To quote the late Dennis Green — the 2016 Missouri Tigers are who we thought they were.

Playing against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers performed like one of the best defenses in the country at times and one of the worst offenses.

That was the story in 2015 and, after the 26-11 loss in Morgantown, it looks like that’ll be the story again this year under first-year head coach Barry Odom and first-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel.

Granted, it’s early, but a comedy of critical errors kept the Tigers out of the end zone for the entire game.

It’s hard to win if you don’t score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, and Mizzou made that painfully obvious Saturday.

Here are a few things I liked and a few more I didn’t from Saturday’s Week 1 loss in Morgantown.

What I liked:

1) The defense has some answers

After the offense’s abysmal first drive (drive being used loosely), the defense stepped up and forced the Mountaineers to punt. This team isn’t built to come from behind, so getting a stop on West Virginia’s opening possession was huge for momentum. Holding the Mountaineers to a field goal on the second drive of the game was also big. The unit also proved to be opportunistic, forcing three turnovers on the day.

2) The punt team was great

Granted, that’s not exactly what Mizzou fans were hoping for in this “What I liked” section, but in a game with so few positives, P Corey Fatony and the punt coverage team stood out, frequently pinning the Mountaineers deep in their own territory and making some great open-field tackles.

3) Marcell Frazier stepped up

DE Marcell Frazier got some good pressure on the backup West Virginia quarterback and was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a fumble late in the second quarter. Of course, the offense failed to turn it into points.

4) The quarterbacks can run

QB Drew Lock had a nice third-down conversion run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Speaking of nice runs from the quarterback position, Marvin Zanders provided a bit of a spark with his legs at times, too.

What needs to be worked on:

1) The Tigers must get out to quicker starts offensively

Against the Mountaineers, Mizzou watched the opening kickoff sail through the back of the end zone and then went three-and-out within the game’s first 40 seconds. The second drive wasn’t much better, either, ending in another quick punt.

2) Quicker decisions in the running game

When it takes Lock 3 seconds to read the defense and decide whether to keep the ball or give it to the running back, running plays are doomed from the start. Quicker decisions from Lock and running plays that develop faster will be needed if the Tigers are going to be successful this season, especially with a young, inexperienced offensive line.

3) Mizzou needs to quit shooting itself in the foot in the red zone

On the Tigers’ two best offensive drives of the first half, a lost fumble by Damarea Crockett and a false start penalty kept them out of the end zone. A missed 24-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter was a killer, too.

4) Pick your spots with the quarterbacks

Late in the second half, just when it looked like Lock was getting comfortable and moving the offense, Zanders took the field and the drive immediately stalled.

5) Finish tackles to prevent big plays

Overall, the defense had a pretty good showing on Saturday, but there were still too many missed tackles that led to big plays for the Mountaineers. Granted, the defense was out on the field way too much thanks to an ineffective offense, but failing to finish tackles only kept them on the field longer.

6) Catch the ball!

There were far too many drops in Saturday’s loss. It wasn’t just one person, either. Several different receivers had unacceptable drops against West Virginia.

What’s next:

The Tigers will head back to Columbia next Saturday for their home opener against Eastern Michigan. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Central time and can be seen on the SEC Network.