Tigers to square off against Aggies on Saturday

Missouri is 3-7 all-time against Texas A&M.

By John Montesantos

Published Oct. 15, 2010

The No. 21 Tigers will travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the 3-2 Aggies. The undefeated Tigers will look to improve to 6-0 for only the fifth time in Missouri history.

The two losses and lack of ranking are no reason to take this Texas A&M team lightly, as the Aggies come off close losses to two ranked teams: Oklahoma State and Arkansas.

In last week’s win over Colorado and in earlier victories over Illinois and San Diego State, the Missouri defense has kept the Tigers in games. As the offense continues to be inconsistent, the defense has allowed just 56 points, the fewest in the Big 12 this year.

The leader of the underachieving offense, junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert, suffered a high hip pointer injury in the second half last week. He is listed as probable and is the likely starter for Saturday.

Although the defense picking up the offense is becoming a recurring theme, coach Gary Pinkel sees no division between the two sides.

“Everybody has each other’s back,” Pinkel said. “One group might be more mature than the other or one might be younger than the other. But this is all about us together as a football team.”

The Missouri defense will once again be without sophomore defensive end and first-team Freshman All-American Aldon Smith this week. Smith fractured his fibula in the San Diego State game and his recovery has taken longer than expected.

Down at the other end of the defensive line is junior defensive end Jacquies Smith, who has come into the spotlight in Smith’s absence. The Dallas native is one of the 28 Tigers who were recruited out of Texas.

Smith looks forward to playing in College Station, just a three-hour haul from his hometown. But Smith’s family and friends, decked out in black and gold, will be drowned out by the sea of maroon and white Aggie fans.

“Winning on the road is a lot different than winning at home,” Smith said. “They have a lot of stuff going on at their field, but it all comes back to us. What we do will determine if we win or lose.”

Entering his first game at Kyle Field, sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moe has already been informed of the rowdy fans and hostile environment at Texas A&M.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” Moe said. “We have to go in and play our best football just like we would here. The only difference is the fans are not on our side.”

Although the Tiger players hope to tune out any distractions and stay focused, Pinkel knows that is easier said than done.

“They’ve got a great stadium to play in,” Pinkel said. “It’s got a great reputation. But can you zone out all that’s in that stadium and focus on your job? That’s the bottom line.”

Pinkel said Kyle Field is one of the Big 12 sites he mentions in recruiting as a really fun place to play. With away games at Nebraska, Texas Tech and Iowa State on the slate, this weekend’s contest will be the first of many for Missouri.

Kickoff is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. Saturday as the Tigers look to narrow the 7-3 edge the Aggies hold in the all-time series.