'Upset' Aggies turn disrespect into demolition at Missouri, 38-17

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Game #9: No. 3 Texas A&M 38, No. 22 Missouri 17
Records: Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0), Missouri (6-3, 2-3)
Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Throughout the past week, more than a few college football analysts and experts put No. 3 Texas A&M on upset alert vs. No. 22 Missouri.

The experts were right. The Aggies were upset on Saturday.

Upset by doubts. Upset by questions. Upset by perceived disrespect.

“I don’t know what it takes for them to start believing,” said A&M running back Rueben Owens II, who scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, “Like, we didn’t put the work in? We didn’t show what we could do?

“Ain’t no upsets going on. We coming in. We’re coming to play.”

The Aggies (9-0, 6-0) came in and riddled Mizzou (6-3, 2-3) with an array of explosive plays on offense, defense and special teams to post an emphatic 38-17 Southeastern Conference victory in their third straight road game.

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw touchdown passes to Ashton Bethel-Roman and KC Concepcion. Owens’ touchdowns covered 57 and one yards. Safety Dalton Brooks returned a fumble for 26 yards to set up an EJ Smith touchdown. He also ran 48 yards on a fake punt to set up a Randy Bond field goal.

The Aggies just did whatever needed to be done. They rolled up 464 yards of offense — over 100 more than Missouri had surrendered to previous opponents. They forced two fumbles. They sacked freshman quarterback Matt Zollers twice. They allowed him to complete just seven of 22 passes.

“We keep talking about how this team just finds ways to play complementary football,” coach Mike Elko said. “You know, in the first, offensively, we had our struggles. I thought, defensively, we were able to hold it down.

“We were able to get the big turnover to stretch the lead out. Defensively, in the second half, we kind of got on our heels a little bit, especially towards the end of the game. I think, offensively, we went out and put two critical drivers together — the Rueben run and the last drive to ice the game away.

“We just did the things we needed to do to be successful.”

That would include Reed converting third-and-goal with a 4-yard pass to Bethel-Roman, who badly beat Mizzou cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. on a slant.

That included blitzing linebacker Daymion Sanford sacking Zollers and forcing a fumble, which Dalton Brooks caught midair and returned to the second yard line.

Smith scored two plays later.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Dalton Brooks’ fumble recovery set up a crucial touchdown late in the first half.

That also includes Concepcion turning a wide receiver screen pass into a 48-yard touchdown for a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter.

“We caught them in an all-out blitz on the screen to KC,” Elko said. “You know, if he gets the ball in his hands in space, it’s going to be a problem.”

A few minutes later, the Aggies were facing a major problem. Mizzou had answered Concepcion’s score with a touchdown drive.

Then, the Tigers appeared to force a three-and-out on A&M’s ensuing possession.

But as they say, appearances can be deceiving.

Brooks, a running back at Shiner High School, took the snap on a fake punt, swept around right end and dashed 48 yards to the Missouri 18-yard line.

That set up a 32-yard Bond field goal for a 24-7 lead late in the third quarter.

“The momentum seemed like it kind of had gotten away,” Elko said of his decision to fake a punt from deep in his end of the field. “They had put the drive together. They went out and stopped us. It was 21-7 and we just…

“You know… We’ve gotten some exotic punt block looks against us, and some people have been overloading things, and they’re not sound against the fake.

“They were trying to do it as well. So, we feel like we had an opportunity. The right time presented itself, and we took it.”

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Matt Zollers completed just seven of his 22 passes for only 77 yards.

The Aggies were never seriously threatened from there. Owens’ explosive 57-yard touchdown and his 1-yard blast ensured Missouri would be A&M’s ninth consecutive victim.

It wasn’t a perfect game by any means. The Aggies lost a fumble at the Missouri 17-yard line. An offside penalty — one of eight infractions — enabled Mizzou to continue a scoring drive that would’ve been thwarted.

Also, A&M allowed Hardy runs of 45 and 40 yards en route to 109. His running mate, Jamal Roberts, rushed for 110.

Despite Mizzou’s rushing success, A&M still held the Tigers to a season-low 284 yards.

Still, some remain critical. College Football Playoff committee chairman Mack Rhoades questioned the Aggies’ defense when rankings were revealed last Tuesday. He said defense was the reason the Aggies were ranked behind Ohio State and Indiana.

His comments were a topic of discussion in the A&M locker room all week.

“You know, we talked about that a lot yesterday,” Sanford said. “Coming into the game, you know, we kind of have that chip on our shoulder. Like, why have they been disrespecting us?”

Why indeed?

That’s why the Aggies were upset. Then they set down Missouri just like they have eight other opponents.