Well, that could not have gone much worse for Missouri. A week after laying a total egg on the road, the Tigers once again look disinterested in playing away from home in the rain. The struggles have been pretty much all over the board, too. Offense has killed itself with drops and penalties. Defense has missed several assignments and tackles. And Tucker McCann must have zero confidence at this point. You never know, of course, but I would be stunned if the Tigers find a way to get back into this game against Kentucky's defense.
Mizzou actually looked up to the task for the first few minutes, pushing Kentucky around at the point of attack on its second drive and getting inside the 25. It looked like the interior of the line was opening some nice holes in the running game. But then McCann missed the field goal, and the offense almost looked to give up. When they failed to take advantage of the fumble recovery, you could sense that Kentucky was a big play away from taking over the momentum. That happened when Lynn Bowden actually completed a pass downfield. There are a lot of areas you could break down that have gone wrong — Kelly Bryant looks hesitant to get rid of the ball and take a chance downfield, the pass-catchers are doing him no favors, the defense selling out against the run gives no help if they miss a tackle — but my biggest issue is that Mizzou doesn't seem capable of generating its own energy and intensity on the road or in less than ideal conditions. Ultimately, that has to reflect on the coach.
Finally, have to address that end of the half offensive sequence. I somewhat understand the decision to not just run the clock out since Kentucky was receiving the second half kick, but why take the timeout after the first sack? Especially against one of the better pass rushes against the SEC?? With an offense that has had exactly one big passing play in three weeks?!? That blew my mind at the time, and of course it led to pretty much the worst possible outcome.
Mizzou actually looked up to the task for the first few minutes, pushing Kentucky around at the point of attack on its second drive and getting inside the 25. It looked like the interior of the line was opening some nice holes in the running game. But then McCann missed the field goal, and the offense almost looked to give up. When they failed to take advantage of the fumble recovery, you could sense that Kentucky was a big play away from taking over the momentum. That happened when Lynn Bowden actually completed a pass downfield. There are a lot of areas you could break down that have gone wrong — Kelly Bryant looks hesitant to get rid of the ball and take a chance downfield, the pass-catchers are doing him no favors, the defense selling out against the run gives no help if they miss a tackle — but my biggest issue is that Mizzou doesn't seem capable of generating its own energy and intensity on the road or in less than ideal conditions. Ultimately, that has to reflect on the coach.
Finally, have to address that end of the half offensive sequence. I somewhat understand the decision to not just run the clock out since Kentucky was receiving the second half kick, but why take the timeout after the first sack? Especially against one of the better pass rushes against the SEC?? With an offense that has had exactly one big passing play in three weeks?!? That blew my mind at the time, and of course it led to pretty much the worst possible outcome.
