What went wrong for Mizzou's defense against Texas A&M?

On Saturday, Missouri suffered a 41-10 defeat in a statement win for Texas A&M. Once the Aggies found their rhythm, the Tigers' defense offered little resistance. A&M controlled the game, seemingly executing their offense at will.

This result came as a total shock to Missouri, as the defense had been regarded as one of the strongest in the country. Despite facing a relatively easy schedule, the Tigers' defense is stacked with talent and had consistently demonstrated its strength—until Saturday.

Mizzou was exposed on Saturday, as Conner Weigman and the Aggies' offense picked them apart. But what exactly caused the Tigers so much trouble?

Heading into the game, there were some concerns after narrowly defeating Vanderbilt, but overall the defensive line had appeared strong, and the secondary had been generating takeaways.

On Saturday, however, the blown coverages that had occasionally surfaced in the secondary became a recurring issue on nearly every possession. Against a stronger offensive line, Mizzou's pass rushers struggled to make an impact. Weigman had so much time in the pocket, he could've had a drink while waiting for the Tigers to generate pressure.

Looking at the advanced stat "points per opportunity" reveals everything you need to know about the game. This metric tracks drives where the offense advances past the opponent’s 40-yard line. Texas A&M outscored Missouri 34-3 in this category, averaging 5.67 points per opportunity compared to Missouri's pathetic 0.6 points.

These margins are simply not good enough to compete in high-level football games. The Tigers' defense was torn apart, and every time Texas A&M sustained a drive, it almost always resulted in a touchdown.

Another telling defensive stat is "Defensive Havoc," which measures the percentage of plays where the defense creates a disruptive event, such as a tackle for loss (TFL), pass deflection, or turnover. Missouri posted an alarmingly low 14% total defensive havoc, compared to the Aggies' 44.8%. Even more concerning, Missouri's defensive backs recorded just a 2.3% havoc rate during the game.

Texas A&M amassed 512 total yards of offense in the game, showcasing a balanced attack through both the air and the ground. The Aggies recorded 276 passing yards and 236 rushing yards. Weigman was highly efficient, completing 18 of his 22 pass attempts, doing everything necessary to secure the victory.

Another significant issue for the Tigers' defense was their inability to stop Texas A&M on third downs. The Aggies faced 12 third downs with an average of 9.7 yards to go per attempt. They converted 7 of them at a 58.3% rate, gaining an average of 18.4 yards per attempt.

Missouri's defense couldn’t get off the field, largely due to the lack of pressure on the quarterback. When asked about the lack of pressure, Coach Drinkwitz responded, "We didn't do much of anything well on the defensive side of the ball today."

Missouri will return to the drawing board this week, aiming to address the numerous defensive breakdowns. With UMass up next, it provides a solid opportunity for Coach Drinkwitz and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon to assess which players are ready to step up and make an impact for the rest of the season.