Despite Crushing Loss, Missouri's Offense Finds Big Play Formula
It's hard to believe there's much to build on after getting trounced by 42 points. But for Missouri, there were more positives than one may think, particularly on offense. In the loss to Tennessee, the Tigers scored three touchdowns for the first time since Week 3 and totaled 389 yards of offense, coincidentally their most since Week 3 as well.
The only problem was that they gave up 724 yards and 66 points to the Volunteers, who were out for blood after suffering their first loss of 2022 a week prior against No. 1 Georgia. It was a four-point game in the second half, but the Vols' up-tempo offense gassed the Tigers' defense and ran away with the game in the fourth quarter.
For the first 40 minutes of the game, though, Mizzou's defense held pretty strong and its offense kept pace with the high-octane Volunteers. Quarterback Brady Cook looked as comfortable as he has all season, completing 19 of 32 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading all rushers with 106 yards on the ground. Where Cook looked most impressive, though, were on his two touchdown passes, both of which were over 35-yards.
The first, a 38-yard connection to receiver Dominic Lovett, came on a play-action call where Cook found Lovett over the top. The second occurred on fourth-and-one, a situation most would consider an obvious run, when Cook dropped one into wideout Tauskie Dove, who split two Tennessee defenders and took it to the house. Both plays came as a result of the Volunteers overplaying the run and Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz letting Cook push the ball downfield.
That could be the key to the big plays the Tigers have been missing so far on offense. Cook looks capable enough to throw deep and it seems to be more effective than Drinkwitz's original plan to dump off short passes to Mizzou's talented receivers. The Tigers' skill players are their strength, but getting them downfield in one-on-one situations might pay bigger dividends on the scoreboard.
For all this to work, though, Missouri has to run the ball effectively, which is another area where Cook helps a lot. He accounted for 106 of Mizzou's 172 rushing yards and picked up several first downs on the day. If the Tigers can pick up around five yards per carry, it'll open up a lot of holes in defenses going forward.
There are only a couple of games left in this season, but this will be key to build on for next season. The Tigers should return just about every offensive starter for 2023 and building chemistry now will carry over into the spring. These final two games will be a crucial opportunity for Mizzou's offense to put the pieces together and roll into the offseason with some momentum.
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