After an offseason full of teeth-gnashing and angst, Missouri fans hoped to see a defense that was a whole lot closer to the 2015 and before version they’d grown used to than the oft-scored upon group they watched all of 2016. It almost had to be better, because how could it be worse?
No such luck on this day. The Tigers beat Missouri State 72-43, but that second number sent up a season’s full of red flags.
Missouri State gashed the Tiger defense for 492 yards and the 43 points were the third most it has scored in two-plus seasons under Dave Steckel (the other two were against juggernauts Indiana State and Southwestern Kansas College, an NAIA school).
“All those fingers point right directly at me,” head coach Barry Odom said. “Didn’t play worth a darn in the first half. Thought we tackled poorly, thought our intensity wasn’t very good.”
While the Internet was ablaze with anger and fans rained down some second quarter boos after one of the five Missouri State touchdowns before halftime, the reaction from the Tigers was remarkably calm.
“I don’t want to get in many arena football scores as we keep going,” Odom said. “You’re not going to get me down. We’re 1-0. I look forward to going back to work.”
“No, not at all,” Terry Beckner Jr. said when asked if there was concern about the defense. “First game jitters, we’ve got a lot to get better on.”
Those looking for a ray of sunshine—beyond the post-card perfect day at Faurot Field—might choose to hang their hats on the second half. The Bears had just 112 of their yards after the break and scored only eight points while the Tiger offense continued to run up and down the field.
“I think guys were just pissed off and we were just tired of it,” linebacker Kaleb Prewett said. “They put up too many points and I feel like we all just came to the realization that we’re just not going to let that happen anymore.”
Cause for concern? Absolutely. Reason to panic? Not for those directly involved. But they know they’ve got to get better in a hurry with South Carolina coming to town next weekend.
“We just weren’t ready. And they were,” Prewett said. “We’ve got South Carolina coming up and I feel like we’re going to be ready.”
LOCK LIGHTS UP THE RECORD BOOKS
Perhaps there would be more panic from the defense had Saturday’s game not resulted in a relatively comfortable 29-point margin of victory.
“I’m thankful for the way our offense played today,” Odom said. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of playmakers across the field. Drew (Lock) played about as well as I’ve seen him play.”
While Missouri’s defense was largely out of position or flailing at air as the Bears ran by, the Tiger offense was lethal. Lock set school records with 521 yards passing and seven touchdowns through the air.
“It’s really cool to break those records,” Lock said. “All the guys that played quarterback that I grew up watching and idolizing, I was tied with them last year and now I get to bump up ahead of them. It’s pretty crazy. It’s going to take me a while to really think about, but in the end, we got the ball in our receivers’ hands and they made some plays for me today.”
The fireworks got started early as Johnathon Johnson took a seven-yard pass and turned it into a 65-yard touchdown, outrunning the Missouri State defense with ease.
“I think we scored our first touchdown with 1:15 or something like that left in the game against West Virginia (last year),” Lock said. “To start it off, go out there and throw a little seven-yard hitch to JJ and let him do the rest, it felt pretty good.”
“Just a good feeling when you come out there and you can execute the first play and go all the way to the house,” J’Mon Moore said. “We did good preparing and it’s a great feeling.”
Johnson had 116 yards and two touchdowns. Moore had 187 and two scores, including three catches of at least 50 yards. All three tight ends caught passes, including the first touchdown of Albert Okwuegbunam’s career.
“It’s exciting to see some of the guys who haven’t played before step in and do well on that side of the ball,” Odom said. “Offensive we know what we can do. There’s a standard and an expectation that we have.”
Now the task for the offense is backing it up.
“It’s extremely important,” tailback Damarea Crockett said. “I feel like it’s almost what we have to do. We have to come with better focus, better everything starting tomorrow.”
CROCKETT DINGED BY NEW RULE
Missouri could have had four more points on the scoreboard. Damarea Crockett appeared to have his third touchdown on a third quarter run. But as he dove into the end zone, a flag flew from an official on the goal line. Crockett was flagged for excessive celebration and due to a new rule, the points came off the board and a 15-yard penalty was assessed from the two-yard line where he started his dive.
“I was really surprised,” Crockett said. “Honest to God, I wasn’t trying to celebrate. I thought somebody was behind me. At the end of the day the referee made the right call.” “He said he broke the tackle, didn’t know where he was, was going to make sure he got in the end zone,” Odom said. “Officials are always right.
“Live with it and learn from it and don’t do it again.”
Missouri ended up settling for a field goal on the drive.
The flag on Crockett wasn’t the only costly one. Safety Cam Hilton was flagged for targeting on a third quarter punt return. He was ejected from the game and will have to sit for the first half next Saturday against South Carolina.
PLENTY OF NEW FACES
The following true freshmen saw the field for the first time on Saturday: Larry Rountree III, Chris Turner, Jamal Brooks, Adam Sparks, Jordan Ulmer, Tyree Gillespie, Joshuah Bledsoe, Kobie Whiteside and Aubrey Miller. Ulmer got the start at safety and made six tackles and Rountree carried 11 times for 41 yards and a touchdown after halftime.
The Tigers also debuted four junior college signees from last year’s recruiting class in Yasir Durant, Nate Anderson, Rashad Brandon and Walter Palmore. Palmore tied for a team-high with six tackles and Anderson came up with a sack. Brandon’s debut may have been the most impressive with 2.5 tackles for loss and a couple of plays where he nearly beat the snap across the line of scrimmage.
McCANN BOUNCES BACK AFTER SCARY START
The freshman struggles of kicker Tucker McCann had been a hot topic all offseason. His first minute of play did nothing to quell the fears. Following Johnson’s touchdown, McCann clanked the first extra point attempt off the right upright. His ensuing kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Bears possession at the 35-yard line.
He did rebound to make his next nine extra points and a 35-yard field goal.
“I was surprised,” Odom said. “I’m glad he got back on track. Had plenty of opportunities obviously. But we can’t go down that road. We don’t have time to do that.”
LOGAN SUSPENDED FOR SIX GAMES
A notable player missing on Saturday was defensive tackle A.J. Logan, who started most of last year and was listed second-string on this week’s depth chart, did not see the field. After the game, Missouri announced that Logan is serving a six-game suspension in relation to the ongoing academic investigation by the NCAA. The investigation revolves around accusations of academic impropriety first made by former tutor Yolanda Kumar last November.
“I still like what we’re doing up front with our interior defensive tackle position,” Odom said after the game. “We’ve got five guys there really I’m excited about going and playing.”
“I am looking forward to representing Mizzou on the football field as a senior this fall, however I want to let Tiger fans know that I will not be playing during our first six games this season,” Logan said in a statement handed out by Mizzou after the game. “Please understand that I accept this penalty as a consequence of my actions and that I have fully cooperated with both the University and the NCAA throughout the review process. While I am saddened that I will miss six games of my senior year, I know in my heart that I have told the truth, cooperated with the University and NCAA and taken full responsibility for my actions. I believe my integrity remains intact and I am now focused on working hard in the classroom and on the field in the weeks ahead.”
I am proud of A.J. for being honest and transparent with our staff and the NCAA During this ongoing process,” Odom said in the same statement. “He has been forthright and cooperative throughout the entire review and I look forward to watching him walk across the stage with his Mizzou degree in December. While he won’t be on the field for the first half of the seasons, I am confident he will be ready when he returns in mid-October.”
Mizzou officials said that there is one other football player who is involved in the NCAA investigation, but that player cannot be identified because his situation is not yet resolved.
MOORE PROUD TO HONOR HIS HOME STATE
J’Mon Moore, a native of Missouri City, TX, led the team on the field carrying a Texas flag as a show of solidarity with those dealing with problems resulting from Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the surrounding areas.
“A great experience just to be able to run out there and have that flag,” Moore said. “A lot of people down there are suffering, but the community down there, everybody works together, everybody’s coming together and it’s going to be a quick recovery.”
