Missouri’s two best plays at the halfway point

With it being the halfway point in Missouri’s season, I thought I’d find a couple of my favorite plays of the season. Despite the fact that it’s been a rocky first half to the season, there has still been plenty to like about this team. They have a stable of really talented wide receivers, a defense that has played to a top 25 level, as well as a kicker who has impressed, too. Plenty of plays for me to choose from.

The Only Touchdown against Georgia

I liked this one a lot. Props to you, Drink.

Missouri has shown on film consistently that they like to run bubble screens on the edge. This sometimes frustrates me as well as some of our other readers, but here they did a good job recognizing their own tendencies and going against them in order to catch Georgia’s defense off guard.

Missouri has trips to the right side and gets a corner head up on the #3 receiver and an outside linebacker splitting the difference between #1 and #2. Behind is the safety who is on top of all of this.

I ask that you pay attention to the reaction of the outside linebacker and the safety. Watch how hard they bite down on the bubble, and how good of a job #80 Tyler Stephens does in selling the block and then getting into his route.

Brady Cook does a good job of standing in the pocket, knowing full well that he’s going to take a shot at delivering a somewhat catchable ball. Very good execution and a nice call in a 3rd and intermediate situation.

3rd and Long.... Again

At this point in the Florida game, Missouri was needing to find a score and fast. They had already been backed up in a third and long situation on this drive, somehow converting on a 3rd and 22. Here they are again on another 3rd and long situation and the mindset going into this play must have been, “At least get half of the yardage”.

Well, Missouri goes into a 2x1 formation and decides to run a three man, middle-hi-lo concept to the right side of the formation. The running back hits the flat, the #1 receiver is breaking in, to come back out to the sideline and #2 is on what looks to be a go route.

The #2 receiver does a good job of running his go, and getting his man out of the picture and to clear some space for Miller coming back across the field. Cook again steps up and makes a catchable pass in the face of pressure and Miller isn’t phased by the corner who was run off, bearing down on him to make that catch.

Missouri obviously needed the conversion, and it was a really nice play for the true freshman to make given the circumstances.

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