Can Missouri State Actually Threaten Texas A&M Next Season?

The Aggies home opener falls against the Bears in the first week of September.

Nov 22, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) before a game against the Samford Bulldogs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images | Joseph Buvid-Imagn Images

Football will soon be right around the corner. 

Soon enough, Texas A&M’s head coach Mike Elko will be leading his troops down the tunnel at Kyle Field to “Power,” and in the blink of an eye, the 2026-27 campaign will be underway. 

It will be a beautiful sight with the 12th Man swaying in unison to the War Hymn. 

Missouri State will experience one of the biggest home-field advantages there is in all of college sports. Can it do the impossible and give A&M a run for its money? 

Probably not; however, do not underestimate the unit that head coach Casey Woods has, which is hungry to establish a winning culture and pull off one of the opening-weekend upsets. 

Bear Ball vs Aggie Ball

Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

A new head coach is in town for Missouri State, and his name is Casey Woods. A new coach can bring a ton of different looks to a program that needed polishing and what a way to kick off a season then by traveling to Aggieland to take on an SEC powerhouse. 

Woods is inheriting a football squad that finished above .500 with a 7-6 record after Ryan Beard took a position with Coastal Carolina to be the next head coach there. Now that Woods is in charge, he has to assemble a team that can make a deep run in the season and is dominant on both sides of the football. 

Coming from an ACC school, Woods understands what it means to play against some of the hardest-hitting and most interesting conferences in the game. He has seen the different offensive styles that coaches like to run. He breaks down what defenses are offering. He studies the game and prepares his men for battle. 

With what he is working with, there will be a ton of development and growth to do with his players, and it is a tall task against the Aggies, who have several returners from last season's roster, while the Bears are in a different situation.

Who will be under center for Missouri State is still a question, with three options, two of whom are transfers. With the quarterback room learning under a new coach, signs point to it taking time to learn the playbook and to build chemistry with all the first-team players. 

It looks like a competition among Skyler Locklear, Henry Belin, and Elijah Leonard. For A&M, there isn’t that worry because quarterback Marcel Reed is back for another season, and that should already give Elko & Co. an advantage. 

As for the Bears' defense, their biggest stars include DJ Wesolak, Caleb Dietlin, and Sterling Smithson, alongside teammates Jared Lloyd, Maguire Neal, Jordan Dunbar, and Christian Ford. 

Although it isn’t fair to base this group on last year’s defensive performance, the numbers indicate it will be difficult to pull through against one of the nation’s best offenses. 

Missouri State gave up 2.24 points per drive and was 66th in the nation in defensive stop rate at 62.5 percent. There is a new defensive coordinator, Jack Curtis, who has a ton of experience and might call a great game against A&M, but keep in mind that it is Year 1, and the roster likely lacks the depth.

A&M’s offense finished with an average of 444.5 yards and was one of the better scoring offenses. There are several high-caliber weapons that Reed has had charisma with, and it was with two returning wide receivers. Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel Roman. Keep in mind that one of the best wideouts in the transfer portal has been added to the roster, as Isaiah Horton could have a breakout season after his years at Alabama. Good luck stopping that offense. 

What will also matter for the Bears is limiting the Aggies defense, which has several returners such as Marco Jones, DJ Hicks, T.J. Searcy, Dalton Brooks, and Dezz Ricks, who will show no mercy. All of them hope to replicate what the defense did last season, when it ranked in the top 30 in total defense and thrived in passing and rushing defense. 

Can Missouri State pile up enough stops and punch it in enough to stick around? Everyone will find out on Sept. 5.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.