The No. 9 Missouri Tigers will travel to College Station, Texas, for their first road matchup of the year against No. 25 Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Aggies present themselves as the Tigers’ toughest challenge through five games, with talent spread out on both sides of the ball. The Aggies feature a talented defensive line with one of the best defensive ends in the country and a dynamic, powerful running back.

Here’s what you need to know about the Texas A&M Aggies ahead of their ranked matchup with the Missouri Tigers.

Strategist

Leading the offense is Marcel Reed, a freshman quarterback from Nashville, Tennessee. After an injury to Conner Weigman, as well as some struggles in the first two weeks, Reed has earned the starting job and has Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz waiting for him. be the starter.

Reed is another dual-threat quarterback, who can kill teams on his leg while separating secondaries through the air. He has yet to throw an interception and has thrown exactly two touchdowns in his last three games. He’s an accurate thrower who poses a different challenge than the Tigers’ last two opponents at quarterback.

Running backs

Junior Le’Veon Moss looks like one of the best running backs in the SEC after five games, recording 471 yards and three touchdowns. He proved his physique as a runner as well as his ability to go down hills. The Tigers defense will need to stop Moss or Reed to get a leg up on the Aggies.

Wide receivers

The Aggie receiving core did not receive much attention before the game due to its distributed production. Only junior receiver Cyrus Allen, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, has more than 200 receiving yards.

6-foot-6 receiver Noah Thomas is also off to a good start, with 187 yards and two touchdowns. Thomas’ size poses a unique receiving threat for Reed.

Offensive line

A duo of guard Chase Bisontis and tackle Trey Zuhn features the Aggies’ two best offensive linemen. Bisontis is arguably their best run blocker, opening up holes for Moss and Reed. Right guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams is questionable for Saturday’s game and is an important part of this core.

Defensive line

Defensive end Nic Scourton is not only the Aggies’ best defensive player, but also one of the best defensive players in the country. He is a top ten pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and leads the team in sacks with three and is second in quarterback hurries with nine.

On that line, alongside him are senior defensive tackle Shemar Turner and junior defensive end Shemar Stewart. Turner is a force inside, standing at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds. Stewart leads the team in quarterback rushes with 11.

Defensive tackle Albert Regis also has 10 tackles, proving to be a solid duo in the middle of the line with Turner.

Linebackers

Sophomore linebacker Taurean York leads the Aggies with 27 tackles, while the Florida Gator transfer Scooby Williams to accompany him at middle linebacker.

Bowling Green transfer Cashius Howell plays at the “JACK” spot for the Aggies, similar to an outside linebacker or edge rusher. He has 12 total tackles and one sack so far.

Secondary

Cornerback Will Lee III is the Aggies’ second-leading tackler with 20, also adding an interception and six deflections. He has the Aggies’ second-highest coverage grade on Pro Football Focus behind safety Bryce Anderson. The junior safety has eight tackles and an interception so far.

The Aggie defense has only allowed more than 20 points once so far this season, but has failed to win its games, outside of McNeese, convincingly. They’ve also only scored more than 30 points twice, including one in their blowout win over Oklahoma State. Arkansas was a tough opponent, coming away with a 21-17 victory.

Their only loss to Notre Dame was hampered by the quarterback play of Weigman, who went 12 for 30 and threw two interceptions. Moss scored the Aggie’s only touchdown and aside from him, the offensive production was very limited.

With Reed in the lead, more points are on the scoreboard. That said, they still aren’t scoring at the highest level. The Aggies are a bottom four team in points per game with 29, a stat that not only needs to improve against the Tigers, but throughout the season.

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