I've heard a lot of criticism of Missouri abandoning the run especially in the red zone, so I wanted to take a look. I want to stress I had no idea what I would find before doing this. Here is their red zone playcalling:
1st qtr
1st & goal: Rountree 1 yd TD run
1st & Goal: PI penalty (passing play but officially no play)
1st & Goal: Rountree run
2nd & Goal: Crockett run TD
1st & 10: Crockett run 7
2nd & 3: Crockett run 1
3rd & 2: Lock incomplete (this was the JJ drop I think)
2nd qtr
1st & 10: Badie run, nullified by holding penalty
1st & 20 (this play was from the 27): Lock pass to Badie for 13
2nd & 7: Lock incomplete
3rd & 7: Lock incomplete
1st & goal: Lock incomplete
2nd & goal: Badie run no gain
3rd & goal: Lock incomplete
FIRST HALF: 14 red zone plays, 6 runs, 7 passes (0/6 with a PI) One of the passes came on third and seven. One came on first and 20. The others were all with less than five yards to gain.
3rd qtr
1st & 15: Crockett run no gain
Then they went backward eight miles and the rest don't count
1st & 10: Rountree run no gain
2nd &10: Rountree run 4
3rd & 6: Lock incomplete
2nd & 1: Lock run 10
1st & goal: Rountree TD
SECOND HALF: 6 red zone plays, 5 runs. The only pass came on third and six.
So I don't think you can criticize the playcalling in the second half. You can criticize it in the first if you want, throwing six passes with less than five yards needed for a first down and completing none of them. And you can easily argue that first half is where they lost the game. But in the second half, they ran the ball when they were in the red zone. That's an adjustment by Dooley.
1st qtr
1st & goal: Rountree 1 yd TD run
1st & Goal: PI penalty (passing play but officially no play)
1st & Goal: Rountree run
2nd & Goal: Crockett run TD
1st & 10: Crockett run 7
2nd & 3: Crockett run 1
3rd & 2: Lock incomplete (this was the JJ drop I think)
2nd qtr
1st & 10: Badie run, nullified by holding penalty
1st & 20 (this play was from the 27): Lock pass to Badie for 13
2nd & 7: Lock incomplete
3rd & 7: Lock incomplete
1st & goal: Lock incomplete
2nd & goal: Badie run no gain
3rd & goal: Lock incomplete
FIRST HALF: 14 red zone plays, 6 runs, 7 passes (0/6 with a PI) One of the passes came on third and seven. One came on first and 20. The others were all with less than five yards to gain.
3rd qtr
1st & 15: Crockett run no gain
Then they went backward eight miles and the rest don't count
1st & 10: Rountree run no gain
2nd &10: Rountree run 4
3rd & 6: Lock incomplete
2nd & 1: Lock run 10
1st & goal: Rountree TD
SECOND HALF: 6 red zone plays, 5 runs. The only pass came on third and six.
So I don't think you can criticize the playcalling in the second half. You can criticize it in the first if you want, throwing six passes with less than five yards needed for a first down and completing none of them. And you can easily argue that first half is where they lost the game. But in the second half, they ran the ball when they were in the red zone. That's an adjustment by Dooley.
