Penalties stall an early Mizzou Tigers drive before game against Vols gets out of hand
Entering Saturday’s contest against Missouri on Faurot Field, Tennessee averaged 74.75 penalty yards per game. But it was Mizzou that was burdened by mistakes in a 62-24 loss to the Vols.
The Tigers should have had a touchdown on their second drive to tie the score, but holding penalties cost them.
First, a holding call on Keke Chism erased a 36-yard completion from Connor Bazelak to wide receiver Chance Luper, turning third-and-14 into just third-and-9 on what should have been a huge gain.
A few plays later, offensive lineman Javon Foster was called for holding on a 21-yard rush from Tyler Badie. Shortly after that, offensive lineman Hyrin White committed a holding penalty of his own, bringing up a first-and-20 situation that Mizzou never recovered from. The Tigers had to settle for a 43-yard field goal.
“I don’t know what happened,” Bazelak said of the penalties on that drive. “I don’t know if they were picking on us or what, but I mean, just gotta overcome the adversity and we really gotta play the game to the point where refs don’t matter.”
The Tigers had five penalties for 48 yards in the first quarter alone. By halftime, it was eight penalties for 82 yards. They finished the day with a total of nine penalties for 98 yards. Tennessee only had two for 20 yards.
This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 3:26 PM.
