3 Storylines to Watch When Mizzou Hosts UMass

What to watch in the Tigers' final non-conference game of the regular season.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers tight end Brett Norfleet (87) runs the ball against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

There's no need to pretend No. 20 Missouri's matchup against UMass in Week 5 will be nearly as much of a test or as revealing as the Tigers' Southeastern Conference opener last week.

Missouri's games against the two other non-Power-4 opponents on its schedule were won by an average of 48.5 points in the Tigers' favor. Anything but a win of similar proportions would be a dissapointment for the Tigers.

But, the Tigers can still make use of the final game before their first bye week of the season by finding out answers to some key questions.

Here's the top three storylines to watch in the game for Missouri.

1. Can the offensive line consistently hold up?

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Tristan Wilson (73) lines up against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the second half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Missouri's offensive line has remained one of the most unsettled position groups all season long.

Even in last week's game against South Carolina, two starters — Curtis Peagler and Tristan Wilson —were splitting time at right guard. Peagler was the full-time starter for the first two weeks of the season. He's remained the primary option there, taking 77% of snaps against South Carolina.

But Wilson has rotated in at important moments of the game.

"We just felt like there's some meat left on that bone as far as improvement," Drinkwitz said of the decision to rotate the two. "You're going to need more guys than just five, so let's start rotating those guys and see if we can't create some depth and competition."

Wanting to play both against an opponent like Louisiana made sense. But continuing to do so against a SEC team raised more eyebrows.

In both games of the rotation, both Peagler and Wilson have had moments of both stability and struggle.

Presumably, this game against UMass will be the final opportunity to get a look at both of these players in action. It's difficult to imagine Missouri going through the SEC gauntlet with constant change at one of the starting offensive line spots.

Another change was made along the offensive line last week, with redshirt junior Jayven Richardson taking over as the starting left tackle in place for Cayden Green, who suffered an injury in a practice leading up to the game. Green is expected to miss the next three to five weeks, according to Drinkwitz, making the earliest game he'd return for be the Tigers' clash with Alabama.

READ: Eli Drinkwitz Evaluates Jayven Richardson's Performance at LT

But, if Missouri is unable to get Green back in time for that game against the Crimson Tide, Richardson will need to step up. Drinkwitz was pleased with the former JUCO transfer's performance against South Carolina.

"We have a ton of confidence in Jayven Richardson," Drinkwitz said after the South Carolina win. "I was really, really proud of his performance tonight. We had a lot of big runs to his side."

The game against UMass will serve as another opportunity for Richardson to get comfortable in the offense, experience which could be crucial if Green remains sidelined out of the bye week.

2. How many opportunities does Robert Meyer get?

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers kicker Robert Meyer (88) smiles after the Tigers' 42-31 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Border War at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Another area where Missouri has had some shifting personnel due to injury has been kicker.

After Blake Craig tore his ACL in Week 1, true freshman Robert Meyer has taken over on field goals and extra points. On the year, he's made six of his seven field-goal attempts, and 15 of his 17 extra-point attempts.

But Missouri has also been hesitant with him to find out Meyer's true range, and to allow him to build confidence. Against Kansas in Week 2, Missouri attempted five fourth-down conversions in what otherwise would've been field-goal range.

"A young guy's confidence can get shaken really early," Drinkwitz said following the Kansas game. "You want to see that ball go through the net before you back it up to that three-point shot. So that was the thought process. Now that he's got a couple of kicks under his belt, we'll see how practice goes this week."

Well, in the week of practice leading up to South Carolina, Meyer was shaky.

"Robbie was struggling from outside of the 20 and Oliver was doing really good," Drinkwitz said of the week of practice.

So Missouri came into the game with a plan to have Meyer attempt kicks from 38 yards and shorter. NAIA transfer Oliver Robbins, who's been handling kickoff duties, would handle kicks from any farther than that.

But when Missouri had to settle for a 40-yard field goal in order to seal the win against South Carolina, the coaching staff favored even had the minimal experience Meyer had built, which he validated by making the kick.

Besides that game-sealing kick, Meyer hasn't had a ton of opportunities to build confidence or build consistency. He's missed a kick in each of the last two games.

This game should serve as the last opportunity Missouri has this season to hand Meyer some opportunities with little risk. Not only for Meyer to possibly build some confidence, but also for the coaching staff to have a better idea of his capabilities for the rest of the season.

3. Can the secondary hold up?

Sep 20, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. (18) catches a pass for a touchdown as Missouri Tigers cornerback Drey Norwood (12) looks on during the first half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Nothing was more alarming for Missouri last week than the failures of its defensive secondary. The Tigers allowed eight completions of 15 yards or more.

"When we watch the tape tomorrow," Drinkwitz said after the win, "I'm going to be on some secondary coaches' rear ends because this is getting ridiculous, how porous our pass defense is. That's got to get shored up in a hurry."

Once getting in the film room, the issues became clear to Drinkwitz and the rest of the staff. It was a mix of a lack of communication and abandoned assignments.

READ: Eli Drinkwitz Diagnoses Mizzou's Secondary Issues Following Week 4 Win

"There's some things that we can do to clean it up," Drinkwitz said. "We need to eliminate some volume and get good at what we do. We don't have to be the best at everything. We have to be the best at what we do. And right now, we're trying to be a jack of all trades and a master of none, and that's got to get cleaned up."

UMass could provide a good test for Missouri in this area. One of the strongest traits of redshirt freshman quarterback AJ Hairston is his arm strength. Last year, he completed passes of 31, 32 and 75.

It won't be the same challenge as the offenses in the SEC, but Missouri's secondary will have the chance to "get right" "against the Minutemen, being able to test different solutions for the issue.