A 31-3 loss can hide a lot of different failures, but Missouri’s showing against Ole Miss didn’t leave much buried. The Tigers were beaten at the line, struggled to finish tackles, had almost no answer for Trinidad Chambliss, and once again ran into a red-zone problem that keeps dragging down the offense.
Start with the trenches, because that’s where this one got away early. According to Pro Football Focus, Missouri posted its worst run-blocking grade and its worst run-defense grade of the season. That’s not the kind of line play that lets you hang around on the road against a team like Ole Miss.
The tackling was another mess. PFF charted 13 missed tackles for Mizzou, and Kewan Lacy had a lot to do with that.
He’s one of the nation’s most elusive backs and served as the Rebels’ offensive spark. But Missouri’s missed-tackle issue goes beyond one tough runner.
The Tigers have now missed 10 or more tackles in five of seven games this year, and that’s become a major problem.
Up front and on the back end, Ole Miss also made life miserable for Missouri’s pass rush. Chambliss wasn’t sitting there waiting for pressure to arrive.
He got the ball out in 2.66 seconds on average, per PFF, and when his pocket was clean, that number dropped to 2.39 seconds. PFF said his pocket was clean on 89.5% of his dropbacks.
That quick release took a lot of sting out of whatever pressure Missouri tried to create.
The Tigers did at least turn up the heat some. They blitzed nine times, per PFF, even though they haven’t really been a heavy-blitz team this season.
It just didn’t change much. Chambliss went 4-of-8 for 70 yards and a touchdown against the blitz.
There’s also a broader issue now emerging with how teams are handling pressure on Austin Simmons. Missouri has allowed 17 pressures over the last two weeks against Ole Miss and Texas A&M after surrendering 17 total pressures in the first five games of the season. Simmons has completed just 40.5% of his passes under pressure, compared with 67.6% when he’s kept clean.
And then there’s the part of Missouri’s offense that keeps showing up as a problem: the red zone.
The Tigers have been inside the red zone 28 times this season and scored on 21 of those chances, which is a 75% scoring rate. That ranks 15th in the SEC and 119th nationally.
But the touchdown rate is even more telling. Missouri has turned those 21 scores into touchdowns only 14 times, a 50% red-zone touchdown rate that ranks 15th in the SEC and 117th nationally.
Take out the 5-for-5 showing against FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Week 1, and the picture gets uglier. In the other 23 red-zone trips, Missouri has scored on just 16 and produced only 10 touchdowns. That works out to a 43.5% red-zone touchdown rate.
Against Ole Miss, the Tigers finished 1-of-3 in the red zone and walked away with only three points. One drive ended with a missed 23-yard field goal.
Another ended with an interception late in the fourth quarter after the game was already out of reach. That was the snapshot from Saturday, and it’s the part of the loss worth focusing on now.
In Other News...
Missouri Found A Few Bright Spots In A Loss Fans Hated
The Missouri Tigers had little to feel good about in a 31-3 loss to Ole Miss, a result that dropped them to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. The offense never really found its footing, finishing with just 39 rushing yards and sputtering after an early field goal, which made the final margin feel even heavier for a fan base already unhappy with the performance.
Still, the game was not empty of positives for Missouri. Donovan Olugbode, Nicholas Rodriguez and Jude James each turned in notable individual efforts, including career-best or team-leading production that stood out on a night when almost nothing else did. For a team trying to regroup after a rough loss, those smaller signs of progress may matter as Missouri moves on to the next stretch of SEC play. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's SEC Opening Could Grow Again This Weekend
Mizzous SEC opening has already taken on extra weight, and the league standings around it keep shifting. The conference race is locked in a four-way tie at the top, with Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and Kentucky all carrying at least one loss after recent upsets sent the picture spinning again. Tennessee fell to Texas, Georgia dropped to Auburn, Ole Miss lost to Florida and Kentucky was beaten by Alabama, leaving the top of the SEC crowded and the path to clarity anything but simple.
That matters for Missouri because the Tigers are still trying to gain ground in a league where every weekend can redraw the board. Week 8 brings another round of notable matchups, and the betting lines attached to those games only underline how little separation there is right now. For a Missouri team looking to make its own move, the opening stretch of SEC play could become even more valuable if the chaos ahead produces a few more favorable breaks. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mizzou Stars Are Making Their Mark All Over The NFL
Former Missouri stars were scattered across the NFL schedule in a way that should have felt familiar to Tigers fans who have watched the program send a steady stream of talent to Sundays. Luther Burden III had the biggest day of the bunch, leading the Bears receivers with 8 catches for 95 yards in a win, while Isaiah McGuire made his presence felt for Cleveland with a sack and four tackles. It was the kind of weekend that reminded everyone how much Missouri alumni are showing up in important moments around the league.
Kris Abrams-Draine added his own headline-grabbing moment for Denver by securing a game-sealing interception, and several other former Tigers chipped in with tackles and key plays across different matchups. For a program that prides itself on developing NFL-ready defenders and playmakers, these kinds of performances are more than just good news from afar. They are another sign that the Mizzou pipeline is not just producing pros, but players who keep showing up when games are on the line. [Read more 🡒]