COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Marcel Reed threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns, Texas A&M’s hounding defense made for a forgettable first start for Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers, and the third-ranked Aggies beat the No. 19 Tigers 38-17 on Saturday to remain undefeated.
Rueben Owens II added 102 yards rushing and a pair of clinching touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, as the Aggies (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) continued their best start since 1992 with their third consecutive victory over Missouri.
“You know, from a CEO perspective, I believe this is what this program is capable of. This is why we’re here. We believe the ceiling of this program is really high,” Aggies coach Mike Elko said. “This is what everyone has been talking about.”
Zollers, starting in place of injured Beau Pribula, was just 7 of 22 for 77 yards, despite getting plenty of help from his rushing attack. Jamal Roberts ran for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Ahmad Hardy added 109 yards and another score, as the Tigers (6-3, 2-3, No. 22) piled up 207 yards on the ground.
“That’s one of the toughest locker rooms I’ve been in,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “because we all believed that we were going to win. We all believed we were going to win. They fought like they were going to win.”
Missouri had been in every game this season, including close losses to No. 4 Alabama and No. 15 Vanderbilt. But losing Pribula to a season-ending injury against the Commodores left the 19-year-old Zollers to make his first start against the Aggies.
It was a predictably tough task.
The first true freshman to start for Missouri since Drew Lock a decade ago, Zollers spent most of the game simply trying to stay upright. And on the rare occasion that he had time to throw, Zollers either overshot hits targets or threw it into the turf, resulting in a humbling halftime line: 3 of 11 for 31 yards, two sacks and a fumble that was nearly returned for a touchdown.
“We let him down as coaches tonight with the protection plan,” Drinkwitz said.
In fact, Zollers’ fumble late in the first half may have been the tipping point in the game.
Texas A&M led 7-0 after a touchdown catch by Ashton Bethel-Roman late in the first quarter, and was trying to force a punt before the break. Zollers was blitzed by Daymion Sanford, who knocked the ball out of his hands and into the arms of Texas A&M safety Dalton Brooks, whose return set up EJ Smith’s touchdown plunge two plays later.
“We were just trying to get after the freshman quarterback,” Sanford said. “I was surprised (Brooks) got the ball. I looked up and I seen him running and I didn’t know if the ball was on the ground or in the air. I wanted him to go score.”
The Aggies kept the momentum going after halftime. Missouri quickly went three-and-out, and Reed zipped a screen pass to KC Concepcion, who took advantage of the space vacated by a blitzing safety to run nearly untouched 48 yards for the score.
What had been a defensive slugfest late in the first half had become a 21-0 lead for Texas A&M.
The Tigers tried to make it a game in the third quarter, when Roberts finally reached the end zone. But after forcing the Aggies into fourth down near midfield, they executed a perfect punt fake, leading to a field goal and a 24-7 lead.
The momentum seemed like it had gotten away,” Elko said of the audacious call. “We felt like we had an opportunity.”
Owens eventually put the game away for Texas A&M with his two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.
“When I scored my first touchdown, I looked up in the stands and I was like, ‘OK, there’s still a lot of people here,’” Owens said. “When I score my second, I looked up in the stands and was like, ‘There’s nobody here but our fans.’”
Takeaways
Texas A&M overcame eight penalties for 65 yards thanks to some simple persistence. The Aggies never gave up on the run game, even when it was going poorly, and they finally broke through in the fourth quarter.
Missouri proved it can still run the ball with Zollers under center. The question remains whether the Tigers can throw it.
Up next
Texas A&M: Hosts South Carolina next Saturday.
Missouri: Hosts Mississippi State next Saturday.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/college-football
