Gainesville, Fla. – There was a light rain at the beginning of the Missouri-Florida SEC matchup, and it eventually poured. From a figurative standpoint the “when it rains it pours” saying was very much present as the Gators had full control of the game from the get-go and poured it on, leading by as much as 26 in the fourth quarter on two separate occasions.
One of the things Missouri had to accomplish if they had any chance of winning was to get off to a fast start, giving them confidence and taking the air out of the crowd at the Swamp. That didn’t happen as the Tigers were not able to get a first down on their first six tries—finishing just 4-15 on third down attempts.
On top of the inability to get sustained offensive production, Drew Lock threw two pick-sixes that changed the complexion of the game, making a would-be 6-0 deficit at halftime a 20-0 deficit. After finishing just 4/18 with 39 yards, Lock will certainly have a lot to improve upon for next week’s game.
Despite the early third quarter looking promising for Missouri, they weren’t able to build off the momentum after Josh Augusta’s touchdown continuing to give up big plays and allowed Florida to keep its foot on the gas pedal, having complete control of the game and not giving Mizzou an inch.
For what it’s worth, Damarea Crocket and Ish Witter did finish the game with 145 and 82 yards respectively, a season high for both of them. A lot of the rushing yards did occur well after Florida had command of the game, but if the passing production continues to be absent from Mizzou’s offensive attack, Josh Heupel will be best served to have his highest focus being finding a way to design plays putting those two running backs in a position to succeed and sink or swim with the running game.
Mizzou currently sits at 2-4 and 0-2 in the SEC. The Tigers will look to get back on track next week during the homecoming game against Middle Tennessee State.
FINAL: Florida 40 Missouri 14