clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

“There are a good things within these walls, we just haven’t seen the results.” Kentucky 35, Missouri 21

With or without the crucial injuries on the defense, Mizzou is not prepared to win a conference game.

NCAA Football: Kentucky at Missouri Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Can you feel it? You can definitely see it. This is what it looks and feels like when a program doesn’t have answers to struggles on the field. I will be the first one to admit, I thought Odom could supplement Mizzou’s deflated defense with solid play calling. I thought wrong...

Missouri’s 35-21 loss to Kentucky started off promising for Mizzou, with a missed field goal for Kentucky and a couple of quality offensive plays for the Tigers. But Mizzou punted, and on the fourth play of Kentucky’s second drive, Stanley Boom Williams found himself behind Mizzou’s secondary, sprinting for a 60-yard touchdown.

Williams netted 127 yards for the first half, and he didnt even play the entire time.

On the fourth play of Kentucky’s third drive, Missouri’s Donavin Newsom forced a fumble, side-swiping Williams, who would leave the game for several possessions. This gave Benny Snell Jr. an opportunity to keep the Cats’ running game going. He did, with a total of 57 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

Expectations were not very high for this game, especially after last week’s debacle against MTSU. Regardless, it is concerning to see both sides of the ball regressing.

Well... there was this by Dimetrios Mason!

And this too!

The second half was the same story, just a different half... ummm ya... duh

What seemed like a promising Missouri drive to start the second half ended in a missed field goal by Tucker McCann. That created the same vibe for the second half. Kentucky capitalized on each drive, while Mizzou riddled itself with penalties, missed tackles, and poor offensive execution.

Mizzou may have found a new Marcus Murphy.

After Kentucky went three-and-out on its second drive of the fourth quarter, Jonathan Johnson returned a 63 yard punt to Kentucky’s 1 yard line. That resulted in another Josh “Juggernaut” Augusta rushing touchdown, cutting Kentucky’s lead to 21. This is a sight for a sore-eyed special teams, as Mizzou may have found a spark for its return game. Regardless, the game had already been settled.

“Never once I thought this would be easy. This is why college football is hard.”

Odom addressed the podium after the game with a similar message, but a more humble demeanor. “I appreciate the fans that were there. We are not playing very good football.”

“I think it's going to take unbelievable work, and a singular focus 365 days of the year- on defense,” Odom said, “There is no doubt in my mind we will get it done.”

Injuries played a role in Missouri’s issues, but it appears Mizzou would still have struggled with Kentucky’s run game ... just maybe not to this large a margin. To have any shot at winning a conference game this season, Odom and company will need to figure out how to stop the run, and prepare the offense to play more competitive.