Keys to the game
Key players
Mizzou: Punter Corey Fatony was terrific with two punts downed inside the 5. But when the punter is the team’s most obvious star it was bad day. It was a bad day.
Purdue: Starting quarterback David Blough set the tone for the blowout with pinpoint accuracy, including a forward pitch as he was avoiding a loss that resulted in a first down on the Boilermakers’ first touchdown drive.
Key moment
Purdue appeared stopped on its second possession, but Missouri couldn’t recover a fumble and Blough completed a 17-yard pass on a third-and-11 to keep alive a drive that ended with Tario Fuller’s 36-yard touchdown run. The Boilers were on their way to the rout.
The grades
Offense
F
Stunningly bad. Mizzou didn’t surpass 100 total yards until the third quarter. As he did in last week’s loss to South Carolina, Drew Lock threw an interception on a deep sideline ball, and that turned into the Boilermakers’ fifth touchdown.
Defense
F
Dreadful. As Purdue rolled to touchdowns on its first three possessions, Mizzou missed tackles, players were out of position and didn’t seem to play with much energy.
Special teams
C
Fatony was very good. On Mizzou’s first defensive stop that resulted in a Purdue punt, return specialist Richaud Floyd fumbled it away. The possession ended with a Purduue missed field goal.
Coaching
F
Missouri-Purdue isn’t a mismatch by quality of athlete or athletic budget. And this wasn’t a game where all the breaks went the Boilermakers’ way. Purdue was better prepared and better coached.
Blair Kerkhoff: 816-234-4730, @BlairKerkhoff
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