It's Time for Missouri to Unleash QB Brady Cook
Although Week 3 saw the Missouri Tigers take on FCS competition in Abilene Christian, we still learned a good bit about Mizzou from its 34-17 win. The playmakers are there, the defense may struggle against SEC competition, and the offense still doesn't look like it's fully developed.
Sophomore quarterback Brady Cook, who took much of the blame for the 40-12 blowout loss to Kansas State last Saturday, looked surprisingly solid (even if it was just ACU). He put up over 300 total yards, threw three touchdowns and no interceptions on the day. All of which was very impressive considering how mediocre the offensive line looked.
The Tigers gave up just one sack, but it resulted in a fumble recovery touchdown for ACU, and they would have given up more if not for Cook's mobility. But as good as he is at escaping the pocket and managing the game, head coach Eli Drinkwitz just won't seem to let him loose in the offense. The Tigers stalled while driving several times today, and had they not been playing an FCS squad, the results would have been dramatically different.
Time and again, Abilene Christian stuffed runs and screens due to poor blocking. Whenever Mizzou went for a big shot or even a moderate one at that, they looked much more fluid and potent. With dynamic receivers like Luther Burden III, Tauskie Dove, and Dominic Lovett, Drinkwitz's strategy to get them the ball immediately has merit. But without effective mobile blocking for those screens, those plays are dead before they start.
The Tigers were much more effective in calling plays of ten yards or more in almost every scenario. The one place their dink and dump offense did work was in the red zone, which could be a go-to guy for them down the road, but they need to get to the 20-yard line first. Cook has displayed a better arm than anticipated, but if Drinkwitz won't let him air it out; is it time to put in a quarterback who he will?
The Tigers are sitting on four-star freshman Sam Horn, who has the most arm talent in the QB room right now. If Drinkwitz is unsure about Cook's ability to fire it off, subbing in Horn could be the answer to their offensive woes. One thing is for certain, this offense needs to open it up. Right now. A performance like that against Auburn next weekend isn't going to cut it.
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