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OFFENSE: A
Maty Mauk threw for just 144 yards on 6.0 yards per pass attempt, but still managed four touchdown passes. Mauk did a better job of keeping his eyes downfield when UCF flushed him from the pocket, making for a sensational highlight on his opening-drive touchdown to Jimmie Hunt.
Marcus Murphy nearly ran for 10o yards on 15 carries before spraining his ankle late, and had a first-play 40-yard touchdown catch erased due to a block in the back penalty on Hunt.
Bud Sasser continues to be the Tigers’ most productive and efficient receiver despite Hunt getting the bulk of the targets.
Missouri’s offense put together a 14-play touchdown drive in the first half and added two nine-play scoring drives in the second half. The offense sometimes bogged down the first two weeks unless it produced explosive plays, so that marks an improvement as well.
Overall, putting up 31 offensive points against an experienced, solid UCF defense represents a pride-worthy performance.
DEFENSE: B+
Don’t let the final numbers fool you.Missouri led, 14-10, through nearly three quarters before nose tackle Josh Augusta’s game-changing interception blew the game open. UCF’s offense controlled this game until that point, holding a 14-minute edge in time of possession, relegating Mauk to the sideline and bleeding the clock.
“I just remembered my high school days when I was a wide receiver,” the 330-plus pound Augusta told the SEC Network after the game.
A missed 47-yard field goal and another drive that stalled inside the 10-yard line prevented UCF from carrying a lead into the second half.
Missouri’s defense was dominant after halftime, forcing four turnovers and shutting out the Knights. Once UCF trailed by two scores, the Tigers unleashed a wicked pass rush. Duron Singleton finished the game with a pad-popping collision and a fumble return for a touchdown on UCF’s final two offensive snaps.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B+
UCF’s missed field goal was the only significant special teams play.
Christian Brinser placed both his punts inside the 20-yard line. Tyler Hunt was the only Missouri player to return a punt or kick, and Missouri’s kick and punt coverage teams did well enough.
Andrew Baggett made his only field goal attempt from 26 yards.
COACHING: A
Central Florida looked prepared to attack Missouri’s flanks, and did so with success early in the game. But Mauk took better care of the football, the defense strangled UCF in the second half and the team played more consistent, reliable football. The Tigers made adjustments as the game went along and the Knights couldn’t counter.
OVERALL: A-
Gary Pinkel has transformed a team with some of the most significant personnel losses in all of college football into a clear SEC East contender.
Missouri is supposed to beat Toledo and UCF, but the Tigers just dominated two very good teams. Missouri can make an argument it has the best quarterback and the best pass rush in the SEC.
Russell Hansbrough left the game after absorbing a blow to the head, and the SEC Network cameras caught Murphy on the sideline with an ice pack on his apparently-sprained ankle. With Morgan Steward already out, the team needs both of those guys healthy. That’s the only reason we downgrade Missouri to an A- here.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
