Trap Game Or Tune-Up? Sizing Up Missouri State on Texas A&M’s 2026 Schedule

Trap games happen.

It’s a matter of avoiding them if you are in college football because it can quickly come back to bite a team if it wins as needed down the line.

Texas A&M football has one at the very beginning of the football season as it opens up against Missouri State, which could pull off the biggest upset in all of college football for Week 1.

Watch out for the trap. The Aggies could be sitting ducks against the Bears.

Tune Up Game

Texas A&M Aggies. — Oct 25, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) celebrates with wide receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman (3) after a play during the second half against the Louisiana State Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

It seems almost unthinkable to imagine the Maroon and White dropping its home opener to a mid-major program. It has happened before. It can happen again. This time it doesn’t.

There is too much experience and depth that this A&M contains that will not be on full display. They have a Heisman-caliber quarterback and possibly even a few other receivers in the mix for that conversation. It was the first-ever College Football Playoffs appearance for head coach Mike Elko last season, and he has all of the resources in his toolbox this season to replicate another ticket to the postseason and win the home opener over Missouri State.

With quarterback Marcel Reed running the offense under newly promoted offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins, most everyone expects to see improvements.

There are plenty of wide receivers who are great at creating open space, running precise routes, and gaining yardage after the catch. There are a couple of weapons that are running it back for another season in Aggieland and already have at least a year under their belt on the practice field and in live action.

Wide receivers Mario Craver and Ashton Bethel-Roman combined for nine touchdowns and recorded over 1,400 yards. Imagine what that looks like in Year 2 and against a defense that likely struggles under many new coaches. Alabama transfer Isaiah Horton also joins the crew as another serious threat and a great catcher in traffic. Getting each one of these on the same page likely happens in the first week.

Don’t forget the running back room is stacked with depth, with the Maroon Goons ready for the pass protection and run game. Then, there’s the Aggies’ defense that was great on getting stops on third down a year ago, with few returners in the secondary and plenty of help upfront.

The Missouri State offense has to figure out who its starting quarterback will be and put together its best defensive game plan to shut down A&M's run-and-pass game.

The Bears do have two quality quarterbacks, Skyler Locklear and Henry Belin IV, who might both see some action, along with a wide receiver group that has names that could make noise, like Isaiah McMorris, Jmariyae Robinson, and Mehki Miller. The average yards per game in the air last season was 279.69, so it could be a busy or stressful night for those guys.

Defensive ends like Dylon Brooks and Caden Wiest also bring some pressure upfront, with the linebacker room likely featuring Jared Lloyd and Caleb Olabode, hoping not to allow as many scores as the defense let opponents average 28.77 points.

The Aggies were No. 30 in passing offense as of January 12 and registered 3,378 yards with 26 touchdowns. No defense wants to go against that, combined with stopping a rushing offense that was also No. 30, with a total of 2,401 yards and an average of 4.82 yards per carry. Missouri State was nowhere close.

All signs point to this being a one-sided game, a feel-good one, with a quality team in Arizona State visiting the following weekend.

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