When a team wins 79-0, setting school records for points scored and margin of victory in the process, it’s not hard to find positives.
The Missouri Tigers looked great Saturday afternoon, albeit against a lesser opponent in the FCS-level Delaware State Hornets.
Still, nearly every big-name school schedules weak opponents, and no one wins 79-0 like the Tigers did, so it’s OK to celebrate the big victory as a momentum builder for the rest of the SEC schedule.
Here are some final thoughts from Saturday’s lopsided victory over Delaware State:
3 TAKEAWAYS
1) This year’s offense is elite: I don’t care that it was against Delaware State, putting up 58 points in two quarters and 79 points in a game is tough to do against anyone.
Everything was clicking Saturday — the quarterback, the receivers and the running game. The offensive line also did a good job opening lanes for the backs and giving Lock time to dissect the Hornets’ defense.
Putting up 698 total yards — 430 through the air and 268 on the ground — is a big boost going forward.
2) Getting backups experience is important: One of the most important things that can come from a blowout win against an FCS school is getting backups on the field.
The Tigers’ second stringers played the entire second half and preserved the shutout defensively while adding 21 points to the scoreboard.
That experience will make the backups a little more confident if they have to enter a game later this season.
3) This is a very talented group of receivers: Emanuel Hall, J’Mon Moore and Dimetrios Mason all went over the 100-yard mark on Saturday, marking the third time this season that multiple receivers have topped 100 yards.
Drew Lock has plenty of options and he enjoys spreading the ball around. If the Tigers can limit their drops, they’ll be a tough matchup for any SEC defense.
REPORT CARD:
Offense: A+
The Tigers put up 79 points — 58 in the first half — and had 698 total yards. No matter who the opponent is, that’s a solid day at the office.
Moving forward, if the Tigers can put up even half as many points on SEC opponents, they’ll be in good shape.
Defense: A
The defense forced four turnovers and continued its opportunistic play this season.
The defensive line kept Delaware State’s quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket and made several big stops behind the line of scrimmage when the Hornets tried to run.
Special Teams: B-
Missing an extra point obviously didn’t hurt the Tigers on Saturday, but K Tucker McCann needs to be more consistent in that regard.
An early fumble (that Mizzou recovered) on a punt return was one of only a few sloppy plays all night from the Tigers.
Coaching: A
Getting Josh Heupel to Columbia looks to be one of the steals of the summer. Everything the first-year Mizzou offensive coordinator dialed up seemed to work.
If defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross and his defense continue to jell together like they did Saturday, the Tigers could be a sleeper in the SEC East.
Overall: A
Set a few school records offensively? Check.
Record a shutout defensively? Check.
Don’t make any overly-glaring special-teams errors? Check.
The Tigers dominated in all facets of the game on Saturday and it showed. Keeping the momentum of this week’s win as they play in Death Valley next week will be difficult, but the Tigers are certainly riding high at the moment.
GAME BALLS:
QB Drew Lock: There are many options when it comes to game ball-worthy players, but Lock has receive one of them.
Not only did he throw for 402 yards and five touchdowns, he didn’t turn the ball over.
Through four games, Lock has thrown for 1,508 yards, 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He’s ahead of pace to break Chase Daniel’s single-season passing record (4,335, set in 2008).
WR J’Mon Moore: Moore tied a school record by catching four touchdown passes. Playing in only the first two quarters, he had eight catches for 114 yards.
His touchdown catches were as diverse as they were beautiful — a leaping grab over a defender here and a quick screen turned into a long gain there.
Moore is turning into one of the best receivers in the SEC and one of Lock’s favorite targets. If he can eliminate the drops that often plague him, he could earn All-SEC first-team honors.
INJURY UPDATE: Getting a bulk of the starters out at halftime helped limit the Tigers’ injury risk. For the most part, Mizzou avoided anything other than minor bumps and bruises against Delaware State.
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.
