Here are some quick thoughts on Missouri’s 34-27 victory over Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday night.

What it means: The win means Texas A&M remains in control of the SEC East for another week. Following Georgia’s victory over Auburn on Saturday to close its SEC slate, Missouri knew it had to win each of its final three games to clinch the East. Saturday’s win in College Station was a step in the right direction, as the Tigers took care of the last ranked opponent on their schedule, and did it on the road for that matter. With two weeks left in the season, Mizzou controls its destiny to win the East for the second year in a row.

What I liked: Missouri’s offense, especially in the second half. Texas A&M’s defense is far from a dominant unit, but the Tigers still posted a season-high 587 yards of total offense, and quarterback Maty Mauk threw for more yards (252) than he has in any game in SEC play. Mizzou ran for a whopping 335 yards of total offense at 6.8 yards per carry, and the Tigers managed to run 89 plays to A&M’s 63 by game’s end. To cap off a brilliant showing, Mizzou converted more than 50 percent of its third downs, and picked up 32 first downs for the game. Any way you look at it, Missouri’s offense had its best showing of the season, and did it against one of the hottest teams in the SEC.

What I didn’t like: Missouri’s penalty woes. The Tigers dominated the Aggies statistically, but they also committed 12 penalties for 81 yards to routinely kill their own drives and advances A&M’s. Without its penalty issues, including an inexcusable four false starts, the Tigers might have won this game by 20 points. A win is a win, but Missouri must play more disciplined if it hopes to win the East for a second year in a row.

Who’s the man: Missouri had two players shine brighter than the rest in Saturday’s win. On offense, Russell Hansbrough carried the ball 20 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns, including scores from 49 and 45 yards away early in the second half as Missouri took its first lead of the game. On defense, Markus Golden recorded 2.5 sacks as part of another dominant performance by the Tigers defensive line, limiting A&M to fewer than four yards per carry. There were a number of noteworthy performances in Missouri’s victory, but Hansbrough and Golden stand out above the rest.

Key play: With Missouri trailing 20-13 early in the second half, Russell Hansbrough broke a handful of tackles and outran the rest of the Texas A&M defense on his way to a 49-yard game-tying touchdown. After forcing an Aggies punt, Hansbrough took another carry 45 yards on the very next drive to put Missouri ahead for good. Those two runs changed the dynamic of the entire game, and Missouri never looked back as it ran away with a critical cross-divison win.

What’s next: Missouri has two games remaining this season, and it needs to win both in order to win the East. Next week, the Tigers travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee in Neyland Stadium. In two weeks, the Tigers close the season at home against Arkansas. If it wins both, it wins the East. If it loses either, its chances of a second straight division title are no more. Missouri knows what’s at stake the next two weeks — the playoffs have already begun for the Tigers.