Mizzou football falters against Miss. State in concluding regular season. Bowl game next
The comeback opportunity was there, waiting for the Missouri Tigers.
Mississippi State had just turned it over for the second straight possession, breathing life into a game at Mississippi State that looked like it was over for Mizzou.
It started with a Kobie Whiteside fumble recovery, which allowed MU to find the end zone a few plays later. While the Bulldogs returned to the red zone, a sprawling Joshauh Bledsoe interception gifted MU some more momentum.
But apparently it wasn’t meant to be for the Tigers. Mizzou quarterback Connor Bazelak thought he had wide receiver Barrett Banister open on a wheel route, but Bazelak overthrew Banister, and the pass was intercepted by the Bulldogs.
It was just one play, but it seemed like a good microcosm of Mizzou’s struggles in a 51-32 loss to Mississippi State Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.
With the loss, the Tigers finished their 2020 regular season with a 5-5 record, exceeding preseason predictions. But MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said MU’s season-ending losing streak wasn’t how they expected to finish their SEC-only slate.
“We’ve earned ourselves respect and a chance to go to a bowl game,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ll come back tomorrow and find out where we’re going. We’ll break for the holidays, and then we’ll finish this season right. That’s going to be our focus.”
Mizzou found itself facing a sizable deficit against Mississippi State (3-7) because of a mistake-ridden start. The Tigers sprinted to a 7-0 lead aided by a targeting penalty against the Bulldogs.
But it was all Mississippi State from there. Missouri’s Cade Musser fumbled a Mississippi State punt and the ball rolled into the end zone, where the Bulldogs recovered and went on to score a game-swinging touchdown.
Mississippi State coach Mike Leach is notorious for eschewing the ground game. The Bulldogs came into Saturday’s game ranked at the bottom of the SEC in rushing yards. But they made adjustments against a shorthanded Mizzou defense.
The MSU pass attack was complemented by a stout running game that produced a season-high 151 yards. Drinkwitz said Mississippi State added the sprint option to the offense, which the MU defense struggled to contain against Arkansas. But otherwise, the Bulldogs didn’t do anything out of the ordinary against the Tigers.
“Momentum shifted, and we never really responded,” Drinkwitz said. “I don’t know what it is. But it’s something that we’ll spend a lot of time trying to fix and work on.”
There were positives for the Tigers, such as running back Larry Rountree III rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback-turned-safety Shawn Robinson also played just about the whole second half and recorded his first interception.
But none of that was enough Saturday. Bazelak had two touchdown passes but a career-high three interceptions. The Bulldogs returned Bazelak’s last interception for a touchdown.
“It’s just mistakes,” Rountree said. “Mistakes get you beat. We can’t make mistakes in the SEC. You gotta bring your A-game every week. At the end of the day, they made more plays than us, and unfortunately we lost. That’s all it is.”
Drinkwitz said the past several weeks took a toll on his players and coaching staff. The Tigers came together for preseason camp in August and it was a nonstop grind since then. They played with 52 players Saturday, Drinkwitz noted. Mississippi State played with similarly slim numbers.
With a bowl still on the horizon, Drinkwitz said he planned to let his players to go home for the holidays. When and where the Tigers’ postseason contest takes place remains to be seen.
“It’s just a lot emotionally, and it’s a lot mentally to always be worried about,” Drinkwitz said. “These young men and coaches are tired. They really are. I think you saw that tonight. They’re just tired, it’s just been hard. A lot of unknowns for nine months. Extremely proud to get to this point. To be 5-5 in this situation.”
The Tigers are poised to be selected to play in one of this season’s better bowls. Projections have them going south to Florida for either the Citrus Bowl or the Outback Bowl.
It’ll be a final opportunity for this group, one that’s experienced the tribulations of playing a season during a pandemic. Drinkwitz said it’s also a chance to finish the season strong after a bland couple of games.
“Nobody likes this feeling in the pit of your stomach,” Drinkwitz said. “Nobody likes this. You gotta figure out how not to make this happen again. What did we not do in preparation to make sure that we were prepared.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 9:06 PM.