Beyond The Box Score: Oops no offense

There are folks retired location that emotion a bully protect slugfest. I americium not 1 of them.

But moreover if I was, I’m not judge nan 2025 Gator Bowl would suffice arsenic such.

There was surely 1 broadside that did its part: Missouri’s defense stymied Virginia each night. I cognize nan Mizzou online corporate were gnashing their teeth astatine nan 19-play thrust but I deliberation that was a testament to really they weren’t giving Virginia thing and forcing their squad of 5th-and 6th-year guys to make plays successful nan clutch. Which they did. But only scored 13 points. Why? Because Corey Batoon showed nan hellhole up and forced them to beryllium elite successful bid to scratch retired a touchdown and 2 section goals.

But Mizzou? Nah. That wasn’t nan merchandise of immoderate elite protect performance. It was conscionable a bully ol’ violative malpractice.

Without an violative coordinator, nan apical 2 quarterbacks, 2 of their 3 astir targeted receivers, their tight end, their starting halfway aft nan 2nd drive, and their champion receiver battling immoderate illness, Drinkwitz cracked unfastened nan ‘21/‘22 vintage offense, wherever he ran 3 plays and couldn’t make a competent passing attack.

But what other was he going to do? He didn’t person a backmost who could publication an SEC defense good capable to propulsion complete nan mediate of nan section (and nan 1 clip he did was an interception). He couldn’t conscionable tally Ahmad Hardy because - extracurricular of nan fluky 42-yard summation - Hardy was bottled up to nan tune of 2.2 yards per carry. So nan Tigers conscionable flopped their measurement against a Top 25 defense - half of whom were 6th-year players - and hoped nan defense could someway triumph it for them.

And they didn’t.

Here’s nan precocious container score:

As Mizzou fans we thin to attraction connected what Missouri was bad astatine and past blasted nan unit for them being bad. But, man, Virginia really stunk retired nan joint, too. Again, that 19-play thrust was frustrating but not bad; each Eli Drinkwitz wants to do is tally nan timepiece down arsenic accelerated arsenic imaginable and past put successful capable effort to triumph nan crippled late, and having Virginia’s discourtesy drain each that timepiece to extremity up keeping nan people wrong 1 possession was good by his crippled plan. And, remember, arsenic unspeakable arsenic it looked (because it was), Mizzou was still 1 elite play by a Virginia protect backmost distant from winning successful nan astir improbable measurement possible.

UVA had adjacent play lows crossed nan committee connected each violative aspects. 38 passes attempts for not moreover 200 yards is terrible. Not eclipsing 130 yards rushing connected 39 carries is embarrassing. Missouri’s defense did its portion to elite levels. Virginia’s defense showed up and did what was needed to make a constricted discourtesy look truthful inept it made Missouri fans mobility why they were watching this crippled successful nan first place.

Here were nan per-play averages of Missouri’s violative players earlier nan 4th quarter:

None of those are awesome options but moving Matt Zollers was nan worse action (but akin to moving Hardy). If that was nan calculus Drinkwitz was utilizing to find what he would call, I’ll meet him measurement much than halfway and shake hands him pinch a “Fine?”. Thankfully, he bucked that mathematics for nan 4th 4th and yet fto Hardy loose for 4 rushes that went for 25 yards (6.3 per play). Unfortunately, that was it, and past he benched him for nan remainder of nan game.

Goal: At slightest a 41% rushing occurrence rate.

Actual: 28.1% rushing occurrence rate

Winner: Virginia

Goal: At slightest a neutral turnover margin.

Actual: 1 turnover each if you count nan muffed punt (which I am)

Winner: Missouri

Goal: 6 scoring opportunities and decorativeness pinch 4.7 points per scoring opportunity (28 points).

Actual: 5 scoring opportunities, 1.4 points per scoring opportunity (7 points).

Winner: Virginia

Missouri had its lowest havoc complaint of nan Drinkwitz era and still managed to unit Virginia to move into Superman to eke retired 13 points.

Here’s a nosy breakdown of Virginia’s violative occurrence complaint by down:

Meanwhile, here’s Mizzou:

And that’s nan quality betwixt a 6th-year backmost and a freshman backmost playing successful his 6th game.

Goal: No much than a 42% rushing occurrence rate.

Actual: 30.8% rushing occurrence rate

Winner: Missouri

Goal: At slightest a 20% havoc rate.

Actual: 5% havoc rate

Winner: Virginia

Mizzou coiled up being somewhat amended successful yards per play than Virginia but evidently suffered successful nan “points per scoring opportunity” category. Also…look astatine that mean starting section position advantage for UVA. Yikes.

On nan demerit front…remember erstwhile Darris Smith was trying to choke retired that violative lineman? That was weird. Otherwise nan numbskullery was astatine a minimum for some sides. The Trost mendacious commencement connected 4th-down stunk but I’m judge Mizzou wouldn’t person been capable to do overmuch if they had converted.

I was really hoping Luper aliases Peeler would get a ace astatine calling plays. Because why not? What was location to lose? Instead we sewage a reminder of really bad Drinkwitz is arsenic an violative coordinator erstwhile he’s besides responsible for nan full team. Bottom tier worldly here, Drink, let’s not do it again.

You saw nan occurrence rates per down above, present are nan earthy yardage numbers. Again, Chandler Morris had to slap connected an S-emblazoned cape connected 3rd-down for Virginia to do thing and it’s awesome that he was capable to do truthful consistently.

Missouri, meanwhile, was wholly helpless extracurricular of 1st down.

Virginia percent of full yards by quarter:

Missouri percent of full yards by quarter:

And here’s your past updated floor plan of which players generated 1st downs. It was different unspeakable 1st-down creation crippled and Mizzou lost, successful part, because they only created 12 1st-downs. Ahmad Hardy was nan king, pinch Jamal Roberts a MUCH distant 2nd, and Pribula throwing to Coleman successful 3rd.

8-5 is simply a bully year, don’t ever move your chemoreceptor up astatine specified a record. I’m surely not going to.

But man…I did not bask it.

I liked Ahmad Hardy. I enjoyed really elite Mizzou’s defense was and continues to be. But location were like…two games that I really enjoyed. The evident 1 being kansas, nan different being nan insanity known arsenic “Auburn-Missouri”.

I’m gladsome nan play is done. I would consciousness a batch amended if this existent span twelvemonth managed to support immoderate of nan contributing pieces to build towards a imaginable breakthrough adjacent twelvemonth but, alas, that won’t beryllium nan case.

Eli Drinkwitz is astatine a spot of a crossroads correct now. Even pinch nan hold and nan back-to-back 10 triumph seasons followed by a “down year” of 8-wins, nan mode successful which nan squad mislaid and - specifically - struggled pinch offense, has seemingly soured nan affirmative sensation that Mizzou fans person of their shot squad complete nan past 3 years.

It doesn’t person to beryllium this way. Maybe nan caller OC prosecute that I do not for illustration useful out. Maybe immoderate portal receivers break through. Maybe he yet finds a quarterback.

But until Drink tin do that, nan Mizzou Football Experience (TM) is simply a small stinky correct now, and nan discourtesy needs to prime it up, particularly pinch 9-game SEC schedules coming down.

This play could person been overmuch much than 8 wins but immoderate uncommon portal misses and a struggling passing crippled held it back. Such is life.

Thank you each for joining maine connected yet different shot season, my seventh covering nan shot Tigers successful this capacity. And convey you to nan 27ish of you that publication this play breakdown of nan games. It’s not everyone’s point and a small excessively prog-rock astatine times but that’s what I’m present for.

Thanks, 2025, for astatine slightest beating kansas astatine shot and making it 9 consecutive seasons of vessel eligibility. Here’s looking to each nan positivity successful nan world for 2026.