Texas A&M vs. Missouri: Aggies dominate No. 9 Tigers in Conner ...
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko on how the Aggies beat Missouri
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said the No. 21 Aggies had to "eliminate the poor parts of our game" to beat No. 9 Missouri.
(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo).
COLLEGE STATION — No. 21 Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0) dominated No. 9 Missouri (4-1, 1-1) en route to a 41-10 win on Saturday at Kyle Field. What was supposed to be a battle of two top-25 SEC teams turned into the Aggies flexing their muscle.
Starting quarterback Conner Weigman made his first start since Week 2 and entered the game like he didn't miss a beat. The offense was in sync, capitalizing on chunk plays and well-orchestrated drives, proving to be too much for the Tigers.
Running back Le'Veon Moss finished with 138 yards and three touchdowns on the ground as A&M was able to beat down the Tigers' defensive front in the running game.
Missouri was stopped near the goal line in the closing minutes and settled for the short field goal with eight seconds left. For the first time in 2024, the Aggies put together a complete game and dominated from start to finish.
"I was proud of their will to continue to play. … That is a step we needed to take where in other games we didn't finish the way we wanted to," A&M head coach Mike Elko said.
The Aggies outgained the Tigers in total yards, 512-254, with 276 in the running game.
"I told ya'll at my opening press conference that we want to be a blue-collar program," Elko said. "The effort is starting to point to that."
The Aggies (5-1, 3-0 SEC) have won five straight games and head into the bye week. Elko sees a team that learned from the opening-week loss to Notre Dame.
"We are in a growth mindset ... we are trying to grow every single day," he said. "We didn't flinch when we didn't get the job done against Notre Dame."
READ: Texas A&M vs Missouri score today: Live updates as Conner Weigman, Aggies take lead
Running the ball was a huge part of the offense's success, but Moss was quick to point out that Weigman's arm also played a big part.
"The passing game opened up the running game a tremendous amount," Moss said.
Defensive lineman Nic Scourton also was complimentary of Weigman and knew that when the starting quarterback was back on the field, he would be ready to roll.
"(He) never flinched. He was always in the training room working to getting his shoulder back," Scourton said. "He never let any of the negativity get to him."
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Weigman finished the day 18-for-22 with 276 yards and added 33 yards on the ground while protecting the ball and playing within the offense's rhythm.
Following a fourth down stop by the Aggies' defense to open the game, Weigman came out and had a successful first possession. The quarterback was on time and played with good rhythm, and the running game followed suit with good execution to jump out to an early lead. The eight-play, 60-yard drive was capped off by Amari Daniels, who punched in the game's first score from one yard out to make it 7-0.
A&M would add three more on their following possession with a 44-yard field goal by kicker Randy Bond.
From there, the Aggies added two more touchdowns in the first half to take a 24-point lead. The first of which came after an eight-play, 65-yard drive, capped off by Daniels adding his second touchdown with another 1-yard run.
That was followed by Moss punching a 1-yard touchdown run in himself, shocking Missouri as A&M extended its lead to 24.
The running game was the highlight of the first half as A&M was able to cash in on three touchdown runs, two of which were by Amari Daniels and one by Moss. Weigman led the way, going 15-for-19 for 193 passing yards.
The Aggies' defense was relentless, tallying six sacks, making timely stops and holding tight coverage that limited Missouri playmakers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. to three receptions total.
Next for No. 21 Texas A&M is a bye week before they prepare to travel to Mississippi State in two weeks.
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