1. This Mizzou offense is serious.
This is just my opinion. But Saturday’s game was the team’s best game have played all season.
The offense had over 500 total yards again and scored on four of its first six drives.
Brady Cook did pretty much anything he wanted to do. He completed 33-of-41 for 395 yards and four touchdowns. He also set an SEC record for the most pass attempts without an interception (the record was 325 pass attempts).
Cook hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 8 versus Vanderbilt last season.
By the way, the offense is now better than the defense. We've reached that point. The defense is still solid. But this offense is what's winning the games.
2. There are still things to work on, especially defensively.
It was a solid performance but the penalties were very bad at times and just unnecessary. Yeah, against Vandy, it didn’t kill them, but try this versus LSU or Georgia. Really, try it against any other SEC team on the schedule not named Vandy and the score is a lot closer than this one.
The safety play is a bit troubling.
I wrote about this earlier this week.
Mizzou had shut out Vandy’s very good receiving group and All-SEC level receiver Will Sheppard for three quarters and then early in the fourth, a basic post route against Cover 2 led to an easy 31-yard touchdown. Before that, he had one reception for eight yards.
The cornerbacks played well, but there were a number of plays the safeties just weren’t good on.
Early on, Joseph Charleston had a bad pass interference and then took a horrible angle on a pass to the flat in a one-on-one situation and missed the tackle which led to a first down.
Marvin Burks let the running back on a drag route get behind him and instead of a seven-yard gain, the running back caught the ball for a 22-yard gain.
Then, Cover 3 allowed Junior Sherrill to get a 45-yard touchdown on another post route, which he ran right passed Charleston for.
Daylan Carnell had a holding call midway through the fourth quarter with Vandy trying to make a comeback.
3. A legit receiving core.
Luther Burden had his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game. He finished with 11 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Theo Wease had his best game as a Tiger with 10 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.
This was the first time since 2018 that Mizzou had two 100-yard receivers in the same game.
Wease has gotten better each game this season and he's really shown that he's a great perimeter player for them.
Then, you add in Marquis "Speedy" Johnson, who has emerged as a true receiving option. He finished the game with three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. He now has at least one 42-yard reception in each of the last three games.
Mookie Cooper is more consistently involved and he finished with five receptions for 56 yards.
4. Mizzou better learn how to put teams away
Entering this game, Mizzou had three straight one-score wins. That's good considering Mizozu was 2-4 in those games last season. But every game can't be that.
Mizzou can't continue to lead by double figures and let teams have hope.
Even in the games that don't finish as one-score games, Mizzou can't let teams have hope. The Tigers were up 24-7 early in the fourth and then they allowed a touchdown. Then, they were up 31-14 and allowed another touchdown.
A game that was largely decided in the third quarter became competitive down the stretch and it shouldn't.
The Tigers put this game away with the last touchdown to Burden to make it 38-21 but that wasn't until there were four minutes left in the game.
It was a good close-out, but you'd just like them to finish these games sooner.
This is just my opinion. But Saturday’s game was the team’s best game have played all season.
The offense had over 500 total yards again and scored on four of its first six drives.
Brady Cook did pretty much anything he wanted to do. He completed 33-of-41 for 395 yards and four touchdowns. He also set an SEC record for the most pass attempts without an interception (the record was 325 pass attempts).
Cook hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 8 versus Vanderbilt last season.
By the way, the offense is now better than the defense. We've reached that point. The defense is still solid. But this offense is what's winning the games.
2. There are still things to work on, especially defensively.
It was a solid performance but the penalties were very bad at times and just unnecessary. Yeah, against Vandy, it didn’t kill them, but try this versus LSU or Georgia. Really, try it against any other SEC team on the schedule not named Vandy and the score is a lot closer than this one.
The safety play is a bit troubling.
I wrote about this earlier this week.
Mizzou had shut out Vandy’s very good receiving group and All-SEC level receiver Will Sheppard for three quarters and then early in the fourth, a basic post route against Cover 2 led to an easy 31-yard touchdown. Before that, he had one reception for eight yards.
The cornerbacks played well, but there were a number of plays the safeties just weren’t good on.
Early on, Joseph Charleston had a bad pass interference and then took a horrible angle on a pass to the flat in a one-on-one situation and missed the tackle which led to a first down.
Marvin Burks let the running back on a drag route get behind him and instead of a seven-yard gain, the running back caught the ball for a 22-yard gain.
Then, Cover 3 allowed Junior Sherrill to get a 45-yard touchdown on another post route, which he ran right passed Charleston for.
Daylan Carnell had a holding call midway through the fourth quarter with Vandy trying to make a comeback.
3. A legit receiving core.
Luther Burden had his fourth straight 100-yard receiving game. He finished with 11 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Theo Wease had his best game as a Tiger with 10 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown.
This was the first time since 2018 that Mizzou had two 100-yard receivers in the same game.
Wease has gotten better each game this season and he's really shown that he's a great perimeter player for them.
Then, you add in Marquis "Speedy" Johnson, who has emerged as a true receiving option. He finished the game with three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. He now has at least one 42-yard reception in each of the last three games.
Mookie Cooper is more consistently involved and he finished with five receptions for 56 yards.
4. Mizzou better learn how to put teams away
Entering this game, Mizzou had three straight one-score wins. That's good considering Mizozu was 2-4 in those games last season. But every game can't be that.
Mizzou can't continue to lead by double figures and let teams have hope.
Even in the games that don't finish as one-score games, Mizzou can't let teams have hope. The Tigers were up 24-7 early in the fourth and then they allowed a touchdown. Then, they were up 31-14 and allowed another touchdown.
A game that was largely decided in the third quarter became competitive down the stretch and it shouldn't.
The Tigers put this game away with the last touchdown to Burden to make it 38-21 but that wasn't until there were four minutes left in the game.
It was a good close-out, but you'd just like them to finish these games sooner.
