Missouri got a couple of big bonuses out of their Week 5 bye.
The first being they got to sit home and watch as Ole Miss lost 20-13 to Kentucky and Utah lost 23-10 to Arizona, meaning the Tigers regained two spots in the AP poll they had lost after the two-overtime scare against Vanderbilt. Ole Miss dropped from No. 6 to No. 12 and Utah went from No. 10 to No. 18, bringing Missouri back into the top-10 at No. 9.
Plus they got to watch a fantastic game between now-No. 1 Alabama and No. 5 Georgia, which ended with the best-case scenario for the Tigers with the Tide winning, but proving they can be beat as Georgia nearly stormed back to win.
But rankings and down-the-line scenarios aside, the Tigers’ two byes come at about the perfect time in the schedule, splitting the regular season into even thirds.
Missouri got through its first four games undefeated, facing two cupcakes and two legitimate challenges, and even if Boston College and Vanderbilt weren’t really supposed to be challenges, the Tigers took a few hits and got back up to stay undefeated.
Now, like coach Eli Drinkwitz said after the Vanderbilt game, the Tigers had a week to focus on themselves and try to improve in necessary ways.
The first being the red zone efficiency on offense and the coverage busts that have plagued the defense both of the past two games.
The Tigers’ sit at 92.31 percent scoring on red zone chances, but have been forced to attempt four field goals in the red zone the past two games and are averaging four field goal attempts per game. If Missouri wants to have the long-term success it's looking for this season, capitalizing with touchdowns when the Tigers give themselves an opportunity will be key.
The offense has been fantastic between the 20s, the Tigers rank 22nd in the country with 4.3 red zone trips per game and have scored 15 touchdowns and made five field goals in those attempts. Only leaving the red zone without points once, a missed field goal against Vanderbilt, is a pretty good run for the first four games. Missouri has also made it past its opponent’s 30 another four times, all coming in the past two games.
But if you take out the two cupcakes, that rate drops all the way to nine red zone trips with five touchdowns and four made field goals. And of those four extra trips within the 30, the Tigers have left with only two field goals.
The amount of offensive drives that stalled within striking distance has been a major problem that the Tigers have escaped without too much issue because they started the season with the easiest portion of the schedule.
Going on the road for the first time this season facing a Texas A&M team coming in on a four-game winning streak will be tougher.
The bye gave the Tigers a perfect opportunity to figure out what was leading to the lack of execution in the red zone and set themselves up better to take advantage of their opportunities..
On the defensive side, the coverage busts the past two weeks have made what should have been dominant performances into nearly toss ups.
Two 50-plus yard touchdowns for Boston College and another to open the game for Vanderbilt have put the Tigers on their heels early in each game.
Outside of those three plays, Missouri’s defense has been fantastic all season, ranking third in total defense with just 219.0 yards allowed per game, though that’s helped by performances of 85 yards allowed against Murray State and 169 yards allowed against Buffalo.
But one or two missed plays against better teams could be the difference between the Tigers competing for a conference championship or not.
The combination of offensive and defensive issues nearly ended the Tigers’ hopes for the postseason before they really got started.
With the extra week focused on themselves, the Tigers had the chance to improve the major issues on both sides of the ball, all while watching themselves rise in the rankings and seeing Alabama set the table for Missouri to control its own destiny in the conference.
It was the perfect week for a bye if you ask me.
