AggieYell.com's look at the matchup between No. 21 Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC) and Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC) begins with a breakdown of the Aggie offense against the Tigers defense.
The scene
Where: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri
When: Saturday, 11 a.m. central time
TV: SEC Network
Weather: Sunny, temperatures in the 50s to low 60s
Texas A&M depth chart (spread base)
QB: #10, Zach Calzada; RS-So.; 6-4, 200
#14, Blake Bost; Fr.; 6-2, 195
#13, Haynes King; RS-Fr.; 6-3, 200
RB: #28, Isaiah Spiller; Jr.; 6-1, 225
#6, Devon Achane; So.; 5-9, 185
TE: #85, Jalen Wydermyer; Jr; 6-5, 255;
#88, Baylor Cupp; RS-So.; 6-7, 240; OR
#42, Max Wright; RS-Jr.; 6-4, 260
WR #2 Chase Lane; RS-So.; 6, 190
#5 Jalen Preston; RS-Jr.; 6-2, 210 OR
#8 Yulkeith Brown; Fr.; 5-10, 175
WR: #0, Ainias Smith; Jr.; 5-10, 190
#7, Moose Muhammad; RS-Fr.; 6-1, 195;
WR: #81, Caleb Chapman; RS-Jr.; 6-5, 200
#1, Demond Demas; RS-Fr.; 6-3, 180
#9, Hezekiah Jones; RS-Sr.; 6, 180
LT #58 Jahmir Johnson; Gr-TR; 6-5, 300
#60, Trey Zuhn; Fr.; 6-6, 315
LG: #55, Kenyon Green; Jr.; 6-4, 325
#74, Aki Ogunbiyi; RS-Fr.; 6-4, 315
#70, Josh Bankhead, RS-Fr.; 6-5, 325
C: #61 Bryce Foster; Fr.; 6-5, 325
#77 Matthew Wykoff, Fr.; 6-6, 330
RG: #64, Layden Robinson; RS-So.; 6-4, 325
#52, Smart Chibuzo; RS-Fr.; 6-4, 320 OR
#66, Jordan Spasojevic-Moko; So.; 6-5, 340
RT: #76, Rueben Fatheree; Fr.; 6-8, 320
#53, Blake Trainor; So..; 6-7, 330 OR
Missouri depth chart (4-2-5 base)
DE: #18, Trajan Jeffcoat; RS-Jr.; 6-4, 276
#15, Johnny Walker, RS-Fr.; 6-3, 233 OR
#28, Jatorian Hansford; Sr.; 6-4, 258
DT: #78, Kobie Whiteside; Gr.; 6-1, 298 OR
#6, Darius Robinson; Jr.; 6-5, 290
NT: #0, Akial Byers; Gr.; 6-3, 288
#58, Mekhi Wingo; Fr.; 6, 266 OR
#99, Realus George; RS-So.; 6-1, 278
DE: #9, Isaiah McGuire; Jr.; 6-4, 266 OR
#39, Chris Turner; Gr.; 6-3, 268
#55, Arden Walker; Fr.; 6-2, 224
MIKE: #25, Blaze Alldredge; Gr.; 6-1, 231;
#33, Chad Bailey; RS-Jr.; 6, 229
WILL: #11, Devin Nicholson; Jr.; 6-2, 221
#29, Jamie Pettway; RS-So.; 6-2, 225
CB: #8, Ish Burdine; RS-So.; 6-1, 187 OR#26, Akayleb Evans; RS-Sr.; 6-2, 198
SS: #3, Martez Manuel; 3; Jr.; 6, 208
#12, Shawn Robinson; RS-Sr.; 6-1, 223
FS: #1, Jaylon Carlies; So.; 6-3, 204 OR
#4, Jalani Williams RS-So.; 6-1, 193
#7, Stacy Brown; Jr.; 6-2, 205
CB: #24, Allie Green IV; Gr.; 6-2, 202
Nickel: #14, Kris Abrams-Draine; So.; 5-11, 177 OR
#5, Chris Shearin; RS-So.; 5-11, 189
Injury update
Texas A&M: QB Haynes King (leg) is out. The status of WR Hezekiah Jones is uncertain. WR Caleb Chapman is "day-to-day". OL Aki Ogunbiyi's status is uncertain. OL Luke Matthews is out for the year.
Missouri: CB Ennis Rakestraw (ACL) is out for the year. DL Darius Robinson (leg) is doubtful
Texas A&M statistical leaders
Passing: Calzada, 90-159 (56.7%), 1,029 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT
King, 22-35 (62.9%), 300 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Spiller, 85 carries, 491 yards (5.8 YPC), 3 TD
Achane, 50 carries, 329 yards (6.6 YPC), 2 TD
Receiving: Smith, 26 catches, 285 yards (11 YPC), 4 TD
Wydermyer, 18 catches, 249 yards (13.8 YPC), 2 TD
Achane, 17 catches, 163 yards (9.6 YPC), 1 TD
Missouri statistical leaders
Tackles: Alldredge, 45
Manuel, 39
Nicholson, 36
Tackles for loss: Alldredge, 8
McGuire, 6
Manuel and Nicholson, 4
Sacks: Alldredge, 4
McGuire, 3
Four players with 2
Interceptions: Carlies and Abrams-Draine, 2
Three players with 1
Forced fumbles: Evans, 2
Three players with 1
Fumble recoveries: Abrams-Draine and Bailey, 1
Head-to-Head by the numbers
What A&M wants to do
Go out and push Missouri around up front and run the football. After a disastrous start to the season, the A&M offensive line has actually been good the past two weeks and more than held their own against Alabama. They can read a stat sheet -- the Tigers are undermanned and undersized up front and have given up an average of 6.1 yards per carry this season. That total includes 458 yards to Tennessee two weeks ago in an 62-28 massacre. Their other SEC opponent to date, Kentucky, ran for 333. Their only other major conference opponent, Boston College, ran for 278. You get the idea.
The Aggies have Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane, by far the best combination of backs Mizzou has faced this year. You get the idea again.
Missouri also has a very explosive offense, so the Aggies don't want to give them too many cracks at it. In other words, it's definitely time to go back to the 2020 model: lean on the opponents up front with your big line, run the football and give Zach Calzada safe, solid options to make plays. Then, when the opportunity presents itself, hit the Tigers down the field.
Missouri's defense is pretty terrible, but they do a couple of things well. First, they force turnovers -- 10 so far. They also cause negative plays, with solid sack and tackle for loss numbers. So for A&M, the gameplan looks pretty obvious: go out and use your best weapons in the running game, chew up Missouri's defensive line and the clock and keep the offense off the field.
How Missouri may try to respond
Press the issue up front. Get aggressive and play a whole lot better.
The Tigers have been blown off the ball in each game against Power 5 opponents, and North Texas hung nearly 500 yards and 35 points on them last week. Add in the fact that Ennis Rakestraw, their best corner, is gone for the year and things don't look good.
But there's talent here. Trajan Jeffcoat was a preseason All-SEC at defensive end, and linebacker Blaze Alldredge is having a very good year. But as a unit, they've missed tackles, gotten beaten up on by inferior talent and have given up a ton of points.
So what do you do against A&M? You hope that you can force Zach Calzada to regress to his Arkansas form and not the guy who lit up Alabama. So that means mixing up looks, fronts and blitzes. Mizzou will use a 3-3-5 and a 4-2-5, and they'll blitz from a bunch of different directions. They've got to get a push against the Aggie front line, and not just in the passing game. They've got to slow down the A&M running game first and foremost, so they'll probably key their gameplan around stopping Isaiah Spiller. If they can get A&M in a tough down and distance, then they can starting coming after Calzada and see if they can force some turnovers. But if they let the Aggies run the football, it's going to be an extremely long day.