Missouri Tigers vs New Mexico State Aggies Opponent Preview: Week 12

The Missouri Tigers take on the New Mexico State Aggies in their Week 12 non-conference matchup.

Author:
Collier Logan
Publish date:
Nov 16, 2022 5:17 PM EST

The Missouri Tigers 2022 campaign has unfolded a bit less successfully as some Tigers fans would have like, but the squad will have a chance to secure another win this coming weekend. New Mexico State comes to Columbia on Saturday for the second to last game of the regular season. The Aggies have been pretty bad for a really long time, posting only one winning season since 2002. But under new head coach in Jerry Kill, NMSU has improved to 4-5 on the year, winning four of their last five games.

NMSU got over the hump and won its first true road game since 2018 in Week 10, but Mizzou's Memorial Stadium should provide a significant advantage for the Tigers. Quarterback Brady Cook has been playing better each game and could take another big step forward this weekend.

Mizzou will be facing an Aggies team that runs a two-quarterback system, between freshman Gavin Frankes and transfer Diego Pavia. The focus of Kill’s run-heavy philosophy is the ground game, though, as NMSU has called nearly 100 more run plays than pass plays in 2022.

New Mexico State Aggies

2022 Record: 4-5

Offensive Scheme: Power Run

Traditionally, Kill likes to run the ball a lot, and that hasn't changed at New Mexico State. With a no real quarterback and rookie receiving corps, it’s a pretty safe bet that the Aggies will put the ball on the ground a lot against Mizzou behind their experienced line.

The Aggies have the 81st best rushing offense in the country, which is a significant improvement from last season. However, the Tigers talented defense should be able to stifle the NMSU ground attack.

Starting Lineup

QB Diego Pavia

RB Jamoni Jones

WR Justice Powers

WR Kordell David

WR Jordan Parker

TE Tomaz Whitford

LT Gabriel Preciado

LG Jae'vone Brown

C Canaan Yaro

RG Isaiah Mursalat

RT Doro Omerhi

Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

When Kill was hired, so was defensive coordinator Nate Drelling, who has installed a 4-2-5 defensive set at NMSU since his arrival. On top of the eight starters they returned from 2021, the Aggies got some solid help via the transfer portal and have made one of the biggest defensive turn arounds in college football.

They finished almost dead last in passing defense last year (129^th out of 130) and gave up almost a 70% completion rate. In fact, they gave up 9.5 yards not per completion but per throw, which means that teams basically got an automatic first down whenever they called a pass against the Aggies in 2021. Now, they've got the 36th ranked overall defense in the country. This may be a more challenging contest than Missouri first anticipated, but the Tigers have shown growth on offense late in the season.

Starting Lineup

DT Lama Lavea

DT Marcus Buckley

DE Lazarus Williams

OLB Donovan King

WLB Chris Ojoh

MLB Trevor Brohard

CB Syrus Dumas

CB DJ McCullough

NB BJ Sculark

SS Bryce Jackson

FS Dylan Early