Missouri Tigers Three Keys To Victory: Central Florida Knights
By Derek Franks
Thursday Three Keys To Victory:
You know you’re on “upset alert” when the talking heads like Lee Corso make headlines for picking against you.
The Missouri Tigers will have a tough contest this coming week as they get set to take on the Central Florida Knights in Columbia, and there are those out there who think they should be, in fact, on alert.
Jimmi Hunt was Mizzou’s best receiver last Saturday vs. Toledo. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Corso has gone on record for picking Central Florida. But we’ve seen this act before.
The ESPN College Game Day’s co-host waved his pencil and shook his head last week when he picked Toledo over Missouri, which didn’t really work out for him. And I’m reminded of sitting a mere feet behind him and the Game Day crew three years ago in Columbia, when he brought out the headgear and picked against the Tigers before they upset No. 1 Oklahoma.
That is neither here nor now.
This is a new week, a new test. And a challenging one at that. UCF may not have its star quarterback from a year ago in Blake Bortles, but they have every intention of coming in and knocking off the SEC East defending champ in their house. Here’s our three keys to a Tigers victory, to ensure that doesn’t happen.
The Defensive Line Must Get After It
The Tigers’ defense has been impressive thus far this season. It had a few brain lapses in the first game against South Dakota State, but last week against a very formidable offense, shut down the passing game and kept big plays at bay. The factor there was the defensive line, which pressured Toledo quarterback Phil Ely and forced him to throw errant passes and take sacks all day long. The line allowed one big running play (45 yards), but mostly kept them in check otherwise.
It was refreshing to see the Tigers of 2014 looking like the Tigers of 2013. And if they can do it again, they’ll win. Central Florida has an inexperienced offensive line that just isn’t ready for that kind of pass-rush. And UCF has two inexperienced quarterbacks that Mizzou should expose. If the pass rush is what it was last week, I don’t see the Knights doing much.
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Maty Mauk Must Look Like Last Week
It’s plain and simple. Mauk has been the key to this Tigers offense. He’s passed for 556 yards and nine touchdowns already in just two games and he’s starting to get into everyone’s peripheral vision. I’d like to see Mauk have one of those breakout games where everyone’s talking about him at the end of the day.
But the key to victory here is consistency. If Mauk plays like he did last week against Toledo, converting big pass plays, keeping faith in his receivers and looking like a smooth operator in the pocket, I see the Tigers putting up too many points for Central Florida to keep up with. He just needs to know when to get rid of the ball and avoid big hits.
Coaching, Coaching, Coaching!
We said this last week. But we’re not after being original. Missouri’s coaches did some bizarre things even still, including run the no huddle, air-it-out, offense late in the third quarter when they were supposed to be slowing Toledo’s comeback down and protect a 14-point lead. That won’t cut it in the SEC games. Central Florida should be treated like a conference game.
Mizzou coaches must, must, must win the coaching battle in this game. I think it’s the biggest key to winning it. Gary Pinkel must outwit George O’Leary here. The Tigers must come prepared and they must manage the game with finesse and smarts. If they can control the flow of the game and keep UCF from getting big opportunities, it will be a W in the record books for the Tigers.