In the famous words of late coach Denny Green, the Missouri Tigers “are who we thought they were.”
Despite early flashes of brilliance against lesser opponents and a near-miss against a Georgia team that appears to have been vastly overrated, the Tigers have struggled mightily against tough SEC teams and appear to be at least a year away from challenging for an SEC East title.
Mizzou was especially bad against Florida in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon, falling 40-14 to the SEC East foe.
It’s the “how” that’s the biggest concern moving forward.
QB Drew Lock, the SEC’s leading passer going in, completed only 4-of-18 passes for 39 yards and two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns) before he was benched in favor of Marvin Zanders.
Lock and the Tigers’ passing game need to prove that the explosive numbers against Delaware State and Eastern Michigan weren’t a mirage if Mizzou is going to get off the mat and have a chance at bowl eligibility.
Here are some final thoughts from Mizzou’s Week 7 disappointment:
3 TAKEAWAYS
1. The wide receivers aren’t physical enough: This problem was exposed two weeks ago against LSU, but it’s clear the Tigers didn’t improve over the bye week.
Florida’s talented secondary, which includes CBs Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson, who each returned an interception for a touchdown, had their way with Mizzou receivers.
When your leading receiver (Richaud Floyd) has one catch for 34 yards, it’s a major problem. J’Mon Moore had only one catch for 15 yards and graduate transfer Chris Black didn’t record a catch.
2. The defense is trending up: There’s still a long way to go, but Saturday afternoon was a step in the right direction for DeMontie Cross’s defense.
The defense only allowed 19 of Florida’s 40 points, as the Gators returned two interceptions for scores and added a late touchdown on an onside kick return.
Missouri also intercepted three passes and recovered a fumble.
Florida still put up an alarming 523 yards of total offense, including 287 on the ground, but Saturday was a better effort than two weeks ago in Baton Rouge.
3. The secondary can make plays: Florida QB Luke Del Rio wasn’t much better than Lock. Though he had 236 yards and a touchdown, he also tossed three interceptions.
Senior DB John Gibson snagged two picks and fellow senior DB Aarion Penton grabbed the other.
If the Tigers can continue to make plays against opposing quarterbacks, they can hang tough with some other second-tier SEC East squads.
REPORT CARD
Offense: F
Drew Lock’s performance was embarrassing on Saturday afternoon. Completing 22 percent of your passes is unacceptable at the Division I level.
Meanwhile, his receivers did nothing to help him out. No one was able to create separation, forcing Lock into bad passes, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
The passing game was so bad that Mizzou’s 265-yard rushing performance went to waste.
Defense: C+
There’s still a lot of work to do (see above), but the defense wasn’t the reason the Tigers lost.
Run defense is still a problem, but the secondary is opportunistic and can hold its own against a weak crop of SEC East quarterbacks.
However, with games against Vandy’s Ralph Webb, Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara and Arkansas’ ferocious ground attack still left on the schedule, stopping the run will be critical as the season goes on.
Special Teams: C
It’s hard to find any fault in the Mizzou special teams Saturday, but it’s equally hard to find any praise.
The Tigers’ special teams units continue to be invisible, having no impact on the game.
Granted, it’s better to have the special teams make no impact than a negative impact, but it’d be nice to see some positive plays.
Coaching: D
DeMontie Cross’s defense played better and the running game showed some life, but Josh Heupel’s offense continues to regress through the air.
And, finally, the special teams continues to have little-to-no impact on the game.
Overall: D-
Clearly, 2016 is not the year the Tigers will return to competitiveness in the SEC. After demoralizing losses to LSU and Florida, Mizzou still has games against Tennessee and Arkansas on the schedule.
At 2-4, they need four wins to reach a bowl. Barring an upset, they’ll have to sweep Middle Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
GAME BALLS
DL Josh Augusta: Augusta plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard score in one of only a few positive moments for the Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
The hefty lineman has proven his worth on both offense and defense this year, stuffing the run and occasionally blocking for Mizzou running backs.
It was nice to see the senior lineman score a touchdown, though it would have been nicer to see it come in a Mizzou victory.
RB Damarea Crockett: Crockett, a freshman, carried 14 times for a career-high 145 yards.
Against a stout Florida defense, Crockett’s efforts are a big positive for the Tigers. Ish Witter added 15 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
In total, the Tigers amassed 265 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
INJURY UPDATE
Mizzou left Gainesville without any noticeable injuries. Graduate transfer RB Alex Ross returned after missing several games but was ineffective. The former Oklahoma Sooner received two carries for -3 yards.
WHAT’S NEXT
The schedule gets a little bit easier. Though games against Tennessee and Arkansas still loom large, Mizzou will catch a break this Saturday.
The 2-4 Tigers will host Middle Tennessee for homecoming on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Central time. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
