Missouri Football moved to 5-0 on Saturday evening with yet another victory, this time over the University of Massachusetts on the 114th Homecoming.
The Tigers put a beatdown on the Minutemen 42-6 in a one-sided affair at Faurot Field and did what they needed to do, in large part, against what is widely considered the worst team in FBS Division One football.
Nonetheless, the manner in which the Tigers came out on top, but have some lingering concerns as they head into a bye week before hosting the SEC titan that is the Alabama Crimson Tide back at Faurot Field in just two weeks.
For the time being, as nitpicky as it may sound, here are three takeaways — or rather, three areas the Tigers should look to clean up over the next 11 days.
Secondary remains an issue
It’s really easy to look at Saturday’s box score and see a 14/39 mark, with just 105 yards and a touchdown for UMass split between two quarterbacks, and say that the Tigers were probably lock-down in the defensive backfield.
If only it were that simple.
While Mizzou did hold UMass to just over 100 yards in the air and was limited to just a touchdown, one thing people should keep in mind is that touchdown just so happened to be the Minutemen’s first in the air all season. Yes, in week four.
The score came on a first and goal from the two-yard line, where an I-formation look from the Minutemen pulled a heavy front by the Tigers, leaving Marvin Burks Jr on an island with UMass tight end Max Dowling, who slipped right past him for the score.
It also felt as though UMass was able to move the ball freely for what should be Missouri’s standards against a team of this caliber, with cornerback Daylan Carnell getting turned around on at least one occasion.
While things could undoubtedly be worse, the matchup goes to show there are still many strides to be made before this secondary can be trusted against the big dogs of college football. A scary prospect with the meat of the SEC schedule right around the corner.
Offensive line has work to do
After a rough start to the season, the offensive line looked to be one of the team’s strong suits heading into week five, and they were in one aspect of the game.
When the ball was on the ground, in the hands of either Ahmad Hardy or Jamal Roberts, the line went to work, plowing holes. Though when the time came to pass block, the big guys up front struggled mightily once more.
Mizzou’s line has allowed 12 sacks this season, four of which came against UMass, a third of all of the sacks let up by the Tigers this season.
Not only that, but they came against the worst team in FBS football, and a team that had just 4 sacks total in their first three games.
Now these numbers do come in lieu of the loss of Cayden Green. The Tigers’ preseason All-American left guard-converted-to-tackle was injured in practice before the week four game against South Carolina.
This opened the door for redshirt-junior Jayven Richardson to slot in at blindside tackle for Beau Pribula. The Baton Rouge native performed well in the Tigers’ win over the Gamecocks, but conversely struggled against UMass this past week as the Minutemen piled linemen on the left side to overwhelm the Tigers offensive line at times in the first half.
It is no secret that if the Tigers cannot protect Pribula against UMass, they won’t have a very fun time when they need to face the likes of Alabama, Texas A&M, and a top-ranked defense like Oklahoma.
Either the Tigers will have to run the heck out of the football or return to their prior form down the road because that kind of offensive line play will not cut it in this conference.
Potential is sky-high
For as easy as it is to pick out every little struggle this team goes through and break them down to every last iota, one thing remains clear – this team has insane potential if they can put it together.
That potential has been flashed on numerous occasions.
Whether it be in the statistical dominations over teams like Central Arkansas and Louisiana, where the Tigers didn’t give an inch of breathing room, or in two impressive comebacks over Kansas and South Carolina.
It is impossible to deny that if Missouri puts things together and plays how Drink, the fans, and even themselves know it can, it can easily be a College Football Playoff contender.
For that to happen, though, the Tigers need to start playing at that level, which begins with the quarterback, Beau Pribula.
If Pribula can play like he did through the first four weeks of the season, and in some aspects of how he did vs. UMass, that is the biggest factor in Mizzou making it far this season. Pribula was capped up for so long with Penn State, and everyone has seen the culmination of what happens when you let a talent like that sit through the first few games of the year.
Pribula has over 1200 yards and nine touchdowns while ranking in the top-25 in the entire nation in quarterback rating. Not to mention the things he can do with his legs.
The Tigers’ QB has the options to make things happen. Kevin Coleman Jr and Marquise Johnson headline an impressive crop of receivers that is shored up by the likes of Joshua Manning and Brett Norfleet.
Along with Pribula on offense, is the one aspect of this team we’ve yet to see flounder, the run game. Headlined by Heisman contender Ahmad Hardy, who is already nearing 1000 yards just a few weeks into the year, the Mizzou run game is the team’s top option. Jamal Roberts has also carved out a role for himself as he sees more and more snaps each week, racking up big runs and even bigger scores.
On the other side of the ball, everyone in central Missouri knows what this defense is capable of, at least the front half of it. The Mizzou defensive front is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. It has racked up some of the best numbers in college football over the first month of the season. If it can keep the pace up, it simply comes down to whether the secondary can lock down and begin to make plays.