Missouri Football: Tigers must avoid losing to Memphis

On Saturday, the Missouri Tigers host Memphis for Homecoming. On a three-game losing skid, Mizzou must limit penalties and avoid self-inflicted mishaps to win games in the second half.

I’ll be the first to admit: I don’t know much about Memphis. It’s a city in southwestern Tennessee; it shares the same mascot as Mizzou; head coach Barry Odom was a coordinator there for two years, and one of my favorite (former) Carolina Panthers’ running backs was drafted out of Memphis. Scene.

Missouri starts the second half of its season in search of a win. The Tigers started the season hot, outscoring opponents 141-64, getting off to a 3-0 start. Yes, two of those wins were against non-power five programs, but wins are wins.

Memphis does not strike me as a “pushover” team; in fact, the Tigers of Tennessee bear a slight resemblance to Missouri. The other Tigers have blown the doors off lesser opponents, have a couple close, “pretty” losses, and were dealt a blow out loss by Tulane.

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Statistically, Memphis quarterback Brady White is having a solid season, so far. The junior quarterback has passed for 15 touchdowns to one interception, and comes into this game with an overall 67.6 completion percentage.

Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock has 12 touchdown passes to six interceptions, and enters this game with an overall 59 completion percentage.

Both quarterbacks are close; however, without his deep pass threat in wide receiver Emanuel Hall, Lock won’t put up the kind of gaudy passing stats that he’s managed with Hall. I give Memphis the edge at quarterback.

Both teams have talented offensive backfields. Memphis has junior running back Darrell Henderson highlighting its backfield, while Mizzou has the duo of Damarea Crockett and Larry Rountree highlighting its backfield, with Tyler Badie coming into his own, as well.

For Memphis, during the month of September, Henderson was averaging 12.2 yards per carry on 58 attempts. Currently, Henderson’s averaging 10.3 yards per carry on 110 attempts. He already has 1,133 rushing yards halfway through the season, and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

For Missouri, no single running back stands out from another. The trio of Crockett, Rountree and Badie have combined for 1,067 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Statistically, Crockett remains the leader in the pack, but not by much.

While the Tigers’ defensive secondary remains abysmal for the rest of the season, the Tigers have the tools on the defensive front and offense to make it a high-scoring affair, and I have no doubt that Memphis will go blow-for-blow with Mizzou.

The “X-factor” in this game will come down to which defense plays more aggressively – who wins the battle on turnovers, and which offense makes fewer mistakes.

Missouri hasn’t shown us much in the way of creating turnovers, but the defensive front has the strength and talent to make any opposing quarterback’s day challenging.

Speaking of “trap games,” two weeks ago, I was asked if South Carolina was a “trap game,” and if the Tigers would be looking ahead to Alabama. I didn’t think then, nor do I think now, that South Carolina was a “trap game.” In most cases, I don’t believe such a thing really exists among well-coached teams. However, this game has the makings of an upset of sorts, if Mizzou thinks it’s going to be a “gimme” win.

Following their win against Purdue, the Tigers ran into a familiar wall in Georgia, then took a loss out of their bye week at South Carolina, and then did what most

SEC

teams do at Alabama: Lose.

To Missouri’s credit, the Tigers put up a good fight on defense against the Crimson Tide, and Mizzou led South Carolina, until a rainy second half doused the Tigers’ lead, as Mizzou spiraled to a mostly self-inflicted loss.

If the Tigers can combine positive qualities of their defensive performance against Alabama and offensive performances against Georgia and South Carolina (minus the mistakes), this could be a quality game and win for Mizzou.

Despite their recent misfortunes, it shouldn’t be all doom and gloom for Missouri. A 3-3 record is better than a losing one, and we’ve all seen the Tigers can do some damage on offense, while creating disruptions up front on defense.

Starting the second half of their season, the Tigers have six games in which they should be competitive. None of the remaining games are certain wins, but Missouri can compete and if there’s a desire to win, the Tigers should find a way.