An Aggie’s perspective before Missouri football travels to College Station
Ahead of No. 9 Missouri football’s road matchup against No. 25 Texas A&M, The Maneater spoke with Ian Curtis, the features editor and a football writer for The Battalion, the Texas A&M student newspaper. Curtis shared his knowledge of the Aggies’ play style, providing insight into what the Tigers have been preparing for the past two weeks.
The Maneater: If you could summarize the season from your perspective, what have you seen?
Ian Curtis: “I think there’s been a lot of hope, just because this is the first year of the [head coach] Mike Elko era…the vibe he brought over spring camp, summer camp, fall camp, really got people to buy in. And there was a widespread belief that they were gonna be really, really good this year…it feels like we could win every game left, and it also feels like we could lose every game left.”
The Maneater: What do you think is the greatest strength for this Texas A&M roster?
IC: “The defense as a whole. Bringing in Nic Scourton…led the Big 10 in sacks last year at Purdue…the defense has strength this year, and it fits with Elko’s identity as a coach…it’s nice to focus back on the defense and then live up to that reputation.”
The Maneater: What do you think is going to be the deciding factor this Saturday?
IC: “Can [Texas] A&M’s offense show up and be smooth…against Arkansas you saw that where they started out great; Marcel Reed, 58-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas. Then you saw them not do so hot in the middle of that game.
The other part, I think, is can the defensive line put pressure on Missouri the way they’ve put pressure on everyone else so far… [with Luther Burden III] that’s an incredibly talented wide receiver and a good quarterback [Brady Cook] with them. So to be able to stop that connection, especially if the A&M offense isn’t running as smooth.”
The Maneater: What are thoughts about this matchup for the Texas A&M fans?
IC: “The vibes are interesting because it is a Missouri top 10 team, but there’s not that institutional, ‘this is a big game [feel]’…I don’t think that’s something that’s going to manifest in the game, because the way A&M is, they’re packing [the stadium] no matter what…It takes a really special gang to see that taken to the next level.”
The Maneater: What should Missouri fans be expecting out of an environment like Texas A&M’s Kyle Field?
IC: “Unfortunately, it’s an 11 a.m. game…night games, that takes it to the whole ‘nother level…It’s going to be loud no matter what. But something I think that visiting fans from Missouri should experience is [that] A&M is a mix of intense but also incredibly friendly…I’m curious to see, you know, is Kyle Field able to live up to its expectations and its reputation?”
The Tigers are searching for their second straight 5-0 start and are looking to build on an eight-game winning streak dating back to last year. The Tigers kick off at 11 a.m. against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Sat., Oct. 5.
Copyedited by Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com