1. The red zone was a huge problem.
It was one of the things I said that the Tigers had to be wary of. The stat line shows they were 5-of-5 in the red zone but four of them were field goals.
You can’t be trading field goals with any team let alone with a team of track stars.
Mizzou is the No. 1 red zone team in the country and in the last two games entering this game, they had scored three field goals and two touchdowns in the red zone. So, it was something that was a thing but because they were scoring in other ways or on longer drives it didn’t matter. But it mattered tonight.
It doesn't help that the Gators were 2-of-3 in the red zone and both of those scores were touchdowns.
2. Linebackers had a bad day.
I was talking to someone in the press box pregame and they said, "Well, it's different with your starting linebackers being out.”
That person was right.
The linebackers were getting their butts kicked. Missed tackles and blown coverage were the ain't things. Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson played well last week but it was a whole different story this week. This team missed Ty’Ron Hopper badly and while he’s good, he’s tied for first in the SEC in missed tackles with 10. The tackling was so bad that the team needed a player who had struggled in tackling.
Mind you, that doesn’t mean Hopper is bad. Again, he’s very good. He’s one of the top defenders on the team and does plenty of good in other facets of the game, but the fact that the team really needed him in the thing he struggles at is telling.
The crazy thing is Hicks and Newson are tied for the team lead in tackles with nine, but the box score doesn’t tell the tale.
3. A backup quarterback came into the game for Florida and almost nothing changed.
When Graham Mertz went down, the Tigers should’ve had this game in the bag. When Florida lost a fumble in the red zone the game should’ve been over. Especially, when you consider the Tigers scored on the very next play to take a nine-point lead.
Missouri left so many points on the board via field goals, penalties and missed opportunities.
Mizzou won the turnover battle 2-0 and got 10 points off those turnovers. It was almost a disaster. But almost only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
This game was too close but they pulled through. That's all that matters.
4. That was a heck of a final drive.
Twelve plays and 62 yards that led to a field goal. There were completions of 13, 11, 16 and 27 yards on that drive.
The message board crashed so, I'll explain more later because it's time for the presser but that was a heck of a drive. Cook was big time.
It was one of the things I said that the Tigers had to be wary of. The stat line shows they were 5-of-5 in the red zone but four of them were field goals.
You can’t be trading field goals with any team let alone with a team of track stars.
Mizzou is the No. 1 red zone team in the country and in the last two games entering this game, they had scored three field goals and two touchdowns in the red zone. So, it was something that was a thing but because they were scoring in other ways or on longer drives it didn’t matter. But it mattered tonight.
It doesn't help that the Gators were 2-of-3 in the red zone and both of those scores were touchdowns.
2. Linebackers had a bad day.
I was talking to someone in the press box pregame and they said, "Well, it's different with your starting linebackers being out.”
That person was right.
The linebackers were getting their butts kicked. Missed tackles and blown coverage were the ain't things. Chuck Hicks and Triston Newson played well last week but it was a whole different story this week. This team missed Ty’Ron Hopper badly and while he’s good, he’s tied for first in the SEC in missed tackles with 10. The tackling was so bad that the team needed a player who had struggled in tackling.
Mind you, that doesn’t mean Hopper is bad. Again, he’s very good. He’s one of the top defenders on the team and does plenty of good in other facets of the game, but the fact that the team really needed him in the thing he struggles at is telling.
The crazy thing is Hicks and Newson are tied for the team lead in tackles with nine, but the box score doesn’t tell the tale.
3. A backup quarterback came into the game for Florida and almost nothing changed.
When Graham Mertz went down, the Tigers should’ve had this game in the bag. When Florida lost a fumble in the red zone the game should’ve been over. Especially, when you consider the Tigers scored on the very next play to take a nine-point lead.
Missouri left so many points on the board via field goals, penalties and missed opportunities.
Mizzou won the turnover battle 2-0 and got 10 points off those turnovers. It was almost a disaster. But almost only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes.
This game was too close but they pulled through. That's all that matters.
4. That was a heck of a final drive.
Twelve plays and 62 yards that led to a field goal. There were completions of 13, 11, 16 and 27 yards on that drive.
The message board crashed so, I'll explain more later because it's time for the presser but that was a heck of a drive. Cook was big time.
