Missouri plays complete game in 51-14 season-opening win over Tennessee-Martin
Missouri captain Paul Adams went into Saturday’s game against Tennessee-Martin hoping his team would play a sound game, especially given that last season’s opener against Missouri State snowballed into a 1-5 start.
He got his wish.
The Tigers steamrolled the Skyhawks 51-14 at Memorial Stadium and had most of its backups in for the entire second half. Heisman hopeful Drew Lock threw for four touchdowns and 289 yards and completed 76 percent of his passes.
“We came out this game totally different,” senior wideout Emanuel Hall said. “In the past we had slow starts against teams, and (against Tennessee-Martin) coming out of the gates we scored 14 points. That put a lot of pressure on them.”
Missouri got on the board early from a 9-yard run from junior tailback Damarea Crockett, who found a huge hole out of a pistol formation with 10 minutes, 54 seconds left in the first quarter. The touchdown marked Crockett’s first rushing touchdown in a year. He last scored in last season’s opener, on Sept. 2. against Missouri State
Derek Dooley’s offense had plenty of three-tight-end sets for short-run packages on Saturday, and as many as five receivers on the field at one time.
Lock found Hall wide open in the end zone with 7:22 left in the first quarter to extend the Tigers’ lead to 14-0. The pass moved Lock into No. 2 all time on Missouri’s career passing yards, surpassing Brad Smith and trailing only Chase Daniel.
Hall had two touchdowns in the first half, and nearly had a third on a 62-yard catch halfway through the second quarter. The 6-foot-3 senior finished the day with four catches for a career-high 171 yards. That drive ended with a 27-yard field goal from Tucker McCann to extend Missouri’s lead to 31-7.
The Skyhawks’ lone touchdown in the first half capped an impressive drive from quarterback Dresser Winn. Facing fourth down, Winn scrambled and found Jaimiee Bowe to set up first and goal with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. Bowe scored on a 1-yard rush two plays later.
Lock returned for a series in the second half that ended on a 70-yard touchdown catch from true freshman receiver Kam Scott. On the first collegiate ball thrown to him, Scott caught it in tight coverage before shaking two tackles on his way into the end zone to extend the score to 45-7.
“He had the play of the day,” Hall said of Scott. “As he keeps developing he’s going to be a really good player.”
Redshirt freshman Taylor Powell and sophomore Micah Wilson took over for Lock afterward.
In his first collegiate game, Powell showed flashes of his arm strength, as he found Hall for a 44-yard completion on his first pass.
Powell finished the game 4 for 9 with 105 passing yards and 4 rushing yards. Two of his drives resulted in field goals for Missouri. Tigers head coach Barry Odom said after the game that he wanted to get both backup quarterbacks some playing time.
“You have your little jitters,” Powell said. “And after your first play, you’re like, ‘Alright, it’s just like high school.’ It felt good.”
Busted coverage on Skyhawks running back LaDarius Galloway allowed him to score a 57-yard touchdown untouched with 4:31 left in the third quarter. Odom said the play happened because of a miscommunication in the Tigers secondary.
“We were pretty sound on communications and then knowing our assignments for the most part,” junior linebacker Cale Garrett said. “We just had a few little miscues here and there, but other than that, we were spot on.”
Missouri now turns its attention to Wyoming, which lost a lot on offense from last season, including NFL first round pick Josh Allen, but had the largest turnover margin on defense.
Garrett feels Missouri’s winning attitude on Saturday will carry over against the Cowboys.
“This week was the Super Bowl for us. Next week is going to be another Super Bowl for us,” Garrett said.
Odom said after the game that offensive lineman Kevin Pendleton was out with a knee sprain but should play next week. Safety Khalil Oliver sprained his ankle and could have returned but was held out as a precaution. Defensive tackle Richaud Brandon sprained his ankle two weeks ago in practice and didn’t feel game-ready.
Alex Schiffer
Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 6:38 PM.