The Missouri Tigers suffered a 35-12 loss to the now No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers. The Tigers are now 0-2 on the season and take on the No. 17 LSU next Saturday.
Studs
Larry Rountree III
Stats:
18 rushes, 84 yards 1 TD
Avg. yards per carry: 4.6
Larry Rountree III finds himself on this list once again to start this season. Despite running behind a struggling and inexperienced offensive line, Rountree was able to be a bright spot for the Tigers offense on Saturday against Tennessee. The senior from North Carolina showed excellent vision all throughout the afternoon and made it hard for the opposing defenders to bring him down on the first contact.
The good afternoon by Rountree was shown in his numbers. Rountree had 18 carries for 84 yards with a touchdown. The 4.6 average yards per carry is very impressive because of how poor the rest of the offense has looked. If Rountree continues to play like this and is able to get more opportunities to carry the load for Mizzou, there is a strong possibility that he will be playing on Sundays.
Nick Bolton
Stats:
Tackles: 17
Solo Tackles: 8
Nick Bolton made an appearance on the duds list last week but quickly bounced back by having the best performance by any Tiger this Saturday. Bolton was flying all across the field and seemed to be apart of every good play that was made by the defense. Bolton showed why many people believe that he has the potential to be an All-American.
The 8 solo tackles was a solid jump from 3 that Bolton had last week. It is a great game for a linebacker to have at least 10 tackles, Bolton nearly had 20. It is clear that Bolton is one of the saving graces for the Tigers and he has to play out of this world every week if Tigers want to turn this season around.
Harrison Mevis
Stats:
2/2 FG
Long: 50
Having a good kicker can be the difference between winning a championship or losing one, just ask Alabama. Harrison Mevis, the highly touted freshman out of Indiana, showed Saturday that he has the potential to be a great kicker.
Mevis hit both of his field goals on Saturday, with a long 50 yarder to end a crucial drive at the time for the Tigers. According to 247Sports, Mevis was rated as the 8th best kicker in the 2020 class. Mevis has lived up to his rating so far by hitting all of his field goals to start the season.
Duds
Shawn Robinson
Stats:
1/4 (25%)
0 passing yards
QBR (1.6)
Shawn Robinson had a solid game last week against Alabama’s talented defense. The performance last week by Robinson landed him on the studs list and it was expected that his play would carry into this week against the Vols. Unfortunately, at the start of the game, Robinson looked awful.
Robinson struggled to get the ball downfield and look rattled as soon as the game started. In the drives that Robinson was in, the Mizzou offense was very stagnant and looked hopeless. It was a bad look for Robinson when Bazelak entered the game and immediately started making plays and provided a positive spark for the Tiger’s offense.
Keke Chism/Daniel Parker Jr.
Combined Stats:
2 receptions, 33 yards
The starting wide receiver and starting tight end have to do a better job of getting open for either Bazelak or Robinson. This is the second week in a row where Chism has struggled against opposing corners and it is starting to appear that the former D-II receiver isn’t built to deal with the jump in competition.
Daniel Parker showed promise his freshman year in 2018 when he was named All-SEC Freshman Team. However, after being named the starter this year Parker has struggled to make an impact. Parker has been slow in his route running and hasn’t been a safe haven that tight ends tend to be for their quarterbacks.
Most importantly, Parker has been a non-factor in the run game. Parker is a converted defensive end, so while his receiving abilities are still developing, he typically makes his biggest impact in the run game. This season, however, Parker has been missing many crucial blocks and lacks effort in the run game.
If these two continue to play poorly it won’t bold well for the Tiger’s offense. It might come to a point where other guys get a shot to play at these positions to see if anyone can provide a spark.
Mizzou Defensive Line
Stats:
Sacks: 2
TFL: 0
QB Hurries: 1
The Tiger’s defensive line struggled mightily against the Vol’s balanced and steady offensive attack. The Vol’s offense was able to control the game from start to finish and was able to get whatever they wanted. The Vol’s offensive line absolutely smothered the Tiger’s defensive line which opened up lanes for their talented running backs and it gave plenty enough time for Guarantano to make plays.
The interior part of the defensive line was exposed all afternoon by the Vols. The dynamic running back duo of Eric Gray and Ty Chandler combined for 35 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Gray and Chandler had massive holes to run through and didn’t face contact the majority of the time until the reached the second level of the defense.
Guarantano was able to play his role as a game manager because of the lack of pressure that the Tiger’s put on him. Many team’s chances of winning a game and slowing down the opposing offense are very slim when the defense only musters one quarterback hurry. The defensive line is too talented and too experienced to continue to put out these poor performances.