Mizzou vs. Abilene Christian: Five things to know as Tigers lick wounds from last week
Can’t do anything about the loss at Kansas State. It was time to move on as the Missouri Tigers walked off the field. The only FCS opponent on Tigers’ schedule arrives Saturday and if Mizzou has a good week of practice it should record a comfortable victory over Abilene Christian.
An offense more in sync should be the priority. K-State came up with interceptions on four straight possessions to turn a convincing Wildcats victory into a laugher. Mizzou has this week and next to work on decision making and timing issues with quarterback Brady Cook.
The details
Kickoff: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Faurot Field, Columbia
TV: SEC Network plus
Radio: KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)
Betting line: No line against FCS opponent
Five things to know
1. Abilene Christian is 2-0. The Wildcats made the transition from Division II to FCS for the 2013 season. From 2017-21, the head coach was Adam Dorrel, who won three NCAA championships at Northwest Missouri State. He’s now the head coach at Central Oklahoma. Abilene Christian defeated Lamar and Prairie View A&M in its first two games.
2. Missouri has plenty to iron out on offense. Look, Kansas State appears to have an excellent defense. But the Tigers’ offense, which scored 45 points in its opening game, didn’t get into the end zone until the final play at Kansas State.
3. Get the ball to Luther Burden. The inability to get the ball to potentially its biggest weapon was a problem last week. Mizzou worked Burden into the attack in the opening week, even getting him direct snaps. That didn’t happen in Manhattan.
4. Learn the lessons, don’t get discouraged. A performance like last week’s can linger. And it can divide a locker room. That makes this week and next, when the Tigers prepare for their SEC opener at Auburn, an important one for coaches and captains. “That game really doesn’t define us,” wide receiver Tauskie Dove said. The Tigers need that kind of approach.
5. Get punt coverage fixed. My goodness, Missouri has surrendered a long punt return in each of its two games, and the one at Kansas State went for a touchdown. The Tigers outkicked their coverage and have paid dearly for it.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 3:04 PM.