The game started and ended with Alabama dominating.

Maty Mauk and the Missouri Tigers offense didn’t have their best game ever and that Crimson Tide defense looked a lot better than last week.

Missouri’s best and most explosive plays happened when Mauk scrambled and just launched the ball deep. After watching the Auburn tape, I figured that Mauk would be throwing deep to Bud Sasser and Jimmie Hunt just about all game.

He never really got the chance to because Alabama’s defensive line was dominating up front and getting pressure on Mauk all afternoon. He was 16 of 34 passing. It’s hard to beat a team like Alabama when you complete fewer than 50 percent of your passes. He did throw for 272 yards, however. So when he did throw completions, they were for big yards.

Those big completions were all on scramble plays and a heave down the field. Not being able to run the ball hurt Mauk and the offense as a whole too. Rushing 23 times for only 41 yards is not a very good recipe for success. You have to give credit to the Crimson Tide defensive line. If Mauk would have been able to sit in the pocket for a little longer I think he could have made some big plays. He just never got the chance.

Missouri had to play catch-up throughout the entire game and just didn’t have the offensive firepower keep up. I thought that if the Tigers could keep in close into the fourth quarter they had a chance. I was dead wrong. Alabama came out and scored on its first play to open the fourth quarter, and then Derrick Henry took over.

We saw a worn-down Missouri defense in that fourth quarter. Mauk and the Tigers offense couldn’t get any sort of drive together and didn’t stay on the field very long to give their defense a breather.