Mizzou barely ran its offense in opening win. Tigers are preparing differently this week
Missouri’s offense scored 51 points against Tennessee-Martin in its season opener without really touching the playbook.
This Saturday won’t nearly be as easy.
The Tigers play host to Wyoming, which features one of college football’s best defenses.
“The way they play defensively, they’re assignment sound, they play with a lot of confidence in each other,” MU coach Barry Odom said. “They have most everybody back from last year’s team. Nationally, you look at the categories defensively and they show up a lot in the top 10 and top 15.”
In 2017, the Cowboys led the nation in turnover margin and were top-25 nationally in total defense.
Craig Bohl’s squad returns eight starters from that unit, including defensive back Andrew Wingard, an All-America candidate who had five interceptions last season. The Pokes also have a loaded defensive line, with tackle Youhanna Ghaifan and Carl Granderson returning off all-conference seasons.
In Saturday’s 51-14 win over Tennessee-Martin, Missouri lined up in multiple formations, which ranged from three-tight end to five-receiver sets. Afterward, players said that the Tigers didn’t really run their new offense under Derek Dooley and tried to keep things simple.
Odom went on to say after the game that despite the Skyhawks’ defense giving Missouri a lot of options to pass, the Tigers’ elected to run the ball the majority of the second half in order to keep things simple and leave the playbook untouched.
Missouri’s offense showed no signs of struggle despite the absence of starting left guard Kevin Pendleton and slot receiver Richaud Floyd to injury. Pendleton is expected to play Saturday after straining a knee. Odom said on Tuesday that Floyd is expected to return in a few weeks after breaking a bone in his right leg.
Lock said Missouri’s scout team has been putting the linebackers in motion a second before the play starts to simulate how fast Wyoming gets to the ball.
“Their defense flies around really well,” Lock said. “They make plays, they run to the ball. Got a lot of different looks that they’re really good at.”
Lock threw 13 interceptions during his junior year, up three from his sophomore season, and knows he can’t have a bad pass on Saturday, because it likely won’t end well.
Missouri’s running backs have struggled with fumbles over the years, and senior wideout Emanuel Hall has had his bouts with dropped passes and tipped balls, which are things the Tigers spent the offseason addressing.
“It’s been a thing at the top of our list from the start,” wide receivers coach A.J. Ofodile said. “(Wyoming has) been a very opportunistic group. For us we have to highlight that a little bit more.”
Alex Schiffer
Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 4:14 PM.