Grades from Mizzou football’s 20-10 win over Kentucky, and a look ahead to Florida
Saturday appeared like it could be one of those games that could define the Missouri Tigers for the rest of 2020 — no matter how weird a football season during a pandemic gets.
They were going up against a Kentucky Wildcats program that was becoming an archnemesis, a team that appeared to be trending up in the SEC East hierarchy. Then Mizzou came out and dominated the Wildcats in a 20-10 pounding on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz had a game plan — predicated on beating Kentucky at its own game and style of play — and the Tigers pulled it off perfectly.
There was the pounding, downhill running game Drinkwitz has stressed from his offense in the past. There was a suffocating defense that didn’t allow the ‘Cats to get any kind of momentum.
Mizzou sits at 2-2 through its four games with No. 10 Florida next on the schedule. After dropping their first two games, the Tigers are firmly trending upwards. But as Drinkwitz has said in the past, “football will humble you” real quick as the Tigers look to add on to their winning streak.
“Proud of our football team for a team win,” Drinkwitz said. “Just great effort in all three phases to do exactly what we coached them to do and to play one play at a time.”
Here are this week’s grades for the offense, defense and special teams, along with a look ahead to Florida.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Larry Rountree III trucks a Kentucky defender: Mizzou’s win was a slow burn over the Wildcats, but there was a play that hyped up the Tigers’ sideline like no other.
Rountree turned on the hit stick on Kentucky defensive back Kelvin Joseph right in front of the MU bench. Coaches had to hold the swarm of Mizzou players back from Joseph so there wasn’t a flag, but based on the Tigers’ reaction, the message was received.
GRADES
Offense: A. Rountree will get most of the credit — rightfully so — after a career-high 37 rushes that went for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The captain said he’s ready to go play another game, so he’s not fazed by the amount of touches or physicality.
But don’t forget the others. Quarterback Connor Bazelak wasn’t asked to do a ton, but he still showed some zip on his throws and didn’t make any poor decisions. There were a few missed changes, but he spread it out to his receivers. And for the first time this season, the Mizzou offense didn’t record a turnover.
Defense: A+. This was the Mizzou defense everyone expected coming into 2020. They stumbled out of the gates, but the Tigers were just physically more dominant than Kentucky on Saturday. They kept the ‘Cats off the field, and when Kentucky did get possession, the visitors rarely held it longer for a first down or two.
There were a couple explosive plays, but nothing the Tigers couldn’t overcome. And while they only got one turnover — their stated goal is two per game — they were again punishing on crucial downs. Kentucky finished just 2 of 9 on third downs.
Special teams: A. It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for punter Grant McKinniss as he faced his old team, and he performed well for the Tigers. And there were no muffed punts as Cade Musser took over punt return duties, another positive.
Kicker Harrison Mevis also knocked in a pair of field goals, although they weren’t very long attempts at 18 and 20 yards away. But he converted them, and Mizzou went on to victory.
NEXT UP
Another week, another ranked opponent for Mizzou. Next up is No. 10 Florida, which is coming off two straight bye weeks because of COVID-19. The Tigers were originally supposed to play the Gators on Saturday (Oct. 24), but that got moved because of Florida’s positive cases.
Gators struggling with COVID: It’s another schedule watch for the Tigers, who have already had four straight games moved or adjusted. The Gators will be back on the practice field Monday after they had to shut down facilities because of positive COVID numbers within the program. Keep an eye on those developments throughout the week. It’s also worth mentioning that Florida has had a long layoff, which could affect how it plays Saturday against the Tigers if the games goes on as planned.
Recent history vs. Florida: Mizzou fans know all about its success over the Gators, including the win in 2018 when the Tigers blew out a ranked Florida squad. MU is 4-4 against Florida since entering the SEC and has won two of the last three meetings. Look for the Tigers to continue that streak.
This story was originally published October 24, 2020 at 11:02 PM.