Copyright CBS Sports
COLUMBIA, Mo. — After his teammates waved goodbye to Missouri's student section, Reuben Owens climbed onto the bench for a better look at the mass exodus pouring out of Faurot Field. He spotted a chirping, mic'd-up Mizzou student and pointed toward the nearest exit. "Go home!" Owens barked twice before hopping back down. "Bro," the student shot back, "I want to watch you play!" Too late, buddy. Owens' day was already done. No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC) had just slammed the door on No. 22 Mizzou (6-3, 2-3) with Owens' second touchdown run late in the game. The 38-17 score may look routine on paper, but the moment was anything but for an A&M program that has cratered in November over the years, leading to easy fodder for rivals to chew and spit back in their face. Saturday marked A&M's first SEC road win in November since 2020, snapping a seven-game skid. It was also their third straight road victory in league play this season and their second consecutive blowout of a ranked opponent. One win doesn't define a season, but a 9-0 start -- the program's first since the storybook 1992 run -- carries weight. It quiets the noise. It shifts the conversation. It forces people to stop invoking November ghosts. "Is this our weekly 'last year' question?" Elko deadpanned Saturday. "I don't know about the past. I know that's four road games this team has gone on the road and won. We're 4-0 this year on the road. We've only got one left, so we'll finish this year with a winning record, if my math is right. I'm just proud of how these guys went out and did that." Indeed, the Aggies appear to be a legitimate SEC and national title contender heading down the stretch for the first time in their history. On a Saturday when another unbeaten (No. 7 BYU) fell on the road, and No. 2 Indiana needed last-minute heroics to beat Penn State, the Aggies strolled through hostile territory, took control and never let go. Quarterback Marcel Reed strengthened his case for Heisman Trophy consideration with another strong a smooth performance, throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 29 passing. He also picked up a couple of crucial first downs while rushing for 29 yards on five carries. Owens had a team-high 102 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and also caught two passes for 10 yards. Receiver K.C. Concepcion was a magician to put the game out of reach on third down, sliding past defenders on a quick screen and zipping through the middle of the Tigers' defense for a 48-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter. Missouri fought back late, but the game had already tilted. A&M's fronts owned the second half, steamrolling for 220 rushing yards after being out-gained 91-23 on the ground in the first half. Owens supplied both fourth-quarter touchdowns. "We started putting our will on their will, they got tired, they got fatigued," Owens said. "That's what coach told us at halftime. He said it's going to come; just be patient." The Aggies' defense finished with seven tackles for loss and two sacks, frustrating first-time starter Matt Zollers, the freshman who started the season as the Tigers' third-string quarterback but was forced into action this week because of injuries. He completed only 7 of 22 throws for 77 yards, the fewest completions by a Missouri quarterback since 2016. On one sack, Zollers was stripped by linebacker Daymion Sanford as he reared back to throw. Safety Dalton Brooks returned the fumble to the 2-yard line, and two plays later the Aggies grabbed a 14-0 lead with only 20 seconds remaining before halftime. Brooks also fooled the Tigers on a fake punt, snagging a direct snap in at A&M's own 34-yard line, and sprinting 48 yards to help set up a field goal and 24-7 lead. Elko said he got aggressive with the call after Mizzou pulled within 21-7 and had forced the Aggies into a three-and-out situation. However, Mizzou overloaded one side of the formation, a tactic many opponents have employed against the Aggies, and so he made the call. "They're not sound against fake. … We felt like we had an opportunity if the right time presented itself and we took it." You can bet the Aggies' defense came into Week 11 motivated after the first set of College Football Playoff rankings was released Tuesday. Committee chairman Mack Rhoades said there was a clear line separating Texas A&M from reaching the likes of No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana. "When we included A&M as part of the discussion, we felt like the separator there was the defense," Rhoades said Tuesday. "It motivated us a lot," Sanford said. "We talked about it a lot yesterday and coming into the game, we kinda had that chip on our shoulder like, 'Why are they really disrespecting our defense?' And we came in with a great mindset; ultimately, we shut them down." Mizzou was held to 284 yards, including the season-low 77 yards passing. The 21-point loss was its largest of the season, dropping the Tigers to 0-3 against ranked teams and torpedoing their already slim playoff hopes. For A&M, it's time to start thinking about what's possible. Only one ranked team remains on the Aggies' schedule -- a trip to rival Texas in the season finale -- and they control their own destiny in the SEC and playoff races. They also avoid Alabama on the regular-season schedule, making the path that much easier to secure their first trip to Atlanta. College football Week 11 overreactions: National title game matchup set, Oregon not championship caliber Will Backus On a day when road wins were hard to come by across the country, the scene in Columbia was a reminder of just how far this program has come in short order under Elko. He's 6-2 in road games, far removed from the late-season curses of Jimbo Fisher and Kevin Sumlin. As the 2-minute timeout arrived in the fourth quarter, most of the stadium had emptied. Sandwich wrappers and popcorn buckets rustled through the empty rows as a cold front swept through town. In Section 101, in the far corner, the 12th Man roared. Thousands of maroon-clad fans didn't budge from their stronghold, overwhelming any noise left to be made by the scattered Tigers. Reed sprinted up the grass berm toward their open arms when the game ended. Concepcio followed, wearing a white hard hat, slapping hands and posing for photos with fans after yet another monster performance. He eventually huddled with his father, Kevin, who had followed his son from NC State to Texas A&M in the offseason for moments just like this. "It's been amazing all season," Kevin Concepcion said. "Nine-and-oh. South Carolina, here we come." Only three undefeated teams remain among the sport's power conferences: the Aggies, as well as the Big Ten's Ohio State and Indiana. Next up for Texas A&M is a return home for the first time in more than a month to host South Carolina. Their road woes in the rearview mirror and only road game remaining, the Aggies are on the best path they've ever had in the SEC. "I don't know what ultimately that means from a result standpoint, but the culture of this group is really strong," Elko said. "The work they put into this thing is really strong, and they believe in each other, and they believe in what we're doing. That shows up a lot on the road in these hostile environments."
