‘Playing Lights Out,’ ‘12th in the Country’ — Eli Drinkwitz, Mike Elko Agree on Missouri’s Defense as Tigers Hold Texas A&M Without a Touchdown

Texas A&M never found the end zone Saturday. No. 14 Missouri intercepted quarterback Marcel Reed twice and held the Aggies to 29 rushing yards in a 27-6 win at Memorial Stadium, the Tigers’ first victory over A&M since 2014.

Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons went 14 of 28 for 147 yards, and the defense and running back Jamal Roberts did the heavy lifting. Roberts ran 34 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns as Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC) won its second straight conference game.

Missouri Defense Shuts Down Texas A&M Run Game

The defense steadied Missouri early. Simmons threw his first interception of the season on the Tigers’ opening drive, and Texas A&M linebacker Daymion Sanford returned it to the Missouri 14.

On third-and-2 from the 6, safety Trajen Greco tipped Reed’s pass in the end zone, and Missouri’s Elijah Dotson caught it for an interception. In the second quarter, Greco picked off a pass that bounced off Texas A&M receiver Ashton Bethel-Roman’s hands, setting up kicker Blake Craig’s 50-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz singled out the unit in a halftime TV interview. “Defense has been playing lights out. They’ve done a really good job, especially with the turnovers.”

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ABC 17 sports director Nathalie Jones made a similar case at halftime, pointing to the two interceptions and the Aggies’ two first downs, and wrote, “Defense is playing phenomenal.”

The Aggies threatened again in the fourth quarter, reaching the Missouri 8 before Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez made a tackle for loss on third-and-3. Kicker David Olano’s 27-yard field goal cut the lead to 20-6.

The junior linebacker finished with 13 tackles, 1.5 for loss and half a sack. In Pro Football Network’s grades entering Saturday’s game, Rodriguez’s season PFN Impact Total D Grade of 82.7 ranked tied for 78th of 676 graded and qualified linebackers in the FBS.

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko had flagged Missouri’s run defense earlier in the week, noting the Tigers were “12th in the country, only giving up 2.6 yards a carry,” according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. The Aggies averaged 1.3 yards per carry, a week after Florida running back Jadan Baugh managed 13 yards on 12 carries against Missouri.

Drinkwitz said on ESPN’s SEC Nation before kickoff that getting after Reed was a key. “They’ve got a very elusive quarterback.” Reed finished with minus-18 rushing yards on seven carries, and Missouri sacked him three times.

Missouri’s defense did have a rough night Sept. 26, when Mississippi State threw for 360 yards and won 31-24.

Entering Saturday, Missouri’s season PFN Impact DEFi of 84.2 ranked 38th of 138 graded team defenses in the FBS, one spot ahead of Texas A&M.

Jamal Roberts Powers Missouri Past Struggling Texas A&M

Reed completed 19 of 39 passes for 187 yards without a touchdown. Texas A&M finished with 216 yards and 10 first downs and converted five of 18 third downs and one of three fourth downs.

One Texas A&M fan pointed to the Aggies’ offense. “An excellent performance by the A&M defense goes to waste. The concerns about the A&M offense elevate to a fever pitch.”

In the same Tribune report, Elko said disrupting Simmons would be a big part of the plan. “If he doesn’t get out of rhythm, we’re going to really struggle to control him.”

Simmons, who passed for 340 yards against Florida a week earlier, threw his lone touchdown on a 32-yard pass to receiver Cayden Lee, who caught seven passes for 94 yards. Entering Saturday, Simmons’ season PFN Impact QBi of 85.3 ranked tied for 19th of 165 graded and qualified quarterbacks in the FBS.

Missouri ran for 252 yards, leaning on Roberts. He scored on a 2-yard run as the third quarter ended and on a 54-yard run late in the fourth. It was his second straight 200-yard game after 211 against Florida.

Drinkwitz said after the game that it was not always pretty, but he called it an old-fashioned SEC game. It was his first win over the Aggies.

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Texas A&M fell to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the SEC and hosts The Citadel on Oct. 17.

Looking Ahead to Missouri at Ole Miss in Week 7

Missouri visits Ole Miss for a Week 7 game on Oct. 17 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, a return trip for Simmons and Lee, who both transferred from Ole Miss.

Dave Bartoo, the national AI data director for CAT and CFBAnalytical Staff Analytics, wrote that he had “a feeling Mizzou at Ole Miss next week is for a playoff spot” and that he was taking the Tigers.

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Missouri a 42.9% chance to make the playoff and a 44.7% chance to win in Oxford, as of Saturday afternoon. A win would raise Missouri’s playoff odds to 66.0%, and a loss would drop them to 24.3%.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.