Coming into the season, many (myself included) looked at Missouri’s schedule and thought it would be a good thing if the Tigers were 3-3 heading into a Week 8 homecoming game against Memphis.

They are, however, things have changed drastically since then. First, the Tigers managed to keep things close against Georgia, but ultimately made too many mistakes to win. Then, there was the debacle and the collapse at South Carolina, a team that isn’t as good as people thought coming into the season.

A loss at Alabama was expected, but there are still reasons to be concerned about the rest of the season. The game against Memphis looms large as one the Tigers now must win in order to have a realistic shot at bowl eligibility.

Here are a couple of things working against Mizzou as the season reaches a critical juncture this Saturday night at Faurot Field:

Problems with the Tigers

First, we’ll start with the big one — the Mizzou offense looks lost without WR Emanuel Hall. Hall was limited against Georgia and then missed the South Carolina and Alabama games while dealing with a groin injury.

He should be back soon, and it won’t be a minute too soon, as star QB Drew Lock has only thrown one single touchdown pass the past three games without Hall at full-strength. The rushing attack looks good, but Lock’s struggles have taken the Mizzou offense from elite to only kind of good.

Then, there’s the defense. While the Tigers boast the SEC’s No. 4 rush defense (which will bode well against Memphis), they can’t stop anyone through the air. Right now, they’re giving up 300.7 passing yards per game. That’s the worst pass defense in the country, even worse than Ole Miss’s joke of a defense. Nationally, the Mizzou pass defense ranks 124th, with Illinois (126th) as the only Power 5 team with a worse ranking.

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Teams like Memphis, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas aren’t exactly juggernauts through the air, with Memphis (at No. 41) boasting the best passing offense of any team remaining on the schedule. Vanderbilt, at No. 65, is next on that list.

Still, watching Mizzou attempt to play pass defense doesn’t exactly inspire hope, so coach Barry Odom and DC Ryan Walters are going to have to get their unit playing much better soon to give the Tigers a chance.

Making matters even more difficult, though, is the fact that …

The SEC East is back

Perhaps the bigger problem for the Tigers is that games that looked like potential victories now seem much more difficult than they did in August.

Mizzou hosts Memphis and then welcomes a 5-1 Kentucky squad to Faurot Field. After that, a road trip to a resurgent Florida squad looms large on the schedule. Somehow, Mizzou probably has to win two of those three games to reach its preseason goals and improve on last year’s record.

The Tigers close with a manageable three-game stretch — vs. Vanderbilt, at Tennessee and vs. Arkansas — but all of a sudden, that Tennessee game looks much more difficult after the Vols upset Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium this past weekend.

Mizzou still has all of its preseason goals in front of it, but the road just got a whole lot tougher. If things don’t go according to plan the rest of the way, the one that got away at South Carolina will loom large in the rearview mirror as the game that sank the Tigers’ ship.

However, if the solid Mizzou run defense can slow down Memphis’s rushing attack that is averaging a nation’s-best 7.28 yards per carry, the Tigers could regain a lot of confidence moving back into SEC play.