Though Mizzou only scored 11 points in Saturday’s loss at West Virginia, the lack of production wasn’t a byproduct of not running enough plays.

The Tigers ran exactly 100 plays offensively, the most since they ran 105 plays in a 2005 loss to New Mexico.

Head coach Barry Odom said there’s a chance the Tigers will play even faster as the offense settles into a rhythm this season:

“It’s about putting our kids in position to do what they can do,” first-year coach Barry Odom said. “For us, our skillset right now, that’s going to give us an advantage. There will be times that we’re going to play faster than that. There’s going to be times also that we need to slow down, so to speak, and do some different things out of the huddle.”

First-year offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said playing with tempo gives the young Mizzou offense the best chance to succeed:

“When you’re young up front, I think it gives an opportunity for those guys to maybe have some success where the defensive line’s not dug in,” Heupel said. “It gives the opportunity to take advantage of some things out on the perimeter as well.”

However, playing with speed offensively has some negative side effects when you can’t sustain drives.

The Mizzou defense was on the field for most of the first half, thanks to five offensive drives that lasted less than 1:11. Only one Mizzou first-half drive lasted more than 2:30.

Against Eastern Michigan this Saturday, it will be interesting to see how the Tigers balance a fast-paced offense with trying to give the defense more rest.