Eli Drinkwitz knows his Missouri team is really talented, but he also knows the Tigers have been teetering a bit in recent weeks.

They are ranked 9th in the country, but there have been issues. The Tigers fell behind early against a solid Boston College team before rallying to win at home. The following week, it got scarier for Mizzou, as it nearly lost to Vanderbilt at home, escaping in overtime and scurrying off to the bye week with its undefeated record intact.

Now the 4-0 Tigers are back from the bye, and the real work begins. This Saturday, Missouri will finally play its 1st road game of the season as they head to College Station to play No. 25 Texas A&M in a noon ET showdown on ABC. The Aggies are 2-0 in the SEC so far, having recovered from that season-opening loss to Notre Dame, and the ESPN matchup predictor actually gives Texas A&M a healthy 48.2% chance to win Saturday’s game.

With all that in the fold, Drinkwitz was asked in his weekly press conference Tuesday about the challenges of playing the 1st road game of the season at boisterous Kyle Field.

“Number one, gonna be HOT, and number two, gonna be LOUD,” said Drinkwitz.

Drinkwitz also brought up Alabama’s trip to College Station last season. Yes, the Crimson Tide won, but it was a struggle, as Alabama escaped with a 26-20 victory. He knows Saturday could be a struggle for his team, too.

“It’s something that we’ve been preparing for,” said Drinkwitz.