Missouri Football: Offense performs, while defense comes up big
On Saturday, the Missouri Tigers wrapped-up its 2017 spring “Black and Gold” game, as the Gold defeated the Black, 24-0.
I didn’t expect a tremendous showing of success in what amounts to a glorified exhibition game, but the atmosphere was relaxed, while Missouri football got underway.
Quarterback
Drew Lock finished his series completing 8-of-14 passes for 63 yards, for a 57.1% completion percentage, and a 94.9 passer rating. Which, in a spring game could be looked at as not so great, or not too bad.
I’m in the “not too bad” camp. While Lock only completed a little more than half of his passes, he did not toss any interceptions; both wins in my book.
Missouri Tigers Football
Lock also had a few nice scrambles, which looked to have earned himself a first down, but that didn’t excite me as much as his mechanics and improved accuracy.
The second-year quarterback showed his ability to thread the needle better than he did a year ago, and comfortably finished his set as the starting quarterback for the Tigers.
Taking a look at backup quarterbacks Jack Lowary and Micah Wilson, I would say that Lowary will be the primary backup for now, but Wilson showed a lot of promise with his accuracy and technique, until late in the fourth quarter when he tossed a pick.
Lowary completed 7-of-11 passes for 113 yards, for a 63.6% completion percentage, two touchdowns, an interception, and a staggering 191.7 passer rating.
Wilson completed 7-of-15 passes for 68 yards, for a 46.6% completion percentage, and a pick. He finished the day with a 71.4 passer rating.
Running Back
Running backs Damerea Crockett and Ish Witter were sidelined for today’s game, which I can understand. It allows other athletes a chance to get some time to show their skills, and maybe see more playing time in the fall.
Isaiah Miller and Dawson Downing came up big in today’s showing. Miller finished with 14 carries for 57 yards, and broke away on an 18 yard run on one play, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Downing also had a productive day, as he finished with nine carries for 47 yards, a touchdown, and took off on a 31-yard tear at one point. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry.
Right now, the Tigers are set at running back. Mizzou will return Witter and Crockett in the fall, which will allow Dawson and Miller to develop further, and jump in when needed.
Receivers
I didn’t think we were going to see wide receiver J’Mon Moore on the field today, but he caught a pair of passes for eight yards, on three targets. The good news is, Moore seemed a little more sure of hand in today’s game. His dropped pass could be attributed to what would likely have been a PI call in a regulation game.
Receiver Richaud Floyd had a big day, as he caught all four passes for 50 yards. Next to Floyd, Emanuel Hall was a receiving monster, as he had three catches on four targets, for 87 yards and two touchdowns. His longest reception of the day was a 42-yarder.
Defense
The Missouri defense came up big today. If I had to compare the offense and defense, I’d say that the offense showed promise, while the defense shined.
Safety Ronnell Perkins had what would have been a sack on quarterback Lowary, and the defensive line kept pressure on the quarterback.
The Tigers defense held the offense to multiple three-and-outs on the day. In addition to the strong showing from the defensive front (return of D-Line Zou imminent?), the secondary also collected a couple of interceptions to finish out the game.
Special Teams
The good news, is kicker Tucker McCann was perfect on his attempts today, going three-for-three on extra points, and nailing a 47-yard field goal.
Punt returns were shaky at times; a couple of muffed punts would have been a bad day in the regular season, so hopefully ball security will show improvement come August.
Overall, I’d give the offense, defense, and special teams a solid “B” showing for today. We’ll see how each position grades-out.