Mizzou’s failed tune-up against Troy exposes flaws ahead of conference play

MU’s schedule will only get more challenging with its slate of Southeastern Conference games starting in Week 4. It’s clear now that the Tigers have a lot to improve on heading into their upcoming matchup on the road against Mississippi State, despite entering the trip with an undefeated record.

“The road ahead gets a whole lot more difficult, but it's really about us improving and finding ways to get better and learning more about our team,” Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters following the victory over Troy. “And tonight, some good, but a lot of things to work on”

There will be plenty of facets of the game that Drinkwitz takes a deeper look at following the victory. The passing game, led by quarterback Austin Simmons, showed its first true signs of weakness this season. If it weren’t for the leg work of running back Jamal Roberts and his 122-yard performance, the end result might’ve been different.

In Week 4, the Tigers head to Starkville and face a defense that’s allowing 233.7 passing yards per game, which is the second-highest in the SEC. Simmons showed opposing teams in the conference that he can move the ball up the field. In fact, he was Mizzou’s largest source of offense before Week 3.

His timing with wide receiver Donovan Olugbode was noticeably concerning against the Trojans. Timing and accuracy weren’t an issue at all for Simmons in the first two games of the season, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth Saturday. Olugbode and Simmons were not synced up and it showed, forcing the Tigers to score in other ways.

Penalties are a continuous issue for MU that have not been erased from the tape through three games. It committed five against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Week 1, 10 in Week 2 against Kansas and nine against Troy. Mizzou's penalties against Troy came at fairly crucial moments of the game and also prohibited it from marching down the field early when Troy had a lead.

This has been a glaring issue through three weeks, including several undisciplined errors on the offensive line and special teams. If MU allows 90 yards from penalties like it did against Troy later in the season, there will be less room for error when trying to score and stopping its opponents.

After the dust settled and the Tigers had won, Drinkwitz compared the performance to their win over Middle Tennessee State in 2023. They won 23-19 and, in similar fashion to their most recent win against Troy, didn’t look like the team people were expecting to see.

“They can't take this off the record, so I feel good about that,” Drinkwitz said. “It's just there's a lot of work to be done, and I don't want anybody to think we're sitting here satisfied in the locker room, jumping up and down. I mean, they're disappointed. We're all disappointed. We know that we can play better.”

It’s no secret what happened to Mizzou after barely squeaking by the Blue Raiders in 2023. The Tigers went on to upset a ranked Kansas State team in heroic fashion, No. 13 Tennessee and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

An ugly outing against Troy doesn’t mean the sky is falling for Mizzou. It does mean that there are things that need to change in a very quick turnaround.

At the end of the day, Mizzou enters its first SEC matchup 3-0 with glimpses of how good the team could be. A more complete performance will be necessary to beat the Bulldogs on their home turf, and it will start with discipline to eliminate penalties and consistency on offense. The Tigers face Mississippi State at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.