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The Missouri Tigers suffered their first loss of the season in Week 6, falling to the LSU Tigers in an SEC showdown.
The Tigers fell to 5-1, with a 1-1 record in conference play. Mizzou will have to regroup and get ready for another tough SEC battle next weekend when the team travels to play the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats also suffered their first loss of this season in Week 6, so both teams will be looking to get back on track.
Player of the Week: WR Luther Burden III
Burden did his best to carry the Tigers’ offense in Week 6. The star receiver had his 3rd-straight game with double-digit receptions and 140+ yards.
Burden collected 11 catches for 149 yards against LSU. The sophomore was held out of the end zone, but he kept several drives alive that would have otherwise stalled. Without Burden, the Tigers likely would not have been able to keep the game as close as it was.
Freshman/Newcomer of the Week: Theo Wease Jr.
The Oklahoma transfer had his 2nd-straight solid game. Wease collected 4 catches for 80 yards and 1 TD. This comes just a week after the receiver collected 10 catches for 118 yards and 1 score against Vanderbilt.
Before the Vanderbilt game, Wease had not yet broken out for the Tigers. While Burden is still the No. 1 option, it seems like more of a 1A and 1B situation now.
If Wease continues to perform like this, the Tigers may have one of the best receiver duos in the nation.
Biggest surprise: Brady Cook’s 2 INTs
We all knew Cook’s record-breaking interception-less streak would end eventually. However, throwing 2 picks is a little concerning. This is the same LSU defense that allowed over 700 total yards just a week before.
The LSU defense has just 6 INTs on the season, averaging 1 per game. To make the previously perfect Cook throw not only 1 but 2 was surprising. Granted, one was at the end of the game when Mizzou was desperately trying to get something going, but still.
Biggest concern: The run defense
Through 5 weeks, the Tigers had the No. 9 rushing defense in the nation. The team was allowing just under 75 yards per game on the ground through the first month of the season.
Against LSU, Mizzou allowed 274 yards on the ground. QB Jayden Daniels thrashed the Mizzou defense on the ground, racking up 130 yards and 1 TD on 15 runs. Running back Logan Diggs also got 134 yards and 1 TD in his own right.
Clearly, the Mizzou defense had no problem shutting down the run against lesser opponents. However, with many games against solid running teams coming up, the Tigers need to figure out how to get back to their run-stuffing ways.
Developing trend: One-dimensional offense
The Tigers refuse to run the ball consistently, even though it works when they try to. Even against Vanderbilt, in a game that was a blowout, Brady Cook threw the ball 41 times. Against LSU, Cook threw it 47 times.
Admittedly, when you have a QB playing as well as Cook, and one of the best WR duos in the league, it makes sense to throw it regularly. However, Cody Schrader makes plays with the ball in his hands.
The RB averaged 8.8 yards per carry against LSU but only received 13 carries. Establishing the run game early in games will give Burden and Wease even more opportunity to beat defenses.
Key Stat: -2
This number was the Mizzou turnover differential in Week 6. Cook threw 2 INTs, the first 2 of the season, and the Mizzou defense was unable to force any takeaways of their own. In a game that ended with a 10-point difference, the -2 differential could very well have been the game-changer.
The Tigers don’t often turn the ball over. When they do, it would be nice if the defense could pick them up a little bit. That didn’t happen against LSU, and Missouri lost because of it.
First impression about Week 7
The Mizzou Tigers will look to get back on track in Week 7 against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats are also coming off their 1st loss of the season, so both teams will be looking to salvage their seasons next weekend.
Luckily for the Tigers, the Wildcats are susceptible to the pass. The Wildcats have the No. 106 passing defense in the nation, allowing 257 yards per game through the air. This Wildcats’ team just allowed the Georgia Bulldogs to explode for 51 points and over 600 total yards of offense.
This could be another huge game for both Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. It’s possible the Wildcats do not have any defensive backs who can keep up with this WR duo.
As for the Mizzou defense, containing the run will be key. The Wildcats will want to slow the pace of play and have long, grueling drives. The team is capable of running over Mizzou like LSU did. However, if the Tigers can go back to how they played in the 1st month of the season, the Wildcats will struggle to move the ball.
Mizzou needs this to be a high-scoring game. The Wildcats don’t have the horses to win a shootout against the Tigers. If Cook stays efficient and hits his weapons, Mizzou should easily win this game.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
