Guzman: Missouri Has Issued the Challenge. Now, It Looks to Back It Up

The Missouri Tigers have spent all week preparing for a noise factor they feel won't be as impactful as others think. The Texas A&M Aggies, however, see it as a challenge: one that the visitors will have to face head-on.

Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Head coach Eli Drinkwitz (right), along with defensive back Toriano Pride Jr. (2) and defensive end Eddie Kelly Jr, (97) leads the Missouri Tigers out of the tunnel against Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

COLLEGE STATION, Tx. — The No. 9 Missouri Tigers haven't done this before.

Five weeks into the season, four games down, and they've seen plenty. They've trailed by two scores at home, blown the doors off of two non-conference opponents in shutout fashion and even spent a week preparing for a game they wouldn't play for 13 days.

But the one thing that's new, even in October?

Playing on the road.

"It's an interesting situation," Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "We've got 46 new players on the team, so it's going to be a lot of newness. ... We've all traveled before, but it's the first time traveling together."

The Tigers, all-white uniforms packed and away, will board their plane and make a trip down to College Station: A city that bleeds Maroon and hums Texas Longhorn hatred. Missouri is no Texas, but it is the common enemy for the fans waiting for what they hope will be another Aggie victory.

As such, it'll be booed — hissed at, more like — and drowned out by the noise at Kyle Field. Every third down, the stadium will erupt with sound. Every score, the cannon will fire and every first down, the band will play.

Experiencing that, however, is something the Tigers have done before. As best they could, anyway.

That's what they spent all week preaching.

"They put these big speakers pretty much two feet right behind me," Missouri quarterback Brady Cook explained of the Tigers' practice environment. "You can't hear anything. ... In my opinion, the noise at practice is actually louder."

For a 4-0 team, it's not off base to hit the road confidently. In fact, that's how the Tigers should be feeling, especially with how big their potential is when they play well.

But, as one can assume, the Aggies weren't oblivious to the comments made about their home turf.

“It has been interesting that we've had people call out Kyle Field a little bit," Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said in response. "I heard their quarterback say today that it's louder in practice than it is at Kyle Field.

To me, that's a challenge to the 12th Man."

Sep 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies coach Mike Elko and his players wait to run onto the field prior to facing the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Texas A&M Aggies On SI

There isn't any doubt the stakes are high in Week 5. The Aggies are out to show that they've learned from their season-opening loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They're hoping to be shown that Marcel Reed, assuming he gets the nod as Drinkwitz is expecting, is worthy of starting until further notice.

The Tigers are looking to put to rest any doubts about their ceiling. After playing it close to Boston College and Vanderbilt, it seemed as if they weren't as bulletproof as initially thought, though it did enough to remain unbeaten in both circumstances.

Doing so on the road? That would be a first for this year's Tigers. Drinkwitz, especially, knows it won't be easy. Not in enemy territory; not in the Texas heat.

And certainly not at Kyle Field.

"You're going to have to combine that (the heat and travel) with 105,000 people who are joined forces trying to create distractions for your team," he said. "You're going to have to be able to block out the noise ... for a full three hours and five minutes, so it's going to require a lot of concentration and a lot of focus.”

Still, the Tigers remain poised. They know what they're capable of, and frankly, it'd be more concerning if they weren't talking down the noise factor.

When Texas A&M lines up to kick off for the first time, there won't be an announcer rhythmically proclaiming the start of "Missouri Tigers football," nor will there be "Power" played shortly after — that song will have already been blasted through the sound system as the Aggies take the field.

After that, both teams willl have plenty to prove. And as far as both are concerned, the challenge has been issued. To that, the Aggies — in the words of their linebacker — say "bet."

And the Tigers?

They confidently say bring it on.

"As long as we execute," Missouri receiver Theo Wease Jr. said. "The crowd won't be loud."

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