‘A whole new set of challenges’: Missouri Tigers prepare for high tempo Vols offense
.JPG "Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz looks on from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boston College, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)")
Missouri football will be up against a much different style of offense this Saturday, the likes of which head coach Eliah Drinkwitz says his team hasn’t seen all season.
The main difference? Speed.
A week removed from facing a Boston College team that likes to eat up the clock with run-heavy drives, the Tigers will face a high tempo Tennessee offense that seems to always be in a hurry.
The Volunteers run one of the fastest offenses in the country, currently averaging an FBS-high 3.01 plays per minute. The next closest team, Utah State, averages 2.95. Tennessee is also 128 out of 130 FBS teams in time of possession, holding onto the ball for an average 25:05 per contest so far this season.
Drinkwitz said that pace “presents a whole new set of challenges” for the Tigers’ defense.
“When somebody’s snapping the ball three plays every 60 seconds, there’s a lot of opportunities for error and they capitalize on those errors,” the second year head coach said. “So we’ve got to do a great job of making sure we communicate the right call, get lined up and get the defensive play executed.”
Though missed tackles and fundamental mistakes were aplenty, communication stood out to Drinkwitz as one of the biggest areas in need of improvement when examining the loss to the Eagles, making this week even more of a challenge. He said the coaching staff has to do a better job of getting all 11 players on defense in sync with what they are supposed to execute on any given play, which is especially important since everyone is still adjusting to a new scheme under first year defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.
The coaching staff at Tennessee is even newer, but run by someone quite familiar to Mizzou fans. Vols head coach Josh Heupel was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2016-17, during which he established a powerful, high-tempo attack that led the SEC in total offense with Drew Lock under center.
Wide receiver Barrett Bannister was a freshman in the 2017 season, so he’s had personal experience with the unique aspects of Heupel-led offenses. When speaking with media this week, the fifth-year senior pointed out how Heupel mixes things up on offense with the use of RPOs and receiver option routes downfield. But Bannister said the unyielding tempo is the biggest advantage, as it exploits defenders who aren’t in as good of shape.
“It’s an innovative way of thinking,” Bannister said. “Definitely a very good offensive mind.”
Missouri has prepared for that offense without knowing who will be under center, as both Joe Milton III and Hendon Hooker have started games this season and Heupel has yet to publicly announce a decision. The Tigers’ coaching staff said both quarterbacks share similar attributes, so that doesn’t present as big of a concern. The offense will run at lightning speed regardless.
The Mizzou coaching staff tried to replicate that tempo in practice this week in preparation for Saturday’s game. Wilks explained that they used multiple looks and cards when running plays and had the offense use different terminology to speed up the pace as well.
“It’s hard to try to simulate exactly how it’s going to be, you’re just trying to get as close as you can,” Wilks said.
Practice speed is, of course, much different than game speed, and the Missouri defense will have its hands full trying to keep up with Tennessee come Saturday.
“Obviously, we’re gonna have to get our eyes over to the sideline and get the calls really quickly, because they go up tempo and they do not stop,” safety Shawn Robinson said. “But we’ll be ready.”
