Austin Simmons, Caleb Goodie look to continue Florida success against Texas A&M

Missouri's wide receiver unit established itself through the first five games as a group primarily led by Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode. Out of Austin Simmons' 1,392 passing yards, 929 have been allocated to the receiving duo and 10 of Simmons' 13 touchdowns have gone to them as well.

Despite the duo's success, the unit was lacking production and a player that could solely act as a quick deep threat prior to Week 5. After Saturday's game against Florida, Caleb Goodie arose as the speedy deep-ball recipient that Missouri had been looking for.

In his last two seasons at Colarado State and Cincinatti, Goodie averaged 20.8 and 16.7 yards per catch, while accumulating over 400 yards in each season. The 6-foot-1, 183-pound receiver is known for his speedy routes and after adding two catches of over 80 yards in his career, is recognized for his ability to receive deep balls.

Prior to Saturday, Goodie had just one catch for five yards. Of the 11 Tigers with at least a reception, Goodie ranked last, but remained in communication with Simmons to wait for his time. And then it came twice.

"I thought Caleb Goodies' two catches were the difference," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said following the victory. "He hasn't had as many opportunities as he would like, but he came up big in the first half touchdown and then obviously, the first drive of the second half on that third down big catch was huge."

Goodie reeled in two catches over 30 yards for a total of 67 yards and a touchdown, accounting for two of the Tigers' three largest throws. Simmons spoke on the connection between the seniors during a press conference Tuesday.

Oct 3, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) looks to throw in the third quarter against the Florida Gators at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Just wait for the opportunity. Just go out there execute when the job comes," Simmons said on his advice to Goodie before Saturday. "He was ready throughout the entire week. Talked about some stuff... like the game plan and whatever his role is going to be as far as running some certain routes and you just run there and execute it."

Goodie sees the strong performance between Simmons and himself as a testament to the pair's practice over the offseason.

"We put in a lot of work in the offseason," Goodie said on Tuesday. "We did a lot of throwing behind closed doors late at night. I was just happy to see it connecting."

The big-play threat between the two may be an advantage for the Tigers against Texas A&M on Saturday. In two of three SEC matchups, the Aggies have been unable to limit the deep ball, with their only success against the pass coming last week against Arkansas (2-3, 0-2 Southeastern Conference).

In a 31-21 loss to Kentucky, the Aggies gave up 252 passing yards on 14 completions. They also allowed two deep throws of 42 yards and 53 yards. Then, in their following matchup against LSU, the secondary gave up 312 Sam Leavitt passing yards on 17 completions and four passes of at least 35 yards.

Open Kentucky wide receiver — Sep 19, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Ja'kayden Ferguson (5) intercepts a pass during the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite Texas A&M's lapses in the secondary, they were able to hold Arkansas' KJ Jackson to a season-low 111 passing yards last week, showing stark improvement against explosive passes.

"They're a great talented team, of course," Simmons said. "You look at the the way they performed last year against us. They're a really tough team to play against, so obviously we have to get our minds right for whatever they bring to us."

Simmons is entering the matchup with the same approach before his 340-yard performance against No. 8 Florida, in which his connection with Goodie reached new heights.

"It's really just the same mentality (we) went into last week," Simmons said. "I think not letting the success deter us from our mission. Each and every week's a different opponent and different type of game, of course, but it's always going to be the same type of mindset. Just go 1-0 each and every day."

Missouri hosts Texas A&M at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, following a 38-17 defeat at Faurot Field against the Aggies in 2025.

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