The entire first half of the 2017 season was a low point for Mizzou, but the Week 3 loss to Purdue was perhaps the lowest of the low.

It wasn’t just that the Tigers lost, it was the fact that they lost 35-3 at home and appeared to quit on coach Barry Odom. As we all know, that was loss No. 2 in a string of five in a row as the Tigers slipped to 1-5 on the year.

From there, they turned things around, finishing with a 7-5 record, but that Purdue loss still lingers as one that was particularly bad. This weekend, a new-look Mizzou team will have a chance to avenge that loss — this time on Purdue’s home turf.

The Boilermakers are 0-2 — though the losses were by a combined 5 points. This should be a winnable game for the Tigers, especially if they want to take the next step after last year’s 7-6 final record. With that said, it still won’t be easy. Here are five things the Tigers must do to come away with their first Power 5 (and road) victory of the 2018 season:

1. Unleash Drew Lock

The star quarterback has had an outstanding start to the 2018 season, throwing for 687 yards, 8 touchdowns and no interceptions through two games.

However, he hasn’t faced any Power 5 competition, so he will need to prove the numbers are for real this weekend. Fortunately for him, the Tigers are playing a Purdue secondary that has been getting lit up so far.

Through two games, the Boilermakers are allowing 291 passing yards per contest, which has them ranked No. 107 out of 130 FBS teams. And Purdue hasn’t faced a quarterback as talented as Lock.

Lock finished the Wyoming game with 398 yards. If he goes over 400 yards and manages to continue taking care of the ball, the Tigers will be in great shape.

2. Move the chains

So far, new OC Derek Dooley’s offense is doing exactly what was promised — controlling the clock while continuing to put up points. A big key to his success has been on third downs, as the Tigers currently rank No. 5 in the country in third-down conversions at 62.9 percent.

Moving the chains not only sustains drives, but it also keeps the Mizzou defense off the field. That’s great, because the Tigers have proven to be more than capable on that side of the ball when they’re not out there for 40 minutes a game.

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3. Balance with explosiveness

Yes, Dooley’s offense runs at a slower pace and it doesn’t take as many deep shots, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers aren’t still a threat to score on any given play.

They rank No. 3 in the country in pass plays of 30 or more yards, completing 8 so far. That’s tied with West Virginia and behind only Hawaii (which has played 3 games to Mizzou’s 2) and Ole Miss (which had a video game-like shootout with Southern Illinois in Week 2).

They have perhaps the best deep-ball receiver in the country in Emanuel Hall, and Lock has a cannon for a right arm, so if those guys can connect a couple of times this weekend, the Tigers could put up some serious points.

4. Don’t let Purdue’s quarterbacks get going

The Boilermakers play two quarterbacks — David Blough and Elijah Sindelar — but neither has had much success in 2018. With an average of 202.5 yards per game through the air, Purdue only ranks No. 89 in the country.

The Tigers’ pass defense has shown signs of improvement, but it’s worth mentioning again that their two games were against UT Martin and Wyoming. This will be their toughest test to date, and keeping Blough and Sindelar off balance and out of rhythm will be a huge key to this game.

5. Force turnovers

The Tigers have only forced 2 turnovers, both fumbles. There have been zero interceptions, and that needs to change.

While Blough has been more careful with the ball, Sindelar has tossed 3 picks in 2 games. The Tigers need to make sure that when Sindelar is on the field, they have guys in the secondary who can make plays on the ball, because he’ll put a few passes up for grabs.

Snag an interception or two, especially early, and it could get out of hand in Mizzou’s favor pretty quickly.