Derek Dooley’s tenure as Tennessee’s head coach came to an unceremonious end after Week 12 back in 2012, following a loss to the Missouri Tigers. He ended his Vol career with a disappointing 15-21 record and an abysmal 4-19 mark in SEC play.

Dooley then left the college game for the NFL, where he served as the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receivers coach from 2013-17. This year, the Missouri Tigers hired him as the offensive coordinator — a move that raised eyebrows since Dooley had never called plays before.

However, on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Dooley had his finest performance yet, pressing the right buttons as the Tigers rolled to an easy 50-17 win over the Volunteers. Every win is sweet in college football, but this one must have been just a bit sweeter for Dooley up in the coaches’ box.

After an atrocious loss to Kentucky three weeks ago, during which the Tigers blew a 14-3 lead and didn’t record a single first down in the second half, it looked like Dooley (and the rest of the coaching staff) might be in over his head.

Since then, though, the Tigers have rattled off three straight wins, including road routs of Florida and Tennessee. Just look at how balanced the Mizzou offense has been in those games:

  • Week 10 at Florida: 250 yards passing, 221 yards rushing
  • Week 11 vs. Vanderbilt: 253 yards passing, 253 yards rushing
  • Week 12 at Tennessee: 257 yards passing, 227 yards rushing

That is the kind of offensive balance that makes coaches salivate, and it has been impressive to watch. Dooley has helped make running backs Larry Rountree III, Damarea Crockett and Tyler Badie just as important to the offensive attack as star quarterback Drew Lock.

Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

All of those defenses are pretty good, too; the Vols blew out a tough Kentucky squad 24-7 the week before Mizzou came to town. But, after Josh Heupel’s lightning quick offense, perhaps the best thing Dooley has going for him is time of possession. Look at these possession numbers from the past three weeks:

  • Week 10 at Florida: 34:36
  • Week 11 vs. Vanderbilt: 29:33
  • Week 12 at Tennessee: 37:22

That last number really jumps off the screen. The Tigers holding the ball for a whopping 37 minutes against the Vols would have been unthinkable last year. In 2018 Dooley has the Tigers at least staying even in time of possession.

The Tigers have kept their big-play ability while also controlling the ball, though, as they rank No. 12 in the country and No. 3 in the SEC with 19 plays of 40 or more yards this year. Yes, that’s down slightly from last year, but based on the time-of-possession numbers, that’s OK.

Dooley has clearly found a rhythm as a playcaller, and you know it’s extra sweet for him that he was at his apex on Saturday when he made his first visit back to Neyland Stadium since Tennessee fired him.

There are still some things to work on offensively, as the Tigers still have too many predictable running plays that go for zero or negative yards, but the Dooley experiment hasn’t been nearly as bad as some people (myself included) thought it would be before the season. There have been lumps along the way, and some inexcusable losses, but things are trending up for Dooley and the Tiger offense every week.

With a game Friday against a struggling Arkansas squad that seemed to quit during a blowout loss at Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers could put on another show to close the regular season. Then, Mizzou could carry more momentum into a bowl game this year, as the Tigers were without Heupel for last year’s Texas Bowl after he accepted the UCF head job.

As long as Dooley keeps adapting and improving each week, the Tigers could finish this season with an impressive nine wins and a bowl victory. That would be a great sendoff for Lock, wide receiver Emanuel Hall, defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr. and a talented senior class.