:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/51381823/img.0.0.jpeg)
Drew Lock slumped over in his chair, hung his head and tried to retrace his steps. Where did it all go wrong?
The Missouri quarterback had just followed his worst game of the season with something much worse against a Florida defense that pounces on the kind of mistakes he tossed to the Gators like bait in the water. [...]
By then the Tigers hadn’t earned a first down. The first one came on their next series, their eighth possession overall. After two long runs by Ish Witter, Lock unloaded a pass for tight end Sean Culkin, who ran an out route to the left sideline. Wilson was covering outside receiver J’Mon Moore along the sideline but peeled off Moore and snatched Lock’s throw. Like Tabor just 2:11 earlier, he raced to the end zone.
It appeared Moore was supposed to clear space along the sideline for Culkin to catch the pass but Wilson squeezed past the wideout to snag the throw.
"I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus or say anything," Lock said. "I’ve got to take care of the ball."
-- Post-Dispatch: Lock's mistakes prove costly as Gators thrash Mizzou
So this is the ultimate example of something that could be very significant ... or completely and totally insignificant, but Drew Lock will not be made available to the media on Monday.
Drew Lock not among the 10 players Missouri is making available to the media this week. That's a first this season
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) October 16, 2016
Missouri will not make Drew Lock available to reporters during Monday's weekly media day.
— Blake Toppmeyer (@btoppmeyer) October 16, 2016
That could very easily be a move to take pressure off of his shoulders and allow him to focus a little bit more on what is an incredibly important game against MTSU this coming Saturday. It could also be a sign that his role in the offense could be diminishing soon. I'm leaning former, but the latter's on the table, at least.
As tends to happen, fans turned on Lock in a major way on Saturday. That was, of course, multiplied by the fact that Marvin Zanders looked quite good in a garbage-time touchdown drive against at least some of Florida's backups. I'm honestly not sure what I would do if I were Barry Odom, Josh Heupel, etc., in this instance, but it does feel like Zanders earned (re-earned?) a shot at some more playing time. So maybe on Saturday we at least see another arrangement like we saw at WVU -- Lock starts and plays a majority of the time, but Zanders gets at least one possession per half and maybe sees situational work. I think that would probably be fair.
By the way, if you read the links below -- this one in particular -- you'll find mentions of Moore also pouting walking off of the field and getting riled up on the sideline and having to be calmed down by Terry Beckner Jr. J'Mon did not cover himself in glory on Saturday, and he cannot be allowed to continue seeing the field if that continues. You can't a) almost completely fail to produce against good cornerbacks and b) set a bad example as an upperclassman at the same time.
Moore has struggled to get open over the last two games (which kind of makes sense given the competition) but has also dropped a couple of easy balls. Combine that with awful body language on Saturday, and ... again, that can't continue, especially when you've got backups like Richaud Floyd fighting for playing time and making tough catches (well, catch, singular) downfield.
Regardless of any changes at QB or WR, though ... let's just say I'm not expecting any changes to show up on the depth chart this afternoon. God forbid.
Swamp post-mortem
MUtigers.com: @MizzouFootball Falls at No. 18 Florida
The Trib: Gator defense gobbles up Missouri in Florida's 40-14 rout
PowerMizzou: Notes and Quotes from Gainesville
Nothing like having to answer a bunch of questions about whether you'll fracture as a team...
The Missourian: Missouri players show frustration in blowout loss
KC Star: Rewind: Mizzou shows unity despite consecutive blowouts, and defense improves
PowerMizzou: Tigers say they won't fracture
The new defensive alignment was ... relatively successful? I guess?
Good: 19 points scored by the Florida offense
Bad: Lots and lots of yards (per play)
The Trib: Scherer bumps to weakside linebacker in new defensive alignment
KC Star: MU notebook: Defensive shuffling leads to three new starters for Tigers
Post-Dispatch (Hochman): Mizzou defense has carried a heavy load
Crockett a clear bright spot
(Witter was pretty good, too.)
The Trib (Blake Toppmeyer): MU-Florida rewind: Game balls, grades and key plays
B&G Illustrated: Missouri-Florida Notebook: Freshman RB Damarea Crockett Shines
Volleyball rallies
MUtigers.com: @MizzouVB Rallies From 2-0 Deficit at Alabama, Remains Unbeaten in SEC Play
The Maneater: Missouri volleyball musters huge comeback in five-set win against Alabama
Your current SEC volleyball standings:
1. Kentucky (8-0, 15-4)
2. Missouri (7-0, 16-3)
3. Florida (6-1, 16-2)
4. Texas A&M (5-2, 11-7)
5. Auburn (5-3, 11-10)
Mizzou hosts Kentucky next Sunday after hosting LSU midweek. After that, it's a midweek trip to Texas A&M. We'll know a lot about the Tigers' SEC title chances in about 10 days.
Another Soccer win
MUtigers.com: Luebbert's Scores Twice as @MizzouSoccer Defeats Vanderbilt, 2-1
Your current SEC soccer standings:
1. South Carolina (8-0-0, 14-0-1)
2. Auburn (7-1-0, 11-4-0)
3. Arkansas (6-2-0, 13-3-0)
4. Missouri (5-2-1, 10-4-1)
5. Florida (5-3-0, 10-4-0)
6. Tennessee (4-3-1, 9-6-1)
7. Vanderbilt (4-3-1, 8-6-1)
8. Ole Miss (4-4-0, 9-7-0)
Mizzou is in pretty good shape for a good SEC Tournament seed but faces a Thursday trip to Arkansas and still has Florida at home a week later. Split those two and beat Georgia next Sunday, and a top-four seed should happen. Not a lot of room for a slip, though.
Rapid fire
It was a busy (and mostly good) weekend!
Cross-Country
MUtigers.com: Schweizer’s Fourth-Place Finish Highlights Pre-Nationals for Mizzou Cross Country
MUtigers.com: Kleve and Widmann Pace Mizzou Cross Country at Bradley Classic
The Trib: All in the family: Karissa Schweizer forges legacy at Missouri
Softball
MUtigers.com: @MizzouSoftball Tallies Doubleheader Sweep Over Highland CC
MUtigers.com: @MizzouSoftball Adds Adam LaLonde to Coaching Staff
Swimming & Diving
MUtigers.com: @MizzouSwimDive Splits Dual Meet With Alabama
Baseball
MUtigers.com: Black Takes Game Three of Fall World Series
Tennis
MUtigers.com: Santos/Ismail Advance to Quarterfinals of USTA/ITA Central Region Championships
Golf
MUtigers.com: @MizzouMensGolf Holds On Late, Takes Team Runners-Up at Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
The Maneater: No. 24 Mizzou men’s golf records third top-2 finish of the season at Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
x
x
x
x
Your CFB weekend recap
PODCAST AIN’T PLAYED NOBODY: Just imagine Alabama when Jalen Hurts isn’t playing like a freshman