Missouri’s blowout of Florida did more than pad the win column. It put a pair of Tigers in the SEC spotlight.
Quarterback Austin Simmons and linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez each picked up weekly conference honors after Mizzou’s 45-17 rout of the then-No. 8 Gators on Saturday. Simmons was named co-SEC offensive player of the week, while Rodriguez earned co-SEC defensive player of the week honors.
Simmons did his damage through the air, carving up Florida for a season-high 340 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 23 of 30 and collected the award for the second time this season, adding to the honor he earned after throwing for 292 yards and three scores against Kansas.
Jamal Roberts had a strong case of his own. The Missouri running back piled up a career-best 211 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and two of his runs went for 77 yards or more. Even so, Simmons got the conference nod after another sharp performance that kept his national profile climbing.
His play has turned heads for plenty of reasons. Simmons has drawn notice for his tight-window throws, poise in the pocket, arm strength and calm under pressure. He’s also made a strong argument as the best Missouri quarterback since Drew Lock, who last played for the Tigers in 2018 and has since built a long NFL career.
On the season, Simmons now has 1,287 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Rodriguez made his impact on the other side of the ball, splitting the defensive award with Tennessee safety Dejuan Lane. He finished with 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and helped hold Florida running back Jadan Baugh to just 13 rushing yards. Rodriguez also posted a PFF grade of 78.6, the second-highest among Missouri defenders in the game.
It was the fourth straight game in which Rodriguez has reached double-digit tackles.
He’s the second Tiger to win the defensive award this season, following defensive end Daeden Hopkins, who split the honor after the Kansas game and later won it outright after his 3.5-sack outing against Mississippi State.
No. 14 Missouri is now 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play.
The Tigers will host unranked Texas A&M at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with the Aggies having blown Missouri out in each of the last two meetings.
In Other News...
Missouris Offense Is Suddenly Passing An Early SEC Stress Test
Missouris offense has already been tested in a way that says plenty about where this team might be headed in SEC play. Even with injuries and a reshuffled cast around it, the Tigers have been moving the ball with real purpose, a notable development in a league where early defensive pressure tends to expose any weakness fast. The bigger picture around college football this fall has included all kinds of offensive identities, from old-school schemes winning at Northwestern to Texas leaning on defense, but Missouris improvement has stood out because it has come while the roster has been forced to adapt.
The challenge is still part performance, part personnel. Running back Ahmad Hardy has not played this season after a gunshot injury, which has pushed more responsibility onto transfer quarterback Austin Simmons and a group of new receivers. Even with that burden, Missouri has found ways to keep the attack on schedule and productive, a good sign for a team trying to prove its offense can hold up as SEC defenses get tougher and the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Injury Update Could Matter More To Mizzou Fans Than Expected
Floridas receiving picture got a little clearer this week, and for Missouri fans, it is worth watching even though the Tigers are already past that matchup. Gators coach Jon Sumrall said Vernell Brown III, who hurt his knee in Week 4 and sat out the Week 5 game against Mizzou, has been cleared to practice and run after an MRI showed no long-term damage.
The part that still matters is what comes next. Browns status for Floridas Week 6 home game against South Carolina is still up in the air, and while he is moving around again, the final hurdle is whether he can do enough of the sharper work that comes with game action. Missouri got the version of Florida without him, but this update suggests the Gators may still be sorting out how soon he can return to a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Defense Just Silenced A Major SEC Concern
Missouris 45-17 win over Florida was about more than another lopsided SEC result. It also came with a sharp answer to one of the leagues more persistent concerns, as the Tigers defense kept Floridas ground game from ever settling in and made the Gators play uphill for most of the afternoon. Missouri was cleaner at the point of attack, better on the perimeter and more reliable in space, the kind of performance that can change how a defense is viewed over the long haul.
Jadan Baughs early burst offered Florida a brief sense of possibility, but Missouri quickly took that away by closing off the outside-zone lanes and finishing tackles with much more authority than it had shown at times earlier this season. For a defense that had been waiting for a statement against the run, this was the kind of tape coaches can point to with real satisfaction, even if the bigger question now is whether it can stack another outing like it. [Read more 🡒]