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Rapid Reaction: Mizzou picks up big, much-needed win over North Texas on Homecoming
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Missouri Tigers needed a win in the worst way. They entered Saturday’s Homecoming game against North Texas with a 2-3 overall record and had just been embarrassed at home by Tennessee last weekend.
The run defense is the worst in the country by a wide margin, and the offense was having its own problems entering the Week 6 nonconference game.
Well, there were some answers to some big problems, especially in the first half. RB Tyler Badie looked like a superstar again, the defense made some stops and the offense made some big plays.
The Tigers held a 31-7 lead at halftime, showing that they could be dominant against a lesser foe.
Badie had the play of the first half, going for a 52-yard touchdown run on this play:
https://twitter.com/FTBVids_YT/status/1446949099840761857
Early in the fourth quarter, freshman DL Mekhi Wingo had the best play of the half for the Tigers, catching a pass deflected by Trajan Jeffcoat and taking it to the house for a big-man TD:
BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN: #Mizzou DL Mekhi Wingo with a PICK-SIX. Trajan Jeffcoat with the deflection. pic.twitter.com/LvIxqio9iu
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) October 9, 2021
But, the second half also featured some familiar issues popping up for the Tiger defense. The Mean Green simply wouldn’t go away.
As the game went on, they at one point closed the gap to 48-35 with under 2 minutes left. That ended up being the final score, but Eli Drinkwitz won’t be happy with his team’s effort after the intermission.
Mizzou (3-3) hosts Texas A&M next week in a game that could again turn ugly if the defense doesn’t improve.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 14 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
