Mizzou Football To Host Defending National Champion No. 17/16 LSU on Saturday

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Mizzou To Host Defending National Champion LSU

• Mizzou Football (0-2, 0-2 SEC) returns to action on Saturday with its third consecutive game against a Top 25 opponent as it hosts defending national champion No. 17/16 LSU this Saturday. The game will kick at 11 a.m. on a to-be-determined ESPN platform from Memorial Stadium in Columbia. This contest was originally scheduled to take place in Baton Rouge, but was moved on Wednesday, Oct. 7 due to the threatening Hurricane Delta. Full details on the change can be found here. Mizzou is seeking to avoid its first 0-3 start since 1985, when it opened 0-7.

All-Time Series With LSU

• Mizzou is 1-1 all-time against the Bayou Bengals, with a 20-15 win in the 1978 Liberty Bowl and a 42-7 loss in Baton Rouge during the 2016 season. Saturday’s trip will mark Mizzou’s second visit to Tiger Stadium since the 2016 season. Mizzou has yet to host LSU in Columbia at Memorial Stadium, but will do so in 2023.
• In the 2016 meeting, Mizzou allowed LSU to post 634 total yards of offense, behind 418 on the ground as Derrius Guide and Darrel Williams each scored three rushing touchdowns. The only current Mizzou player to see action in that game was senior DT Markell Utsey, who made two tackles in the game. Mizzou DC Ryan Walters is the only current Mizzou coach to coach in that 2016 game, serving as the Tigers’ co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach that season.
• The only other meeting between the two teams came in the 1978 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. Mizzou won that game, 20-15, under coach Warren Powers as his team finished 8-4 on the year and ranked No. 15 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the UPI listing.
• Mizzou jumped out to a 20-3 lead in that game. A 15-yard touchdown run by Earl Gant opened the scoring in the first quarter and the Tigers then answered an LSU field goal with a pair of second quarter TDs, outscoring LSU, 13-0, in the second frame. Kellen Winslow hauled in a 16-yard TD from QB Phil Bradley and James Wilder added a three-yard TD run to extend the lead to 20-3.
• LSU then outscored Mizzou, 12-0, in the second half, but the 20-3 lead was too much for the Bayou Bengals to overcome, as Mizzou won its first bowl game since 1973.

Mizzou vs. the SEC West

• Mizzou is 9-10 all-time against SEC West foes since joining the league in 2012. Mizzou has had a losing record against SEC West teams in a single season just twice since joining the league (2012 and 2015). Mizzou posted a 2-0 record against the West in 2019, and went 2-1 in both 2013 and 2014 with the losses each year coming in the SEC Championship Game (2013 vs. Auburn, 2014 vs. Alabama). Mizzou went 1-1 against the West in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Last Time Out

• Mizzou fell to 0-2 on the season after dropping a 35-12 contest last Saturday at No. 21 Tennessee. Junior All-SEC linebacker Nick Bolton had another monster game for the Tigers, totaling a game- and career-high 17 tackles in the loss. Senior running back Larry Rountree III tallied 84 yards on 18 attempts on the ground and now sits just 55 yards shy of fourth place on Mizzou’s career rushing list. He added a third-quarter touchdown as well, the 27th of his career, to tie Brock Olivo for seventh all-time.
• Third and fourth downs proved to be the difference as Tennessee sustained long drives thanks to a combined 10-for-17 mark on third and fourth downs (4-for-4 on fourth) while Mizzou was just 8-of-17 (2-of-3 on fourth). The Tigers also had several promising drives stall out, settling for a pair of field goals with another ending in a first-down interception.
• Tennessee jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a 14-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a Ty Chandler 3-yard run. The Vols converted two fourth-downs on the drive, one in their own territory and another from inside the five, one play before the game’s first score.
• Mizzou fell behind, 14-0, but made things interesting late in the first half by cutting the lead to just one score after back-to-back field goals from true freshman Harrison Mevis, with just 4:17 remaining in the half. With Mizzou getting the ball back to start the second half, the Tigers were one stop away from getting the ball back with a chance to tie the game. However, Tennessee took the ball and marched 75 yards in just eight plays to extend its lead to 21-6 at the break.  Tennessee punched in another touchdown on its first drive of the second half.
• The Tigers countered with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped by a one-yard TD run from Rountree, the 27th of his career. Then, Mizzou forced a quick three-and-out thanks to a huge third-down sack from DL Isaiah McGuire, the first of his career. Mizzou took the ball back at its own 35-yard line and looked to be moving the ball until QB Connor Bazelak was intercepted on a pass looking for TE Daniel Parker, Jr. with 12:14 remaining in the game. Tennessee found pay dirt on the ensuing drive to put the game away.
• Saturday was the first career road loss for first-year Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who went 6-0 on the road at Appalachian State last year.

Bolton Tackling at Historic Pace

• Entering week three of the season, Mizzou junior All-SEC LB Nick Bolton once again finds himself ranked among the national elite in tackles. After a game- and career-high 17 tackles last Saturday at No. 21 Tennessee, he ranks third nationally with his 12.5 tackles per game average.
• Since Oct. 12, 2019, after Mizzou senior captain LB Cale Garrett went down with a season-ending injury, Bolton has tallied 96 tackles over the last nine games (10.7 per-game average). His 10.7 tackle per-game average puts him on pace for 111 tackles over the 10-game, shortened 2020 season.
• The last Tiger to average better than 10.7 tackles per game over a nine-game span was LB Kentrell Brothers during his All-American 2015 season when he led the nation with 152 tackles. Brothers averaged 13.0 tackles per game in the first nine games of the 2015 season.
• Bolton’s 17 tackles at Tennessee are tied for the second-most at Mizzou since the turn of the century and are the most since a 20-takcle performance by LB Sean Weatherspoon against Buffalo on Sept. 20, 2008.

Tigers Have a Budding Young Star at Kicker

• We would be remiss if we didn’t mention true freshman kicker Harrison Mevis as the Tigers get ready to take on LSU this weekend. A native of Warsaw, Ind., Mevis was the No. 2-ranked kicker nationally coming out of Warsaw Community High School by Kohl’s Kicking. He has lived up to those expectations early in his young career, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts.
• Mevis is one of just three Mizzou kickers ever to make their first four field goal attempts.
• Mevis is one of just 24 kickers nationally to be perfect at this point of the season and one of just 10 kickers to make multiple field goals in every game this season. He is the only freshman kicker in the country to not miss a field goal so far this season (we’re hoping there’s no such thing as a game notes jinx).
• Mevis’ 50-yard FG at Tennessee last week was the first 50+ yard FG for Mizzou since Tucker McCann banged in a 57-yarder at South Carolina on Oct. 6, 2018. He is also the first Mizzou freshman to make a 50+ yard FG since Jeff Jacke in 1988.

Rountree Tallies Historic Touchdown Last Week

• Mizzou senior RB Larry Rountree III tallied his 27th career rushing touchdown last Saturday at Tennessee. That moved him into a tie for seventh place all-time at Mizzou, matching legend Brock Olivo (1994-97) whose number is retired at Mizzou. He ended the game with 84 tough yards on 18 attempts (4.7 per carry). Below is a look at where Rountree ranks on Mizzou’s all-time rushing TD list (running backs unless otherwise denoted):

• Rountree is averaging 0.675 touchdowns per game in his career. Should he average that mark for the final eight games this season, he would finish with 32 career rushing TDs, which would be fourth-most in Mizzou history and second-most among Mizzou running backs.

Speaking of Rountree Moving Up the Ranks

• Mizzou brings back a talented and experienced stable of running backs in 2020, highlighted by senior team captain Larry Rountree III, a three-year impact player at the position who was the coaches third-team selection at running back on the All-SEC preseason team.
• Last week at Tennessee, Rountree ran for 84 yards on 18 attempts (4.7 per carry) to lead the team in rushing against a stout No. 21 Tennessee front seven. His 84 yards moved his career total to 2,899 yards, ranking sixth in school history, just ahead of Tiger legend Henry Josey who had 2,771 from 2010-13.
• Rountree tallied his 20th rush of 20+ yards at Tennessee. That’s fifth-most in school history trailing only Brad Smith (50), Tony Temple (30), Henry Josey (27) and Corby Jones (24).
• He enters the week-three matchup needing 299 yards to become Mizzou’s rushing yards leader by a non-quarterback and just 1,390 rushing yards to catch Mizzou’s all-time career rushing leader, QB Brad Smith (4,289 from 2002-05). His 569 career carries rank fifth-most in program history. He needs just 55 more yards to catch legend Devin West (2,954 from 1995-98).
• Nicknamed Trey, Rountree finished his junior season with 829 rushing yards on 186 carries (4.5 average), scoring a team-high nine touchdowns on the ground. He posted three 100-yard rushing performances in 2019, giving him 10 100-yard rushing games in his career. Below is a look at the all-time Mizzou rushing list and where Rountree ranks:

Other Notables from Last Week

• RS freshman QB Connor Bazelak entered the UT game in the second quarter and moved the ball nicely for the Tigers, recording career-highs for pass completions (13), attempts (21) and yards (218). Bazelak also recorded the longest play of his career, a 37-yard pass to RS junior TE Logan Christopherson in the third quarter that set up a Mizzou TD.
• RS sophomore OL Bobby Lawrence made his second career start after getting the nod at LT. Lawrence made his first career start at RT against SEMO on Sept. 14, 2019.
• Christopherson made his second career start in the game, with his first coming vs. Tennessee last season (11/23/19). He also hauled in his first career reception in the game with a 37-yard pitch and catch from Bazelak in the third quarter.
• GR OL Michael Maietti made the 35th consecutive start of his career, dating back to the 2017 season.
• Sophomore S Martez Manuel set a new career-high with nine tackles in the game, surpassing his previous high of seven against Alabama in week one (Sept. 26). In the first two games of the season, he has averaged 8.0 tackles per game.
• Sophomore DL Isaiah McGuire made his first career start in the game and recorded his first career sack with a fourth quarter stop.
• RS freshman DB Jalani Williams made his first career start against the Volunteers, getting the nod at the boundary safety position.

A QUICK LOOK AT MIZZOU’S FIRST-YEAR BENCH BOSS

• A winner at every stage of his coaching career, Eliah Drinkwitz – considered one of college football’s top offensive minds – was named the 33rd head football coach at the University of Missouri in December 2019.  Drinkwitz took over at Mizzou following an impressive 2019 season at Appalachian State, where he led the 20th-ranked Mountaineers to a 13-1 record and a Sun Belt Conference championship (Drinkwitz did not coach the bowl game, the team’s 13th win, as he had already accepted the Mizzou job).
• Drinkwitz’s offensive acumen has been a key element in his teams winning five conference championships while compiling a perfect 8-0 bowl game record in 10 seasons at the FBS level.  The combined record of his teams from 2010-19 is 98-36 overall (73.1%), including a 57-24 conference mark (70.3%). Drinkwitz also serves as the program’s offensive coordinator.
• The 2019 season saw Drinkwitz turn in one of the most impressive FBS head coaching debut seasons ever. His Mountaineers set a Sun Belt record with their 13 wins, and also set the mark for the best regular season in conference history (11-1).  They claimed the Sun Belt championship with a 45-38 win against Louisiana on Dec. 7.
• Prior to App State, Drinkwitz spent three years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for record-setting North Carolina State teams (2016-18), after excelling in a similar role at Boise State for two years (2014-15), where the Broncos won the 2014 Mountain West title and finished 12-2 and ranked 16th nationally. In 2015, Drinkwitz was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and he helped the Bronco offense rank in the Top 15 nationally in points (39.1) and yards (501.3) per game.
• In his five seasons as an offensive coordinator, Drinkwitz has produced five 1,000-yard rushers, four 3,000-yard passers and four 1,000-yard receivers. Three of those years (2015, 2017, 2018) his offenses produced at least one in each category.

Drinkwitz’s Coaching Awards

• 2019 Eddie Robinson Award Finalist
• 2019 North Carolina Coach of the Year (North State Journal)
• 2018 Broyles Award Nominee

TIGERS MAY HAVE THE SEC’S BEST TRIO OF SAFETIES

• One of the strongest position groups for the Tigers on this year’s defense is the safety position. Mizzou’s two elder statesmen on the back end of the defense – FS Joshuah Bledsoe and boundary safety Tyree Gillespie – are long-known as being one of the nation’s elite safety tandems. But, after week the first two weeks of play, we also need to highlight SS Martez Manuel into the conversation.
• Manuel – whose SS spot is a hybrid linebacker/safety position as part of Mizzou’s five-DB scheme – is currently second on the team with 16 tackles and has 3.5 tackles for loss.
• The trio was disruptive all over the field vs. No. 2 Alabama, combining for 18 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
• Through two games, they rank second (Manuel with 16), fourth (Gillespie with 13) and fifth (Bledsoe with nine) on the team in total tackles. They have combined for 38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups through the season’s first two games.
• Coached by defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, a rising young star in the coaching profession who landed at No. 8 on The Athletic’s Assistant Coaches to Watch list over the summer, Mizzou’s safeties are a proven commodity in the SEC.
• Gillespie was tabbed a 2020 second-team All-SEC pick during the preseason by the league’s coaches after posting 50 tackles over 12 games last year, including 4.0 tackles for loss, one sack and seven pass breakups.
• Bledsoe, who makes the jersey change from #18 to #1 this season, finished 2019 ranked third on the team with 49 tackles (35 solo) with 4.0 tackles for loss. He added a team-high 10 pass breakups with a fumble recovery and also forced fumble. His 49 tackles were a new single-season career-high and he became the first Mizzou safety in more than a decade to post 10+ pass breakups in a single season and just the eighth Mizzou defender to do so since 2009.

MIZZOU’S TWO QBs SHOW GLIMPSES IN EACH GAME THIS SEASON

• One of the biggest storylines of Mizzou’s fall training camp was the quarterback battle as Mizzou entered training camp with a battle at that position for the first time since 2002. Mizzou was the model school for QB consistency in college football, as it had an entrenched starter at QB in every season opener since then. Below is a look:
  • 2003: Brad Smith
  • 2004: Brad Smith
  • 2005: Brad Smith
  • 2006: Chase Daniel
  • 2007: Chase Daniel
  • 2008: Chase Daniel
  • 2009: Blaine Gabbert
  • 2010: Blaine Gabbert
  • 2011: James Franklin
  • 2012: James Franklin
  • 2013: James Franklin
  • 2014: Maty Mauk
  • 2015: Maty Mauk
  • 2016: Drew Lock
  • 2017: Drew Lock
  • 2018: Drew Lock
  • 2019: Kelly Bryant
• All of those quarterbacks were solidified stars for Mizzou during that span, which make this year’s QB battle a bit unusual for Tiger fans. However, the veil of mystery was lifted Saturday as first-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz trotted TCU transfer Shawn Robinson out with the first-team offense against Alabama.
• In his first start at Mizzou, Robinson recorded a completion percentage of 76 percent (19-for-25), the best by a Tiger signal caller in their first Mizzou start going all the way back to at least 2000 (minimum of 15 completions). Now on the year, he is 20-29 for 185 yards and a touchdown.
• RS freshman QB Connor Bazelak also showed signs of being a solid quarterback, completing seven passes for 68 yards with 12 rushing yards and a TD on the ground.
• Bazelak took the majority of the snaps last Saturday at Tennessee, and led Mizzou on all three of its scoring drives. He finished the game 13-for-21 for 218 yards with one interception. On the year, he is 20-of-35 for a team-high 286 yards.
• Bazelak is the first Mizzou non-starting QB with a five completions of 20+ yards since 1984.