Offensive issues continue to plague Missouri in 9-6 win over UConn
Bob Diaco's Connecticut team went for the spectacular win, and fell comically short, in Saturday's lackluster affair against Missouri. Trailing 9-6 with a little more than minute remaining, the Huskies opted to fake a 42-yard field goal only to throw an interception that sealed the win for the two-time defending SEC East champs.
It was an appropriate ending to a game that started with a safety and ended with 11 punts and four turnovers.
UConn jokes aside, however, this is another concerning performance for Gary Pinkel's Tigers.
After waxing FCS opponent Southeast Missouri State, Missouri has stumbled its way through close wins against Arkansas State and UConn. A quarterback controversy between the incumbent Maty Mauk and freshman Drew Luck underscores an offense in complete disarray. Mauk, once considered a dual-threat option poised to torment SEC defenses, has seemingly regressed during his time in Columbia. The Tigers managed just 270 total yards on Saturday, their lowest mark since last season's offense-optional win over Florida.
The defense again looks stout, per the usual for Pinkel's teams, but a soft non-conference schedule leaves those numbers up for debate. (UConn's own offensive problems will not help in that regard.)
Missouri has surprised before, of course. This is the same team that allowed Indiana to be the 2014 Transitive SEC East champs -- courtesy of a 31-27 loss to the underwhekming Big Ten challengers -- and received a thorough shellacking at the hands of SEC East rival Georgia before rebounding with six straight SEC wins to make it to Atlanta. Pinkel is trying to make the process of upending preseason predictions an annual tradition, but this might be his program's most trying challenge to date.
The SEC East as a whole has improved and, by the looks of things, Missouri is heading in the opposite direction after heavy personnel losses (10 NFL draftees over past two years) have undercut the overall talent level.
Tennessee and Kentucky no longer look like walkovers. Florida has plenty of talent, particularly on defense, and might actually be improving on offense. South Carolina and Vanderbilt may not be quite as imposing as the pre-2014 editions, but Georgia, a preseason favorite for three or four years running, remains the most talented team in the division. The crossover schedule (Arkansas, Mississippi State) could be worse, but it's difficult to envision Missouri back-dooring its way to the Georgia Dome for the second straight season.
If any SEC East team is going to pull off the improbable, the Tigers certainly have the track record. And despite the talent hemorrhage and an offense in complete disarray, Missouri remains undefeated heading into conference play next weekend. Things could be worse.
Perhaps these games offered the tune-up Pinkel's team desperately needed. Or perhaps this is the year that Missouri stops sneaking up an underperforming division.
