Mizzou Football

Missouri should provide news about injured starters today

Here are today's Mizzou Links.

By Bill Connelly@SBN_BillC Sep 28, 2015, 5:17am CDT

What's On

Sad Gary.

I enjoy Sad Gary more than I should. He's exactly like I would be after a loss -- I wouldn't want to talk to anybody but my team, and I'd want to get the hell home as soon as possible so I can start working on the problems in peace.

MUtigers.com: @MizzouFootball Falls in SEC Opener at Kentucky, 21-13

The Trib: Kentucky ends Missouri's road streak in 21-13 win

Post-Dispatch: Mizzou's road streak falls at Kentucky

Offense

PowerMizzou: One step forward, two back

The Trib: Missouri's warts are on display in Kentucky

The game could have been sped up if the Tigers just started drives with second-and-8, because their stammering running game rarely gets more than a few yards. Missouri used the pistol formation far more than it had in the first three games, with the idea of cloaking which side the running plays were headed. But formations don’t make a difference if the line can’t open holes. Tailback Russell Hansbrough returned but played sporadically and obviously wasn’t his best because of his sprained ankle. [...]

If not for those injuries, I wouldn’t consider this a particularly devastating loss. Missouri’s schedule is loaded with second chances. The East is full of teams similar to Kentucky, such as South Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. They are flawed teams. The best at concealing warts will rise to the top half of the division.

Defense

PowerMizzou: NOTEBOOK: Defense falters

"Some man-to-man matchups," linebacker Michael Scherer said. "Some mental errors. A lot of different things. Nothing crazy, really. Some of it is just man-to-man, we're not getting enough pressure, we're not getting the pressure we're trying to get on the quarterback so receivers have the time to run long routes up the middle, which is one thing the pressure is supposed to stop.

"We just didn't get there tonight."

Missouri was credited with two sacks - a nine-yard loss by Donavin Newsom and a two-yard loss from Walter Brady - but no quarterback hurries (which is, admittedly, a subjective stat). But late in the game especially, the pressure lapsed, and Towles led touchdown-scoring drives on two of the three possessions after Missouri went up 10-7 on Andrew Baggett's first field of the game.

Injuries

PowerMizzou.com - Injury to insult

Post-Dispatch: Hansbrough returns in limited role

As if the offense wasn’t struggling enough, Missouri lost two starters to injury. Junior tight end Sean Culkin left the game in the first half with a sprained right knee. In the third quarter, right tackle Nate Crawford left with a sprained ankle. With Culkin out, backups Jason Reese and Clayton Echard played more snaps than usual. To replace Crawford, Missouri shifted Taylor Chappell from left guard to right tackle, the position he played last year in 10 starts. Brad McNulty took over Chappell’s place at left guard.The defense lost two starters, too. Senior safety Ian Simon was shaken up after breaking up a pass in the end zone and was sidelined for the rest of the game with a head injury. Simon slammed the back of his head on the turf when he landed in the end zone.

On the final play of the third quarter, Missouri senior linebacker Kentrell Brothers sprained his left ankle and was carted into the locker room for further testing.

Pinkel was unsure of the four players’ status and expected to know more Sunday.