Depth of despair: Reasons Mizzou offense is worse than we thought
Perusing the SEC offensive stats rankings can be a depressing task for a Missouri Tigers fan.
Rushing yards? Missouri running backs Ish Witter and Russell Hansbrough are ranked 13th and 24th, respectively. How about that air attack? Quarterbacks Drew Lock and Maty Mauk are 13th and 14th, respectively in passing yards, and not even their combined stats crack the top 7. Missouri’s leading receiver, Nate Brown, is behind several teams’ third receivers in receiving yards. He has the 24th-most in the conference.
Total offense? Not only are the Tigers last in the SEC – they’re the worst among Power 5 teams. Needless to say, things are bad in Columbia.
So what gives? The Tigers haven’t scored a touchdown in more than two hours of game time, and no one is stepping up to make big plays.
Part of this could be attributed to the switch at quarterback. Say what you want about the advantages Lock has provided the offense since replacing Mauk, but QB changes rarely happen without some struggles. Especially given the youth of Lock and his receivers, little mistakes can take longer to fix.
Speaking of the receivers, the Tigers haven’t had a go-to one this season. From Bud Sasser last season to T.J. Moe being a constant threat in the slot, as well as Missouri’s three amazing starters in 2013, a go-to receiver has been a staple of Missouri’s offense for years. Fans expected Brown or J’Mon Moore to be that guy in 2015, but neither have come close to meeting expectations. Maybe recently converted safety Cam Hilton can be that guy for Lock, but we should probably temper expectations for the true freshman.
Someone who had huge expectations going into the season is Hansbrough. The running back was named a captain and looked to have a break-out year after taking over the majority of the carries from the departed Marcus Murphy. But Hansbrough was injured in Missouri’s first game and hasn’t looked the same since. His backup, Witter, just hasn’t shown the burst and vision required to be an SEC running back. And Missouri coaches, for whatever reasons, aren’t giving third-string tailback Tyler Hunt carries. The senior is a proven pass-catcher and is built like a bowling ball, but he continues to stay on the sideline.
But perhaps the biggest factor is Missouri’s poor offensive line play. The line was supposed to be a strong point for the Tigers, who looked to start four seniors before the season began. All four had prior starting experience, and two – left tackle Connor McGovern and center Evan Boehm – seemed destined for All-SEC teams. McGovern and Boehm have been serviceable if unspectacular this season, but you need more than two players to make a good line. Maybe fans overestimated former defensive lineman Nate Crawford’s ability to hold his own at right tackle. Maybe coaches felt a left-guard-by-committee would correct itself as the season progressed.
But Missouri’s offense hasn’t progressed in 2015, and it’s much, much worse than we thought.