Sunday Grade Card

Quarterback: Drew Lock didn’t put up the most gaudy numbers of his career, finishing 21 of 30 for 257 yards and two touchdowns, but he was hurt by two dropped deep balls, both of which would have been touchdowns. He also made a couple big plays with his feet on read-option runs. Most importantly, Lock didn’t try to do more than he needed to. He never put the ball in harm’s way, letting the defense and the running game carry the Tigers. The fact that he moved into second all-time on the SEC passing yardage list was a nice bonus as well. GRADE: A

Running backs: Damarea Crockett had the hot hand the past few weeks, but he only carried the ball three times Saturday before leaving with an ankle injury. However, Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie more than picked up the slack. Rountree rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on a whopping 26 carries. Badie rushed for a touchdown and made a couple big plays in the receiving game, including a third-down screen pass in which he broke multiple tackles to keep the drive alive. Even Simi Bakare continued to look good in his late action. GRADE: A

Wide receivers: Missouri continued to mix and match pass-catchers in the absence of one of its usual top targets. Jalen Knox didn’t play due to a concussion suffered in practice this week. The wideouts who did play showed an ability to get open against Tennessee’s secondary, but the group did account for a few miscues. Richaud Floyd and Emanuel Hall each dropped sure touchdowns. Johnathon Johnson lost a fumble. Those mistakes didn’t bite the Tigers Saturday, but against a better opponent they might. GRADE: C

Tight Ends: Kendall Blanton returned to the lineup after missing the past three games with a knee injury, but he didn’t do much. He caught just one pass for no gain. Daniel Parker Jr., last week’s hero, also had one catch. But the duo, as well as Samson Bailey, get some credit for their blocking contributions in the run game. Missouri ran for more than 200 yards for the third straight game. GRADE: B

Offensive line: As stated above, the Tigers more or less moved the ball at will on the ground, racking up 227 yards rushing. Obviously, the offensive line deserves a lot of credit for that. The unit also did a characteristically good job of protecting Lock. He was sacked once, but aside from that was never hurried. GRADE: A

Defensive line: After last week’s hiccup against Vanderbilt, the Missouri defensive line returned to its usual dominance against the run. Prior to the fourth quarter, the Volunteers had gained just 54 yards on the ground (they added quite a few more when the game was out of reach). But perhaps more importantly, the Tigers actually generated some pressure on the Tennessee quarterbacks, and that benefited the entire defense. On the Vols’ first three drives, Missouri did not allow a first down, had four tackles for loss in nine plays and had given up a total of minus-16 yards. Walter Palmore and Terry Beckner Jr. each had eight tackles and combined for 2.5 tackles for a loss. GRADE: A

Linebackers: Ronnell Perkins played for an injured Brandon Lee and had two tackles and a sack. Tennessee gained 51 yards on two carries and just 61 on the other 26. The intermediate passing game that has often bitten the Tigers this year was no factor. Cale Garrett led the way with six tackles and Jamal Brooks added two tackles, a hurry and a huge recovery of an onside kick in his most extensive duty of the season. GRADE: B

Secondary: By far the best effort of the season. DeMarkus Acy had two picks, Joshuah Bledsoe scored a touchdown and Tyree Gillespie was all over the field. Gillespie set the tone with a sack and a tackle for a loss on Tennessee's first drive. Outside of two jump ball completions to Marquez Callaway on which the receiver just made great plays, the Volunteers completed 5-of-19 passes for 75 yards. GRADE: A

Special Teams: Missouri got an extra point blocked. It flirted with disaster on a couple of kickoff returns and nearly allowed Tennessee to recover an onside kick. Tucker McCann made his field goals, but special teams continues to be an adventure every time out. GRADE: C-

Coaching: There were some bumps along the way (particularly in the form of penalties) but Missouri kept its composure and ran Tennessee out of its own stadium. For the third straight season, Barry Odom has his team playing its best football in the season's final month. And he's doing it with a long list of injuries and contributions from guys he didn't expect to be using. Earlier this week we wrote that Missouri needed to lock Odom into an extension. We'll go ahead and stand by that. Oh, and that Derek Dooley hire seems to be working out pretty well. GRADE: A

Final Overall Grade: A