Missouri at Texas A&M
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
This Saturday the Texas A&M Aggies will host the No.21 Missouri Tigers in Big 12 action. The Aggies come in off their second straight loss of the season, as they fell to Arkansas 24-17 at home. The Tigers improved to 5-0 on the season with their 26-0 win at home over Colorado. If you are thinking about placing a wager on this game, the current odds have the Aggies favored by 3.5-points over the Tigers at home.
Missouri (5-0, 1-0): While the Tigers have yet to lose, they really haven’t played anybody to start the season. That is all about to change though, as the Tigers will host No.6 Oklahoma next week and then go on the road to take on No.5 Nebraska. A big reason the Tigers are where they are this season, is quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who has thrown for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns. Gabbert however suffered a hip pointer in the win over Colorado, and was forced to come out in the fourth quarter. Gabbert is expected to play this Saturday, but how limited he will be is still up in the air.
The Missouri defense is allowing just 11.2 points per game, third lowest in the country, but this week’s game against the Aggies will definitely put that to the test. The Aggies come in averaging 35 points a game, and have failed to score at least 27 points just once this season.
Texas A&M (3-2, 0-1 Big 12): After starting the season 3-0, the Aggies have lost their last two games against Oklahoma State and Arkansas by a combined 10-points. In both games quarterback Jerrod Johnson has had a chance to lead his team down for the win or tie, but has ended up throwing an interception. In fact Johnson has thrown 9 interceptions in his last three games. The Aggies still have a ton of trust in their quarterback, as he also makes some of the most impressive throws you will see. Johnson has to make plays for this team to win, but they can’t keep turning the ball over at the rate they are, or they are going to continue to lose close games.
Defensively the Aggies have been pretty solid against the run, allowing just 81 yards a game, but they are giving up nearly 231 yards a game through the air. With Gabbert nursing an injury, I think the Aggies should blitz him early and often and test that hip pointer out, otherwise if the give Gabbert time to throw, he is just going to pick apart their secondary.
Looking at the Odds: Some might be confused why Texas A&M is favored, when the Tigers are the ones undefeated, but I believe the Aggies have a great shot at winning this game, and I believe the right play is to take the Aggies -3.5. This is the first road game of the season for the Tigers, and their star quarterback is less than 100%. My final score prediction is Texas A&M 30, Missouri 24.
Got something to say?