Texas A&M at Missouri Tigers 2025 Way-Too-Early Preview: Keys to Victory

Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies begin their November slate against an opponent that they had no problem against last year, the Missouri Tigers.

With 236 rushing yards and over 500 yards of total offense, the Maroon and White simply overpowered the Tigers on both sides of the ball, sacking quarterback Brady Cook six times and holding the Tigers' rushing game to just 68 yards, which very rarely will win you a ball game in the SEC.

The game may be at Faurot Field this year, but the objective remains the same for Texas A&M, especially after the confidence that the game from last year should give them, make a repeat of that game this year, and avoid the November slump that plagued the team last year.

What Does A&M Have To Do?

By now, the Aggie offense should have decent chemistry built between quarterback Marcel Reed and their new receivers in KC Concepcion and Mario Craver, and with A&M's trio of running backs all returning to College Station for this season, the offensive attack should be just as much of a force as they were on October 5 last season.

With that in mind, here are three keys to victory for Mike Elko's squad as they head to Columbia.

1) Hit The Ground Running (Literally)

The Missouri defense simply didn't have an answer for the Maroon and White rushing last year. Le'Veon Moss led the charge with 138 yards and three of the team's five rushing scores, part of his dominant streak of rushing performances before his injury against South Carolina.

He wasn't the only one responsible, though, as Amari Daniels also accounted for 34 yards and the other two touchdowns on the ground, and Conner Weigman even added 33 yards of his own. With a much more dual-threat quarterback in Marcel Reed under center for the team, expect him to be more involved in the rush, but don't expect anything different from Moss, Daniels, or Rueben Owens.

If the Aggies stick true to what worked for them last year, then just like that game, the Tigers are going to be in for a long four quarters.

2) Keep Pribula Under Pressure

Like we said before, the Aggies sacked the Missouri signal caller six times in the 41-10 blowout last year.

Beau Pribula isn't considered much of a dual-threat quarterback in the typical fashion, but then again, he didn't have many opportunities to prove himself when he was with Penn State. Now that he's the QB1 for Eliah Drinkwitz, the quarterback keeper is still very much an option for the Tigers' offense, and if the "Wrecking Crew" defense can shut the rush down early in the game, then the Mizzou offense should be putty in A&M's hands.

3) Shut Out the Home Crowd

The passion of the Columbia crowd will definitely depend on how the Tigers are doing at this point in the season, and if the Tigers are in the Top 25 rankings as they are expected to be, then the Faurot Field crowd should not be underestimated.

It's no Kyle Field or Death Valley, but if the Aggies let the crowd get to them, it could come back to bite them over the course of the game.

However, history is on the Farmers' side, as the last time the Aggies visited Missouri in 2021, they had no issue with that in their 35-14 victory over the Tigers.

The Aggies and Tigers are scheduled to kick off on November 8.