SEC Power Rankings: Egg Bowl, Iron Bowl to decide SEC West champ

Nov 21, 2015; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel is carried off the field by Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Evan Boehm (77) and offensive lineman Connor McGovern (60) after the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Faurot Field. Tennessee won the game 19-8. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Missouri Tigers played extremely hard Saturday night in head coach Gary Pinkel’s final home game as head coach, but Mizzou couldn’t send Pinkel off with a win.

The Tigers, who still rank in the nation’s top 10 in both scoring defense (15.1 points per game) and total defense (300.4 total yards allowed per game), dug themselves a 19-0 hole in the game, and couldn’t muster enough offense to make a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Mizzou allowed a modest 337 total yards to the Vols, including just 89 passing yards, but the Tigers managed only 223 yards of offense and had only 10 first downs in the game. Missouri also lost the turnover battle 2-0.

Quarterback Drew Lock completed only 13 of 30 pass attempts for 135 yards and an interception. Lock added 11 rushing yards and scored the only touchdown of the game for the Tigers on a four-yard run. Four Missouri ball carriers combined for just 88 rushing yards on 29 carries (3.0 yards per attempt).

With bowl eligibility on the line (though the Tigers could theoretically receive a bowl bid with only five victories if there aren’t enough six-win teams to fill open slots), Mizzou travels to Fayetteville in search of a proper send off for Pinkel in his final regular season game.

Next Game: Saturday November 28 at Arkansas

Next: Kentucky