Missouri Football: After loss to Alabama, Tigers prepare for Memphis

After a forgettable 39-10 loss to Alabama, the Tigers prepare to host Memphis, which just lost a close game to UCF, for homecoming.

Saturday night’s loss to Alabama was every bit as expected as I figured it would be. Alabama scored its first touchdown 23 seconds into the game, and was up 30-10 by halftime.

Missouri never saw the red zone again after the first quarter, in which Tigers’ kicker, Tucker McCann, made good on a field goal, while the team’s lone touchdown came on a pass from quarterback Drew Lock to receiver Jalen Knox.

The Tigers were at their closest point to being ahead of the Crimson Tide, when the score showed 13-10 in favor of Alabama. After that, it was all ‘Bama, and Mizzou was just along for the ride.

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To Missouri’s credit, the defeat by Alabama wasn’t all dark and gloomy. The Tigers’ defense showed hustle and held the Tide to 39 total points. There were even a few occasions where Alabama head coach Nick Saban looked inconvenienced by Mizzou’s defense.

Missouri, which has fielded a bad defensive secondary so far this season, still fielded a bad secondary, but the defense, as a whole, limited Alabama to nine points the entire second half.

Alabama only scored two points in the third quarter on a safety, and a single touchdown in the fourth quarter wrapped up the day for Alabama. Regarding Alabama’s win, head coach Barry Odom wasn’t surprised by what he saw from the Tide.

This week, Mizzou hosts Memphis as its homecoming opponent, which should prove to be a more competitive game for Missouri. Memphis enters this game with a 4-3 record, which includes wins over Mercer, Georgia State, South Alabama, and Connecticut.

The Tigers’ losses include Navy, Tulane, and recently UCF. In comparison, Mizzou has had a tougher schedule including the No. 1- and 2- (at the time) ranked opponents, and a third SEC battle against South Carolina.

Two of its three losses in the SEC could have gone in favor of Missouri, which I think gives the Tigers a fighting chance at making a game against Memphis and coming away with a win.

Memphis has lost two close games by a total of two points, so I expect if Missouri were to win this bout, it will be by less than three points. Once again, Mizzou will have to prepare and execute more seamlessly than it has in its last four games.

If Missouri plays inspired and aggressive defense like it did in the second half against Alabama, and plays aggressively like it did in the first halves against Georgia and South Carolina, the outcome should be favorable to a Mizzou victory.