Here are five takeaways from Missouri’s 31-27 loss to Indiana.

  • Maty Mauk played a near-flawless first half. Mauk started 11 of 15 (with two drops), then missed on nine consecutive throws starting at the end of the first half, including an interception to start the third quarter. But after reviewing the video, Mauk played the best half of his career in spite of his teammates’ shortcomings. Marcus Murphy ruined what could’ve been Mauk’s best throw of the year on third-and-25. The quarterback eluded pressure, sprinted right and threw across his body into a difficult window, but hit Murphy in the hands for what would’ve been at least 30 yards. On the next drive, Bud Sasser had a rare (defensive back-aided) drop past the sticks that would’ve converted a second-and-17. Mauk forced a defender to commit and absorbed a hit as he pitched to Russell Hansbrough on a 42-yard run, and absorbed another big hit on the next snap as he threw a strike to Jimmie Hunt for a 45-yard touchdown. Mauk also scrambled for important gains.
  • Red zone offense cost Mizzou. The Tigers moved inside Indiana’s 20-yard line three times, including the team’s final possessions of the first and second halves. Both resulted in field goals when a touchdown in either would’ve changed the complexion of the game. IU did an excellent job of squeezing the outcome of the game into a handful of plays, and then winning those plays. When Mizzou could’ve taken control of the game, the Hoosiers stoned the running game, flushed Mauk out of the pocket and didn’t allow any scramble drill completions in the end zone.
  • Can’t blame defensive lapses on any one thing. Missouri missed some tackles. The Tigers got out of position, leaving running lanes uncovered. IU set up some pretty screen plays by getting lineman downfield. Without Markus Golden (hamstring), the defensive line wasn’t disruptive enough. The team failed to force a turnover for the first time in 48 games. Soft coverage (by design) from the defensive backs occasionally made it easy for Indiana to march down the field. Indiana’s got a strong offensive line, a few good skill players and a decent quarterback, and did an excellent job of working at a fast tempo. The pass interference penalty on fourth down followed by a back-breaking screen pass hurt, but so did the dual Indiana fourth-down conversions on a 17-play touchdown drive in the first half. This was the basement for the defense. It can’t play much worse.
  • The Tigers offensive line is a major concern. Forget the three false starts. Even Mauk, Hansbrough and Murphy can only make so much chicken salad out of the junk that the offensive line gave to them. Losing starting guard Anthony Gatti (torn ACL) early in the game hurt. But Indiana’s less-than-heralded defensive line knocked them around all game. The Hoosiers deployed some timely blitzes, often designed to contain the run, but consistently flushed Mauk with a four-man front. Evan Boehm seemed to struggle with Indiana’s nose tackle breathing on him. I counted 11 high snaps, and Missouri is fortunate Mauk was athletic enough to control all of them. By my unofficial count, Mauk threw downfield against a collapsed pocket 16 different times and abandoned pass attempts due to pressure at least eight other times. Missouri will see this level of talent the rest of the season, and if the offensive line doesn’t play better, seven or eight wins seems unlikely.
  • Throwing to Sean Culkin yielding better results than throwing to Murphy. Culkin had his best game with four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Murphy had the key drop, but Mauk also threw a total of four incomplete passes when targeting the running back, including an interception, as opposed to two incompletions targeting Culkin. This isn’t a new phenomenon, nor is it all Murphy’s fault. At times Mauk has failed to find Murphy as a safety valve. Mauk has “missed” on a higher percentage of passes to Murphy as well, making me wonder if it’s because of Murphy’s stature, has something to do with Murphy’s route-running, the lack of reps between the two in the passing game or some other reason. Mauk to Culkin remains a work in progress, but Culkin soon should produce even more than he did Saturday. By the end of the season, he’ll have at least one game with five catches for more than 50 yards.