In a win over Vanderbilt three weeks ago, the Missouri Tigers ran for 253 yards and threw for 253 yards, achieving perfect balance.

Though there were some ups and downs through the season, the offense has had some great performances, and has managed to greatly improve its time of possession. That has been a big reason for defensive improvements by the Tigers, as they are simply on the field less.

In fact, when you look at the 901 plays that senior QB Drew Lock was on the field for this year, first-year OC Derek Dooley dialed up 449 passes and 452 runs:

With a guy like Lock throwing the ball, you’d think that the play count would be skewed toward more passes, but with an offensive line as solid as Mizzou’s and running backs like Larry Rountree III, Damarea Crockett and Tyler Badie, Dooley was able to keep defenses off-balance.

It won’t be easy to replace a guy like Lock next year, but it will be important for Dooley to continue his balanced play-calling moving forward.