Offense: B-

Missouri barely avoided a C+ on this one, thanks to a generous professor.

Darius White’s two long first-quarter touchdown catches were promising. Bud Sasser, too, corralled a 29-yard touchdown pass, winning a 1-on-1 with the defensive back by deploying a subtle push-off. But in general, the receivers didn’t get open quite as often as they could’ve.

Maty Mauk threw some pretty passes downfield, especially on the touchdowns, and extended a few plays with his legs. But he didn’t see open receivers on a few plays and threw off target on a few others. It wasn’t a bad effort, especially considering the inconsistent fall camp, but resembled 2013 a little too much to get a high grade. Missouri would like to see progression.

The offensive line blew open plenty of holes for Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy (a combined 6.2 yards per carry).

The tight ends, talked about as bigger contributors this year, failed to catch a pass and didn’t have their greatest game as blockers.

Defense: C-

South Dakota State quarterback Austin Sumner (foot) exited the game in the first quarter. The Jackrabbits still managed 7.7 yards per pass attempt. Jason Schneider and running back Zach Zenner (a combined 12 catches for 108 yards) are FCS All-American candidates and seniors. But to allow a backup FCS quarterback and beanpole freshman Jake Wieneke to combine for another six catches and 107 yards was inexcusable, and Missouri’s secondary (and linebackers) did not get the job done in coverage.

Duron Singleton and Aarion Penton made up for it with interceptions. Defensive ends Markus Golden and Shane Ray were active, especially in the fourth quarter, but merely played to expectations against a South Dakota State offensive line installing four new starters.

Zinner also took the first snap and ran for a 75-yard touchdown when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the ball.

Special Teams: C-

The most significant play: Marcus Murphy’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It saved Missouri from an even harsher grade, but just barely.

Andrew Baggett, who missed a field goal in last year’s double-overtime loss to South Carolina and goes through bouts of inconsistency, made one of his three attempts, missing from 34 yards. The decision to have him attempt a 55-yard try seemed perplexing.

Harold Brantley’s penalty for running into the punter gave South Dakota State an automatic first down in Missouri territory midway through the second quarter and set up a 39-yard field goal.

Murphy dropped another punt after staring down a seam instead of watching the ball, and a Kenya Dennis block in the back erased another solid Murphy punt return.

At least Baggett drilled his kickoffs, and Christian Brinser and the punt coverage team didn’t allow a single punt return.

Coaching: B-

Gary Pinkel executed one of his best coaching jobs in 2013. With his job under pressure, he steered a wounded team to a 12-win season and seemed to maximize the available talent. Give the coaching staff credit for keeping the team’s psyche in a positive place after such significant personnel losses.

There are plenty of games to go, but Mauk and the pass offense made no real step forward from where it was in his four starts last year. The coaches should claim some of the responsibility for Missouri playing in a way that can only be described as less than sharp.

The team did answer immediately when the Jackrabbits got within 21-18 in the third quarter (Murphy’s kickoff return) and closed out the game well. The choice to leave Murphy as the kickoff returner, and the way the team utilized its best all-purpose threat, were positives.

Overall: C

If the opponent were Kenny Hill and Texas A&M, the defense would’ve been buried Saturday. The offense played well in spurts, but went through too many droughts, especially with a decided advantage at the line of scrimmage.

Still, the team got a comfortable win and maintained its health. We thought it would take a while for the Tigers to reach their potential. Saturday confirmed our suspicions. The game against Toledo is no gimme, but Missouri’s flaws Saturday should be enough for Pinkel to make sure he has his players’ attention.