Grading the Tigers

Each Sunday, PowerMizzou.com hands out grades at every position. Today, we look back on the 31-21 loss to South Carolina.

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QUARTERBACK: Drew Lock wasn't awful, outside of an interception that turned the game. But we keep waiting for him to be good. And it hasn't really happened. It didn't on Saturday. Even when quarterback isn't the reason Mizzou loses, it isn't the reason Mizzou wins either. FINAL GRADE: C-

RUNNING BACK: When they finally got the ball, they were pretty good. Damarea Crockett and Ish Witter combined to run for 162 yards on 24 carries. That's nearly seven yards a pop. Each had a touchdown run of 25 yards or longer. Not much more you can ask out of these two. They can only produce when given the opportunity. FINAL GRADE: A

WIDE RECEIVER: J'Mon Moore and Dimetrios Mason combined for 142 yards on 14 catches, which is decent. But Mason had a fumble that handed the Gamecocks their first seven points. And the Tigers just don't really have a difference maker right now. Like Lock, even when they don't beat the Tigers, they don't help them beat someone else. FINAL GRADE: C

TIGHT END: Like the running backs, when asked, these guys produced. Sean Culkin and Kendall Blanton had six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. That's good enough from this position. FINAL GRADE: A-

OFFENSIVE LINE: The penalties were greatly reduced. Lock was sacked three times, so there was more pressure than previous games. But overall, there was enough protection and enough running lanes. Decent effort up front. FINAL GRADE: B

DEFENSIVE LINE: Missouri had four sacks and a season-high nine tackles for loss. That doesn't include a number of other times they were close and couldn't corral Jake Bentley. The Gamecocks averaged just 3.6 yards per rush. Overall, this was a much improved effort up front. Charles Harris flashed multiple times, which is good to see. FINAL GRADE: B

LINEBACKERS: Eric Beisel has turned into a guy Missouri can count on. He led the way with 14 tackles, including two behind the line. Brandon Lee had 11, T.J. Warren showed flashes, Joey Burkett had one of his best games and Donavin Newsom even had four tackles despite barely being able to play. All this after Cale Garrett was booted on the second defensive series. FINAL GRADE: B

SECONDARY: Missouri got constantly outfought for passes. It happened all over the field. And the Tigers missed some key tackles, particularly Anthony Sherrils. While the rest of the defense was improved, this was not the secondary's best day. FINAL GRADE: D-

SPECIAL TEAMS: Two missed field goals that were killers. Two kickoffs out of bounds. Two muffed punts. Return games that are a non-factor. FINAL GRADE: F

COACHING: Missouri was better. It competed. It had a chance. But it can't put a complete game together and can't avoid shooting itself in the foot. This doesn't look like a team that has quit. But it also doesn't look like a good team or a particularly well-coached one. FINAL GRADE: D+