The scenario is simple for Missouri -- it must win Saturday night's regular-season finale to capture the SEC East crown.
What
figures to be difficult is finding a way to slow down Johnny Manziel
after the Heisman Trophy winner was impressive in last year's blowout
win for Texas A&M in this series.
The fifth-ranked Tigers
have plenty on the line when they host Manziel's No. 19 Aggies, who are
0-3 against ranked foes this season.
Missouri (10-1, 6-1) must
win to reach the Dec. 7 title game in Atlanta. A loss will result in a
tie for first place in the East with No. 10 South Carolina, which would
advance on the basis of its Oct. 26 victory over the Tigers.
"We're
excited about playing this game," coach Gary Pinkel said. "We worked
real hard to get to this position. You know what, you compete for a
championship, you've got to beat good people."
Texas A&M
(8-3, 4-3), meanwhile, is trying to regroup after failing yet again
against a Top 25 team with last Saturday's 34-10 defeat to then-No. 18
LSU.
Manziel had one of the worst games of his career as he
completed 16 of 41 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown, two
interceptions and a career-low yards-per-attempt figure of 5.46. He ran
12 times for 54 yards but failed to reach the end zone in consecutive
games for the first time in his career.
"It wasn't fun to get
beat like that," said Manziel, who needs 208 passing yards to break Ryan
Tannehill's single-season school record of 3,744 set in 2011. "We will
see how we handle adversity. This team with a bunch of young guys -- we
just have to see how they bounce back."
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin admits he has had to rebuild his team's morale.
"I
think the guys are just ready to play," Sumlin said. "We are playing in
a real season and real opponents and real games. Are we where we want
to be right now? No. It doesn't mean the sky is falling, either."
This
could be the final regular-season contest for Manziel, who is expected
to declare for the NFL draft. The sophomore has refused to discuss his
plans.
"We'll have an analysis by the NFL, I'll talk to some
different people and what I try to do is give our guys as much factual
information that I can gather from the NFL specifically instead of
what's being said on television or on blogs and things like that,"
Sumlin said. "That's my job as a coach, to give them as much information
as I can so they can make the best decision for them and their family."
The
Tigers know they have to plan for a player who leads the SEC in passing
yards per game (321.5) and touchdown passes (32). Manziel has also
rushed for 665 yards and eight TDs.
Manziel completed 32 of 44
for 372 yards and three scores while running for 67 yards and two more
TDs in last season's 59-29 rout that ended Missouri's three-game win
streak in the series.
He's the first reigning Heisman Trophy winner to visit Missouri since Oklahoma's Billy Sims in 1979.
"He's
such a great player," Pinkel said. "If you watch him game in and game
out, then you see the consistency on how he plays and the way he does
it. You have to contain him the best you can, and you have to score
points on offense. There is nothing magic about this."
The Tigers
should be better equipped to deal with Manziel with a defense that
leads the SEC in sacks (35) and interceptions (18). Defensive end
Michael Sam has a conference-best 10.0 sacks for a unit that has forced
turnovers in 41 straight games for the nation's longest streak.
"They've
really improved from last year, obviously, and statistically lead the
league in sacks," Sumlin said. "They lead the league in interceptions,
too, which is an underrated stat."
Missouri will also be counting
on a rushing attack ranked second in the SEC with 238.0 yards per game.
Henry Josey, who missed last year's loss to the Aggies with an injury
but rushed for 162 yards and a TD against them in 2011, has five total
touchdowns over his last two games.
Josey had 95 yards and a
score in last Saturday's 24-10 win at then-No. 24 Mississippi that
improved Missouri's record to 3-1 against ranked teams.
And
although school is out this week for the holidays, students are expected
to flock back to campus for one of the most important games in the
Tigers' history.
"It'll be just nuts because it's Senior Night
and because of how we've been doing this year," said senior quarterback
James Franklin, who returned last weekend after missing four games with a
shoulder injury. "The fans want to come for what's on the line."
