Texas A&M Blanks Missouri State 50-0, But Bigger Tests Are Coming
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Texas A&M got the result it wanted Saturday night. It just took a little while to look the part.
The No. 8 Aggies beat Missouri State 50-0 at Kyle Field, opening Mike Elko’s third season with a shutout, a comfortable margin and enough second-half dominance to erase an uneven start.
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Quarterback Marcel Reed was sharp early, completing 11 of 17 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He connected with transfer receiver Isaiah Horton for one score and found Mario Craver for another as Texas A&M carried a 19-0 lead into halftime.
The offense, though, wasn’t exactly humming from the opening kick.
Protection issues and stalled drives kept the Aggies from turning the first half into a runaway, and Texas A&M left points on the field despite controlling the game.
That changed after halftime.
The Aggies leaned harder on the run game and began moving Missouri State off the ball. Terry Bussey, Jamarion Morrow and freshman Carsyn Baker all found the end zone on the ground as the margin ballooned.
The defense was even better.
Missouri State never scored, never found sustained rhythm and spent most of the night playing from behind the chains. Texas A&M forced turnovers, repeatedly created short fields and finished off a shutout that underscored just how lopsided the talent gap was.
The shutout itself carried some historical weight. Texas A&M had gone more than three decades without posting one against an FBS opponent, dating back to the 1993 season.
That’s the encouraging part.
The caution is that Missouri State isn’t Arizona State, and it certainly isn’t the SEC schedule waiting behind that.
Texas A&M can’t afford the same early offensive sloppiness against better teams. The offensive line has to settle in, the penalties need to come down and the Aggies need to finish drives more cleanly.
MORE: Texas A&M Kickoff vs. Missouri State: Reed, Sanford in Focus
Still, 50-0 is 50-0. Elko wanted a season opener that let his team build confidence, play depth and avoid drama.
Mission accomplished. Now the real evaluation begins.
Follow Timm Hamm on X at @IndyCarTim.
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