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With Nate Noel out, Marcus Carroll made the most of a golden opportunity

Stakes were high as the No. 21 Missouri Tigers looked to bounce back from a gargantuan loss last Saturday, with a needed road win against the UMass Minutemen. Amid some bangs and bruises to the first team, the Tigers picked up a needed 45-3 victory to help them regroup for the rest of SEC play.

“We had a lot of reasons to not play our best football today,” head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “But we responded the right way and played a nice game.”

In a season that’s been plagued by bad starts, a good start was in high order for the Tigers and it came in the form of a 61-yard touchdown on a jet sweep from Luther Burden III. Touches for the junior wideout were aplenty in the early going of the game, as he picked up 79 of the Tigers 143 yards on their first two drives. At the game’s conclusion, Burden wound up with 127 total yards and a touchdown on seven touches.

A noticeable omission from the running game in the early going was Nate Noel, as the Tigers opted for a duo of Jamal Roberts and Marcus Carroll with the latter making the most of it. Carroll picked up the Tigers second score of the game after a 13-play, 80 yard drive that concluded after just over seven minutes. Carroll finished the game with 15 carries for 91 yards and three scores.

After a drubbing at the hands of a potent performance from Texas A&M, all eyes were on the defense and the question was if they could bounce back. The task? Keeping the ball out of the Minutemen’s hands, with their offense coming in as the fourth-ranked team in time of possession in all of college football. Missouri led the time of possession battle 29:24 to 28:19.

Following two short-lived drives, the Minutemen were able to string up a productive possession at the hands of a few untimely Tiger coverage busts. Behind 10-plays and 65 yards, UMass were able to put up three points on the board thanks to some impressive play from quarterback Taisun Phommachanh.

Brady Cook looked in good form to begin the tilt chalking up 111 yards whilst completing 82% of his passes in the first half. Cook seemed to thrive in the intermediate passing game in the early going, with quick medium throws to the middle of the field being aplenty. Cook finished the game throwing 14-of-19 for 219 yards and two touchdowns with 16 yards rushing.

UMass produced a second high-flying drive in the first half via a fake punt, which saw the Minutemen gain 39-yards on fourth and one. After a 10-yard run on the subsequent play, Phommachanh was picked off by Corey Flagg Jr. who rumbled for 80 yards to the opposition’s 25-yard line. With eight seconds left and a timeout, Cook was sacked and the Tigers were forced to kick a half-ending field goal to make the Tiger lead 24-3.

Disaster struck for the Tigers in the second half, as a high pass from Brady Cook to Luther Burden was met with a crushing hit from UMass and down went the Biletnikoff candidate. Burden walked off the field under his own power in noticeable pain, as he seemed to be keeled over grabbing his left shoulder. During the game, Drinkwitz was quoted saying that Burden will be “just fine.”

Missouri’s woes this season have come primarily from their inability to create explosive plays and their inability to stuff gaps in the run game as of late. Missouri was able to curb their woes on the former with a few 60-plus-yard scores but were ineffective at correcting the latter. Per Gameonpaper, the Tigers were in the zeroth percentile of defensive run stuff rate in the game.

Brett Norfleet got some needed action towards the later stages of the third quarter, as he caught two passes including the eight-yard score on a three-play scoring drive. Norfleet’s late success was likely propped up by the absence of Burden, which forced Cook to spread the ball across the field to all of his targets.

Missouri put in the backups on the offensive side of the ball at the beginning of the fourth quarter after the Norfleet score, with the second team being significantly less productive. Drew Pyne picked up just three yards of total offense but the Tigers coasted to a 45-3 victory.

Statistically, the Tigers picked up 461 yards of offense to UMass’ 237. The Tigers were also 4-4 in the redzone with all four of those scores being touchdowns, the inability to get said touchdowns in the red zone a noted issue in weeks prior. Missouri was in the 91st percentile of yards per play and in the 92nd percentile of EPA per rush.

The win moved the Tigers to 5-1 on the season, as the game also marks the end of the Tigers non-conference slate. Missouri will take on the Auburn Tigers next week on Saturday October 19th at 11 or 11:45 AM CT.

The Tigers hope to conquer The Bay State in dominant fashion after getting annihilated by Texas A&M a week ago.

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Week 7 of the College Football season is here — and its a great slate of games on a Saturday. Let’s make some picks.

Welcome to Week 7 of the College Football season — where the No. 21 Missouri Tigers are taking a road trip to UMass … for whatever reason. Texas vs Oklahoma and Ole Miss vs LSU highlight the SEC slate and College Gameday heads to Eugene for the Ohio State vs Oregon clash. Plus, a late-night special in Boulder features Kansas State at Colorado. Let’s make some picks on a loaded Saturday.

Standings recap through Week 6:

Chad Moller (21-10)

Sammy Stava (19-11)

(Odds per DraftKings Sportsbook)

No. 21 Missouri Tigers (-27.5) at UMass Minutemen (11:00 a.m. CST on ESPN2)

Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) leaves the field after the end of a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Sammy Stava: Is this a “get-right game” for Mizzou? I mean it better be. UMass is one of the worst FBS teams in the country and we’ll learn nothing about this game, but at least it will be another win on the schedule to improve them to 5-1. The Tigers return to form from how they looked against Murray State and Buffalo. 35-3 final.

Chad Moller: This is a classic no-win situation for the Tigers. Go dominate a team that is clearly a level or three below you, and so what? Go and scuffle and look flat in an ugly win? That’s as good as a loss from an appearance standpoint. I wrote elsewhere that I just want to see a clean, crisp, efficient, business-like performance here from all three phases of the game, as well as the coaching/play calling. I want to see the defense pin their ears back, and I want to see the offense begin to establish an identity. What do we do well consistently? Let’s find that on Saturday. I’m thinking we’ll see something akin to Mizzou 42, UMass 13.

No. 1 Texas Longhorns (-14.5) vs No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners in Dallas (2:30 p.m. CST on ABC)

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

Sammy Stava: Texas is now the No. 1 team in the country, and they will certainly remember losing to Oklahoma last season. This game will be close because it’s a heated rivalry, but the Longhorns are simply the better team and the Sooners are underwhelming. 31-23 Texas.

Chad Moller: Ewers is back for Texas and in the first game of the Red River Rivalry under the SEC banner, I think we’ll see the Sooners play with pride and hang for a short time. That won’t be enough in the end though, as Texas will pull away for a 33-17 win and cover.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (-3) at No. 3 Oregon Ducks (6:30 p.m. CST on NBC)

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Sammy Stava: Oregon is playing their best football right now, and it’s going to be tough to stop the Ducks in Eugene.

However, Ohio State looks like one of the best teams in the country and they have what it takes to win at Autzen Stadium. 31-28 OSU.

Chad Moller: Ohio State is scary good, even though this will be their first game against an opponent with a pulse. I suppose with this first test being on the road at a raucous environment like Autzen Stadium, they could have some issues, but I think Oregon is a level below the Buckeyes. I like OSU to roll here, let’s go with 34-21 for a prediction.

No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (-3.5) at No. 13 LSU Tigers (6:30 p.m. CST on ABC)

Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Sammy Stava: This should be a good one that can go either way, but it’s a Saturday night game in Death Valley. Advantage goes to the Tigers in this one. 31-27, LSU.

Chad Moller: I have no idea who wins this one. All I know is you’re giving me more than a field goal in Death Valley at night? I’ll take the points and go with a score of 31-30. Doesn’t matter which team wins, the Tigers cover.

No. 18 Kansas State Wildcats (-4.5) at Colorado Buffaloes (9:15 p.m. CST on ESPN)

Photo by Conor Kvatek/UCF Athletics/University Images via Getty Images

Sammy Stava: Travis Hunter deserves to be in the Heisman race, but Kansas State is just the more well-rounded team. Chris Klieman and the Wildcats will get it done on the road. 24-20 KSU.

Chad Moller: K-State’s pesky style will prevail in this late-night affair. The Wildcats will control the ball and the clock and keep CU’s high-flying attack off the field and limit their opportunities. I’ll go K-State 30, Colorado 24.

The Tigers are now 2-2 in league play and undefeated this week

Mizzou Volleyball pulled off a sweep Friday night (25-22, 25-19, 25-21) against a scrappy Alabama team, moving back to .500 in SEC play.

The Tigers fell behind early before a massive run at the end of the first set, carrying that momentum over into the rest of the match.

Much of the first set was a back-and-forth matchup between Mizzou and Bama. The Crimson Tide slowly built up a three point lead, 12-9, off a kill by Chaise Campbell.

The Tigers would cut their deficit to one point, then Alabama would rebuild a three point cushion, and the Tide led by that much as late as 21-18. But Mizzou, and Jordan Iliff, refused to waste the energy given by the crowd of 2,810.

Her kill, which sent her to the service line, sparked a massive 6-0 run which made it set point for the home squad. Iliff recorded one ace, and heavily contributed to another point with her serving, during that time, and Colleen Finney added a kill and block assist.

A service error by Iliff delayed the comeback’s completion for a short moment, but another kill by Finney clinched the whirlwind 25-22 finish for Dawn Sullivan’s squad.

Missouri’s Colleen Finney (1) celebrates making a kill during the first set of a game against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

The moment sent the crowd into a frenzy, including the Mizzou men’s swim and dive team in attendance.

“This crowd was incredible, right?”, Sullivan asked. “The heart of Hearnes, it’s real.”

Iliff specifically pointed to the swim and dive team’s energy.

“Whenever the swimmers come here and they take off all 25 layers of clothes, it’s like, how do you not win that game?”, she said. “You have to win that game, and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Missouri swim & dive team celebrates the volleyball team winning their first set during a game against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

The lead bounced between the two sides at the beginning of the second set before a 5-1 Mizzou run featuring two kills and another ace by Iliff created some separation for the team, 14-10.

The Crimson Tide again pushed back, cutting the lead to two points three separate times with the help of outside hitter Sophie Agee. But the Tigers went on another 5-1 run, with three more Iliff kills, towards the end of the set to secure the lead.

Mizzou clinched set two 25-19 on a kill by, you guessed it, Jordan Iliff. The senior had seven kills on a .700 hitting percentage during the set.

Missouri’s Jordan Iliff (4) prepares for the serve during a game against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

Dawn Sullivan went outside the box with her strategy during the frame, switching halfway through to a 6-2 formation. This involves having either two setters or one setter and a right-side hitter who can set on the floor at the same time, in this case Sierra Dudley and Naomi Franco.

“I just thought it was a nice opportunity to see what we could do in that 6-2,” Sullivan said. “In those three rotations we don’t typically side out as well, and so we wanted to see, ‘Okay, does that help us?’”

Missouri head coach Dawn Sullivan watches her players during a game against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

She returned to a traditional 5-1 (one designated setter on the floor) again towards the end, allowing Iliff to work her magic late in the frame.

The Tigers hit .359 during the set while limiting the visitors to a .219 hitting percentage, their worst of the match.

Alabama again battled closely with Mizzou at the start of the third set, and the Tigers took their first two point lead 13-11 with a block by Marina Crownover and Regan Haith.

Missouri’s Marina Crownover (22) tips a ball over the net to Alabama’s Paris Thompson (17) during a game on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

The Tide went on a 3-1 run soon after, tying the match twice during that span with kills by Campbell and Agee. But Mizzou responded by taking the lead for good with a 5-1 run, 21-17, sparked by a kill and ace from Iliff.

She reached two notable milestones in the third set, recording her 1,000th career kill and 100th career service ace in the same match. Iliff’s season ace total now stands at 44, leading the SEC with 16 more than runner-up Brooklyn DeLeye of Kentucky.

Sullivan said the senior is one of the best servers she has coached alongside her former player Mariena Hayden, who now plays professionally.

“It tails a little bit different, which is really nice, she gets on it a little bit higher than [Hayden],” she said. “Jordan’s serve is legit, it’s one of the best in the nation.”

Bama labored to make a late push, but it wasn’t enough. A kill by Regan Haith secured the sweep for the Tigers with a 25-21 third set win.

Iliff led the way with 17 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and three service aces. Mychael Vernon struggled greatly in the first two sets but caught fire with an .833 hitting percentage in the final frame, finishing with 14 kills and hitting .273.

Janet deMarrais built off her performance against SEMO with nine kills on a .269 hitting percentage, and Regan Haith continued her strong week by hitting .857 on six kills.

The team hit .345 for the match, again establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with when all three main hitters are clicking, while Bama recorded a .255 hitting percentage.

Mizzou was able to side out 65% or more of the time in all three sets, taking advantage of their opportunities when receiving the serve and only surrendering one ace.

Another key element of the match was challenges. Both coaches held up the challenge card several times, and Dawn Sullivan wasn’t afraid to ask for review after review. The strategy was mostly successful as many calls were overturned in a rough night for the officials.

Missouri’s Maya Sands (3) directs other players during a game against Alabama on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Hearnes Center in Columbia. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)

This was a strong win for the Tigers against an Alabama team which has proven surprisingly difficult to handle this year, taking at least one set in each of their prior three SEC matches (two against teams receiving top-25 votes) despite being picked last in the preseason poll.

“I was very fortunate, because if you don’t show up tonight, they beat you, right?”, Sullivan said. “That’s the type of team they are.”

Mizzou is showing plenty of positive signs they may have turned a page heading into a pivotal matchup this Sunday against Tennessee, who is receiving votes in the AVCA top-25 poll.

“I think every team in the SEC is beatable this year, and I think coming off the two wins at home is really going to help us going into the game,” Iliff said.

The match will be hosted by the Tigers at 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.