What Wins and What Loses the Game For Texas A&M Over Missouri State

The Aggies can blow open or blow the lead for the opening week.

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; The Texas A&M Aggies run onto the field prior to facing the Missouri Tigers at Kyle Field. | Matt Guzman-Texas A&M Aggies On SI

Every game has its ways to win or lose.

For the home opener at Kyle Field, head coach Mike Elko will lead his team onto the field for another season and focus solely on how his group can walk out 1-0 instead of 0-1.

Here is what wins the contest for the Maroon and White against the Bears and what might lose it for them.

Wins It

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) runs with the ball during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Offense.

Texas A&M has numerous players returning for the 2026-27 campaign and already has a taste of what the operations look like, even with newly promoted offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins. A Heisman-caliber quarterback has terrorized non-conference opponents and will open up the offense with his dual threat and remarkable ability to extend plays with his mobility.

He has a crew that returns out wide and in the backfield, balancing the run and pass game.

His teammates in the receiver room who are back for work include Ashton Bethel-Roman and Mario Craver, who combined for over 1,400 yards last season. Putting the football in their hands takes the dominance to the next level, along with a new partner in crime in Isaiah Horton, who comes out of Alabama.

If chunking the ball down the field to those playmakers, followed by pounding the ball down the throat of Missouri State with a bulldozer like Rueben Owens, it opens up the playbook to whatever the coaches want to run, and it could be a huge day. Fire up the Maroon Goons and the tight end room as well, and that alone could be enough to send head coach Casey Woods' group home disappointed.

Loses It

Explosive plays.

One of the weaknesses A&M’s defense saw last season was opponents' ability to break into the open field, and one of those happened in the opener one season ago against UTSA.

During that matchup, the Roadrunners collected 203 yards on the ground. With a few new faces who will have to get accustomed to live action, it could be tough to get in the groove of playing in a real game under the bright lights.

In that Roadrunners game, the Aggies let one running back get 16 carries for 177 yards with two touchdowns. If there is a breakdown in play calls, it could be a long day. That wasn’t the only time the run game has been an issue.

Against Arkansas, the defense suffered 268 yards on the ground on 32 carries, and had another similar game against Missouri, where the offense posted 207 yards. One of the first orders of business has to be to limit the chunks of plays that could come back to bite them.