Grades from Missouri’s 24-20 loss to Tennessee and looking ahead to Arkansas
Missouri Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant didn’t look fully healthy in the 24-20 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. He took some big hits and came up gingerly on a few occasions Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
After the game, Bryant said his hamstring is still bugging him, the one he injured at Kentucky last month. Bryant said he’ll look to rehab it whenever he can leading up to Mizzou’s game 1:30 p.m. Friday against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock.
“It’s not really slowing (me down),” Bryant said. “The biggest thing is I have to continue to do better is when it gets late in the game, especially when it’s cold. Just not allowing it to get stiff on me, just moving around.”
Here are the grades for the offense, defense and special teams, including what’s next.
Play of the game
Jordan Elliott’s blocked field goal: Mizzou looked like it was marching to another loss as the Vols were driving deeper into Tigers territory. The defense was able to get the stop on third down, but Tennessee had a field goal try to go up two possessions.
But Elliott came through with a huge block, the ball scooped up by Devin Nicholson as he brought it to the Tennessee 41. Eight plays later, Mizzou scored a touchdown and tied the score at 17-17.
Grades
Offense: C. The offense showed as much life as it has had in a month. Mizzou had a lead for the first time since the Ole Miss win on Oct. 12. The Tigers even scored a touchdown, which they haven’t done since the loss at Kentucky on Oct. 26.
There were some positives, but as a whole, it was still an average performance for the offense. MU moved the ball, but 20 points leaves a lot to be desired.
Defense: C-. After weeks of being a lone bright spot, the Mizzou defense failed to get off the field on third downs and was torched in the passing game. Starting cornerbacks DeMarkus Acy and Jarvis Ware both went down, depleting what is a talented Mizzou secondary.
But it wasn’t just the passing game working for Tennessee. The Vols converted 9 of 16 third downs. It was a long game for the defense after weeks of stellar play.
Special teams: A. Mizzou came up huge in special teams, including blocked field goals from Elliott and Kobie Whiteside. It was the first time since Sept. 19, 2015 vs. UConn that Mizzou had two blocked field goals in one game.
Next up
It’s been a rough five game losing streak, but Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC) is likely the worst team in the conference. Though based on Mizzou’s recent history, it shouldn’t relax in what is considered a rivalry game.
Arkansas reeling: The Razorbacks aren’t in a great place. They’re on an eight game losing streak and fired coach Chad Morris recently. It’s been a long season for Arkansas.
Rivalry week: Mizzou’s on a three-game winning streak vs. Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry, last losing in 2015. The Tigers will hope to win the last one to reach six wins and become bowl eligible, though that comes with the uncertainty of the NCAA appeal.
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 11:14 AM.