Missouri’s porous run defense continues to hinder the Tigers attempts to move up the Southeastern Conference hierarchy, as Texas A&M’s dynamic duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane rushed for a combined 292 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries, with the 21st-ranked Aggies winning at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, 35-14 on Saturday afternoon.
The win helped A&M avoid a feared letdown following the program’s dramatic victory one week earlier against Alabama, while it continued Missouri’s difficulties in stopping the run, as the Tigers are ranked last in the country at midseason.
The Missouri offense struggled early, with quarterback Connor Bazelak picked off by Jaylon Jones and Antonio Johnson in the first quarter, as the visitors from the Lone Star State raced to a 21-0 lead.
Missouri got as close as 28-14 after a 97-yard third quarter drive, capped off by a seven yard scoring run by Dominic Lovett. Quarterback Zach Calzada was solid for Texas A&M, albeit not as spectacular as against Alabama, throwing 13 for 25 accuracy, 148 yards, and a pair of scoring passes to Ainias Smith.
The Texas A&M defense slowed down Mizzou running back Tyler Badie, who was held to just 68 yards on 22 carries. Mizzou was penalized 13 times for 106 yards, while Bazelak rebounded from his slow start to throw for 230 yards.
Missouri has a week off this week before heading to Nashville, Tenn. for a October 30th game at Vanderbilt University, with a 2 o’clock kickoff, and 12 o’clock pregame on KTTN FM 92.3. The game will be shown on the SEC Network. The Aggies return to Kyle Field in College Station to play the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, October 23rd.
Other Top 25 scores from Friday, 10/15 and Saturday, 10/16 were:
Friday, 10/15/21:
#9 Oregon Ducks 24, California Golden Bears 17
#24 San Diego State Aztecs 19, San Jose State Spartans 13 (2 OT)
Saturday, 10/16/21:
Auburn Tigers 38, #17 Arkansas Razorbacks 23
#3 Cincinnati Bearcats 56, Central Florida Knights 21
#10 Michigan State Spartans 20, Indiana Hoosiers 15
#12 Oklahoma State Cowboys 32, #25 Texas Longhorns 24
LSU Tigers 49, #20 Florida Gators 42
Purdue Boilermakers 24, #2 Iowa Hawkeyes 7
#1 Georgia Bulldogs 30, #11 Kentucky Wildcats 13
Baylor Bears 38, #19 BYU Cougars 24
#5 Alabama Crimson Tide 49, Mississippi State Bulldogs 9
#4 Oklahoma Sooners 52, TCU Horned Frogs 31
#13 Ole Miss Rebels 31, Tennessee Volunteers 26
#22 North Carolina State Wolfpack 33, Boston College Eagles 7
Utah Utes 35, #18 Arizona State Sun Devils 21