Mizzou Report Card: Grading Position Groups vs. Mississippi State in Week 4

Missouri's loss came on the heels of the secondary, once again, in its SEC opener. While performances from special teams, Austin Simmons and Daeden Hopkins stood out, the cornerbacks and safeties gave up too many deep balls to overcome.

Here's the report card for every positional group from Missouri in its 31-24 loss to the Bulldogs on the road.

Quarterback: B

Through three quarters of action, Austin Simmons was phenomenal, throwing for three scores and zero interceptions. Simmons delivered darts in tight windows, accurate throws on the run and consistently converted on third downs.

What held Simmons back from a higher grade was his performance in the second-to-last drive. After leading the Tigers' march down to the Bulldogs' red zone down seven with two minutes remaining, Simmons threw two costly incompletions that were both broken up.

The first was an early throw to Lee in the endzone and the last was an underthrown short pass to Lee as well. His overreliance on the senior receiver, forced throws and four empty drives in the fourth quarter bring down an otherwise stellar performance.

Pass catchers: B-

If this grade was just for Cayden Lee, the Tigers would have an A+. From speedy routes down the middle and the sideline, to a spin move that led to a touchdown, Lee was all over the field. The senior finished with 11 receptions, 156 yards and two scores.

Outside of Lee, the Tigers had 12 receptions for 149 yards and were consistently covered. Olugbode struggled to get open, earning just four receptions on eight targets. Montgomery snagged just one catch in 70 snaps, while not coming down with a deep ball that hit his hands.

Running backs: C+

Missouri running back attempts to make a move against Mississippi State. — Sep 26, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Jamal Roberts (20) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On paper, the running back room may appear underwhelming. In reality, Jamal Roberts had a relatively consistent game with 26 carries for 95 yards and a long of 14. Roberts also had two receptions for 38 yards.

Roberts moved the chain several times for the Tigers and got the offense rolling in the second quarter when they were down 14-3, but without reaching the endzone and accumulating many yards, Missouri's running back room took a step back from last week.

Offensive line: C

The Tigers' line was worse in run blocking during Week 4 than the week prior, but the pass blocking was solidified once again, allowing just seven pressures on Simmons. What holds this group back is the five penalties called on them, including four from Curtis Peagler and Cayden Green.

Outside of Green's penalties, the tackles — Green and Luke Work — are leading the group, but the unit as a whole has not opened up enough in the run game. That continued Saturday.

Defensive line: B

Mizzou players celebrate. — Sep 26, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers edge Malik Bryant (12) and defensive tackle Donta Simpson (8) react after a sack during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Much like the wide receiver room, the line was led by a standout performance. Daeden Hopkins had 3.5 sacks to lead an edge room without Darris Smith and with Langden Kitchen for just 14 snaps. In the absence of the starters, Hopkins and the Tigers' depth stepped up, sacking Kamario Taylor a season-high four times.

The line faltered the most against running back Fluff Bothwell. Bothwell broke through tackles and found substantial holes to run through nearly every drive. Bothwell ended with 122 yards and a score on 25 carries.

Linebackers: B

Robert Woodyard Jr. and Nicholas Rodriguez played a pretty clean game and led the Tigers with 14 and 13 tackles. There were not many lapses from the pair as they contained nearly every Bulldog player that came their way.

Secondary: D-

Mississippi State wide receiver scores touchdown. — Sep 26, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Sanfrisco Magee (13) reacts after a touchdown catch during the fourth quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Allowing deep balls is becoming a common theme for the Tigers and that certainly continued in Week 4. Missouri's secondary allowed two throws of 43 yards or more and 360 yards from Taylor. The sophomore quarterback threw three touchdowns and had one interception — that would likely be referred to as some sort of sandwich by football faithfuls — to Trajen Greco.

Unlike last week, if you take away the deep balls, the Tigers' secondary consistently gave up critical plays that resulted in many first downs and 31 Mississippi State points. It is worth nothing that 31 points is the Bulldogs' season low, although Taylor had a season high in yards.

Special teams: A-

Between Brunno Reus' consistency on punts and DaMarion Fowlkes speedy returns, the Tigers' special teams excelled for the second straight week. Fowlkes had two impressive returns in the contest for a total of 87 yards, with one accumulating 54 yards.

Blake Craig's missed 52-yard field goal was the only major missed opportunity from the unit, but he made his other attempt and went 3-for-3 on extra points.

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