A second half wish list for Missouri Football

Coming into the season, the Missouri football team was predicted to finish the season with 5-6 wins according to Draftkings. Their current record stands at 3-4 after the win over Vandy on Saturday. With games against Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas left to be played — the road to bowl eligibility is very murky. Bowl eligibility or not — the Tigers need to use the second half of this season as a building block for next season. Here is my second-half wish list for Missouri football.

1. Stop being so hesitant to open up the offense.

The run game is one positive that Eli Drinkwitz has been able to lean on in his time with Missouri football. Running backs Cody Schrader and Nate Peat have provided a solid 1-2 punch out of the backfield. Both have shown the ability to run inside and outside as well as being solid receivers out of the backfield. Eli Young has also provided a burst in limited playing time.

The passing game definitely needs a lot of refining. Some of that can definitely be pointed to  Dominic Lovett has been one of the top SEC performers at wide receiver. After six games, his 31 receptions were tied for 4th in the conference and his 499 yards were the third most. Mookie Cooper seemed to have been the forgotten weapon earlier in the season. Standing at only 5’8 — Cooper is the prototypical slot receiver. But given the opportunities to play on the boundary — Cooper has shown that he can be a deep threat and that he is capable of doing more with more opportunities.

2. Do whatever needs to be done. Just fix the offensive line.

It was inevitable that the offensive line play was going to make the wish list. This group has not played well as a unit. There’s no nicer way to put it. Penalties, missed blocking assignments, and a total lack of consistency in execution have led to far too many stalled out drives. Coach Drinkwitz made many references to the improved roster depth going into the 2022 season compared to his first two seasons at Missouri. It’s about time that he tapped into that depth because what’s playing out on a weekly basis is simply not working. Consistency on the offensive line being such an issue could very well be a reason for the hesitance to open up the offense more.

3. Please play Sam Horn this season.

Brady Cook was victorious in the quarterback competition in the spring. While Cook has been more solid than spectacular — it has been decided that he gives Missouri football the best chance to win. Waiting in the wings is Sam Horn — the 4-star quarterback out of Georgia. Horn’s natural abilities have impressed the coaching staff but some of his decision-making is a reflection of his inexperience. Cook threw for 211 yards and one touchdown (one interception) against Vanderbilt but 17 points isn’t going to cut it.

But in the words of Danny Glover’s character in the movie Angels in the outfield:

"“Wait a minute. What’s the worst thing that could happen? We’re gonna fall out of last place?”"

With that being said — the Tigers would be no worse off by playing Sam Horn a series in each game. Gary Pinkel’s staff took the same approach with Chase Daniel in 2005. Daniel entered the season Smith’s backup but often played a series with the first-string offense. That gave Daniel live-game action without overly exposing his inexperience. While Horn is #3 on the depth chart behind Jack Abraham — it is clear at this point that Abraham is not going to factor into the future of the program nor save this season.

4. Incorporate Luther Burden into the offense as much as possible.

Fourth on my Second Half Wish List is “Where is Luther Burden?” That’s the question that has been asked multiple times in multiple games this season. Unless Burden is banged up — there is no reason for him to not be receiving as much playing time and getting more touches than he has. End-arounds, shovel passes, and taking snaps in the Wildcat formation are all legitimate options that are readily available in order to get Burden more touches without bogging down the offense. We’ve seen how he can impact a game with his two touchdowns against Louisiana Tech in the season opener. Burden is simply too talented to be standing around watching the offense struggle to sustain drives. Saturday was better (4 catches for 66 yards and a TD) but it still feels like the Tigers can utilize him more.

5. Stay aggressive but be more consistent on defense.

Blake Baker has brought a new attitude to the Missouri defense. The wait-and-see, read-and-react, bend-but-don’t-break defensive days are gone. Baker’s emphasis going into the season was that they were going to be aggressive — and that they have been. Baker has not found a blitz package that he isn’t willing to call. Anyone that has watched Missouri football over the years can find this new aggressive approach refreshing. The issue with the defense has been inconsistency than simply getting outplayed and overmatched.

Start fast, and be aggressive. Slow starts at Kansas State and at Auburn put the team in an early hole. Eventually, the defense settled in and made stops to give the offense a chance to get the team back in the game. Unfortunately,  the current offense isn’t constructed to be able to overcome those early double-digit deficits because of their inability to put together a string of offensive scoring drives.

The defensive line has been a pleasant surprise. Their ability to set the tone at the line of scrimmage is a complete contrast to last season. Ty’Ron Hopper is clearly the Missouri football defensive player. His ability to affect games in coverage, as a blitzer, and against the run cannot be summed up into one word. Hopper hasn’t been perfect but he has clearly been the MVP of the defense. The secondary is starting to round into form after a few rough moments early on in the season. After missing last season to a knee injury — Ennis Rakestraw has played well. Kris Abrams-Draine also played very well opposite of Rakestraw.

* Wish list special request.

This request isn’t an official wish but this wish list would not be complete without mentioning Harrison Mevis. Despite the missed field goal at the end of the Auburn game — Mevis is having another outstanding season. More Thiccerkicker, please!