Mizzou cruised to a six-score lead in the first half of their Week One game against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, eventually winning comfortably by a score of 54-14. It was largely a snooze fest… but we still need to find five takeaways!
1. Welcome to CoMo, Austin Simmons!
At the end of his post-game interview on SEC Network, Eli Drinkwitz pointed to his curly-headed quarterback and said, “The story is him.” And there’s no doubt about it – the story of the night was indeed Austin Simmons.
In his first start for the Tigers, Simmons was nearly perfect, going 17-19 for 252 yards and 4 touchdowns, two to Donovan Olugbode. He started off slow with multiple check-down throws before eventually showing off his incredible arm strength, throwing six passes of 15-plus yards. And while the deep throws are nice to see, what was most encouraging was the way he kept the ball out of harm’s way and displayed accuracy at all three levels of the field.
It’s early, and the Tigers need to play a defense that isn’t overmatched. But the early signs point to a passing attack Mizzou fans can really salivate over.
2. Transfers stake their claims
It’s not as if Mizzou’s entire transfer class had evenings to remember against the Golden Lions. However, there were a few newcomers that made a noticeable difference.
- Sophomore safety Elijah Dotson (from Michigan) was all over the place early, trading crunching tackles with tight coverage. He logged a tackle for loss, forced a fumble and had an interception called back on an unrelated roughing the passer penalty.
- Receiver Cayden Lee (Ole Miss) proved he’ll be a massive help to Simmons in the passing game. Donovan Olugbode stole the show, but Lee had a night of his own to remember with four catches, 80 yards receiving and his first Mizzou score.
- Sione Laulea (Oregon) was targeted by the Golden Lions early but quickly proved to be a menace to their receivers. He didn’t give up anything of note in his first Tiger outing.
- Xai’Shaun Edwards (Houston Christian) averaged 6.4 yards per carry for 45 total yards rushing. He also added two catches for 14 yards, often looking like the most explosive player out of the backfield.
- Brunno Reus (Florida State) pinned two punts inside the UAPB 10-yard line, though one was called back for a penalty. He responded by punting the ball 52 yards and having it barely trickle into the end zone.
Even if they didn’t get much run, the staff has to feel good about how their transfer class started their Mizzou careers.
3. Missing Ahmad?
Since Ahmad Hardy’s injury in the middle of the summer, Mizzou fans have been eager to lean on the security that Jamal Roberts provides. He is, after all, a starting caliber running back occupying a backup role. If anyone can cover for the All-American, it’s Roberts. Nevermind the lack of reports that Hardy is close. Or that he’s reportedly still not practicing at full speed during game week one. And that Drinkwitz has said he wants two full weeks of practice before he considers bringing Hardy back…
It didn’t impact the outcome of the game, but the Tigers’ run game didn’t exactly do much to quell any growing anxiety about Hardy’s absence. Roberts did what he could and ended up with a rushing touchdown and some chunk runs. But he spent much of the night getting hit at the line of scrimmage while the starting offensive line struggled to get any real push at the point of contact. With Cayden Green sidelined with an injury, Jack Lange filled in and struggled against FCS defenders. All that and a few penalties didn’t make for an inspiring evening for Mizzou’s bread-and-butter rushing attack.
4. Typical Week One sloppiness
If you stuck around through the end of the game, you might have caught Eli Drinkwitz’s frosty interview to start the fourth quarter. In it, he criticized the energy from both the players and the staff, called out multiple special teams penalties and called the offense’s play “embarrassing.” And it wasn’t all that surprising.
To say that Mizzou went into cruise control or let off the gas after going up 40-0 near the end of the fourth quarter would be generous. It felt more like they shut off the car and got out entirely, getting outscored 7-0 in the third quarter. They restored the lead to 40 by the end of the game, but Drinkwitz still took the opportunity to criticize the “lack of focus” in the second half.
He ended the interview by saying it was a good opportunity for him to clean things up between week one and week two. Typical early September stuff, though the Tigers will hope it doesn’t continue into their first road trip.
5. Bye-bye buy games!
Gone are the days when we get to count on two or three automatic wins before SEC play. Things get interesting next week as the Tigers head to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks in a game that feels straightforward… but are rivalry games ever? If the Tigers want to head into SEC play undefeated, they won’t be able to take anything for granted. It gets real from here.