Missouri Offense: They Could Be Pretty Pretty Good

Missouri is 5-4 and only 1-4 in the conference. Their only win is against UF, which is great because I hate the Gators. But their issues seem to be on defense. Their offense is fairly explosive and can put up points against good defenses, yet some how they have underachieved this year.

They have the best QB in the conference who is draft eligible, a pair of running backs so interchangeable it’s kind of like subbing in two backs on NCAA Football to avoid fatigue, and four WR’s with over 400 yards each.

It is also coordinated by Derek Dooley who did not have play calling experience before taking over the position. So maybe that’s why Lock has underperformed this year?

They are 18th in S&P+ and 17th in total offense. They average almost 36 points per game (including 29 against UGA, 35 against USCe, and 38 against UF), 469 yards per game, and 6.09 yards per play. They are 27th in the country in first down and have only given up 10 turnovers on the year.

Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Drew Lock, the Senior QB is 6’4” and 225lbs. He’s a top prospect in the draft. He’s the engine the drives the offense, along with a more complex offense that utilizes a multitude of weapons. He set the single season TD record last year with 44.

This year he is 193 of 311 for 2,394 yards and 19 TD’s against only six INT’s. He is better at home than he is on the road with 64.9% and 12 TD’s against 58.4% and 7 TD’s. He has nearly 1,000 yards against conference opponents but his completion percentage has dropped to 54.4% and only 4 of 19 TD’s.

He likes to thrown for chunk yardage between the 20’s, but rarely throws inside the 20’s. His splits are on down are nearly equal with more yards on first down and high completion on the second.

His targets include Emanuel Hall, Albert Okwuegbunam (say that five times fast), Johnathan Johnson, and Jalen Knox. Hall has 507 yards and 4 TD’s, Mr. O has 466 and 6 TD’s. Johnson and Knox have 413 and 402 respectively. Each has 3 TD’s. Hall and Mr. O are home run threats.

Larry Roundtree III and Damarea Crockett are the dual threat running backs. Both are home run threats and have nearly identical splits on down and distance, attempts, and stats. Roundtree has a scary 666 yards (I’ll see myself out) and nine TD’s. Damarea has 577 yards and 6 TD’s. Both backs seem to thrive against conference teams averaging around 5 ypc and 9 TD’s between them.

Mizzou’s offense struggled after besting Purdue in Week 3. Lock didn’t throw a touchdown against UGA or USCe despite the offense scoring 29 and 35 points in each game. After struggling he seemed to find his groove against Memphis with 4 touchdowns and then three against Florida.

The running has picked up the slack throughout the season despite playing stout SEC East Defenses. Missouri fans are disillusioned because they are not putting up as many points as they could be. It’s a dangerous team if everything clicks.