Mizzou takeaways: 4 straight picks and other observations from a 40-12 loss at K-State
Whew. That was a rough second game of the season for the Tigers.
Here are five takeaways from Missouri’s 40-12 nonconference loss on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Bill Snyder Family Stadium:
First, the QB: Now what?
This was a brutal game for Tigers quarterbacks. Starter Brady Cook couldn’t muster much offense beyond a couple of early runs and a 39-yards completion to Dominic Lovett. He didn’t get Missouri into the red zone on his drives and threw interceptions on successive third-quarter possessions on K-State’s end of the field.
Cook also took some tough hits. He came out for one play, returned, and threw his second pick.
Cook was replaced after that play by Jack Abraham. His second attempt became his first interception. His third attempt produced his second interception.
Add it up, and four straight Missouri possessions in the second half ended in turnovers. Ugh.
Cook returned early in the fourth quarter and finished the game. But either way, the position did not deliver on Saturday. The Tigers finished with 222 total yards and didn’t get into the end zone until the final play of the game. Missouri didn’t attempt the extra point.
The Tigers have this: Their 1-yard run into the end zone by Cody Schrader was the first touchdown scored against Kansas State this season.
The wet conditions could’ve factored into MU’s poor play in the pocket. But does Missouri throw open the competition now, giving opportunities to freshman Sam Horn or last year’s reserve, Tyler Macon?
The answer, said coach Eli Drinkwitz, is no change the position.
“Brady’s our quarterback,” Drinkwitz said.
So, why the change?
“I was trying to light a spark, or get something else going,” Drinkwitz said.
Next week, Missouri has a game against a FCS opponent, Abilene Christian, to build some confidence in the quarterback position. The Tigers’ opponent after that? Auburn in the SEC opener.
Defense finally broke
After allowing touchdowns on Kansas State’s first two possessions, Missouri’s defense buckled down. The Tigers forced punts on the next four K-State drives.
MU’s defense played its best with its back to the wall. When the interception spree started, with all of the picks occurring on the Kansas State side of the field, the Mizzou defense limited the Wildcats to a pair of field goals.
“It’s always a confidence booster, an energy booster when you get a couple of stops,” linebacker Chad Bailey said.
After the fourth pick, MU’s discouraged defense finally broke down. Deuce Vaughn rumbled for gains of 29 and 24 yards, the second one for a touchdown. The dam had burst.
Missouri’s defense played better than the score. The offense played worse. And Drinkwitz’s Tigers, who opened their season on a Thursday, had two extra days to prepare.
Losing battles on the line
The Tigers’ best first-half moment came on their first possession. They took the kickoff and drove 44 yards before Harrison Mevis banged a 49-yard field goal to open the scoring.
The big plays on that possession were a pair of first-down runs by Cook.
After that, Missouri didn’t record another first down for about 90 minutes. An hour rain delay hurt, but so did three possessions that totaled minus-1 yard. This stretch established the game’s direction. K-State’s defense was having its way and winning the line-of-scrimmage battle.
The big play after the delay: surrendering Phillip Brooks’ 76-yard punt return to fall behind 20-3.
Quiet day for Luther Burden
For Missouri to have a shot, it needed to get freshman wide receiver Luther Burden III involved. That didn’t happen. He would up with one reception for 3 yards and a rush for 6 yards.
Credit Kansas State’s defense for taking Burden out of the game, but there were other reasons for the poor showing. The Tigers missed a big-play opportunity in the second quarter after Burden got a step behind a defender on a post pattern.
The ball from Cook came high and only a catch in stride could’ve produced a huge play. But the ball seemed catch-able if Burden had left his feet. He didn’t, and the Tigers had another empty play.
Wet and miserable (for Mizzou)
The players, coaches and field were soaked by an off-and-on, mostly on, rain all afternoon.
That was a shame for a big crowd that came out to watch these old Big 12 and Big Eight rivals play for the first time since 2011. The stadium gates didn’t open until until about 40 minutes before kickoff and pregame festivities were eliminated.
The teams and fans endured a 15-minute delay at kickoff and another delay of an hour in the second quarter.
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 3:38 PM.