The Missouri Tigers earned their first win Saturday night in their home opener against Eastern Michigan.
The offense exploded for 647 total yards and Mizzou also scored defensive and special teams touchdowns in a lopsided 61-21 victory.
The offense certainly led the way in the Week 2 victory, though, and the Tigers should be feeling confident on that side of the ball heading into the start of SEC play next week.
Here are some final thoughts from Saturday’s victory over the Eagles:
3 TAKEAWAYS
Two receivers had 100+ yards again: Last week, the Tigers did something they hadn’t done since 2009 when J’Mon Moore and Chris Black each had more than 100 receiving yards.
Saturday, two other receivers eclipsed the 100-yard plateau — Johnathon Johnson and Ray Wingo.
Johnson finished with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown and Wingo had three grabs for 125 yards and a score.
Drew Lock is feeling it: Not only did the sophomore quarterback throw for 450 yards and a school-record-tying five touchdowns Saturday, he also spread the ball around.
Ten Tigers caught passes and five caught touchdown passes.
If Lock can continue spreading the ball around, it’ll make it that much tougher for opponents to stop the Mizzou passing attack.
The Tigers need a kicker: Missing two extra points is simply unacceptable.
If neither Tucker McCann nor Turner Adams can be relied on to make short kicks, the Tigers will need to find someone else to handle the kicking duties.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A
The Tigers piled up a whopping 647 yards of total offense and put 61 points on the board, something Mizzou fans couldn’t have dreamed of in 2015.
Though it came against Eastern Michigan, this outburst is a good sign for the Tigers as they fight for bowl eligibility in 2016.
Defense: C
Giving up 428 yards and three touchdowns to a team that’s a cellar dweller in the MAC isn’t a great performance.
The Tigers did get a couple of turnovers though in interceptions by CB Aarion Penton and LB Joey Burkett, with the latter returning his pick for a touchdown.
Special Teams: B-
PR Johnathon Johnson and P Corey Fatony stood out as positives in the blowout win, but the kicking game is still a huge negative.
Two kickers — Adams and McCann — missed extra points.
If the Tigers are going to win close games this season, they’ll need to be able to make field goals. Right now, that’s not the case.
Coaching: B
Barry Odom got his first win as Mizzou’s head coach and did it in a big way.
Missouri’s defensive performance wasn’t where it needed to be, but offensive coordinator Josh Heupel dialed up all the right plays in the 61-point outburst.
Overall: B
Yes, it was a game the Tigers were supposed to win, but showing signs of life on offense and finishing drives made Saturday night a huge positive for Mizzou.
If the Tigers can carry some of Saturday’s offensive momentum into next weekend’s game against Georgia, they’ll have a chance to pull off an upset.
GAME BALLS
QB Drew Lock: This is an obvious choice, but Lock earned a game ball this week with an outstanding performance against the Eagles.
Unlike Georgia’s quarterbacks, Lock should be full of confidence heading into next week’s matchup with the Bulldogs.
WR/PR Johnathon Johnson: Johnson had a huge game. In the first quarter, he returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown.
On offense, he had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
If the freshman can continue having an impact in multiple facets of the game like he did on Saturday, he’ll be a big player for the Tigers moving forward.
INJURY UPDATE
RB/KR Alex Ross left the game early with an ankle injury, but other than that, the Tigers left Saturday night’s game healthy.
Losing Ross isn’t good, but Ish Witter and Damarea Crockett showed they can handle the running game if Ross misses next week’s game.
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.
