No post-Bama hangover for Aggies in 35-14 road victory over Missouri

The Aggies showed no signs of a  hangover from their Alabama Slammer.

They did, however, have a few headaches on Saturday morning. Most of them from bumping their own noggins.

No. 21 Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2) followed up last week’s intoxicating victory over then-top-ranked Alabama with a one-sided 35-14 victory over Missouri, which could have been even more dominant.

Of course, the score could have been closer had the Aggies come out flat a week after their signature upset of the Crimson Tide. Coach Jimbo Fisher admitted a post-Alabama hangover was a concern, especially on the road for a morning kickoff.

“There’s always concern,” Fisher said. “Preached it. Preached it. Preached it. Yelled it. Preached it. Yelled it. Preached it.”

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“Kids today. What do they always tell you? ‘Yeah, I hear you.’ That's the way kids are. It finally sank in.”

Isaiah Spiller said his coach needn’t have worried.

“Since (last) Saturday after the game, it was an emphasis,” Spiller said. “I feel like we honed in on that this week. It was an early game so we didn’t want to come out in a lull and not be ready. We didn’t want to be a one-hit-wonder.”

Spiller rushed for 168 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown dash. Devon Achane rushed for 124 yards and scored twice. Quarterback Zach Calzada threw two touchdown passes to Ainias Smith.

Jaylon Jones and Antonio Johnson snatched interceptions. The defense allowed just two touchdowns. Missouri had been averaging 37.8 points per game.

Yet, even in a comfortable victory, there was a measure of discomfort.

The outcome could have been even more lopsided. If not for self-inflicted errors, the victory could have been settled well before halftime.

The Aggies scored touchdowns on their first three series. They appeared headed for a fourth after Johnson, playing in front of 60 friends and family from his hometown of East St. Louis, Ill., intercepted a pass from Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak at the Tigers’ 30-yard line.

But a holding penalty led to a missed field goal. The Aggies' next series ended with consecutive dropped passes.

Another A&M threat just before halftime ended with an interception. The Aggies were leading 28-7 and poised to deliver a knockout punch from the Missouri 28-yard line. But Calzada’s pass to Achane in the end zone was stolen by Missouri defensive back Jaylon Carlies.

The interception was frustrating. Even more frustrating was that the pass was even called. To that point, the Aggies had rolled up 193 rushing yards on the Tigers, who are last in the country in run defense.

Perplexed onlookers surely wondered why Fisher would call a pass when the Aggies had run with so much success up to that point. 

Fisher had an answer.

“(Missouri) started putting guys in the box,” he said. “They started bringing guys, blitzing and putting extra guys in the box, and you’ve got one-on-one ( pass coverage).”

“You’ve got to be able to throw the ball. We had it for a touchdown. It was a wide-open play. We just underthrew it. You can’t just run the ball. People make adjustments.”

Missouri’s offense apparently made some.

Early in the third quarter, the Tigers launched a 14-play, 97-yard drive for a seven-yard touchdown run by Dominic Lovett.

“We give up a 97-yard drive. That cannot happen,” Fisher said.

Suddenly, the Aggies’ lead wasn’t secure. It was even more perilous with A&M facing third-and-17 a few minutes later.

Calzada had been brilliant in the victory over Alabama. He was merely solid against Missouri. Aside from the interception, he either missed receivers or seemed to throw too hard on short passes the flat.

“Their ends were getting upfield and he had to throw over them,” Fisher said. “But we hit it all week (in practice). He just missed them.”

Calzada didn’t miss on third-and-17. He rifled downfield to Smith for a 21-yard gain.

That led to Achane scoring on a 1-yard run that gave the Aggies a 35-14 lead late in the third quarter and squashed Missouri’s comeback hopes.

“Coach was always saying this was a trap game,” Johnson said. “He was telling us they’re just as good a team. We knew we had to put the (Alabama) game behind us and move forward.”

It wasn’t perfect, but A&M got a big victory to chase their Alabama Slammer.