12 days, 12 opponents for the 12th Man: Previewing Missouri State
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
After months of anticipation and growing excitement for the return of college football in Bryan-College Station, the Texas A&M Aggies are set to host Missouri State for the season opener in just 12 days.
The 12th Man are buzzing for the upcoming kickoff against the Bears, as Aggieland gets to lay their eyes on what Mike Elko's 2026 squad will bring to the gridiron, after reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history last season.
To begin the campaign on another historic start, the Aggies must take it one game at a time. That begins with the Bears, who bring a new-look offense to Kyle Field next weekend, including a fifth-year quarterback and a veteran offensive coordinator.
We start the 12 days of 12 opponents with a preview of Missouri State and what you should watch for in Texas A&M's Week 1 matchup in College Station:
Tale of the tape: Missouri State's defense
Coordinator: Jack Curtis
Defensive style: 4-3 & 4-2-5
Player to watch: LB, Jared Lloyd (Fifth-year)
Missouri State's defense ranked seventh in Conference USA last season, allowing 28.8 points per game. The Bears ranked as the ninth-best rush defense and eighth-best defending the pass in the conference. Jack Curtis' unit was able to produce 24 sacks and eight interceptions, showing some flashes in the secondary throughout their first FBS campaign. Linebacker Jared Lloyd led the team with 77 tackles, while also notching 4.5 tackles for loss. Missouri State's defensive unit prides itself on physicality and attacking the football, which will provide an intriguing challenge to Texas A&M's new-look offensive line.
Tale of the tape: Missouri State's offense
Coordinator: Mark Cala
Offensive style: Veer-and-shoot
After holding many coaching positions with Arkansas, Florida State, Houston and FAU, Mark Cala enters his first year calling plays in Springfield. His background in coaching quarterbacks and offense was influenced by his time working under Kendal Briles. He's coached multiple extremely talented gunslingers like Josh Hoover and KJ Jefferson. Fifth-year UTEP transfer Skyler Lockyear won the starting job with the Bears during fall camp, after throwing for 1,418 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025. The 3,000-yard passer will look to help lead Missouri State's offense to crack the top five in Conference USA, one year removed from ranking sixth with 392.2 total yards per game last season.
Game Prediction:
Score prediction: Texas A&M 56 | Missouri State 10
While Missouri State is on the rise in Conference USA entering just its second season at the FBS level, the Bears are too overpowered entering Kyle Field on September 5. Texas A&M junior quarterback Marcel Reed has displayed drastic improvements during fall camp, while the Aggies' defensive unit has flashed, especially the defensive line. Missouri State was one of the worst defenses against the run in college football last season, which should provide the Aggie running backs like Rueben Owens II and Jamarion Morrow to find success in the season opener. The Bears could put up a couple of scores, but I like Texas A&M to have an explosive win to start the 2026 campaign.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 12 days, 12 opponents for the 12th Man: Previewing Missouri State
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos