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Sunday Grade Card: Memphis

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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’ 65-33 win over Memphis.

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Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for 36 yards against Memphis.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for 36 yards against Memphis. (Jordan Kodner)

Quarterback: Drew Lock rebounded from a rough three-game stretch in a big way. Lock was efficient, completing 23 of 29 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns. He never put a ball in harm’s way, and he even threw one pass away when he scrambled and didn’t see any receivers open. Plus, Lock several big plays with his feet, rushing for 36 yards on four carries. Missouri will hope Lock can carry this performance into its upcoming games against better competition. GRADE: A

Running backs: Larry Rountree III exploded through the line of scrimmage for multiple huge gains. He finished with 118 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. Neither Damarea Crockett nor Tyler Badie had especially huge games, but then again, the offense didn’t really ask them to. GRADE: B+

Wide receivers: Jalen Knox continued his emergence as Lock’s most reliable target in the absence of Emanuel Hall. Knox caught five passes for 104 yards, including a 44-yard score in the second quarter. Perhaps more impressive was the play of Johnathon Johnson, who had struggled with drops in recent weeks. Johnson caught every pass thrown at him, securing four catches for 46 yards. The most important of those catches came on a fourth down and one when Lock threw the ball behind Johnson, but he snagged it anyway, and Missouri scored the following play. Richaud Floyd, playing in his first game of the season, made his presence known as well. GRADE: A

Tight Ends: During its three-game losing streak, Missouri sorely lacked a pass-catcher who could win one-on-one matchups and get open consistently. Saturday, Albert Okwuegbunam filled that role in a big way. Okwuegbunam caught six passes for a career-high 159 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow tight end Kendall Blanton also had three catches. When Missouri gets that level of production from its tight ends, its passing attack looks totally different. GRADE: A+

Offensive line: One of the reasons Lock played so well was that he had a clean pocket from which to throw nearly every time he dropped back. Memphis never recorded a hurry against Lock. The line also opened up a few big holes in the running game. GRADE: A

Defensive line: Missouri pressured Memphis quarterback Brady White more successfully than it has any other quarterback this season. The defense sacked White three times and hurried him seven other times. Missouri wasn’t spectacular against the run, but Memphis’ 200 yards on the ground and 4.7 yards per carry actually both represented its second-lowest totals of the season. (Of course, it helped that Memphis’ star running back, Darrell Henderson, left the game in the first quarter and did not return.) Overall, the defensive line wasn’t perfect, but it made enough plays to provide the offense a cushion. GRADE: B

Linebackers: As usual, Cale Garrett and Terez Hall led Missouri in tackling, finishing with 11 stops each. Hall also had a sack and two hurries. Brandon Lee didn’t play much (he was dealing with an elbow injury during the week), but Ronnell Perkins appeared to fill his spot without too much of a hiccup. There were a few instances when Hall and Garrett got beat in coverage, but it didn’t bite Missouri Saturday. GRADE: B+

Secondary: Cornerbacks Christian Holmes and Adam Sparks both recorded interceptions for Missouri, and Holmes got his hands on several other passes. Missouri still had a few plays on which its defensive backs got beat downfield, but the secondary does appear to be making progress. The one player who noticeably struggled was safety Khalil Oliver, but he’s been seeing his reps decline in recent weeks. GRADE: B-

Special Teams: Saturday was a mixed bag for Andy Hill’s unit. On the bright side, Missouri blocked its second punt of the season. On the other hand, it wasn’t a great day for Tucker McCann. Missouri’s placekicker missed both an extra point and a 37-yard field goal. Punter Corey Fatony had one booming punt that traveled 51 yards, but followed it up with a 16-yard kick. Johnson appeared to put together his best punt return of the season, but a targeting call on Sparks erased it. GRADE: C

Coaching: During Missouri’s three-game losing streak, the team’s tendency to give away points with turnovers and sloppy play drew the most ire from fans. Saturday, Missouri didn’t turn the ball over, and it didn’t allow missed tackles or other gaffes to take away scoring opportunities. Odom got a lot of the blame for Missouri’s mistakes against Georgia and South Carolina, so he deserves credit for Saturday’s clean game. The one knock on the team was its penalty numbers Saturday. Missouri committed 12 penalties for 122 yards. It also had two players ejected for targeting. GRADE: B

Final Overall Grade: A

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