Podcast: What Mizzou Needs to Show Against UMass

Missouri football reporters give their thoughts on the Tigers' final non-conference matchup of the regular season.

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No. 20 Missouri is set to close out its non-conference slate Saturday, hosting UMass in Week 5. It will be the final game for Missouri before its first bye week of the season.

To evaluate the Tigers entering Week 5, Missouri football reporters Joey Van Zummeren and Michael Stamps gave their thoughts on the newest episode of the "All Things Mizzou" podcast. The two review where Missouri has excelled and struggled in the first four weeks of the season, and what to watch in the matchup against UMass.

For the Missouri offense, the two discuss how rotation at the right guard spot has continued, plus how Jayven Richardson did while filling in for an injured Cayden Green.

For the defense, the two give their thoughts on the issues in the pass secondary, and why they appear to be fixable. Plus, what's worked well in the run defense so far.

For special teams, the two go over why Missouri dropkicked five kickoffs, and a new plan for field goals.

You can watch the episode via YouTube with the link below, or through Spotify, Apple Podcasts orAmazon.

The "All Things Mizzou" podcast is presented by MissouriOnSI. Tune in every week as reporters of various sports provide news, analysis and opinions on everything going on in the world of Mizzou athletics.

Saturday will be the second matchup between Missouri and UMass, with the Tigers winning 45-3 on the road last season.

But, UMass will have a new look under new head coach Joe Harasymiak, formerly the defensive coordinator at Rutgers.

"I think coach Harasymiak’s culture is really starting to take shape," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference Tuesday. "You can tell they're improving in each game."

In their first season in the MAC, UMass has yet to find a win. Last week, the Minutemen suffered a 47-7 loss to Iowa.

For Missouri, Drinkwitz is making sure his team doesn't change this week of preparation or the game itself any different. The Tigers are coming off a 29-20 win over South Carolina last week.

"For us, the biggest challenge. ... is not to have relief syndrome," Drinkwitz said. "To think that because we won an SEC game, we're going to step out of conference, that you would decline in intensity or loss of focus, or complacency, and that, really, for us, is the challenge."