Story of Missouri Tigers’ football season is reflected in report card against Kentucky

Mistakes on punt attempts by both teams turned the tide in Missouri’s 21-17 loss to Kentucky on Saturday, because both errors worked against the Tigers.

The one getting the most attention involves Wildcats punter Colin Goodfellow. The snap sailed over his head and bounded toward the goal line. Goodfellow retreived it in time to get off a short punt just before the Tigers’ Will Norris tackled him. Norris received a roughing penalty, and Kentucky kept the ball and ran out the clock.

In the third quarter Mizzou punter Jack Stonehouse dropped a snap and decided to run. Stonehouse needed four yards for a first down. He got three. With a short field, the Wildcats drove for a touchdown.

With the Kentucky error, there was no guarantee that Missouri would have gone ahead if the Tigers had gotten a safety or taken possessions around the 30, where the punt went out of bounds. But the Wildcats had made a huge mistake and Mizzou paid the penalty.

In a season in which Missouri has lost a game by missing a chip shot field-goal, fumbling into the end zone on a game-winning play (Auburn) and given top-ranked Georgia its biggest scare, Saturday’s events just added to the list of disappointments.

Here are the superlatives and grades from the game:

Player of the game

Defensive end D.J. Coleman turned in his best game for the Tigers with nine tackles and two for loss. He was credited with a half-sack, bringing his season total to 3 1/2. Coleman spent his first four years at Jacksonville State and is one of several transfers making an impact on the Mizzou defense.

Play of the game

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook and the offense weren’t having much success against a solid Kentucky defense. But in the fourth quarter, Cook reached the end zone twice, the second time on a 20-yard run in which he ran through a tackle and made a spin move. The touchdown gave Missouri a 17-14 lead.

Stat of the game

Missouri was a miserable 2-of-13 on third-down conversations a week after converting eight of 16 in a victory at South Carolina.

Report card

Offense: D

The 232 total yards and 3.9 yards per play were low marks for an SEC game. The Tigers simply have to find more ways to score. They’ve scored 17 or fewer points in five games and lost four of them. The passing game isn’t producing enough for the amount of talent MIzzou has at wide receiver.

Defense: C

Some of the numbers were good, like six sacks and holding a fifth SEC opponent under 300 total yards. But the Tigers couldn’t come up with the big play to prevent touchdown passes in third-down situations. Still, the defense has done enough to win most games, like Saturday’s.

Special teams: C

Not going to ding Will Norris for his tackle that resulted in the roughing penalty. He did what he’s been coached to do in that situation: chase down the punter. But Stonehouse dropping the snap was a disaster. Harrison Mevis’ 44 yard field goal into the wind was impressive. Missouri’s punt returners should have a better idea of when to field a punt and when to let it drop. All season, the Tigers have lost yards by not fielding punts, even with a fair catch.

Coaching: C

One moment stands out. In the second quarter, Missouri trailed 7-3 and faced a fourth-and-1 at the Kentucky 38. The Tigers had the wind at their back, so a Mevis atttempt would have been reasonable. After a timeout, Eli Drinkwitz made the right call to go for it and dialed up a quarterback keeper. Cook is a good runner who later scored twice, but muscling up isn’t his game. Instead of taking the snap and staying low, Cook stood up and was easily stopped.