Missouri’s 27-17 win over Troy came without the kind of all-out PFF takeover the Tigers had been stacking the previous two weeks. This one was cleaner than dominant. With only 42 players seeing action on offense and defense, Missouri used its tightest rotation of the season, but the grades never really piled up the way they had before.
The biggest name in the mix was quarterback Simmons, and the numbers tell the story. After back-to-back 90-plus PFF outings, he dropped to a team-low 42.5 against Troy. He was on the sideline for less than nine minutes in the first half, then got a much longer run after halftime and still didn’t turn it into a difference-making performance.
Simmons wasn’t under much duress. He was pressured on just two of his 19 passing attempts, and Missouri’s protection held up across the board, with every offensive lineman earning at least an 82.3 grade.
Still, the stat line was modest: 10 completions on 19 attempts for 91 yards and one touchdown. He also kept the deep ball mostly in the pocket, with only two throws traveling more than 20 yards.
There were no major errors, but there wasn’t much impact either.
That was not the case for several of Missouri’s sophomores, who supplied some of the best work on the roster. Elijah Dotson logged 64 snaps, the second-most on the team, and posted a 74.3 grade, fourth-best overall for Missouri. Daeden Hopkins was right behind him with 54 snaps and a 73.3 defensive grade, and he flashed big-play juice with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and seven tackles.
The depth chart also delivered. Donta Simpson only played 20 snaps, but he led Missouri with four pressures and finished with a 76.4 grade, third-best on the team. His pass-rush work stood out even more, as his 85.6 pass rush grade was the top mark on defense in any category.
Dante McClellan and Jason Dowell also turned in productive sophomore showings, with 21 and 36 snaps respectively and grades above 70. Dowell’s 36 snaps were the most among Missouri defensive tackles.
That kind of usage wasn’t accidental, either. Eli Drinkwitz said after the game, "I would have loved to see more guys be able to play, but at the end of the day, we played with who we felt like gave us the best opportunity to win and that's how the rotation goes," Drinkwitz said following the win.
Missouri’s tight ends were busy enough in terms of snaps, but not in terms of production. Brett Norfleet played 28 snaps and Jordon Harris played 36, yet neither tight end recorded a catch.
Norfleet’s 52.8 grade ranked 15th out of 19 Missouri offensive players, while Harris came in at 49.9 and ranked 17th. Harris also posted a 37.2 protection grade on five pass-blocking snaps, second to last on the offense.
Most of their work came as run blockers, where both graded near the bottom of the group.
Only four Tigers caught passes on Saturday night, and none of them were tight ends. Missouri’s passing game leaned on a limited group, while the snap distribution across the roster showed just how selective the rotation was in this one.
Donovan Olugbode - 48 snaps
Cayden Lee - 37 snaps
Naeshaun Montgomery - 30 snaps
Caleb Goodie Sr. - 9 snaps
Shaun Terry II - 8 snaps
DaMarion Fowlkes - 5 snaps
Kenric Lanier II - 3 snaps
Jamal Roberts - 43 snaps
Xai'Shaun Edwards - 6 snaps
Anthony Favrow - 3 snaps
Tristan Wilson - 52 snaps
Curtis Peagler - 52 snaps
Luke Work - 52 snaps
Cayden Green - 52 snaps
Jordon Harris - 36 snaps
Brett Norfleet - 28 snaps
Jude James - 4 snaps
Trajen Greco - 76 snaps
Santana Banner - 64 snaps
Elijah Dotson - 64 snaps
Kensley Louidor-Faustin - 33 snaps
Sione Laulea - 58 snaps
Chris Graves Jr. - 57 snaps
Jahlil Florence - 39 snaps
Nicholas Rodriguez - 61 snaps
Robert Woodyard Jr. - 55 snaps
Dante McClellan - 21 snaps
Jeremiah Beasley - 17 snaps
Daeden Hopkins - 54 snaps
Langden Kitchen - 51 snaps
Jaden Jones - 21 snaps
Demarcus Johnson - 14 snaps
Darris Smith - 13 snaps
Kamauryn Morgan - 1 snap
Jason Dowell - 36 snaps
Marquis Gracial - 33 snaps
Jalen Marshall - 30 snaps
Sterling Webb - 27 snaps
Donta Simpson - 20 snaps
Mark Hensley - 2 snaps
In Other News...
Missouri Escaped Troy With A Problem Tigers Fans Can't Ignore
Missouri got out of Troy with a win, but it did not look like the kind of afternoon that lets a team breathe easy. The Tigers leaned on a 27-17 result in a game full of mistakes and defensive breakdowns, while Eli Drinkwitz was left to acknowledge both the sloppy play on that side of the ball and the offenses own inefficiencies.
The good news is Missouri is still undefeated, and the schedule does not leave much time for self-scouting. SEC play is next, starting with Mississippi State, and the gap between surviving a game like this and being ready for what comes next is the part Tigers fans cannot ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Finally Got The Response It Needed In One Troubling Win
Missouri spent the lead-up to Troy trying to clean up special teams after earlier problems with blocked field goals, and the emphasis showed up in a much more meaningful way on Saturday. Blake Craig handled the kicking duties cleanly, and DaMarion Fowlkes turned a punt return into a touchdown as the Tigers got 13 points from a unit that had been a concern coming in.
For Eli Drinkwitz, it was the kind of response that mattered even in a win that still left plenty to sort through. The special teams play looked sharper and more reliable, but the bigger message from the sideline was that Missouri still has to keep improving across the board if it wants better results ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Escaped Troy With One SEC Warning Still Hanging Over Them
Missouri moved to 3-0 with a 27-17 win over Troy, but the Tigers did not exactly leave the afternoon with all concerns erased. They had enough positive moments to stay unbeaten, including strong work from Austin Simmons and Jamal Roberts, while special teams also showed signs of settling in after some early-season unevenness.
Still, the same issues that have followed Missouri for stretches were hard to ignore again, especially the slow starts and the defensive lapses that kept Troy around longer than the Tigers would have liked. With Mississippi State up next, Missouri heads into SEC play knowing the margin for error will shrink fast, even after a win that looked more comfortable on the final score than it did for much of the game. [Read more 🡒]