1. That was certainly an exciting start of the football season. First snap: Connor Bazelak to Boo Smith for 63 yards. Second snap: Tyler Badie 12-yard touchdown run. I loved the idea of going deep on the first snap, and I think it’s pretty clear Smith, arguably the fastest player on the team, was in the game just for that purpose because he hasn’t played much since. Good way to get some momentum and give your QB, whose deep ball has been questioned quite a bit, some confidence. Of course, that momentum didn’t last very long. Central Michigan answered with a touchdown of its own in less than two minutes.
2. Let’s talk about the offense first. Tyler Badie has looked like Missouri’s best player by a wide margin. He has 76 total yards and two touchdowns on 10 touches. Keep feeding him. The running game otherwise hasn’t been very effective. I think Eli Drinkwitz has gotten a little bit too cute at times. The quick-hitting, downhill stuff is working. The tricky plays that take longer to develop are not. A lot of that has to do with the offensive line. Of course it’s early, but the line has to be cause for concern so far. Central Michigan already has two sacks and six tackles for loss, and the Chippewas have bothered Bazelak on several throws. Hyrin White, in particular, looks like he’s struggled a bit to me. Something to keep watching in the second half. Bazelak has been fine. Like last season, he continues to look his best when he knows where he’s going with the ball before the half and can get it out quickly. He’s made the right decisions. He’s been just off the mark on a couple other downfield passes since the deep ball to Smith, but nothing I would call concerning.
3. The defense hasn’t been amazing, but I don’t think it’s been as bad as some online seem to. I went into this game thinking the defense would probably have some growing pains. And Central Michigan has some playmakers. They averaged almost 220 yards per game on the ground last season and appear to have since upgraded at QB. Mizzou has had a few opportunities to make the defense performance look even better, too, between Jalani Williams’ dropped interception and Ish Burdine’s missed tackle on third and long. The tackling has definitely been the one issue, which doesn’t come as a shock in a season-opener but needs to get cleaned up.
4. Mizzou has played an absolute ton of guys. Clearly, the coaching staff wants to see what it has in a lot of these guys in live action. On offense, we’ve seen at least nine different receivers on the field. Four different running backs have played at least one snap. Connor Wood has gotten some snaps at left guard. On defense, they’ve gone two deep at every position except Martez Manuel’s and Jalani Williams’, and the latter is only because Jaylon Carlies couldn’t play in the first half. Steve Wilks has played six different corners and Shawn Robinson has played quite a bit in the nickel spot, as well. I would expect those rotations to tighten up as the season goes on. By the way, heck of a first half in a Mizzou uniform for Akayleb Evans. I bet we’ll see him in the starting lineup soon.
5. I feel like I’ve been pretty positive so far. And I want to reiterate what both Gabe and I said on the pregame show: I expected this to be a closer game than most were probably comfortable with at halftime. That said, there is definitely legitimate cause for concern about Missouri winning this one. Neither the numbers or my eyes suggest Missouri has been far and away the more talented team. Central Michigan has out-gained Missouri 292-225. The Chippewas have more passing yards, more rushing yards (Mizzou only has 36 yards on the ground, yikes) and more first downs. Mizzou is 0-5 on third downs. If it weren’t for Trajan Jeffcoat’s strip sack (which was a big momentum play in that first half), the score would likely be tied. Again, I absolutely do not want to overreact to the first half of the first game and say Mizzou has the talent level of a MAC team. But I think this game is going to be pretty close into the fourth quarter.
2. Let’s talk about the offense first. Tyler Badie has looked like Missouri’s best player by a wide margin. He has 76 total yards and two touchdowns on 10 touches. Keep feeding him. The running game otherwise hasn’t been very effective. I think Eli Drinkwitz has gotten a little bit too cute at times. The quick-hitting, downhill stuff is working. The tricky plays that take longer to develop are not. A lot of that has to do with the offensive line. Of course it’s early, but the line has to be cause for concern so far. Central Michigan already has two sacks and six tackles for loss, and the Chippewas have bothered Bazelak on several throws. Hyrin White, in particular, looks like he’s struggled a bit to me. Something to keep watching in the second half. Bazelak has been fine. Like last season, he continues to look his best when he knows where he’s going with the ball before the half and can get it out quickly. He’s made the right decisions. He’s been just off the mark on a couple other downfield passes since the deep ball to Smith, but nothing I would call concerning.
3. The defense hasn’t been amazing, but I don’t think it’s been as bad as some online seem to. I went into this game thinking the defense would probably have some growing pains. And Central Michigan has some playmakers. They averaged almost 220 yards per game on the ground last season and appear to have since upgraded at QB. Mizzou has had a few opportunities to make the defense performance look even better, too, between Jalani Williams’ dropped interception and Ish Burdine’s missed tackle on third and long. The tackling has definitely been the one issue, which doesn’t come as a shock in a season-opener but needs to get cleaned up.
4. Mizzou has played an absolute ton of guys. Clearly, the coaching staff wants to see what it has in a lot of these guys in live action. On offense, we’ve seen at least nine different receivers on the field. Four different running backs have played at least one snap. Connor Wood has gotten some snaps at left guard. On defense, they’ve gone two deep at every position except Martez Manuel’s and Jalani Williams’, and the latter is only because Jaylon Carlies couldn’t play in the first half. Steve Wilks has played six different corners and Shawn Robinson has played quite a bit in the nickel spot, as well. I would expect those rotations to tighten up as the season goes on. By the way, heck of a first half in a Mizzou uniform for Akayleb Evans. I bet we’ll see him in the starting lineup soon.
5. I feel like I’ve been pretty positive so far. And I want to reiterate what both Gabe and I said on the pregame show: I expected this to be a closer game than most were probably comfortable with at halftime. That said, there is definitely legitimate cause for concern about Missouri winning this one. Neither the numbers or my eyes suggest Missouri has been far and away the more talented team. Central Michigan has out-gained Missouri 292-225. The Chippewas have more passing yards, more rushing yards (Mizzou only has 36 yards on the ground, yikes) and more first downs. Mizzou is 0-5 on third downs. If it weren’t for Trajan Jeffcoat’s strip sack (which was a big momentum play in that first half), the score would likely be tied. Again, I absolutely do not want to overreact to the first half of the first game and say Mizzou has the talent level of a MAC team. But I think this game is going to be pretty close into the fourth quarter.
