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’ 40-13 win over Wyoming.
Quarterback: Drew Lock lived up to the preseason hype and then some. Lock completed 33 of 45 passes for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns — against a Wyoming defense that ranked 13th nationally in pass defense last season and returned eight starters. Plus, he added 51 yards on the ground, which included an acrobatic 12-yard touchdown scamper that jump-started the Tiger offense. This might have been Lock’s best game as a Tiger. GRADE: A+
Running backs: We knew coming into the game that it would be difficult for Missouri to run against Wyoming’s stout defensive front, and that indeed proved to be the one area in which the Tigers struggled. The team’s final rushing line doesn’t look bad — 203 yards on 46 carries — but 51 of those yards came from Lock. The running backs combined to average 3.8 yards per carry. That’s not terrible, and certainly the offensive line deserves part of the blame, but we’re still waiting for Damarea Crockett or Larry Rountree III to make an eye-opening play this season. GRADE: C
Wide receivers: Emanuel Hall talked all offseason about becoming a more versatile route-runner, and Saturday he showed it. Hall dominated, catching slants in traffic, making defenders miss off screen passes, and getting open downfield, as usual. His performance alone would be worthy of an A for the group, but it’s worth noting that Johnathon Johnson had a solid game, too. He consistently got open on third down to keep drives alive. Add in nice plays by Nate Brown and Jalen Knox and it was a heck of a night for the wideouts. GRADE: A
Tight Ends: Albert Okwuegbunam got off to a rough start when a Wyoming defender essentially stole the football from his grasp while he was fighting for extra yardage. But after that, Okwuegbunam showed why he has NFL potential, high-pointing a jump ball in the middle of the field for a touchdown reception during the second quarter. He made an even better play later, breaking a tackle and out-running defenders for a 50-plus yard touchdown, but it was called back due to a penalty. Kendall Blanton also deserves mention for scoring his first touchdown of the season. GRADE: B+
Offensive line: Once again, the line did a phenomenal job protecting Lock, which has to be its top priority. Lock was never sacked and only hurried once. The group had a harder time opening up gaps in the running game, although the Tigers actually did the best job of any of Wyoming’s three opponents this season running the ball against the Cowboys. GRADE: B
Defensive line: For the second consecutive week, the Tigers’ deep defensive tackle group routinely made an opposing offensive line appear overmatched. Wyoming rushed for just 88 yards on 30 attempts. Plus, Missouri’s defensive end group sacked Cowboy quarterback Tyler Vander Waal twice. There’s still some question as to how successfully the defensive line will be able to create pressure against a better offense, but at least for Saturday, the group largely imposed its will. GRADE: A
Linebackers: The biggest error made by any Missouri defender Saturday was not a missed tackle or a coverage gaffe, but linebacker Brandon Lee getting ejected for targeting in the third quarter. He’ll miss the first half of next week’s game as a result. Aside from that, the group played well, with Terez Hall proving particularly disruptive, but Lee’s penalty docks the unit’s grade a bit. GRADE: B
Secondary: All the starters in Missouri’s secondaries appeared to do their jobs. The group got to showcase more than it did during Week One, with Adam Sparks rushing on several cornerback blitzes and six defensive backs taking the field during one third down. Khalil Oliver played an especially good game. The only knock was a blown coverage late in the game that led to a Wyoming field goal, which appeared to be the fault of backup Tyree Gillespie. GRADE: A-
Special Teams: The kicking game was a bit of an adventure. Tucker McCann went just two-for-four on field goal attempts, though both misses were from more than 45 yards and he did convert a 50-yarder. Then there was the chaotic botched extra point, which saw punter/holder Corey Fatony trying to juke defenders and fumbling the ball, all beneath a cloud of smoke. None of the issues in the kicking game should be cause for long-term concern, but it certainly wasn’t the cleanest day for the unit. GRADE: C
Coaching: After the game, Odom expressed displeasure with the team’s eight penalties. He even drew one of them himself when he ran onto the field during the botched PAT. There were also a few questionable third down play calls during the first half. But for the most part, the Tigers looked well-prepared. It’s also worth noting that, at least so far, the emphasis on ball security that Odom so often brought up during the offseason appears to be paying off. Missouri gave the ball away just once against a Wyoming defense that led the nation in takeaways a season ago. GRADE: B+
Final Overall Grade: A
