No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies 'Excited For Opportunity' Against No. 9 Missouri

The Texas A&M Aggies have a major challenge ahead of them with the No. 9 Missouri Tigers on Saturday,

Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) looks to pass during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies won their fourth-straight game on Saturday, taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Southwest Classic.

Heading into Week 6, however, they will face their biggest since the season opener, with the No. 9 Missouri Tigers heading to Kyle Field for a headline matchup.

As it stands the Aggies are seen as 1.5-point favorites, in a game that seems to be a potential fulcrum point for their season.

And they are excited for the challenge.

"It's going to be another big national stage here at Kyle Field, and we're excited for the opportunity," Aggies coach Mike Elko said Monday.

So what makes Missouri such a challenging opponent?

It starts with the offense, where the Tigers rank as the No. 19 total offense and the No. 29 scoring offense in the country.

That offense is led by senior quarterback Brady Cook, who has thrown for nearly 8,000 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career while leading the Tigers to a 15-2 record since the start of the 2023 season.

He also led the Tigers to a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State to cap off an 11-win season last year.

"Offensively, they're a top-20 national offense," Elko said. "It all starts with the quarterback, Brady Cook. I think he's extremely talented... He's such a winner. He plays the game the right way. You can see why he has been so successful."

Likewise, Elko was very complimentary of the Tigers' offensive scheme as a whole, which was engineered from the ground up by head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

He also specifically noted the challenges that Missouri presents with their ability to be unpredictable, and stretch opposing defenses - something Drinkwitz has been known for for quite some time.

"They do a really good job of attacking you sideline-to-sideline and then pushing you vertical in the throw game," Elko said. "(Drinkwitz) is always quick to go to a trick play at the right time. He's a really good offensive coach, and they've done a really good job for a really long time."

All that said, the Tigers offense is far from the only thing the Aggies need to worry about.

Drinkwitz will also be bringing a defense that ranks No. 8 in the nation in scoring defense, No. 3 in total defense, and No. 5 in pass defense in the country. The unit is also top-20 against the run, coming in with the No. 19 ranked rush defense nationally.

"Defensively, they're eighth in the country in scoring defense and third in the country in total defense," Elko said. "It's going to be the best one we've seen to this point."

Of course, the Tigers' resumé in terms of opponents isn't exactly a stellar one either, so it is a bit difficult to tell whether or not their top-10 ranking is a warranted one.

Thus far, Missouri has faced two Power 4 opponents in (2-2) Vanderbilt and (4-1) Boston College, winning those two games by an average of 4.5 points, including a three-point double-overtime win vs. the Commodores at home.

Either way, it will be a good litmus test for the Aggies, who are looking for their first win over a top-10 team since upsetting No. 5 LSU at the end of the 2022 season.

Kick off between the Tigers and Aggies is set for 11 am, with the game to be broadcast on ABC.