Reasons for optimism and concern after Missouri’s 39-10 loss at No. 1 Alabama

Few would have been surprised if they were told before the season that Missouri would be 3-3 halfway through its 2018 football season.

But as the Tigers turn the corner into the second half of a crucial year, Missouri showed glimpses for optimism in its 39-10 loss to Alabama, while also leaving bread crumbs for concern.

Missouri’s defense held the top-ranked Tide (7-0, 4-0 SEC) to a season-low in points scored and held Alabama to three field goals on Saturday night, two of which came when the unit inherited poor field position as a result of Drew Lock’s first-quarter interception and a 50-yard return by the Tide late in the game.

And while Lock has struggled the past three games, he’s found a reliable target in true freshman Jalen Knox. In Missouri’s first three games of the season, Knox was a role player in a receiving corps led by senior Emanuel Hall.

But since Hall and fellow senior Nate Brown went down with groin injuries, Knox has emerged as Lock’s new favorite target. Hall was away from the team Saturday after his father died Thursday, but wasn’t expected to play.

“A couple months ago he was at prom,” offensive lineman Paul Adams said of Knox. “He’s done an incredible job. He’s going to be terrorizing.”

Adams and Knox were quick to point out that Missouri’s three-game losing streak isn’t similar to the five-game slide the program went through in the first half of last season.

In 2017, Missouri was blown out in four of its five regular season losses. This year, in a Sept. 22 loss to Georgia, the Tigers were only down 11 at the start of the fourth quarter, and Mizzou had a chance to beat South Carolina on Oct. 6.

Lock and Larry Rountree said the Tigers handed the game away to Georgia and South Carolina.

Missouri held Alabama scoreless on defense for the third quarter and kept things interesting longer than most teams have this season.

Knox’s 20-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter cut Alabama’s lead to 13-10, which made it the closest a team had played with the Tide through one quarter this season.

“This game, most teams wouldn’t have even been in the game as long as we were,” Knox said.

Missouri goes into Saturday’s homecoming game against Memphis with a good chance of having Brown back. Odom said he’s “hands off” in Hall’s situation aside from supporting him.

While the possibility exists for Missouri to still finish the season strong, the road ahead isn’t easy.

After Memphis, Missouri plays two ranked teams in Kentucky and Florida, followed by Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Arkansas. The latter three have all had strong showings recently and no longer look like the surefire wins they originally did.

“Every game’s tough,” said offensive lineman Kevin Pendleton. “We don’t have a bad team on the schedule.”

Missouri’s defense has struggled in the secondary all year, with the Tigers cornerbacks struggling to challenge catches, which Odom attributes to a lack of aggression.

And Lock has continued to struggle against good defenses and learn when to throw the ball away.

Lock spotted Alabama nine points thanks to a fumble on a third-down sack that set the Tide up in Missouri’s red zone and a safety at the end of the third quarter. It was the third straight game where the Missouri offense gave the opposing team points.

After the game, Lock said he sometimes doesn’t give the ball up out of arrogance, which has to change.

“It’s more so just not wanting them to say that they got us,” he said. “I guess that’s football though, they’re going to get us.”

While Knox has emerged as a reliable target in the absence of Hall and Brown, he’s only one player at a position Missouri needs more help at.

Adams said the senior class promised themselves that they wouldn’t let another five-game losing streak happen under their watch.

Missouri has a chance to get back on track Saturday against Memphis. Lock said he’s done thinking about the past three games and is ready for his team to get back in the win column.

“South Carolina could have gone a different way,” he said. “Georgia could have gone a different way. It hurts. You have to keep looking forward.”

Alex Schiffer

Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 8:45 AM.