No. 3 Texas A&M's dominant defense overwhelms No. 19 Missouri's freshman QB in 38-17 victory

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Marcel Reed threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns, Texas A&M's hounding defense made for a forgettable first start for Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers, and the third-ranked Aggies beat the No. 19 Tigers 38-17 on Saturday to remain undefeated.

Rueben Owens II added 102 yards rushing and a pair of clinching touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, as the Aggies (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) continued their best start since 1992 with their third consecutive victory over Missouri.

Zollers, starting in place of injured Beau Pribula, was just 7 of 22 for 77 yards, despite getting plenty of help from his rushing attack. Jamal Roberts ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Ahmad Hardy added 109 yards and another score, as the Tigers (6-3, 2-3, No. 22) piled up 207 yards on the ground.

Missouri had been in every game this season, including close losses to No. 4 Alabama and No. 16 Vanderbilt. But losing Pribula to a season-ending injury against the Commodores left the 19-year-old Zollers to make his first start against the Aggies.

It was a predictably tough task.

The first true freshman to start for Missouri since Drew Lock a decade ago, Zollers spent most of the game simply trying to stay upright. And on the rare occasion that he had time to throw, Zollers either overshot hits targets or threw it into the turf, resulting in a humbling halftime line: 3 of 11 for 31 yards, two sacks and a fumble that was nearly returned for a touchdown.

In fact, that fumble late in the first half may have been the tipping point in the game.

Texas A&M led 7-0 after a touchdown catch by Ashton Bethel-Roman late in the first quarter, and was trying to force a punt before the break. Zollers was blitzed by Daymion Sanford, who knocked the ball out of his hands and into the arms of Texas A&M safety Dalton Brooks, whose return set up EJ Smith's touchdown plunge two plays later.

The Aggies kept the momentum going after halftime. Missouri quickly went three-and-out, and Reed zipped a screen pass to KC Concepcion, who took advantage of the space vacated by a blitzing safety to run nearly untouched 48 yards for the score.

What had been a defensive slugfest late in the first half had become a 21-0 lead for Texas A&M.

The Tigers tried to make it a game in the third quarter, when Roberts finally reached the end zone. But after forcing the Aggies into fourth down near midfield, they executed a perfect punt fake, leading to a field goal and a 24-7 lead.

Owens eventually put the game away with his two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways

Texas A&M overcame eight penalties for 65 yards thanks to some simple persistence. The Aggies never gave up on the run game, even when it was going poorly, and they finally broke through in the fourth quarter.

Missouri proved it can still run the ball with Zollers under center. The question remains whether the Tigers can throw it.

Up next

Texas A&M: Hosts South Carolina next Saturday.

Missouri: Hosts Mississippi State next Saturday.

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