Mizzou

People forget that Missouri won the East the first year or two they were in the SEC. They aren't a scrub program. They aren't on the level that's gonna ever win a national championship, but they are always "thorn in your side, wreak havoc" type program.

Luther Burden is possibly the best WR in the nation. They are not unbeatable, but they are well coached and they definitely pose a threat. I'd feel much better if the game was in Knoxville.

Who was the OC when Mizzou made a championship?

“Thorn in your side”.. You mean they’re in the SEC?

I thought Marvin Harris Jr was the best WR in the nation. Or Colorado’s Travis Hunter.
 
You got to look at matchups in a game like this. They're a good passing team and Tennessee gives up a lot yards between the 20's. Tim Banks will play that soft zone junk he always does. Just have to make them kick field goals when they get inside the 20.. They're going to pile up some yards on that zone coverage. Couple bad matchups on the outside as well. Another tough game coming up this weekend. Probably have to just outscore this team to win..
 
Missouri is playing good ball this year. Under estimate then at your our peril.
 
Comparison. Pretty even stuff between the two teams.

QBs:
Milton- 2,017 pass yards (169/258)…15 pass td…4int…265 rush yards…5 rush td
B. Cook- 2,471 pass yards (183/272)…16 pass td… 5 int…173 rush yards…5 rush td

Rushing:
J. Wright- 826 rush yards … 3 td … 111 rec yards
J Small- 415 yards … 415 yards … 2 td
D. Sampson- 404 yards … 7tds … 160 rec yards … 1 rec td
vols total rushing tds: 17

C. Schrader: 919 rush yards … 10 td … 75 rec yards
N. Peat… 274 rush yards… 2 td … 81 rec yards
tigers rushing tds: 17

******************************
Receiving:
S. White… 557 rec yards… 2 td
R. Keyton… 412 rec yards … 4 td
M. Castles … 192 rec yards… 3 td
J. Warren … 75 rec yards… 3 td
vols total receiving tds: 16

L. Burdern III … 958 rec yards … 7 td
T Wease Jr … 530 yards … 5 td
M. Cooper … 391 yards… 0 td
B. Norfleet (TE)… 104 yards… 1 td
tigers total receiving tds: 18

********************************
Defense:
vols def rank: 21st
vols yards allowed: 2,876 … vols td’s allowed: 18 … vols avg. yards per game allowed: 320 yards
vols sacks: 30 … vols int: 9 … vols fumbles recovered: 4

mizzou def rank: 41st
tigers yards allowed: 3,021 … tigers td’s allowed: 23 … tigers avg. yards per game allowed: 343
tigers sacks: 27 … tigers int: 7 … tigers fumbles recovered: 1
 
I know milroe showed out last night, I didn't watch was at a taylor swift showing for my daughter's birthday ha, but I kept up with the score. Milroe has improved from when we played him. Don't know if last night was a one off for milroe or he's turned the corner. Look at it like this, if cook was bama qb and milroe was mizzou qb would we be having this discussion? We haven't played beck yet so the jury is still out on that one. Cook would shred it in our offense as well.
LSU’s defense may be the worst outside of Colorado and both USC’s
 
People forget that Missouri won the East the first year or two they were in the SEC. They aren't a scrub program. They aren't on the level that's gonna ever win a national championship, but they are always "thorn in your side, wreak havoc" type program.
You have to put an asterisk beside those two years. In the first one, the stars aligned with UGA, UF, and UT all sucking in the same year. UGA was 8-5. They were bad enough to lose to Vandy. UF was 4-8. UT was 5-7. Butch sucked... and Pinkel didn't.

In their 2nd one, it was kind of a "default". UGA screwed themselves by losing to a pretty bad 7-5 UF team. They beat Mizzou 34-0 and were clearly the best team in the East. But Richt seemed to "find a way". MU went on to be the designated whipping boy for Bama in one of the least competitive SEC CGs ever.
Luther Burden is possibly the best WR in the nation. They are not unbeatable, but they are well coached and they definitely pose a threat. I'd feel much better if the game was in Knoxville.
Burden is a good WR. There are several better. Nabors and Legette in just the SEC. Probably others. Legette's performance has been buried by a bad team.

If Banks plays soft coverage against him and the others... they'll have a field day. That said, he's not exactly lighting up the best Ds in CFB... nor is their passing game generally. But Banks can't play it that way. It plays right into what Mizzou wants to do with Cook.



UGA has the #1 pass D in the SEC. Mizzou completed less than 50% of its passes for 212.

Their other SEC opponents were LSU, UK, Vandy, and USCe. Wait for it.... wait... those are your bottom 4 pass Ds in the SEC.... and they didn't exactly light USCe or UK up throwing the ball. FWIW, UT's SEC opponents include the #2, #4, and #5 pass Ds.

Common opponents are interesting. MU and UT played UK in consecutive weeks. Both @UK. Cook was 20/30 for 214 with a TD and a pick. Against the exact same D... that had a bye week to prepare... Milton went 17/20 for 227 a TD and no picks. Leary waking up and the course of the game produced a closer game for UT. But in terms of Total O.... UT was far better than Mizzou. The Vols posted 481 vs UK with the run game over 250. Mizzou had 332 with only 118 on the ground.

MU played USCe two weeks after UT spanked them. The Vols won 41-20. Mizzou beat them 34-12. Both teams were relatively balanced with over 200 yds rushing and passing. UT had 477 total yds. MU had 418. Not many conclusions to be drawn as bad as USCe sucks. UF hit them for 494 between those games.


UT is around 7th in pass D. But looking at the game by game results... you can literally see when Banks played that soft coverage crap. APSU had 260... the 2nd highest given up by the Vols. Banks made Leary look like a Heisman candidate. Interesting sidenotes. Without that UK game, UT would be #4 in the SEC in pass D just ahead of Bama. Shocking as this may sound... UT very likely has the 2nd best pass D MU has faced all year.


UT is the ONLY team in the SEC that has more interceptions than passing TDs allowed and the only SEC team that has less than 10 TD passes allowed so far.
 
Last edited:
It will be interesting to see just how committed Mizzou is to the run and especially if UT scores early.
 
  • Like
Reactions: memtownvol
they score a lot of points.

Their RB averages 5.7 ypc

Their QB is also good
Their Dline is good as well. This will be a bad matchup on paper. Still think we beat the piss out of them though. I don’t think their home field is that much of an advantage. I also think they come in a little down and beat up compared to us having basically an off week. Drink also makes some very questionable in game decisions.
 
You have to put an asterisk beside those two years. In the first one, the stars aligned with UGA, UF, and UT all sucking in the same year. UGA was 8-5. They were bad enough to lose to Vandy. UF was 4-8. UT was 5-7. Butch sucked... and Pinkel didn't.

In their 2nd one, it was kind of a "default". UGA screwed themselves by losing to a pretty bad 7-5 UF team. They beat Mizzou 34-0 and were clearly the best team in the East. But Richt seemed to "find a way". MU went on to be the designated whipping boy for Bama in one of the least competitive SEC CGs ever.

Burden is a good WR. There are several better. Nabors and Legette in just the SEC. Probably others. Legette's performance has been buried by a bad team.

If Banks plays soft coverage against him and the others... they'll have a field day. That said, he's not exactly lighting up the best Ds in CFB... nor is their passing game generally. But Banks can't play it that way. It plays right into what Mizzou wants to do with Cook.



UGA has the #1 pass D in the SEC. Mizzou completed less than 50% of its passes for 212.

Their other SEC opponents were LSU, UK, Vandy, and USCe. Wait for it.... wait... those are your bottom 4 pass Ds in the SEC.... and they didn't exactly light USCe or UK up throwing the ball. FWIW, UT's SEC opponents include the #2, #4, and #5 pass Ds.

Common opponents are interesting. MU and UT played UK in consecutive weeks. Both @UK. Cook was 20/30 for 214 with a TD and a pick. Against the exact same D... that had a bye week to prepare... Milton went 17/20 for 227 a TD and no picks. Leary waking up and the course of the game produced a closer game for UT. But in terms of Total O.... UT was far better than Mizzou. The Vols posted 481 vs UK with the run game over 250. Mizzou had 332 with only 118 on the ground.

MU played USCe two weeks after UT spanked them. The Vols won 41-20. Mizzou beat them 34-12. Both teams were relatively balanced with over 200 yds rushing and passing. UT had 477 total yds. MU had 418. Not many conclusions to be drawn as bad as USCe sucks. UF hit them for 494 between those games.


UT is around 7th in pass D. But looking at the game by game results... you can literally see when Banks played that soft coverage crap. APSU had 260... the 2nd highest given up by the Vols. Banks made Leary look like a Heisman candidate. Interesting sidenotes. Without that UK game, UT would be #4 in the SEC in pass D just ahead of Bama. Shocking as this may sound... UT very likely has the 2nd best pass D MU has faced all year.


UT is the ONLY team in the SEC that has more interceptions than passing TDs allowed and the only SEC team that has less than 10 TD passes allowed so far.
I don't think Banks has the talent to play man/press against Mizzou....among the current starters that is. When we hired him, everyone said he was an "aggressive" coach. Maybe he is, but the talent available isn't allowing him to call a game the way he wants to? I think they'll come out doing what's gotten them to this point....soft zone. Depending on how the game unfolds, he might be drawn into taking chances, but I'll have to see it to believe it. Speaking of "seeing", this fan has to remember that Banks sees these guys every day in practice. He knows better than anyone what they can and can't do. It is what it is at this point in the season. Even if they lose to Mizzou and UGA, which I expect, and barring a huge upset vs Vandy, they're exactly where I thought they'd be...8 wins. No complaints from me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScornedPapaVol
Who was the OC when Mizzou made a championship?

“Thorn in your side”.. You mean they’re in the SEC?

I thought Marvin Harris Jr was the best WR in the nation. Or Colorado’s Travis Hunter.
Right LB Is not in anyway the best wr in the country. That title goes to Marvin Harrison JR. No debate needed. Then I would say Bowers even though he is a TE. Those will be the top 2 guys drafted as pass catchers. Travis Hunter is likely about the 6th or 7th best DB in this draft. He won't play offense in the NFL
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScornedPapaVol
Their Dline is good as well. This will be a bad matchup on paper. Still think we beat the piss out of them though. I don’t think their home field is that much of an advantage. I also think they come in a little down and beat up compared to us having basically an off week. Drink also makes some very questionable in game decisions.
How so in your opinion? According to most of the rankings I can find the strength of schedules is a wash.

SEC rankings:

Total O- UT 4, MU 5
Scoring O- UT 4, MU 5
Rushing- UT 1, MU 7
Passing- UT 8, MU 5
Sacks allowed- UT 3, MU 4
TFLs allowed- UT 2, MU 6
TO margin- UT 2, MU 10
Penalties- UT 14, MU 9

3rd down- UT 4, MU 6


Total D- UT 3, MU 6
Scoring D- UT 3, MU 8
Rush D- UT 1, MU 5
Pass D- UT 7, MU 8
Sacks- UT 3, MU 6
TFLs- UT 2, MU 9
INT- UT 5, MU 11
3rd Down- UT 3, MU 9


Where there is significant separation according to the stats, they all favor UT. I like how Milton is playing of late. UT isn't allowing a lot of pressure either but MU is good at getting to the QB and especially of late- 4 vs UF and 3 vs UGA make 7 of their 19 total. They like "exotic" blitzes so UT's spread and quick passing game should help.

But my favorite match up here (and really against almost any opponent) is UT's run game vs their run D. I don't think Mizzou can stop it without completely selling out. I don't think they can hold up in man to man if they do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: volmanjr
How so in your opinion? According to most of the rankings I can find the strength of schedules is a wash.

SEC rankings:

Total O- UT 4, MU 5
Scoring O- UT 4, MU 5
Rushing- UT 1, MU 7
Passing- UT 8, MU 5
Sacks allowed- UT 3, MU 4
TFLs allowed- UT 2, MU 6
TO margin- UT 2, MU 10
Penalties- UT 14, MU 9

3rd down- UT 4, MU 6


Total D- UT 3, MU 6
Scoring D- UT 3, MU 8
Rush D- UT 1, MU 5
Pass D- UT 7, MU 8
Sacks- UT 3, MU 6
TFLs- UT 2, MU 9
INT- UT 5, MU 11
3rd Down- UT 3, MU 9


Where there is significant separation according to the stats, they all favor UT. I like how Milton is playing of late. UT isn't allowing a lot of pressure either but MU is good at getting to the QB and especially of late- 4 vs UF and 3 vs UGA make 7 of their 19 total. They like "exotic" blitzes so UT's spread and quick passing game should help.

But my favorite match up here (and really against almost any opponent) is UT's run game vs their run D. I don't think Mizzou can stop it without completely selling out. I don't think they can hold up in man to man if they do.
On paper, their rush defense is good. In theory that could give the best part of our offense issues. Cook is also very good and our pass defense hasn’t been great. He also can hurt you with his legs as well. We’ve struggled on the road as well. Again I’m saying you can make an argument on paper for missouri I think we roll them though.

Their home field advantage isn’t great. We’ve shredded most great rush defenses as well. Idk how banged up Cook or their best WR is after playing UGA.
 
How so in your opinion? According to most of the rankings I can find the strength of schedules is a wash.

SEC rankings:

Total O- UT 4, MU 5
Scoring O- UT 4, MU 5
Rushing- UT 1, MU 7
Passing- UT 8, MU 5
Sacks allowed- UT 3, MU 4
TFLs allowed- UT 2, MU 6
TO margin- UT 2, MU 10
Penalties- UT 14, MU 9

3rd down- UT 4, MU 6


Total D- UT 3, MU 6
Scoring D- UT 3, MU 8
Rush D- UT 1, MU 5
Pass D- UT 7, MU 8
Sacks- UT 3, MU 6
TFLs- UT 2, MU 9
INT- UT 5, MU 11
3rd Down- UT 3, MU 9


Where there is significant separation according to the stats, they all favor UT. I like how Milton is playing of late. UT isn't allowing a lot of pressure either but MU is good at getting to the QB and especially of late- 4 vs UF and 3 vs UGA make 7 of their 19 total. They like "exotic" blitzes so UT's spread and quick passing game should help.

But my favorite match up here (and really against almost any opponent) is UT's run game vs their run D. I don't think Mizzou can stop it without completely selling out. I don't think they can hold up in man to man if they do.
One not so small consideration/stat....our road record. Maybe we got over the hump at UK, but until we do it again, it can be argued that the UK win was an anomaly.
 
One not so small consideration/stat....our road record. Maybe we got over the hump at UK, but until we do it again, it can be argued that the UK win was an anomaly.
UF sucks out loud but the Vols rallied some in the 2nd half. UT is very different now from that team. UT played well at Bama who got some home cooking from the officials. UT beat UK. Those are the only true road games so far. The Vols are 1-2. Mizzou is 2-1 with wins on the road vs UK and Vandy.

It can be... and should be... argued that other than some pretty one sided officiating the narrative that UT has played bad on the road is way overblown.
 
On paper, their rush defense is good. In theory that could give the best part of our offense issues. Cook is also very good and our pass defense hasn’t been great. He also can hurt you with his legs as well. We’ve struggled on the road as well. Again I’m saying you can make an argument on paper for missouri I think we roll them though.

Their home field advantage isn’t great. We’ve shredded most great rush defenses as well. Idk how banged up Cook or their best WR is after playing UGA.
But the stats don't actually show that their rush D is a good match up for them vs UT's O. Pretty much the opposite. In an oddity that I never thought I would witness... UGA isn't a very good running team this year. They're the 2nd best MU has faced and ran effectively with the game in question. In the SEC, they've otherwise faced #9, #10, #13, and #14.... and # 2 LSU who put up 274 yds against them. LSU is #2... to UT.

I was at the game two years ago when a lot of the same kind of stuff was being said. Supposedly two equal teams with a lot of the talking heads saying MU would win. UT boatraced them with Hooker really just starting to get his feet under him.

Key stat to watch. MU was fairly decent in run D then too. UT gashed them for 264 yds. If they can slow UT's run game and get Milton to regress then it becomes a lot more competitive.



Here's what I believe until they show me different. MU has some players in their depth chart that are "stars" that are equal to or maybe better than their UT counterparts. But the difference is all the other positions where man by man UT just has better talent. It isn't always the 1's vs 1's that make the margin. Very often in a game like this it is how the sum of the 2 deeps compare.

Heupel spreads Ds out to create space for the run game. That hurts every opponent but it is deadly to teams with 2nd or 3rd tier talent like UK or MU or USCe. A position by position may show no more than a step or two less athletic than Bama or UGA. That's the difference between limiting a run to 20 yds and hitting a crease for 80. That slight edge is how a UK D that held everyone down running the ball including Mizzou @118 and UGA at 173 when facing more traditional formations... can get just absolutely trampled by UT's run game.

Obviously UT could regress and lay an egg. All kinds of things could go wrong. The officiating could stop UT drives or extend theirs. Maybe I'm wrong and Mizzou is better athletically across the board than I think. But they'll have to "Show Me".
 
I’m pretty nervous about this game. We haven’t played well on the road and they have a good offense
 
The "we don't play well on the road" is overstated and our offense is better
It is, Faurot Field isn't the Swamp or even Willy Brice or Sanford. It's not intimidating, if anything it lulls teams to sleep. Plus with Cooper back, we'll be a lot better.
 
I predict a snarky drive-by post game coaches' hand shake and another CJH knowing smirk after...

wait for it

VOLS BY FIDDY
 
Losing to Mizzou is a bad look. Josh can’t afford it after losing to UF. He could have survived the loss if he had beaten UF.
lol. Everyone is encaustic with the state and future of the program. Heupel is the best coach we’ve had in many of our lifetimes. The fact that we are sitting here at 7–2 with a chance to get to 10 regular season wins after the mess inherited is downright mind-boggling.

Maybe by “survive” you mean the team stay alive for the SEC East? If you mean anything else… God bless you. Lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: ScornedPapaVol
Lots of teams have played close games that are ranked. Regardless, they were 7-1 until last night, and still hold the same record we do with a quality win over KSU who almost beat TX last night on the road and could have had the coach not decided not to kick a FG to tie the game and instead went for it on 4th and goal from the 4. KSU was labeled overrated after that loss, only to be playing to maintain 1st in the BIG12 in that game.

Their lone loss to LSU is where people began giving them clout. If you really want to see how good Missouri can be, go back and watch that game. It was back and forth until the very end and one of those games that doesn’t show how close it was.

They were also dead even with Georgia on the road for much of that game.

They beat Kentucky much worse than we did. They beat USCjr by one more point than we did.

They have a really good running back and quarter back. The game is away. We are not the team the drummed them last year.

There is plenty to be concerned about. I believe in Heupel goes into Missouri and wins with this team, it will be his 3rd best win of his Tennessee career. Bama, LSU and this one. While Florida is a game we want, we let those guys back into a game that we should have destroyed them in. I just can’t put that game over this one if we win.

JMO
I’m definitely nervous about this one. They kept winning when I didn’t think they would.

I do believe the UGA game is more of an indicator of how this game will go and how good Mizzou is or can be LSUs defense is abysmal this year.

IF UT plays their game like they’re capable, then I think UT will win. If they have a bad half, I think Mizzou will win if that’s the case unless Cook play’s terrible.

That said, screw Drink. WTFA
 
  • Like
Reactions: vegasvolfan
I happily took the UT -1 line today, but this is for sure a much improve Missouri team that may beat us
 
  • Like
Reactions: vegasvolfan

VN Store



Back
Top