It was a type of days for the Mizzou offense.
“Self-inflicted wounds,” quarterback Austin Simmons stated, “We have simply received to complete drives and actually be sure that we put ourselves in the proper place to attain.”
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The Tigers put three factors on the board Saturday towards Ole Miss on the best way to a 28-point defeat in Oxford.
Nearly every thing that would go incorrect for Mizzou did go incorrect towards the Rebels.
The primary warning signal for the struggles to return emerged throughout MU’s opening drive. Simmons related with Caleb Goodie Sr. for a 22-yard acquire, setting the Tigers up with a first-and-goal on the Ole Miss 10 yard-line and placing them on the precipice of a 7-0 lead.
Then middle Dominick Giudice was referred to as for a false begin, pushing Mizzou again to the 15. However two performs later, it regarded like Simmons put the Tigers on the board when he discovered Naeshaun Montgomery ultimately zone.
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Montgomery dropped the move, the primary of a number of key drops and shut calls between Simmons and his receivers.
OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 17: Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) scrambles to keep away from a sack through the recreation between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Missouri Tigers on October 17, 2026 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS. (Picture by Jason Homan/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos) | Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
“I believe everyone was off at present, and I did not see it coming. However, I imply, it is simply apparent we had been off,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz stated. “We had a few deep balls that had been simply form of shut, however weren’t there for no matter cause. That is on me to determine these inches that we’d like with a view to achieve success.”
Blake Craig salvaged three factors with a 27-yard subject objective, placing MU on the board for the primary time. It additionally turned out to be the one time, regardless of three journeys to the crimson zone.
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The Tigers’ second journey arrived within the second quarter after Xai’Shaun Edwards powered ahead for 10 yards to the Rebels’ 3 yard-line. That gave Mizzou a first-and-goal and a main scoring alternative when trailing 14-3.
Two runs that went backwards and an incompletion later, Drinkwitz despatched Craig again out on the sphere for what seemed to be one other gimme. He missed from 23 yards out.
“For those who make it, it is a one possession recreation. If you aren’t getting it, you are still in a two possession recreation,” Drinkwitz stated, “I felt like we labored actually onerous to get down there, so we wanted simply to return away with factors. Clearly, that was a deflating second of the sport.”
Ole Miss tacked on one other landing on the following possession. As a substitute of heading to the locker room down by one rating and getting the ball to start the third quarter, the Tigers trailed 21-3.
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It was a gap MU largely dug for itself, and one it couldn’t discover its method out of.
“You have to rating within the crimson zone and get everyone settled down. We had been by no means capable of simply get settled into the rhythm of the sport,” Drinkwitz stated, “I assumed the protection settled within the third quarter and gave us possibilities. However offensively, we had been simply urgent.”
OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 17: Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) is hit behind the road by Ole Miss Rebels security Sharif Denson (7) through the recreation between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Missouri Tigers on October 17, 2026 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS. (Picture by Jason Homan/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos) | Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos
Penalties additionally took their toll. Dying Row Protection put up a shutout within the third quarter, leaving the door barely open for a late-game cost.
Simmons related with Cayden Lee for a 16-yard completion halfway simply over 5 minutes after the half that might have put the Tigers simply exterior the crimson zone. However the play was wiped away by a chop block on Tristan Wilson, resulting in a 2nd-and-21 earlier than the drive resulted in a turnover on downs.
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Mizzou ended up with nearly as many penalty yards on offense (30) as speeding yards (39), the results of 4 flags — two of which got here in Rebels territory.
“We have simply received to begin higher up entrance and eradicate these penalties,” Giudice stated, “We will not have us beating ourselves after we’re enjoying SEC video games, good groups.”
The Tigers cobbled sufficient chunk performs collectively to persistently strategy scoring territory. Eight of Mizzou’s 11 drives reached a minimum of its personal 45 yard-line, and 6 of these crossed midfield.
MU averaged simply 0.5 factors when reaching Ole Miss territory, although.
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“As soon as we have now the momentum, as soon as we cross that fifty, we have simply received to have the ability to preserve that momentum going — actually lean on the blokes that we’re enjoying towards — and make that come out with a landing,” Giudice stated.
The drive most emblematic of the Tigers’ game-long struggles was their final. Mizzou marched its method into the crimson zone and reached the Rebels’ 4 yard-line with simply over a minute remaining.
Simmons was unable to attach with Lee on third down, main to a different fourth down strive. He by no means noticed Landon Barnes in protection, who intercepted the ball and was tackled on the 4 yard-line earlier than sprinting all the best way to the opposite finish zone along with his teammates in celebration.
“We form of summed up that total recreation in that final drive: get it all the way down to the ten [yard-line] and do not get any factors. That occurred 3 times,” Drinkwitz stated. “So we have got to return and have a look at that and determine that out.”
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It was one other deflating second in a recreation that featured lots for Chip Lindsey’s offense, sending MU into the bye week on a bitter be aware.
The silver lining for the Tigers: it was a type of days for lots of different SEC groups, too.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 17: George MacIntyre #12 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates with followers after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Picture by Camden Corridor/Getty Photos) | Getty Photos
Texas dropped its second straight matchup, additionally boosting Florida’s resume (and, by proxy, Mizzou’s) within the course of. Alabama adopted up a heartbreaking loss to Georgia with a backbreaking loss to Tennessee in Knoxville.
Georgia didn’t keep away from the more and more frequent 2026 SEC hangover, dropping its matchup to Auburn — in Athens, no much less. And Mississippi State was lacking each Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell in a 31-0 loss to LSU that made it clear simply how vital that pairing is to the Bulldogs’ success.
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Absolutely anything appears to be doable this yr within the SEC, and the convention now appears poised to ship a minimum of one three-loss group (if not a number of) to the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Reaching the higher tier of the convention this yr appears to be extra about driving out the chaos whereas gathering some strong wins than the rest, and Mizzou has a number of possibilities to turn out to be a chaos agent itself with high quality opponents piling up within the again half of the group’s schedule.
But when the Tigers have one other loss just like the one they had been handed in Oxford, that is all an enormous win can be: not a press release win; not a key level on a playoff resume; merely extra chaos within the chaotic world of faculty soccer.
