Missouri’s offensive line is trending in the right direction, but Cayden Green knows the real test starts now.
After the Tigers’ 27-17 win over Troy pushed them to 3-0, Missouri is shifting into SEC mode with a trip to Starkville this weekend to face Mississippi State. Green, the team captain and offensive tackle, said Tuesday that the line’s progress has come from one thing above all else: work.
“You just got to get reps,” Green said. “The more reps you get, naturally, you just get better. So we just got to build on that this week.”
That next step won’t be easy. Green pointed to the Bulldogs’ front as a much different challenge than Missouri has seen over the first three games.
“They’re a lot bigger and a lot more physical than what we’ve dealt with the past couple weeks,” Green said. “Obviously, that’s SEC play in a nutshell. So, like I said, the competition is just going to get ramped up this week.”
Mississippi State’s defensive line brings size and energy on the edge, with Amaree Williams and Will Whitson standing out as two of the group’s top pieces. Green said the Tigers will have to match that effort snap for snap.
“They're big motor guys. You're going to have to go from whistle to whistle with them, and you know, it's better competition than what we've seen, so I'm excited,” Green said.
Missouri’s run game was more effective than its passing attack against Troy, and Green tied that improvement to the line’s growing comfort with each other. He said the group spent more time studying film together last week, which helped everyone get on the same page.
“I think this past week we watched a lot more tape together, so we were a lot more on the same page. Just week to week, just improvement every week,” Green said.
Even with the steady progress, penalties remain a problem for the Tigers through their first three games. Green said the answer has to come from cleaner execution across the offense.
“We just got to be more intentional on the details as an offense,” Green said. “It starts with us up front, but just as an offense as a whole, we got to be more intentional about harping on the details of every play.”
In Other News...
Missouri Faces Its First Real SEC Test In Starkville
Mississippi States 3-0 start has turned a tricky road game into an early-season barometer for Missouri, which heads to Starkville for its SEC opener with both teams still unbeaten. The Bulldogs earned their place in the AP Top 25 after rallying at South Carolina, and now they get their first conference game at home under Jeff Lebby, where the atmosphere should match the stakes.
For Eliah Drinkwitz, it is the kind of September test that reveals more than a box score ever could. Missouri has navigated the nonconference schedule cleanly, but this trip will ask whether the Tigers can handle a ranked opponent that is playing with real confidence, and whether their own start holds up once SEC pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Hoops Is Finally Back And November Starts Fast
The first official practices are in the books for both Mizzou basketball programs, and the calendar is about to speed up in a hurry. On the womens side, the Tigers are already looking ahead to an exhibition against Lincoln University before the regular season begins against Howard, while the men have started their own prep with exhibition trips to Kansas State and UNLV ahead of a home opener against Cleveland State.
It is the sort of early-November stretch that gives Missouri fans a little bit of everything at once, with basketball season arriving just as the rest of the fall sports calendar keeps moving. Womens golf added to the upbeat tone over the same span, with two players gaining temporary eligibility and senior Addie Dobson earning the first tournament win of her college career. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces An SEC Test Built To Rattle Them Early
Missouris SEC opener sends it straight into one of the leagues more unusual road atmospheres, with No. 24 Mississippi State offering the kind of early test that can expose a team before conference play even settles in. The Tigers have spent practice trying to recreate the sound they expect to hear, working through a setting designed to be loud, distracting and as different from home as it gets. For Missouri, the first challenge is simply getting comfortable before the football even starts.
From there, the focus shifts to Kamario Taylor, who gives Mississippi State a dual-threat problem Missouri has to account for on every snap. The Tigers know their defense will need to manage both his playmaking and the Bulldogs receivers while staying composed in a setting built to rattle visiting teams. It is the sort of opener that can tell a lot about a defense early, and Missouri is treating it like a test of poise as much as execution. [Read more 🡒]