Mizzou 34 - Central Michigan 24

6:4 pm | Final

First Quarter Updates and Notes

• Connor Bazelak started off the game with a bang, throwing a deep ball to D’ionte “Boo” Smith that was good for 63 yards. Tyler Badie followed that up with a 12-yard TD run to cap a quick scoring drive.
• Central Michigan responded with three straight completions to drive down to the 10-yard line. JaCorey Sullivan ran in a short completion from 7 yards out to tie up the game.
• Two quick scoring drives to start the game that each took under two minutes. Both defenses seemed to be somewhat shellshocked and provided little resistance.
• Tyler Badie picked up where he left off on the last drive, starting off with two runs for 17 yards. Chance Luper caught his first ball for a gain of 18 after, and a pass interference call moved Mizzou right back to CMU’s side of the field. The Chippewas stood firm and forced a punt on the ensuing drive.
• Central Michigan converted two third downs but was fortunate to have an interception dropped early in the drive. Chippewas are getting plenty of movement up front and are mixing up the play-calling consistently. The Mizzou defense bent but did not break, as they got a 3rd down stop thanks to pressure from Trajan Jeffcoat that forced a fumble and ensuing punt.
• Mizzou went 3-and-out but got a great punt from Grant McKinnis, going for 50 yards to flip the field.
• Akayleb Evans came up with an interception to stop the next Central Michigan drive, as he jumped an out-route.
• Personal Thoughts: Both teams came out of the gate not scared to air things out, and both defenses seemed taken aback. Central Michigan was aggressive and efficient on offense, mixing up the play-calling and keeping Mizzou on their heels. As the quarter wore on, the speed advantage of the Tigers shone through, as they got more and more pressure on Jacob Sirmon. Connor Bazelak and Tyler Badie both look sharp, just need to string together more chunk plays.

Second Quarter Updates and Notes

• Mizzou began the quarter on the 43 of Central Michigan but could not get any further.
• McKinnis pinned yet another punt inside of the 15-yard line.
• Lou Nichols broke open a run for a gain of 28, but the Tiger defense forced three incompletions to win the ball back.
• Keke Chism got his first touch with a solid first down completion, but Mizzou was forced to punt as Drinkwitz played it conservative on a 4th and 5 from the Missouri 47.
• Yet another punt pinned inside the 15 by Gran McKinnis.
• Jacob Sirmon appears to be the QB the Chippewas will stick with, has been sharp so far and given the coaches no reason to let Daniel Richardson have a shot.
• Missed tackles are killing the Missouri defense, Lou Nichols and the CMU receivers are making guys miss with ease.
• Great play from Kris Abrams-Draine to blow up a reverse to CMU’s star WR, Kalil Pimpleton, followed by a sack from Devin Nicholson. Another missed tackle allows Central Michigan to pick up a first down on 3rd and long.
• Lou Nichols capped off a balanced drive by going nearly untouched into the end zone from 18 yards out.
• Drinkwitz is definitely trying to get Mookie Cooper the ball in space as much as possible, CMU has been all over him though.
• Bazelak missed an out-route on a second down but converted on third down to the opposite side of the field with the same route (Barrett Banister on the catch).
• Tigers converted a 4th down from the CMU 31 thanks to a pass interference call.
• Tyler Badie caught a ball out the backfield and scampered in for a 30-yard touchdown to tie to the game at 14.
• CMU converted a 3rd and 7 to keep the drive alive, Sirmon has plenty of time to wait on routes to open up.
• Right after, a heavy blitz on another third down fixed that pressure problem and forced a punt.
• Tauskie Dove found a soft spot in the zone coverage to put Mizzou in scoring position with under 30 seconds left. Harrison Mevis nailed a 53-yard field goal to close the half, would have been good from further too.
• Personal Thoughts: Jacob Sirmon looks very comfortable controlling this Central Michigan offense. He and Nichols are getting almost whatever they want, in large part because of a lack of movement from the Tiger defensive line. Despite all of that, the biggest thing Drinkwitz will bring up at halftime is tackling. Missed tackles allowed CMU to extend a couple of key drives in the first half. Offensively, Bazelak seems to be on the verge of finding a rhythm, just not there yet. Some more success from Badie in the run game would help immensely.

Third Quarter Updates And Notes

• Intentional grounding forced Central Michigan into a 3rd and 13 on the opening drive, and the Tigers got the stop.
• Keke Chism got his second catch of the game and made the most of it, running for 27 yards. Mizzou would be stopped on a 4th and 1 pass that was intended for Chism.
• Blaze Alldredge came off a blitz untouched and nearly took Sirmon’s head off to start the next drive. On the next play, backup running back Darius Bracy sprung a huge run for 48 yards.
• Jaylon Carlies stopped the CMU drive by reading a corner route and running underneath it to pick it off. Huge stop for Missouri to change momentum.
• Tyler Badie has been showing off his vision this game, finding holes and cutbacks and hitting them hard.
• Two more screens to Mookie Cooper, both stopped for no gain. CMU has been all over him this game.
• Tigers have progressively been getting more and more pressure, and Blaze Alldredge has been leading the charge. 2 sacks now coming off of blitzes to force another punt from deep in CMU territory.
• Bazelak had an open “Boo” Smith for a touchdown off a fake reverse but missed him by roughly two yards.
• Aided by a pass interference call and multiple offsides, Mizzou managed to work its way inside the CMU 40. Elijah Young capped off the drive with a 32-yard touchdown run, largely created by the offensive line opening up a gaping hole on the right side.
• Tyler Badie hobbled off the field after a short run during the drive.
• RPO slant routes have really hurt the Tiger secondary, other teams will likely take notice.
• Blaze Alldredge now has 3 tackles for loss, 2 of which were sacks (6 tackles total).
• Personal Thoughts: Missouri seemed more comfortable and in control this quarter. Badie and Young both got going on the ground and the offensive line was creating more movement. Still too many holes that the CMU offense is running through, but when the Chippewas reached Mizzou territory, they were turned away. Current drive is very important, could be the difference in Central Michigan staying in this game.

Fourth Quarter Updates And Notes

• Lou Nichols breaks off another big run to convert a 2nd and 10 and get into the red zone for CMU.
• Jaylon Carlies is laying the lumber today, Sirmon is shaken up after he took a shot from the defensive back.
• Daniel Richardson comes into the game and throws a corner route to JaCorey Sullivan, who upon review, got his toe down for a touchdown. Impressive throw for Richardson seeing as he came off the bench ice cold.
• Badie with five straight carries on this drive, broke three for over ten yards to get into CMU territory. Another pass interference penalty places Mizzou at the 2-yard line.
• Niko Hea wrestled away a pass off a slate route to put Missouri back up by 10.
• Blaze Alldredge with yet another tackle for loss and a sack to force a stop, a very productive day for the grad transfer from Rice.
• Another beautiful kick from McKinnis, downed inside the five yard line.
• Have to give credit for Central Michigan receiver JaCorey Sullivan for an incredible diving grab to get CMU out of their own end zone.
• Akial Byers down on the field but jogged off shortly after.
• Shawn Robinson coming clean off a blitz forced Sirmon to fall to the ground, forcing a 4th down.
• Badie with a late breakaway run to go over 200 yards and put the game away.
• Harrison Mevis puts the game to bed with a 44-yard field goal.
• Personal Thoughts: The running game took over late, as Badie really took control of this game. The defense employed a bend-but-don’t-break approach, and although it gave up some points, they held off the Chippewas. A lot of good and a lot of bad from this game. The good: offensive balance, pass rush, special teams and few penalties/turnovers. The bad: poor tackling, inability to put CMU away, and struggles in run defense.

Pregame Updates

ICYMI

TIME: 3 pm CT

DATE: Saturday, September 4, 2021

LOCATION: Faurot Field, Columbia, MO

Missouri-Central Michigan football: Follow the game, TV Channel

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Missouri-Central Michigan football: Betting odds, predictions

Mizzou comes in as -14 favorites against CMU according to actionnetwork.com

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