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MV3: A new name joins the usual suspects atop the post-Tennessee ballots

Larry Rountree tops the ballots once again, and a redshirt freshman joins the fray.

NCAA Football: Missouri at Tennessee Knoxville News-Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK

Every week, the masthead of Rock M Nation cast their ballots for Mizzou’s MV3, the three players who made the biggest impact on that week’s game.

It feels like we’ll need to get used to a rotating cast in this season’s MV3 ballots.

Despite the promise of a closer game, Missouri never found its footing in Knoxville, fallling 35-12 to Tennessee. The offense couldn’t, uh, do the thing Larry Rountree suggested, while the defense continued to look like a shell of what we expected pre-season.

However, Missouri’s isn’t without a handful of extremely talented upperclassmen who display every week that they’re not taking anything for granted in this wacky 2020 season. This week, two of Mizzou’s notable stars are joined in the MV3 by a redshirt freshman who cemented himself as a name Tiger fans need to know in the coming weeks... and possibly years!

1. Larry Rountree III

NCAA Football: Missouri at Tennessee Knoxville News-Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK

The man continues to impress even if the offense doesn’t. Rountree was once again excellent on Saturday, averaging 4.7 YPC on a day when the offensive line was once again outmatched by a stout defensive front. The senior also added a touchdown, further cementing himself as one of the SEC’s (and the country’s) best backs. If the offense could find any sort of cohesion, his stats could see a notable uptick. They likely will anyway, with the end of Missouri’s torturous three-game slate coming to an end next week.

2. Connor Bazelak

NCAA Football: Missouri at Tennessee Knoxville News-Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK

A new name has entered the chat! After a week’s worth of hemming and hawing over the QB situation, Bazelak stepped in on Saturday and cemented himself as the new leader in the clubhouse. Taking over for a struggling Shawn Robinson in the first quarter, the redshirt freshman averaged 10.4 yards per attempt and seemed to settle on offense that looked otherwise unsteady. He couldn’t find the end zone and threw a bad pick, but it’s hard to think of him as anything less than QB-1 heading into next week’s date with LSU.

3. Nick Bolton

Syndication: USA TODAY Brianna Paciorka, Knoxville News-Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Another day, another colossal effort from Mizzou’s All-American. Despite misreading a screen that went for a TD, Bolton was a man on a mission against the Volunteers, racking up 17 tackles. The defense has been underwhelming two games into the campaign, but Bolton isn’t the reason. If anything, he’s the strong thread holding the whole thing together.

Others receiving votes: Harrison Mevis


How about you? Who’s your MV3 for the week? Let us know on Twitter (@RockMNation) or here in the comments.