Don’t Overthink Texas A&M’s Uneven but Dominant Season Opener

A slow start doesn’t have to equal a bad ending.

The Texas A&M Aggies took that adage to heart in their 50-0 victory over the Missouri State Bears in the opening game of the 2026 season. For as mediocre as the Aggies looked throughout the first 25 or so minutes, everything ended up coming out in the wash once the team seemingly remembered what it was there to do: dominate.

That doesn’t mean Mike Elko’s squad is absolved of criticism. While the defense was playing its butt off, stopping Missouri State in its tracks at every turn, the offense was sputtering and seemingly couldn’t get out of its own way. For a brief moment — emphasis on the word brief — it appeared that perhaps Saturday night was going to be a grind. Alas, that wasn’t the case, and Texas A&M left the evening feeling quite good about itself.

The Aggies scored on seven consecutive possessions beginning late in the second quarter, turning a relatively comfortable 12-0 advantage into a 50-0 demolition before anybody had much time to process what had happened. Marcel Reed finished with 233 yards and two touchdowns through the air, Rueben Owens II added 77 yards on the ground, and Texas A&M outgained Missouri State 505-67. The Aggies also picked up 35 first downs, which is nearly nine times as many as the Bears managed all night.

In other terms, the final score looked exactly how everybody expected it to look. Getting there just required a slightly more circuitous route.

The Aggies' Real Test Comes Next

Sep 5, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko walks onto the field during a time-out in the first quarter against the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For anybody who does want to criticize the performance, look at this game this way: The Aggies have much bigger fish to fry down the road — starting with Arizona State next week — and clearly didn’t put their best foot forward in terms of a game plan. The offense was extremely rudimentary, presumably on purpose, because it didn’t need to be elaborate. All that unit needed to do was go out there and utilize the skill and talent at its disposal to pulverize an overmatched opponent.

That eventually happened, although the early returns weren’t particularly convincing. Texas A&M committed eight penalties for 75 yards, Reed was sacked twice on one drive — something that definitely shouldn’t be happening against a team like Missouri State — and the offense struggled out of the gate. There were times when an offensive line replacing four starters occasionally looked like an offensive line replacing four starters, and the entire operation lacked the smoothness that will be required once the schedule begins demanding something more substantial.

While it might be easy to jump to conclusions, patience is necessary there. The real answers will come against Arizona State, not against Missouri State.

Because at the end of the day, everybody discovers the unavoidable truth of the night: Texas A&M was so much better than Missouri State that it is difficult to determine what any of this actually means. The Aggies did what they were supposed to do, and that’s really all that matters.

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