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Cole Cubelic is back with another round of his weekly takeaways! The Week 5 slate of the 2023 college football season was nothing short of uneventful for the Southeastern Conference.
One of the biggest storylines has been a ranked Missouri Tigers team as head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s vision has come true over the improvement of starting quarterback Brady Cook. He has been improving to a level that has moved Cook up in the QB rankings as a potentially draftable prospect.
As he does every week, Cubelic recently weighed in on what has made Mizzou so good and what is going on with the rest of the SEC.
“QB is red hot. Looks so much more comfortable,” Cubelic wrote. “Good under duress. Confident. Q runs are no longer a necessity they are a luxury. OL played hard but got on different levels a little too much. Missed some simple stunts. 79 had a great game! The plan just seems to marry everything up, really nice job. 3 is big time! Secondary jumped routes well. In good position most of the game. 0 really fills it up on def. 5, 90 & 99 were problematic. Lost the RB a few times & busted a slant for a TD. Still 5-0 !!!”
Mizzou won its most recent game, 38-21 over Vanderbilt while Cook was 33-of-41 passing for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns with a little Josh Allen to him. The Tigers will face LSU up next on Saturday.
Here’s a look at what Cubelic had to say about Mizzou and the rest of the SEC in his weekly takeaways:
ARKANSAS: Tough one. 40 did some nice things in pass pro. Pick six by 1 was big. Interior DL displaced & pads turned too often. Tackling faded as game went on. Struggled with contain in run game. 50 & 7 disruptive at times. 17 struggled in coverage. Too much leakage in run game.…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
AUBURN: Let a program changing win slip away. Defense played hard. 50 was active up front, been consistent. 52 did nice things. DL held up. Need to be more stout on the edges. 9 was monster. Super physical & played fast. Thought they tackled well & were problematic. Plan was…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
FLORIDA: Didn't tackle well. LBs didn't leverage the ball well. Bad angles. Too much diving at ankles. Played under blocks. 99 did some nice things. Drops & missed throws hurt. Had some shots that were there. QB missed some pressures, 5 man pro ball has to get out. QB panicked a…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
GEORGIA: 19 needs to be discussed as the best FB player in the country. Whiffed on a few guys up front. Have to make teams pay when you lock backside of zone. QB missed a few downfield, but I thought he played really well. He made some really big throws. Loved how he worked the…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
KENTUCKY: Ray Davis is REAL! Total package, got 1 on 1 with S & made them miss. Power when needed. Speed to perimeter. Love how Liam mixed the run game. Didn't need a heavy lift from the QB. OL was fantastic. Both tackles played well. Mayb the best I e seen from 77. TE's were a…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
LSU: Alignment a potential problem in def. Missed tackles. Too much YAC. Light box hurt run game. Couldn't play zone. Couldn't hit QB. Struggled to get off blocks. Crossers were a problem. Lost contain vs run. 4 & 35 made hustle plays. QB was nuts. Still has to protect himself.…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Hyper aggressive up front. Effort there just not as much at point of attack. Tough ask to have 36 taking on doubles. Coverage still an issue. Have to get ball carrier to the ground. The two ILBs still bringing it. Couldn't ID pressures up front on off. Edge…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
MISSOURI: QB is red hot. Looks so much more comfortable. Good under duress. Confident. Q runs are no longer a necessity they are a luxury. OL played hard but got on different levels a little too much. Missed some simple stunts. 79 had a great game! The plan just seems to marry…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
OLE MISS: Brilliant plan that wasn't as complex as most would think. More pistol to even up ru calls. More gap scheme to handle penetration. Take adv of light box. Let QB make quick throws so OL can hold up. Find yards after catches. Throw in some 3×1's & formations into the…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
SOUTH CAROLINA: Knew they were going to have to protect & run it to allow Rattler to get going. The edges couldn't hold up. Difficult environment for 2 tr fr OL. Front seven not as active. Too many 3rd & longs. Couldn't stay in field. Had some opportunities with open WRs. 24…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
TENNESSEE: Big win for lots of reasons. Avenge last year & sets them up nicely headed into the off week. Getting Mays back made a visible difference. Better push in the middle & held the point better. Don't need 15 deep balls to make the off go. RBs really seeing creases. Cut…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
TEXAS A&M: Continued dominance vs a rival. Balance on off & disruptive on def. Love the use of 0. Max does a great job taking the free grass. 8 runs angry!! Can see it as well, can be the feather guy. Right side of OL better in run game. QB has to be careful with predetermined…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
VANDERBILT: Got out of gaps a few times & got gashed. Liked how they stretched the zone play out East/West. 7 can cover some ground! 5 flashed. OL has to provide more time. I like new QB decisions. Pick just sailed on him. Just can't get past quick game or 1st read most of the…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
We do it each week, MY Sunday SEC takeaways…
ALABAMA: Nice road win in division. Saw crowded boxes. 52 played his ass off. 65 brought it. Like designed Q runs. That's the way the OL is supposed to look. QB made some nice throws. 84 was big, matchup problem. Cozy enough &…
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 1, 2023
Crissy covers SEC football news for Saturday Down South.