Missouri Tigers grades are in, and they’re not pretty after lopsided loss at K-State
Here are the grades from the Missouri Tigers’ 40-12 loss at Kansas State on Saturday and a look ahead to the next opponent:
Offense: F
It rained most of the game, which was delayed twice for a total of about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Still, it’s difficult to imagine Missouri playing more poorly than it did. Interception ended four straight drives. Brady Cook was the team’s leading rusher, but Missouri averaged only 2.7 yards per rush.
Wide receiver Luther Burden was hardly involved and seemed to give up on a pass over the middle. After the game, wide receiver Tauskie Dove said Missouri probably should have gone downfield more early. The offense was a mess in this game.
Defense: C
Maybe too generous here, but after surrendering a pair of touchdown drives to open the game, Missouri allowed only two field goals on Kansas State’s next seven drives with the final three coming after Wildcat interceptions on K-State’s side of the field.
One of the defense’s biggest issues was not getting minus plays. Linebacker Chad Bailey recorded the team’s lone tackle for loss, for 1 yard.
Special teams: D
For the second straight week, punter Sean Koetting outkicked his coverage, and the Tigers couldn’t recover. The long punt went for a 42-yard return last week against Louisiana Tech. This time, Mizzou paid the ultimate price when Phillip Brooks went 75 yards for a touchdown.
Another lapse, this time on a return. With a minute before halftime, Missouri forced its first punt and could have had the ball around midfield. But instead of catching the ball, return man Kris Abrams-Draine let it bounce. The ball rolled 20 yards. Without a timeout, the Tigers didn’t have enough time to get into field-goal range.
On the plus side, Isaiah McGuire blocked an extra point, and Harrison Mevis booted two long field goals.
Coaching: F
This was an embarrassing loss on the level of the Tennessee defeat last year. After that game, the Tigers fired an assistant coach. Don’t look for that after the second game of the season. But in the third year of the Drinkwitz regime a loss like this shouldn’t happen.
“One game doesn’t define a season,” Drinkwitz said.
Next: Missouri returns to Faurot Field and takes on Abilene Christian, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. and will be televised on SEC Network plus.
Abilene Christian won its opening game last week over Lamar and played Prairie View A&M on Saturday night. This will be Missouri’s third non-conference game, and the Tigers will open SEC play the following week at Auburn.