Advertisement
football Edit

Sunday grade card: Alabama

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

Each Sunday, PowerMizzou.com will hand out a position-by-position grade card for Missouri from Saturday's game. Here are the marks from the Tigers’ 39-10 loss to Alabama.

Quarterback: Drew Lock threw his first touchdown in conference play, but aside from that didn’t have a great night. A lot of that had to do with the fact that Missouri was once again down two receivers in Emanuel Hall and Nate Brown, and that Alabama’s defense is loaded with athletes. The one issue that persists for Lock is ball security. He had two interceptions and lost a fumble Saturday. During the Tigers’ three conference games, Lock has thrown five picks and lost two fumbles. He’ll need to clean that up going forward. GRADE: C

Advertisement

Running backs: Missouri’s rushing attack had improved each of the past three weeks, culminating with a 286-yard rushing performance against South Carolina. The Tigers couldn’t replicate that success against Alabama’s defensive front. Larry Rountree III had a few nice runs, but for the most part, the unit couldn’t get much going. The three running backs combined to rush for 97 yards, but the game flow and offensive line certainly share part of the blame. GRADE: C

Wide receivers: True freshman Jalen Knox showed a few more flashes of his impressive potential. Knox had three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown, and he also rushed for a first down on an end around. Aside from him, the Tigers got next to no production from its receiving corps. Johnathon Johnson and Dominic Gicinto each had one catch in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach, but that was it. No other Missouri receiver caught a pass. Johnson continues to struggle with drops, Kam Scott can’t seem to get open, and Richaud Floyd still wasn’t healthy enough to take the field. Missouri desperately needs Hall back for the stretch run. GRADE: D

Tight Ends: Albert Okwuegbunam played better than against South Carolina, making a few nice catches, including one when he high-pointed a pass along the sideline during the first quarter. Okwuegbunam’s final stat line of four catches for 47 yards wasn’t particularly impressive, but he was often double-covered due to the ineffectiveness of Missouri’s wide receivers. Behind him, however, the position group did little. Kendall Blanton had just one catch, and neither he nor Daniel Parker Jr. appeared to make any notable blocks. GRADE: C-

Offensive line: Missouri’s offensive line clearly couldn’t match the talent of Alabama’s defensive front. There’s not much of a surprise. The unit surrendered four sacks and eight tackles for loss, both season-highs. Missouri’s team rushing total of 70 yards was a season-low. GRADE: F

Defensive line: The Tigers actually got a sack from a defensive lineman, which is rare. Kobie Whiteside forced Tua Tagovailoa to fumble with his sack in the first quarter. Terry Beckner Jr. looked much better than against South Carolina, finishing with five tackles (one for loss), and Jordan Elliott made a few impressive plays as well. Missouri did a fairly solid job of stuffing the Alabama running game, especially in the red zone, and the defensive front had a lot to do with that. GRADE: B+

Kobie Whiteside sacked and stripped Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter.
Kobie Whiteside sacked and stripped Tua Tagovailoa in the second quarter. (USA Today Sports Images)

Linebackers: Missouri lost starter Terez Hall in the first half because of a targeting penalty, and that hurt the unit. Hall was replaced by true freshman Nick Bolton, who was visibly out of place on a few plays. But Cale Garrett was his usual productive self, and Brandon Lee made at least two solid plays. Depth and coverage ability remain the concerns for the group. GRADE: C

Secondary: The familiar coverage woes started early. On the second snap of the game. Tagovailoa hit a wide open Jerry Jeudy deep downfield for an 81-yard touchdown. The Tigers just can’t seem to keep opposing receivers in front of them. Even when Tagovailoa left the game, Jalen Hurts was able to connect on a couple deep balls. Alabama averaged a hefty 12.7 yards per attempt during the game. GRADE: F

Special Teams: Tucker McCann made a 43-yard field goal. Corey Fatony averaged a solid 43.7 yards per punt. The Tigers let Alabama get loose on one kick return, on a free kick after a safety, but other than that special teams weren’t a big factor in this one. GRADE: B

Coaching: No matter what Barry Odom did leading up to Saturday night or on the sidelines during the game, he wasn’t going to be able to make up for the talent disparity between Missouri and Alabama. He made one questionable decision in opting to punt on a fourth down and two in Alabama territory when the Tigers trailed by 17 in the second quarter, but this game was decided by the players on the field, not the coaches. Alabama has better players. GRADE: C

Final Overall Grade: C

Advertisement