Five quick takeaways from Mizzou’s win over Eastern Michigan
*It’s easy to dismiss it as bad competition. And it is bad competition. But Missouri faced bad competition last year and didn’t dominate. So it’s good that they did so tonight.
*Missouri found some playmakers. Johnathon Johnson can fly. So can Ray Wingo. So can Dimetrios Mason. I like Kendall Blanton and Jason Reese at tight end. There are some options out there. And that’s a good thing. Chris Black and J’Mon Moore each had 100 yards last week. Neither of them caught a pass in the first half and ended up with a combined two for 20 yards. Funny how good a QB can look when there are some guys out there who can catch the ball and do something with it. The Tigers have four 100-yard receivers this year. That’s four more than last year.
*I’m still not 100% sure I love the million miles an hour offense all the time. Particularly on the drive they started at the seven, Missouri just seemed to be concentrating on playing fast, not really playing well. It worked on the final drive of the first half where Mizzou went 80 some odd yards in 21 seconds, but I don’t think you HAVE to go that fast all the time. Especially in SEC games.
*The defense was a concern. They still didn’t get much pressure and still got gashed a bit by the running game (and a backup tailback). They did improve as time went on. EMU moved the ball well in the third quarter, but I don’t know how much credence to put in what a defense does with a 30-point lead. There were a couple big plays, but mostly it was just moving down the field. And for those who like to rip Michael Scherer, I'll simply say Missouri’s defense was a lot better when he was on the field than when he wasn’t. Aarion Penton is the best player on the team. He left the game with a sprained left shoulder. Missouri’s gonna need him next week vs UGA. Eastern Michigan went over 400 yards.
*The kicking is, well, horrific. Two missed PATs. By two different guys. At some point, a game is going to come down to a kick. When it does, I don’t know how you can feel good about Missouri’s chances.
*It’s easy to dismiss it as bad competition. And it is bad competition. But Missouri faced bad competition last year and didn’t dominate. So it’s good that they did so tonight.
*Missouri found some playmakers. Johnathon Johnson can fly. So can Ray Wingo. So can Dimetrios Mason. I like Kendall Blanton and Jason Reese at tight end. There are some options out there. And that’s a good thing. Chris Black and J’Mon Moore each had 100 yards last week. Neither of them caught a pass in the first half and ended up with a combined two for 20 yards. Funny how good a QB can look when there are some guys out there who can catch the ball and do something with it. The Tigers have four 100-yard receivers this year. That’s four more than last year.
*I’m still not 100% sure I love the million miles an hour offense all the time. Particularly on the drive they started at the seven, Missouri just seemed to be concentrating on playing fast, not really playing well. It worked on the final drive of the first half where Mizzou went 80 some odd yards in 21 seconds, but I don’t think you HAVE to go that fast all the time. Especially in SEC games.
*The defense was a concern. They still didn’t get much pressure and still got gashed a bit by the running game (and a backup tailback). They did improve as time went on. EMU moved the ball well in the third quarter, but I don’t know how much credence to put in what a defense does with a 30-point lead. There were a couple big plays, but mostly it was just moving down the field. And for those who like to rip Michael Scherer, I'll simply say Missouri’s defense was a lot better when he was on the field than when he wasn’t. Aarion Penton is the best player on the team. He left the game with a sprained left shoulder. Missouri’s gonna need him next week vs UGA. Eastern Michigan went over 400 yards.
*The kicking is, well, horrific. Two missed PATs. By two different guys. At some point, a game is going to come down to a kick. When it does, I don’t know how you can feel good about Missouri’s chances.
