10/7/2023 football Edit

Blown opportunities and misfortunes cost Mizzou, fall 49-39 to LSU

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

COLUMBIA, Mo. 一 Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz pleaded all week for fans to be in their seats early on Saturday at Faurot Field to build a true home-field advantage for the Tigers’ game versus No. 23 LSU and they did.

The 62,621 fans who packed the stadium were loud and raucous for the first 58 minutes of the game and then the proverbial floor fell from underneath Mizzou and fans went from barely hearing themselves talk to being able to hear themselves breathe loud and clear.

After allowing LSU to take a 42-39 lead with a little less than three minutes to go in the game, Missouri’s offense quickly got into enemy territory and had a chance to win the game or at least attempt a closer field goal that would've tied the game.

That was until Missouri started to sabotage itself.

On second and one from LSU’s 41-yard line, center Connor Tollison would commit a snap infraction penalty to make it third and six. Then, quarterback Brady Cook would get strip-sacked with right guard Cam’Ron Johnson recovering the snap for a loss of 22 yards, creating a fourth and forever.

Even though the game wasn't over at that point. That’s the moment when over 60,000 Mizzou fans could hear their own breaths again.

The wind was taken out of Mizzou's sails and the energy that had engulfed the stadium was gone with a similar hush-like tone and energy echoing through Mizzou's locker room after its 49-39 loss to LSU.

“I didn’t say much. I think our locker room was dead silent. I think you could’ve went in there and dropped a pen and you would’ve heard it,” defensive end Darius Robinson said. … "I think Coach Drink hit it on the head about getting better and we have a lot of ball left. … So, obviously, this hurts today but tomorrow watch the tape and get better and we can move on to Kentucky.”

Missouri came out the gate hot with three straight touchdowns to start its first three possessions, the first of which had Mizzou attempting and converting a two-point conversion to start the game 8-0.

The Tigers (5-1) of Columbia would get out to a 22-7 lead early in the second half after freshman tight end Brett Norfleet got his first career touchdown, but from then on, the momentum started to go LSU's way slowly but surely.

LSU (4-2) responded with a field goal to make the deficit 10-22 and then Brady Cook's streak for most pass attempts (366) without an interception, was snapped a week after he broke the record when he tried to find Luther Burden III across the middle and he was intercepted by linebacker Harold Perkins Jr.

LSU would turn that into seven points and narrow the deficit to 22-17 before Mizzou would tack on a 50-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis to go into halftime with a 25-17 lead.

So, despite it seeming like Missouri was on the verge of blowing LSU out going into halftime, it only led by eight, and whatever momentum it had built up had dissipated once the second half got going.

"I'm not sure (what changed for Mizzou after halftime)," left tackle Javon Foster said. "I just know as an offensive line we need to do our job better and clean up a few things, but I'm not sure."

In the first half, Mizzou had 271 total yards, 13 first downs, was 2-of-4 on third down and had scored on four of its five offensive possessions. In the second half, Mizzou had 256 total yards, had 10 first downs, was 2-of-7 on third down and was outscored 32-14 in its eight possessions.

Outside of its two touchdowns, it had two missed field goals, two punts, a turnover on downs and an interception returned for a touchdown.

Mevis' first field goal was a 44-yard attempt that was to the right and well short of the uprights, and he missed a 54-yard attempt with less than 10 seconds in the game as Mizzou trailed by 10.

Luke Bauer's first punt only went 17 yards, although his second one did go for 74 yards and pinned LSU inside its own 15-yard line.

Officially, LSU had 14 points off of two turnovers (Cook's interceptions), but when you add in points it got off the good field position from the missed field goal and the first punt, LSU really got 24 points off of turnovers and or shortfield opportunities.

Then, add in the team's 11 penalties for 62 yards, some dropped passes and not capitalizing on LSU's missed field goal up 32-27, and that made for a game that slipped through Missouri's hands.

"We've been living on the edge with a couple of things on both sides of the ball that ultimately showed up today that cost us an opportunity to win the game," Drinkwitz said. "Obviously, two turnovers are critical, inability to create turnovers and our inability to contain the quarterback ultimately led us to not being able to get the win."

Defense is reeling

To add to Missouri’s woes was its defense not showing up to play. In fact, one of its players was no longer allowed to play at one point.

Defensive end Johnny Walker got ejected in the third quarter after getting his second personal conduct penalty. The first penalty was for kicking or stepping on someone while the second one was something the entire stadium and viewers at home could hear.

As an official went over to Drinkwitz to explain Walker's ejection, the official's hot mic caught him telling Drinkwitz that Walker spat on another player.

"Yeah, that's disappointing. Not representative of the way we want to play this game. And we've got to respond better to our players and (it) starts with me as a head coach," Drinkwitz said. "But we lost a defensive pass rush player guy who's been playing at a high level for us and that's something that as a team, we can't do. We can't beat ourselves and we can't let our emotions get out of control and out of check."

Missouri allowed one touchdown sandwiched in between two punts to start the game and it looked like the Tigers of Missouri may be able to stop the nation's sixth-ranked offense.

Then Mizzou allowed four straight scoring drives (two field goals and two touchdowns) and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels willed his team to a win despite suffering a rib injury.

He was limited to 5-of-8 completions for 70 yards, a touchdown and seven carries for 36 yards in the first half and then in the second half he exploded.

After halftime, he'd complete 10-of-13 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He'd also add eight carries for 94 yards and a touchdown.

All in all, he completed 15-of-21 for 259 yards and three touchdowns while adding 15 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown.

"He's a great player, man," Robinson said. "We've just got to get better on defense and just find better ways to stop him but I don't think there will be a lot of guys like him (left on Mizzou's schedule)."

"Yeah. I don't know. It goes from one thing to the next. You know, we had a couple of zero pressures there where we had free rushers that ultimately, he doesn't make the tackle in the first half," Drinkwitz said. "And then in the second half, we weren't able to force him (Daniels) into throwing the ball. We were giving up way too many yards in the run game. We will have to go back and look and strip it back down to zero and build it back up."

Mizzou entered the game with the nation's 29th-ranked defense and the eighth-best run defense in the country but gave up 42 points (when you don't include Cook's interception returned for a touchdown), 533 total yards (274 rushing) and allowed 22 points in the fourth quarter a week after allowing Vandy to score 14 points in the fourth quarter.

It also had six of the teams' 11 penalties and recorded just two sacks and three tackles for loss en route to allowing the most points at home since a 62-24 loss to Tennessee in Week 5 of the 2021 season.

What to look forward to

For Mizzou fans, it's a tough loss. It was a game that Missouri led most of the way, but there are some things to be proud of and look forward to.

For one, the offense got off to the best start to any game it has had in a while. To start the year, many wondered if this offense could just get a first-drive touchdown let alone three to start the game.

The unit also amassed 527 total yards and played a very well-balanced game.

Secondly, running back Cody Schrader fought through a quad injury, that Drinkwitz admitted he thought was going to sideline Schrader for this game.

The former Truman State product not only played but was one of the team's best players on Saturday. He had 13 carries for 114 yards and his first three-touchdown game as a Tiger.

"Yeah, I suffered a quad contusion early on in the season and then it just continued to kind of get worse," Schrader said. "But I just attacked rehab hard this week and I was able to play today."

Cook completed 30-of-47 passes for 395 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (and one returned for a touchdown). If that's his worst game of the season, Missouri should be able to live with that.

That doesn't mean his miscues weren't bad because they were.

His first interception was a bad read because Burden was covered well by one defender and then there was a safety behind him too, so the catch would've been difficult regardless.

The second interception was another pass forced to Burden that he threw from his own end zone that was returned for a touchdown..

He also had that fumble that led to Mizzou losing 22 yards of field position.

But he led the offense on six scoring drives, four of which were 70 yards or more, and all six drives were three minutes and 45 seconds or less. He bounced back from his first interception well and didn't change his game up because he made a mistake.

In a battle of elite wide receivers, Burden's numbers held up well to LSU receiver Malik Nabers, who finished with six receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Burden recorded 11 receptions for 149 yards which marks his third straight game with 10 or more receptions for 100 or more yards.

Missouri had this game won a number of times, and entering Saturday, it was playing with house money to begin with. A lot of people scheduled this as a loss when the schedule came out.

Sure, it's not a loss a Mizzou fan wants once they see how the first half went for Missouri, but this isn't a loss fans should hang their head about for too long.

There's things to fix but a lot of progress has already been made on other issues the team had coming into the season.

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