best this year. Without a reliable downfield passing game, the Tigers were forced to rely on the run game, which was effective until Saturday.
After playing the University of Massachusetts in Week 7, Missouri will play Auburn in Week 8 before traveling to Alabama in Week 9. We’ll know more about the Tigers at the end of October, but it’s very fair to question whether this is really possible. A playoff level team.
