In showdown of Tigers, Mizzou stuns LSU for thrilling upset victory at Columbia
The Missouri Tigers’ offense stole the show all day Saturday against LSU. But with the game on the line, it was the Mizzou defense that stood strong on the goal line to preserve a 45-41 stunner over the reigning national champs.
It was the first win of MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s tenure in Columbia. And it was an upset for the ages in front of a socially-distanced 10,013 fans at Faurot Field.
Mizzou was shorthanded as can be, missing starters on both sides of the ball because of COVID-19 and injuries. But Drinkwitz’s Tigers gave LSU all it could handle in a shootout between high-powered offenses.
“Can’t tell you how proud I was of this football team, our coaching staff and administration and everybody who’s battled day in and day out,” Drinkwitz said. “A pandemic. Social justice issues. Contact tracing. The list goes on and on and on. Our guys didn’t flinch today.”
Mizzou was led by quarterback Connor Bazelak, who had easily the best game of his career. It started with his first career touchdown pass and snowballed into an incredible performance. The redshirt freshman threw 29 for 34 for 406 yards and four touchdowns in his second career start.
Other offensive performers stood out for Mizzou, as well — and many of them had previously been buried on the depth chart. Wide receiver Tauski Dove had six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. D’ionte “Boo” Smith had six receptions for 54 yards.
The ever-reliable Larry Rountree III carried the ball 18 times for 119 yards.
Wide receivers Damon Hazelton and Keke Chism didn’t play because of COVID-19 considerations. Defensive linemen Kobie Whiteside (right leg) and Darius Robinson (right knee) missed Saturday’s game, too. And still other players, including Dominic Gicinto, Stacy Brown and Akiel Byers, were unavailable because of the virus.
The Mizzou defense struggled against an LSU offense featuring talented wide receivers. But at the end of the game, it rose up with a terrific goal-line stop when Drinkwitz put his trust in its hands.
“They didn’t flinch after getting the ball on the one-yard line,” Drinkwitz said. “They didn’t flinch being down. They just kept fighting. That’s our No. 1 core value: Always compete. And I’m damn proud of this football team.”
Drinkwitz, Mizzou have their quarterback
The Tigers had spent months trying to determine who their starting quarterback would be this season. On Saturday, Bazelak extinguished any doubt.
Making just his second college start, Bazelak passed for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns.
He was calm, poised and impressive in the pocket. At one point, he completed 15 straight passes. All day, the Mizzou offense hummed because of his confidence and Drinkwitz’s smart play-calling.
Robinson had started the Tigers’ first two games of the season, but Bazelak was named the starter going into the game against LSU. His performance Saturday affirmed why so many fans had pinned their hopes on him this offseason.
MU’s miscues were unmistakable
Sorry for the cliche, but this one wasn’t over until the very end.
Whenever Missouri looked poised to string together a run to take the lead or seize momentum, the Tigers fumbled the ball away. While the drops that had plagued MU through two games subsided, ball security became a major question mark — and directly led to points for LSU.
Mizzou finished with five fumbles, losing three to the visitors. The defending champions didn’t let those chances slip by, either, scoring 17 points off MU’s gaffes.
In the end, however, Drinkwitz’s Tigers weren’t fazed by their own mistakes.
Coach pulled out all the tricks
Facing improbable odds from the onset and missing playmakers on both sides of the ball, Drinkwitz dipped into the deepest pages of his playbook.
And even then, the first-year MU coach wasn’t finished.
The fourth play of the game started as a flea-flicker and ended as a 58-yard touchdown pass from Bazelak to Tauski Dove. It was the first lead Mizzou’s enjoyed in the budding Drinkwitz era, and it doubled as a sign that Drinkwitz’s Tigers were going to be aggressive Saturday.
Not all of the coach’s high-risk, high-reward play-calls went Mizzou’s way, though. A fake punt gave LSU the ball near midfield, and the visiting Tigers went on to score a touchdown a few plays later.
But between all the motion and trickery, MU found itself driving deep into LSU territory often. The day turned out to be a clinic in Drinkwitz’s play-calling, through which — despite missing two starting receivers — the hometown Tigers finished with a season-high 45 points.
Mizzou the more physical team
While lost fumbles repeatedly bogged down Mizzou, Drinkwitz’s team had little trouble running the ball against LSU.
Rountree was mostly reliable despite a fumble. Drinkwitz went into this one saying his team needed to feed the senior the ball more often, and sure enough, Mizzou relied on him heavily.
LSU ended the first half with just one rushing yard and finished the game with a scant 49. That showing, against a Mizzou rush defense that struggled last year and was missing three of its top four defensive tackles Saturday, was eye-opening.
Drinkwitz’s squad controlled the line of scrimmage against LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s talented Tigers. The visitors racked up 430 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air against Mizzou’s secondary, but the home squad’s ability to stand strong in the trenches was a difference-maker.
Perfect no longer
The torrid start to true freshman kicker Harrison Mevis’ collegiate career hit a minor speed bump Saturday, but not on anything short.
Mizzou trusted Mevis enough to attempt a 56-yard field goal that would’ve tied the game early in the fourth quarter, but the kick was no good
Mevis did knock in a career-long 51-yarder earlier in the game and was perfect on extra points.
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 2:44 PM.