Missouri blows out Tennessee 50-17 in Derek Dooley’s return to Knoxville

Six years to the date that reports surfaced of his firing at Tennessee, Missouri offensive coordinator Derek Dooley got his justice.

The Tigers dominated the Vols 50-17 in a game where Drew Lock threw completions to 10 different receivers and got support from the run game and defense in Dooley’s return to Neyland Stadium.

Lock competed 70 percent of his passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Larry Rountree ran for 135 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

Missouri got things going early. Lock found Emanuel Hall for a 30-yard gain on the third play of the game to get Mizzou to the Vols’ 30-yard line after a pair of runs by Rountree. The Tigers’ offense was clicking without much resistance. But MU was unable to get past the 12-yard line and had to settle for a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.

Missouri’s defense looked just as good as the offense. The Tigers sacked Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano on third down to finish the Vols’ opening drive off with minus-9 yards of offense in its opening series. After another strong drive down field, MU’s offense stalled at the 5-yard line and had to settle for another field goal to extend its lead to 6-0. Tennessee had minus-16 yards of offense through its first two series.

Guarantano exited the game at the end of the first quarter with a head-and-neck injury, which brought in senior Keller Chryst. Facing third and 6 from the Vols’ 35-yard line, Chryst found Jauan Jennings on his second pass attempt for a 41-yard completion to move the chains to MU’s 24-yard line. Running back Ty Chandler ran it in three plays later to give Tennessee a 7-6 lead with 10:45 left in the second quarter.

Lock and Co. countered the following series. After an onside kick attempt by Tennessee, Mizzou recovered on its own 34-yard line and began to move down field. Lock hit Hall for a 12-yard catch on first down and then hit Kam Scott for a 44-yard gain to enter the Tennessee red zone. True freshman Tyler Badie — playing in his first game since MU’s upset over Florida — scored on his second carry in two weeks to put MU up 13-7.

Chryst again made quick work to move Tennessee down field. On his first play the following series, he connected with Marquez Callaway for 49 yards to move Tennessee to MU’s 16-yard line. Missouri’s defense was able to regroup and keep Chryst out of the end zone, forcing the Vols to a field goal to cut Mizzou’s lead to 13-10 with 5:36 left.

The Tigers’ offense continued to have an answer for Tennessee. Despite his receivers having trouble getting open, Lock was able to rely on Johnathon Johnson to move the chains. The duo combined twice on the drive for 23 yards for a fresh set of downs. Hall dropped a touchdown pass on first down from the Vols’ 40-yard line, but MU recovered with an 18-yard catch by Rountree just outside the red zone. Raytown graduate Dominic Gicinto capped off the drive with his first career touchdown catch to extend Missouri’s lead to 19-10 with 1:39 left.

Missouri went into halftime with some breathing room with help from DeMarkus Acy. Acy picked off Chryst from MU’s 13-yard line and returned it 76 yards to the Vols’ 11. Lock found Johnson on a slant three plays into the drive to extend MU’s lead to 26-10. Acy added a second interception late in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee got within striking distance early in the second half after Ty Chandler scored to cut the lead to 26-17. On the first play of the half, Chryst found Callaway for 49 yards to MU’s 9-yard line to set up the score. Chryst finished 7 for 19 for 179 yards and two interceptions.

Mizzou took it from there. On third and six from the Tigers’ 46-yard line, Badie had a 21-yard catch to move the sticks for MU and keep the Vols from having a chance to tie it. Lock found Hall for 24 yards to Tennessee’s 2-yard line. Rountree ran it in the following play to extend the lead to 33-17.

MU’s Josh Bledsoe put the nail in the coffin on the following Tennessee drive. After UT converted on third down, Tigers defensive end Nate Anderson knocked the ball out of Carlin Fils-Aime’s hands the following play. Bledsoe recovered at the Tennessee 39-yard line and returned it to the end zone to put MU up 40-17 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

True freshman running back Simi Bakare capped off the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown for Mizzou with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter.

Missouri couldn’t leave Knoxville without a scare as the team lost slot receiver Richaud Floyd with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter. Floyd was knocked out on a punt return and didn’t get up for several minutes. He was helped off the field into the locker room and his status at the end of the game was unknown.

The Tigers’ final regular-season game is on Black Friday with an afternoon matinee against Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 1:30.

Alex Schiffer

Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.

This story was originally published November 17, 2018 at 6:19 PM.