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Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman was so unhappy with his team's 30-9 loss to Missouri last season that he set fire to the game plan, play book and tape the Monday after the game.
He wanted his team to forget about the loss and figured burning the remnants would be the best way to do it. The Aggies salvaged the season by winning the next six games.
No. 16 Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) is preparing to again host Missouri (3-4, 1-3) this Saturday and most of the Aggies said they don't really think about that game. But Sherman hasn't let it go.
''I think we learned from the mistakes of the Missouri game and got better after that,'' he said. ''It definitely was a low point, but you can learn a lot about yourself and what you need to do from those low points if you look at yourself objectively. ... does it linger? It does for me, because we should have played better.''
He hopes Texas A&M can extend its winning streak to four games against a team that many believe will soon be following the Aggies to the Southeastern Conference.
After that Missouri game a year ago, Sherman split quarterback duties between Jerrod Johnson and Ryan Tannehill and then wound up benching Johnson for the rest of the season. Playing receiver against Missouri last season gives Tannehill a pretty good idea of what to expect on Saturday.
''Last year we didn't play well and they put it on us pretty good,'' he said. ''They are a good football team, an aggressive defense that will throw a lot of things at you. They're not afraid to bring a lot of pressure.''
The Tigers know that this team lead by Tannehill and entering the game is different than the one they faced last season. The senior has thrown for 15 touchdowns and 2,005 yards this season and will be making his 14th start at quarterback.
''They are playing well, and offensively, their numbers are similar to Oklahoma State's,'' Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. ''This is a pretty high-powered offensive league this year. Tannehill is an experienced quarterback and a very good player. We are impressed with him and how he plays.''
Texas A&M is averaging more than 552 yards a game, which ranks seventh in the nation. Tannehill has thrown for at least 200 yards in all but one game this season and had a season-high 415 yards passing in a win over Baylor.
Though teammates rave about his poise and accuracy, Tannehill credits much of his success this season to A&M's ability to run the ball. Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray are averaging nearly 194 yards rushing combined. The two each rushed for more than 100 yards in last week's win over Iowa State and have combined for 15 rushing touchdowns.
''When you have them in the backfield it makes my job a lot easier,'' Tannehill said. ''Those guys are dangerous with the ball. They can make guys miss in the hole and have the speed to get outside if they need it ... it's definitely a luxury to have those guys in our backfield and we try to get them the ball as much as we can.''
Missouri quarterback James Franklin hopes to bounce back after committing four turnovers, including a season-high three interceptions, in the second half of Oklahoma State's 45-24 loss to No. 3 Oklahoma State last week.
Receiver T.J. Moe said Franklin and the rest of the team are trying to put last week behind them.
''His biggest thing is he doesn't want to let anyone down, ever,'' Moe said of Franklin. ''So when he feels like he isn't doing his best, it really eats at him. I think it really is eating at all of us. We're all feeling it.''
The Aggies believe facing Baylor and dual-threat quarterback Robert Griffin III has prepared them for dealing with Franklin. He has thrown 11 touchdown passes and ran for 445 yards and eight more scores this season.
Texas A&M will also have to deal with running back Henry Josey, who leads the Big 12 with 855 yards rushing and has scored six touchdowns.
''They're a different style of spread team than a lot of the teams in our league,'' Texas A&M defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. ''They're spreading you out to run it, they're the number one run team in the Big 12. It definitely stresses your defense because you have to defend both.''
