Coming into tonight, Missouri had played Texas A&M each of the last four years, three of those four games being in College Station. Missouri had won three of those four, and after tonight’s victory, the Tigers made it four of five, coming out victorious 34-27.
Texas A&M had a lead at 10-3 and later 13-6, which they would take to half. But the second half was all Mizzou, as they stayed ahead of Georgia in the SEC east race. With only one conference loss on the season (the ugly loss to the Bulldogs in Columbia), the Tigers returning to Atlanta for a second consecutive SEC Championship Game is a very real possibility.
Down 13-6 in the third, Maty Mauk hit Darius White for a touchdown that would tie the game up. A&M would take the lead right back on a 56 yard touchdown pass from Kyle Allen to Josh Reynolds, but after that Russell Hansborough and the Tiger run game took over. Hansbrough’s first touchdown run, good for 49 yards, tied the game back up at 20 and from there Mizzou would take its first lead since 3-0 after Hansborough rushed for his second touchdown to put the Tigers up 27-20. Ish Witter provided some breathing room for the Tigers with a 16 yard touchdown to put Mizzou up 34-20. The 28 point outburst in the third would prove to be too much for the Aggies to overcome.
In the fourth, Kyle Allen hit Malcolme Kennedy for a four yard touchdown pass that pulled A&M within 34-27. But both defenses held from then on, and the Tigers walked out of College Station with their third win at Kyle Field in the last four games there.
Texas A&M still leads the all-time series between the two teams 8-7. But since 2002 when Mizzou got their first win in the series, Mizzou holds a 7-2 advantage. But after meeting for each of the last five years, the Tigers will not get a chance to even the series until 2019, unless the two happen to meet in the SEC Championship game.
The Tigers head to Knoxville to take on Tennessee next Saturday. They met the Vols for the first time two seasons ago in their inaugural season in the SEC. Tennessee is a young team that is still fighting for bowl eligibility, so the Tigers can’t take this game lightly. After that they host Arkansas in the first ever Battle Line game. The Hogs also could be fighting for bowl eligibility in that game, as they sit at 5-5 currently.
A return trip for Atlanta is in sight for the Tigers, but it’s far from set in stone. Like last year, the Tigers control their own destiny, thanks to another big win in College Station.