Shorthanded Mizzou football blown out by Miss. State in SEC finale. What we learned
The Missouri Tigers got out to an early lead, but a depleted secondary and a slew of mistakes led to a blowout 51-32 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium at Mississippi State.
It was another long day for a MU defense that had to dip deeper into its depth. The Tigers (5-5) brought only three scholarship cornerbacks against the Bulldogs (3-7) because of opt-outs and injuries. The secondary was missing other contributors, such as safety Tyree Gillespie.
“Just disappointed,” MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said after the game. “Started fast then the momentum switched and we were never able to recapture the momentum. Just neither side of the ball played nearly well enough to win a football game.”
Mizzou scored first with a touchdown, but it was all Mississippi State from there. There was a point where MU looked like it was going to mount a comeback after two forced turnovers. A Kobie Whiteside fumble recovery turned into an MU touchdown, then Joshuah Bledsoe picked off Will Rogers’ pass in the end zone.
But that was quickly extinguished when MU quarterback Connor Bazelak threw an interception. Miss. State scored on the ensuing possession, squeezing out any momentum the Tigers had created.
The mistakes piled up for the Tigers. It started with a muffed punt from Missouri returner Cade Musser, who had been sure-handed all season long. His miscue was magnified when the ball trickled into the end zone, Mississippi State recovering it for a touchdown.
The self-inflicted mistakes didn’t stop there. There were penalties, miscommunication, subpar tackling and a slew of other areas where Mizzou faltered.
Bazelak had another rough day on Saturday after having struggled against Georgia last week. He recorded 225 yards and two touchdowns, but threw a career-high three interceptions against the Bulldogs. His final pick was returned for a Miss. State touchdown.
MU running Larry Rountree III had a great day, running for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the 2020 regular season with 14 touchdowns. But it wasn’t enough for MU on Saturday.
“Offensively, we started pressing and turning the ball over,” Drinkwitz said. “Defensively, we didn’t get it done. They tried to give us a chance with the two interceptions. But offensively, we gave it back to them.”
Mizzou will find out its bowl fate on Sunday. Drinkwitz said the Tigers will play in a postseason game, and projections have them likely headed to Florida for either the Outback Bowl or the Citrus Bowl.
Quarterback at safety
Mizzou was missing players on Saturday, so Drinkwitz found other ways to get contributors from his roster. That included former backup quarterback Shawn Robinson filling in at safety. Robinson was one of the few bright spots for the Tigers, even recording an interception late to earn the right to wear the turnover robe. Robinson started the first two games of 2020 at quarterback before taking a backseat to Bazelak.
Drinkwitz said coming into the game, Robinson, who switched jersey numbers from No. 3 to No. 12, would get some playing time on defense. He played on special teams last week against Georgia.
Robinson saw more time once cornerback JC Carlies was ejected for targeting in the second half. Along with the pick, he finished with five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and one pass break-up in an impressive debut at safety.
An unexpected rush
Mississippi State was far and away at the bottom of the SEC when it came to rushing yards. As part of Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach’s pass-heavy offense, the run game had not been part of the Bulldogs’ offense.
That changed Saturday as Leach elected to run often. The Bulldogs rushed for a season-high 151 yards on 28 carries.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 6:26 PM.