For the first time all season, Mizzou finally faced some adversity when then-No. 24 Boston College came to Faurot Field and got a quick 14-3 lead in its Week 3 matchup.
Missouri weathered the storm on both sides of the ball and would score on four straight possessions once the Eagles took the 14-3 lead. During that same stretch, the defense would force two interceptions and three punts.
The Tigers did some great things, some good things and some things they need to correct going forward. So, let's talk about what went well, what went wrong and everything in between.
What went well: Missouri went 11-of-19 on third down and is fourth in the nation in third-down conversions and 4-of-4 in the red zone with two touchdowns. The team also forced two interceptions, winning the turnover battle two to nothing.
Boston College averaged just 1.8 yards per rush and was limited to 46 rushing yards. Its quarterback, Thomas Castellanos, only had 13 carries for 25 yards.
Kicker Blake Craig made all four of his field goal attempts from 38 (twice), 56 and 51 yards.
The ground game helped move the ball downfield when the passing game struggled early on in the game. Nate Noel had 22 carries for 121 yards and Marcus Carroll had 12 carries for 57 yards.
What went wrong: Missouri allowed two touchdown drives on its first three defensive possessions. The defense allowed three touchdowns overall and every single one was a communication or coverage bust. You can't have one coverage bust let alone three in the same game. That's inexcusable, especially playing a running team like Boston College. Penalties were also a problem (more on this below).
What the turning point was: Tre'Vez Johnson's interception in the second quarter with four minutes and 30 seconds left. Missouri had just answered with a field goal on its previous offensive possession to narrow the deficit to 14-6. Then, Johnson got an interception and returned it 22 yards to Boston College's 25-yard line. The offense would score a few plays later and get the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14. Mizzou never trailed again.
What to be hopeful for: The Tigers aren't ducking any smoke. What that means is when the team has some adversity it doesn't get into a shell and play scared. The players don't get beside themselves and start trying to play hero ball. They stayed the course and kept fighting. Good teams do things like that. Bad teams don't.
What to be concerned about: Penalties (still). Missouri entered this game tied for 110th in penalties with 17. The Tigers had another seven penalties on Saturday.
The good news is the offensive line only had one.
The bad news is Mizzou had two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and two personal fouls. There was a period in the third quarter where Mizzou had four penalties on five plays and was looking at a second and 58 from its 14-yard line.
Teams haven't been able to take advantage of Missouri's penalty troubles but eventually, someone will and it will cost the Tigers big time.
One penalty helped Boston College convert a third and 15. The Eagles would score a touchdown on that drive. Another penalty wiped away a 23-yard gain.
Player(s) of the game: Wide receiver Luther Burden
It was the game Missouri fans had been waiting for. When was Burden going to have a big day? Entering Week 3, he had seven receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown. His numbers were down partly because Mizzou didn't need him to defeat Murray State or Buffalo, so the team let younger players get some reps in for those games.
In the nation's only ranked versus ranked matchup, Burden showed up even though he wasn't targeted for the first 21 minutes of the game. He had three explosive plays (gains of 10 or more yards), including two for 38 and 44 yards, respectively. Burden finished with a game-high six receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also had an 11-yard reception on third down right before the two-minute timeout to effectively seal the win for Mizzou.
He had a couple of personal foul penalties that were pretty costly. But he bounced back with the aforementioned third-down reception and his post-game remarks.
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