Questions ahead of Mizzou taking on Texas A&M

No. 14 Mizzou welcomes Texas A&M for a 11 am kickoff on Saturday, and it’s an opportunity to stack another win in the toughest conference in football.

The Aggies struggled the past two weeks before rebounding against Arkansas to get to 3-2 on the young season, but in the SEC, it’s Any Given Saturday, so the Tigers are once again going to have their hands full.

Mizzou will face a different style of quarterback, opposed to what it took on in Aaron Philo a week ago. It’ll also be fascinating to see how the offense progresses and evolves after an explosive performance against the Gators. With that being said, here are four questions ahead of MU taking on Texas A&M.

Can Mizzou take advantage of Marcel Reed’s inaccuracy?

Marcel Reed was the starter last year when the Aggies visited Columbia. In a 38-17 win for the CFP-bound Aggies, he completed 20 of 29 passes, for 221 yards and two scores. The start of the 2026 season has been rocky for Reed.

He’s completing just 57% of his passes. His adjusted completion percentage per PFF is 66%, which is among the worst out of all SEC starters. Reed is also tied for second most interceptions in the conference (4).

You can make a case that all four were the result of quarterback errors – throwing into double coverage, staring down a receiver, or being off target. Mizzou’s secondary is going to have its opportunities to give the offense a short field.

So far, the Tigers’ defense has forced four interceptions and three fumbles. Mizzou’s offense has capitalized on every opportunity after scoring a total of 38 points. Whether it’s Chris Graves Jr., Sione Laulea, the safeties, or linebackers dropping into coverage, it could be a big day for the pass defense.

Will Mizzou’s defense successfully contain another mobile quarterback?

While passing hasn’t been what makes his game dangerous this year, Reed is a capable with his legs.

From Robert Behrens of Good Bull Hunting in Sammy Stava’s Mizzou vs Texas A&M Q&A:

“He possesses good straight line speed, but more importantly, is extremely shifty and able to make defenders miss in the open field. However, you won’t see A&M use him on a ton of designed runs/RPOs. The majority of his rushing comes from pass plays where he decides to take off when he sees an open lane. He seemed a bit more willing to do that quickly against Arkansas, which felt like an intentional pivot, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he is taking off early and often against Mizzou if opportunities present themselves.”

Reed has rushed for 170 yards and two scores so far this season. It’s been interesting to see how Mizzou has performed against mobile quarterbacks this season. Philo (Florida) and Goose Crowder (Troy) weren’t threats in the running game, resulted in the team’s best defensive performances, excluding the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game.

Isaiah Marshall (Kansas) and Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) were, and the Tigers gave up 21 and 31 points in those games. While he’s had his struggles, Reed is the most experienced of the three and is familiar with this Tigers defense.

Last week against Florida, the Tigers’ defensive front was awesome within the box. Now, they’ll play a different style of quarterback once again, a style that’s put up points against them. If Mizzou contains Reed, it could result in a decisive victory.

Who will emerge offensively this week for Mizzou?

A week ago, we saw the emergence of Caleb Goodie finally in the offense. It will be interesting to see if Chip Lindsey and co. will continue to scheme up ways to get him the ball downfield. While the rushing attack hasn’t been efficient, Jamal Roberts exploded for 211 yards, backed by two long runs to help ice the game away.

Will we see another portion of the offense unlocked? The tight end game has been relatively quiet this year, with Brett Norfleet’s eight receptions making up all of the room’s production. And he enters this game as probable on the injury report.

So, as this offense continues to get better as the season goes on, it will be interesting to see what components continue to evolve. With Goodie emerging as a downfield threat and Roberts finding explosive runs, could the tight end group be the next position to make that jump?

Will Mizzou avoid the looming threat of a hangover?

Last week, the question was whether an Eli Drinkwitz-led Mizzou team beat a ranked team for the first time since 2024. That was accomplished.

Now, how will Mizzou perform after taking down a top-10 opponent?

The hangover in college football is real. A team can achieve a massive victory, then fall flat on its face a week later. Florida just did it against Mizzou, after destroying Mississippi. The Rebels had just emotionally defeated LSU before playing the Gators. Even Mississippi State got throttled after beating Mizzou in Starkville.

We’ve seen it before with Mizzou, most notably in 2010 after Oklahoma.

But heading into this weekend, Mizzou is a 3.5-point favorite against the Aggies. Yes, the Aggies have had their bumps this season, but Mizzou has lost its previous two against them.

Will Mizzou carry the dominance from the past four quarters into Saturday, or will they come back to Earth a bit ahead of their toughest stretch of the schedule? That will be an important watch, starting at 11 am Saturday.