Notebook: Missouri keeping last year's flop vs. Purdue in the past

When Drew Lock turned on the game film from Missouri’s 35-3 loss to Purdue last season, he hardly recognized the offense on the screen. Lock said he can usually remember specific play calls and drives from past games, but he described that game as “weird” and “blurry.”

The loss was indeed an anomaly for the Missouri offense. It represented season-lows in both points and total yardage. The Tigers only possessed the ball for 16:17 — just over one quarter of the game. Neither wide receiver Emanuel Hall nor tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, the team’s two main threats in the passing game this year, caught a pass.

For not only the offense but the entire team, it was the lowest point in the Tigers’ five-game losing streak during the first half of the season.

Lock watched the game film Monday morning, on his own, just to pick up on Purdue’s defensive tendencies. He wasn’t in search of motivation to avenge last season’s blowout. Players and coaches echoed that sentiment as they spoke with media members on Tuesday: They’re not framing this week’s rematch as an opportunity for revenge.

“Having built-up aggression, anger, going into this week is the last thing a quarterback needs,” Lock said. “We can let the big guys use that if they feel like they need to use that. But I’m just going to keep a level head and think about it like another game.”

One of those “big guys up front,” offensive tackle Paul Adams, said the offensive line isn’t fueling itself with thoughts of payback, either. He’s more concerned about keeping the record unblemished before SEC play begins.

“A lot of people are probably like, this is a revenge game, but at the same time, I think we’re all just kind of looking forward,” Adams said. “Obviously what they did to us last year was embarrassing to us, but we have a chance to go 3-0, something we haven’t done since 2015.”

After watching film from last year’s game, Lock is confident the Tiger offense will avoid making the same mistakes. Lock said the team’s current offensive scheme is “completely different” than it was a year ago. He said he never would have watched the film if he thought the unit could possibly play that poorly again.

Head coach Barry Odom said the coaching staff did make players re-watch film from the Purdue game last season. They used it to illustrate some of the mistakes that plagued the team during its 1-5 start to the season. He didn’t see value in making the team sit down and watch the game again.

“We’ve already addressed that one so many times that we don’t really need to go back there,” Odom said. “They know what happened that Saturday afternoon and the lessons that came from it.”

While Odom doesn’t want his players to dwell on the negative aspects of last season’s meeting, he’s also cautioned them not to take confidence from Purdue’s early-season struggles. The Boilermakers opened the year with consecutive home losses to Northwestern and Eastern Michigan.

Odom believes those results don’t portray Purdue’s talent level and that, if anything, the team’s 0-2 start will make it more fired up to face Missouri. He’s made sure the Tiger players are aware of that.

“They could be 2-0 really, really easily,” Odom said. “It came down to the last possession really both games. So they’re a talented group, they got great coaches, they’ll be ready and amped up to go. We’ll get their best shot.”

Defense preparing to face dynamic freshman

One of the keys to beating Purdue on Saturday will be containing all-purpose weapon Rondale Moore. Moore, a true freshman, set a Purdue school record by accounting for 313 total yards during the team’s season-opener against Northwestern. During the game, Moore racked up 109 yards and a touchdown through the air, 125 yards on five kick returns and scored on a 79-yard rush.

Odom said Tuesday that game film of Moore “looks like it’s in fast-forward.”

“Wherever he is on the field, you better know about it, because he can go from anywhere, and they try to get him the ball,” Odom said.

While the Missouri defense will take note of where Moore lines up on each play, Odom said it won’t do anything special to in an effort to stop him. He said the key for the unit will be remaining disciplined in its assignments.

“Making sure your fundamentals, your eyes, your keys, your habits, all those things, one play at a time, are in check,” Odom said. “If not, they’ll find a way to expose it pretty quick.”

Sparks brothers to face off again

Missouri cornerback Adam Sparks has been talking to his older brother, Jared, about guarding him for almost two years now. Jared is a wide receiver at Purdue, and ever since Sparks committed to Missouri in the class of 2017 and saw that the Tigers and Boilermakers would play a home-and-home series, he said he and his brother have traded smack talk about who would win if they were matched up on the field.

Saturday, the two brothers might finally get to settle the debate.

Adam, a sophomore, was on Missouri’s roster for last season’s matchup with Purdue, but he didn’t play during the game. Now, he’s a starter. Jared is Purdue’s second-leading receiver. Chances are good that at some point Saturday they’ll line up opposite one another. To make the stakes higher, Adam said a family member rented out a charter bus so that about 50 friends and relatives can be in the stands for the game.

Adam said the two brothers exchange “playful smack talk” about the matchup from time to time, but it’s “nothing personal.” He spoke with Jared last weekend, but they avoided talking about the impending showdown.

“We really weren’t talking about the game much,” Adam said. “We were just shooting the breeze.”

Adam said he probably won’t speak to his brother again before kickoff, though he might send him a text or two “to make sure I’m in his head.” After the game ends, he’s excited to put the competition aside.

“It will be back to happiness,” Sparks said. “We’re real close, so after that, we’re back on the same team.”

Injury report

When receiver and punt returner Richaud Floyd broke a bone in his leg during fall camp, there was hope that he might be able to return in time for the matchup with Purdue. However, Floyd hasn’t yet returned to practice with the team, and Odom confirmed on Tuesday that he won’t be ready to play by Saturday.

Odom said Floyd ran for the first time on Sunday and then ran again Tuesday, but his leg isn’t yet strong enough to plant and change directions.

“If we could just get him out there and run straight ahead, he could do it, but the change of direction and some of those things, he won’t be game-ready yet,” Odom said.

In other injury news, linebacker Terez Hall wore a red jersey, which signifies an injury, during Tuesday’s practice, but Odom said he’s simply “an inside linebacker being banged up a little bit.” Hall is expected to play Saturday. Safety Joshuah Bledsoe, who missed the team’s game against Wyoming due to an illness, participated fully in Tuesday’s practice and is expected to play this week as well.