ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ

COLUMBIA, Mo. — In the not-too-distant past, Missouri found catharsis in a game-deciding field goal make. On Saturday, relief came from a miss.

The made kick in question was a defining moment of Mizzou’s breakout 2023 season: Harrison Mevis, good from 61 yards as time expired to sink Kansas State. That was a game the Tigers weren’t particularly expected to win but managed to.

This year’s field goal attempt of note — this time, an opponent's miss — could become a defining moment in its own right. In the eyes of some, including those in the MU program, it should.

Saturday’s dance with disaster was as much as the Tigers could take.

No. 7 Mizzou was expected to beat Vanderbilt in its Southeastern Conference opener, and it did, 30-27 in two overtimes. The game-winning play didn’t have much to do with Missouri, beyond the fact that it had 11 players on the field: Commodores kicker Brock Taylor missed a 31-yard field goal in the second overtime when the visitors needed three points to stay alive.

There were shades of jubilation on the home sideline — MU coach Eli Drinkwitz saying “Wow� over and over, for example, as the Tigers rushed the field.

But unlike last year’s upset over Kansas State, Missouri’s fans stayed in the stands. The sellout crowd — the ninth in a row, dating back to that K-State game — looked more shell-shocked than celebratory as they flowed out of the Memorial Stadium gates.

The same was true of Mizzou players.

After spending most of the game not quite looking like his usual self, quarterback Brady Cook looked downtrodden afterward. Running back Nate Noel looked like he’d finally been able to take a deep breath — though in fairness, that might have been more about his 199 rushing yards than how nervy the game was.

Noel had a career night, the only offensive player for whom that was true. Late in the fourth quarter, it looked like Missouri’s prided offense having the ball last might determine the result of the game.

But instead, that unit stalled on a 4th and 1 and punted the ball to the Commodores, ceding control in exchange for the chaos of overtime. The duo of Cook and wideout Luther Burden III connected in dynamic fashion for a one-play touchdown drive in the first overtime, only for the offense to regress into a three-and-out and field goal in the second extra period.

“I don’t think we did well in overtime,� Drinkwitz said. “We kicked another field goal in the red zone. We got to take a hard look at what we’re doing in the red area and figure out why we can’t sustain drives.�

That left the Tigers’ scoring talent as spectators on the game’s deciding play.

“We’re just watching, we’re just waiting to see what happened,� Noel said. “I think a couple of fingers were crossed.�

Cook couldn’t watch — not out of any superstition or nerves, but because of game-script necessity. He was buried on the sideline preparing for college football’s ultimate roulette wheel: triple overtime and beyond, which consists solely of sudden-death two-point conversion plays.

That’s the fate Mizzou seemed to have given itself.

“Honestly, I was just getting ready for the two-point plays,� Cook said. “I was definitely pleasantly —�

He paused, verbally hesitating over where he wanted to throw the end of his sentence.

“Um, you know, happy,� Cook said.

If his positivity doesn’t come off as convincing, it’s because just about any Mizzou-related positivity stemming from Saturday’s win wasn't relayed with much conviction.

There were no party plans on Cook’s post-game calendar. He seemed ready to get on with processing a game that teetered on the brink of problematic, if not catastrophic for the Tigers’ ambitions.

“Tonight, tomorrow is just going to be a lot of watching the tape,� Cook said “Watching it over and over and over and over and over, to see what we can do better, to see how I can be better.�

That’s a need to be better five times over, per his count, which might be the degree of improvement that Mizzou will need to avoid falling flat through the rest of the 2024 season.

Missouri has a bye week next, which Drinkwitz agreed is coming at the right time. Three of the Tigers’ next four games are on the road, and three of them are against SEC opponents: at Texas A&M, at UMass, homecoming against Auburn, at Alabama is how the month of October stands.

“I’m not concerned about that,� Drinkwitz said, leaning into the duality of what Saturday means to his program. “What I’m concerned about is our team enjoying a win, being 4-0 — which is good as we can be, record-wise. But we’re not as good as we can be, play-wise.�

That, in a nutshell, is what separates this Mizzou season from past ones — certainly under Drinkwitz, but with other coaches at the helm, too. There’s a budding chase for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Every game comes back to that in some capacity, no matter how much hammering the CFP point gets. There’s an anxiety-inducing spiral to be experienced when considering what would’ve happened to Missouri’s playoff chances had it lost to Vanderbilt.

But going too far down that rabbit hole would be detaching from reality because the Commodores missed a field goal they probably should’ve made and the Tigers won a game narrowly that they probably should’ve won comfortably.

It’s not unfair to frame it that way. Nor is it melodramatic to lay this foundation for Missouri’s bye week and next eight games: Wins are wins, but the ’24 Tigers want a little bit more.

“We are held to a different standard. Our standard’s higher,� Cook said. “We expect more, I expect more. That’s just where we’re at. We’re not settling for anything this year. So when we’re not playing to that standard that we have set, that we all agreed upon, that we know we can play at, it’s a little disappointing.�

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Photos: No. 7 Mizzou narrowly defeats Vanderbilt in first SEC game of the season

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Brady Cook doesn’t look like Brady Cook.

Yes, sure, Cook and the No. 7 Missouri Tigers won Saturday at home — albeit in two overtimes — against Vanderbilt, 30-27. Great. They defeated a team they were favored by 18½ points against. But the bigger issue coming out of the win is the Tigers’ quarterback, who missed deep passes (yet again), struggled on key passes, looked tentative at times and didn’t have the explosiveness in his legs to escape for run yards.

No, I haven’t lost faith in Cook. Guy already is a Mizzou legend and his passion to win — and to improve — is at an elite level.

But this isn’t going to cut it.

Heck, it barely cut it against the perennial worst team in the Southeastern Conference.

“I’m a little disappointed in how I performed, how the offense performed, straight up,� Cook said. “But at the end of the day, we found a way to win.�

The best thing after what happened this Saturday is that Mizzou (4-0) doesn’t have a game next Saturday. The bye week gives the Tigers two full weeks to rediscover the offensive cohesion that led to 11 wins in 2023. These are a crucial two weeks of practice, preparation and soul-searching. And, depending on how Mizzou reacts, crucial two weeks in Mizzou history. This is the year, folks. This is the year Mizzou is expected to make the College Football Playoff. And the Tigers sure don’t look like a CFP team right now.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz, to me, said a lot by not saying a lot. In the postgame news conference, asked about Cook’s day, the often-talkative coach said the very minimum: “He was 23 for 37 for 226 yards. And two touchdowns. You know, obviously the three sacks are an issue. You know, efficient. He’s 1-0 in the SEC.�

Cook, to be fair, wasn’t the only Mizzou player who was somewhere between “off� and “awful� on Saturday. Mizzou played the first half as if it still was waking up. But if an offensive lineman is off, maybe they can hide that; if the quarterback is off, it’s hard to hide … even if your running back rushes for 199 yards.

That actually happened — Nate Noel broke tackle after tackle and broke off the best game of his life.

“Without him, we don’t win that game,� Cook said.

Cook just looked unsure with some of his decisions, even when he had a couple extra seconds in the pocket. Not on every play, but on enough plays that it was an issue. His timing wasn’t there, time and again: a first-quarter deep ball to Theo Wease Jr., a terribly short pass on third-and-6 from the 6, and a couple deeper balls to Luther Burden III, who did get at least a hand on them in coverage, which raises a question about his route and intensity in those occasions.

And goodness, there was a third-down pass to Jamal Roberts that was so off, the fans booed (for the second time).

This game reminded me of the Tigers’ 2023 win against Middle Tennessee State. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ won, yes. But just 23-19 against, again, Middle Tennessee State. I asked Cook about that day, and he said Saturday felt the same way.

“I actually thought about that,� said Cook, the St. Louis native. “I think everybody knows we can. We can be a lot better. We need to put ourselves in better situations, and at the end of the day, we just need to go execute the game plan and score more points.�

The good news is that Mizzou responded from that Middle Tennessee State game with a big win against Kansas State … and by the Cotton Bowl, Cook was the savior of the Tigers, who would defeat Ohio State for an 11th win.

But the reality is that on Saturday against Vanderbilt, Cook’s offense scored just 20 points in regulation. Cook, yes, threw a nifty touchdown pass to Burden in the first overtime. But in the second overtime, Cook had the ball on third down with 5 yards to go from the 20-yard-line.

Cook tried to throw a touchdown pass. He fired an overthrown ball to Burden in double coverage. Wease, meanwhile, was wide open, per Mizzou’s radio broadcast.

“I thought our best opportunity was to give (Burden) a chance,� Cook said.

Mizzou settled for a field goal, but then Vanderbilt’s kicker missed his field-goal attempt to end the game.

“I don’t think we did well in overtime,� Drinkwitz said. “Kicked another field goal in the red zone. We’ve got to take a hard look at what we’re doing in the red area and figure out why we can’t sustain drives and why we’re not able to convert third downs. So that’s on me as the head football coach, and I’ve got to do better job finding answers. …

“We got to go take a hard look at the Missouri Tigers, and we got to figure out why we’re not executing the third downs the red area, why we’re not kicking field goals, why we’re missing tackles, why we’re busting assignments. … What I’m concerned about is our team enjoying a win and being 4-0, which is as good as we can be record wise, but we’re not as good as we can be play wise. And we’re going to have to settle in on that and figure out what we got to do to improve. It starts with me, and it starts with that being the message to the team.�

But on the field, it starts with Cook.

Cook must do better.

Cook knows it.

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Photos: No. 7 Mizzou narrowly defeats Vanderbilt in first SEC game of the season

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri has four wins from its first four games of the season, as expected.

The No. 7 Tigers are undefeated heading into their bye week. But getting to that point was far from stress free.

It took two overtimes and a missed field goal in the second extra period for Mizzou to beat Vanderbilt 30-27 on Saturday.

But sugary icing splattered on by the opponent will not mask the bitterness of an error-riddled game that prompted MU to rely on the Commodores to miss from 31 yards away.

“We’re 4-0,� Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “and we’ve got a lot of work to do.�

Before Saturday’s game, Drinkwitz was preaching tidiness when it came to the unforced errors that had popped up in the Tigers’ first three games of the season.

“It’s not about our opponent,� he said. “It’s about us and our approach and how much better we can improve, how much more disciplined and consistent we can be in all three phases.�

Yet at times, there seemed to be a regression — or at a minimum, stagnancy.

Mizzou conceded the first touchdown of the game to Vanderbilt on a blown coverage reminiscent of a collapse a week earlier against Boston College. Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia made wideout Joseph McVay’s first collegiate touch a memorable one as the true freshman burst over the top of MU’s secondary for a 65-yard touchdown reception.

The Tigers equalized with a solid play design that gave quarterback Brady Cook a free bootleg and a simple pass to a wide-open Luther Burden III for a 20-yard touchdown.

That duo connected against on Mizzou’s first offensive play of overtime, a 25-yard dart straight to Burden in the end zone after he shook his matchup. But it otherwise was an down day for Cook.

Mizzou’s quarterback completed 23 of his 37 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Deep passing concerns weren’t exactly assuaged — though two shot plays hit Burden in the hands. Cook’s rushing was also stunted by its usual standards, with just seven yards picked up on the ground.

“I’m a little disappointed in how I performed, how the offense performed, straight up,� Cook said. “But at the end of the day, we found a way to win.�

Less than a week after winning the Southeastern Conference’s special teams player of the week award, MU kicker Blake Craig missed on three field-goal attempts. He knocked a 24-yard chip shot off the upright, then whiffed from 40 and 46.

Craig also converted from 54 yards out and, in overtime, from 37 — the kind of duality that comes with an overtime escape.

“We didn’t have even close to our best game,� Drinkwitz said.

He included himself in that pronoun because of a dangerous clock management blunder before halftime. The Tigers faced a 4th and 8 near the end of the second quarter with a running clock that meant they didn’t need to run a play.

But they did, and Cook was sacked. That turnover on downs gave Vanderbilt the ball in Missouri territory with eight seconds left, which was just enough time to get into field-goal range. Those three points, paired with Mizzou’s misses and faltering offense that couldn’t close the deal, loomed over the second half of the game.

“Totally my fault,� Drinkwitz said. “That was a really haphazard decision by me. The team bailed me out. Bottom line, I’ve gotta be much better.�

The clear positive from the MU offense was running back Nate Noel, who ran for a career-high 199 yards. After emerging as the head of the Tigers’ tailback committee near the end of the preseason, Noel’s burst and ability to navigate zone schemes have popped to a notable degree.

He had six runs of double-digit yards, including one 64-yard dash down to the 3-yard line that set up Missouri’s lone touchdown of the second half.

“Without him, we don’t win that game,� Cook said.

After a scoreless fourth quarter, the Tigers chose to start overtime on defense. Vanderbilt scored on its first possession from the 25-yard line, with Pavia scrambling up the middle to set up a 2-yard passing touchdown. The Commodores kicked an extra point, requiring Mizzou to score a touchdown to stay alive.

That’s where Cook and Burden picked up a dime at the right time.

“That was a fun play,� Cook said. “We repped it all week, Luther ran a great route, little double move. He executed it perfectly … and I knew we had him.�

Missouri began the second overtime with the ball but did not get a first down. A short pass to tight end Brett Norfleet and minimal rush by Noel set up a 3rd and 5, on which Cook threw into double coverage in the end zone.

After the incompletion, Craig stepped up for his 37-yard make.

Needing to hold Vanderbilt to a field goal for survival, Mizzou’s defense rose to the occasion. Pavia scrambled all the way to the Tigers’ 12 — keep in mind that overtime possessions start inside field goal range, at the 25-yard line. But an offensive pass interference flag in the end zone backed the Commodores up. They recouped some of the yardage but needed to try a 31-yard field goal.

Vanderbilt’s field goal try went wide left.

“A weight just dropped off my shoulders,� defensive tackle Chris McClellan said.

Mizzou enters a bye week with a four-game October slate that will, as a collective bunch of games, likely be tougher than what the Tigers have faced so far. Three of those matchups will be on the road, including two games in front of hostile six-figure crowds.

But preparation for that will wait. MU wants to start by solving its own problems.

“We gotta go take a hard look at the Missouri Tigers,� Drinkwitz said.

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Photos: No. 7 Mizzou narrowly defeats Vanderbilt in first SEC game of the season

No. 7 Missouri 30, Vanderbilt 27 (2OT)

Vanderbilt 7 6 7 0 7 0 — 27

Missouri 7 3 10 0 7 3 — 30

First Quarter

³Õ´¡±·â€”McVay 65 pass from Pavia (B.Taylor kick), 9:06.

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—Burden 20 pass from Cook (Craig kick), 3:51.

Second Quarter

³Õ´¡±·â€”FG B.Taylor 27, 13:27.

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—FG Craig 23, 1:17.

³Õ´¡±·â€”FG B.Taylor 57, 15:00.

Third Quarter

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—FG Craig 54, 10:58.

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—Carroll 3 run (Craig kick), 8:18.

³Õ´¡±·â€”Newberry 4 run (B.Taylor kick), :21.

First Overtime

³Õ´¡±·â€”G.Fisher 2 pass from Pavia (B.Taylor kick), :00.

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—Burden 25 pass from Cook (Craig kick), :00.

Second Overtime

²Ñ±õ´Ü´Ü—FG Craig 37, :00.

VAN MIZZ

First downs 15 22

Total Net Yards 324 446

Rushes-yards 36-146 40-216

Passing 178 230

Punt Returns 0-0 2-40

Kickoff Returns 0-0 3-51

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 14-23-0 24-38-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 1-12 2-12

Punts 6-46.667 3-38.333

Fumbles-Lost 2-0 0-0

Penalties-Yards 8-93 3-33

Time of Possession 21:54 58:06

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

¸é±«³§±á±õ±·³Ò—Vanderbilt, Pavia 16-90, Alexander 11-52, Newberry 6-18, Sherrill 1-(minus 7), (Team) 2-(minus 7). Missouri, Noel 23-199, Carroll 6-10, Cook 11-7.

±Ê´¡³§³§±õ±·³Ò—Vanderbilt, Pavia 14-23-0-178. Missouri, Cook 24-38-0-230.

¸é·¡°ä·¡±õ³Õ±õ±·³Ò—Vanderbilt, Stowers 7-57, McVay 1-65, Sherrill 1-17, Spence 1-12, Skinner 1-9, Alexander 1-8, Newberry 1-8, G.Fisher 1-2. Missouri, Burden 6-76, Wease 5-55, Norfleet 4-17, Noel 3-8, Carroll 2-26, M.Johnson 2-19, Cooper 1-18, M.Miller 1-11.

MISSED FG—Vanderbilt, B.Taylor 50, B.Taylor 31. Missouri, Craig 46, Craig 40, Craig 24.

The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs could have a significant problem, and we’re not just talking about the number of fans in Arrowhead Stadium missing critical plays because they are too busy trying to spot Taylor Swift in a suite.

The human woodchipper Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs’ little engine that could of a running back, is hurt. It’s significant. He’s out six to eight weeks with a fractured fibula. Ouch. It’s time to find out if the Chiefs came up with a good enough temporary answer until he returns. Skepticism seems valid at the moment.

Let’s review the options:

Undrafted rookie fullback Carson Steele, who coughed up a fumble in his most recent game, could start in Pacheco’s place.

Or there’s veteran Samaje Perine, who was signed after the Broncos released him last month. That he could be playing second fiddle to Steele says quite a bit, doesn’t it?

Or there’s Kareem Hunt, who didn’t have any team until the Chiefs just brought him back to their practice squad. He averaged a career-worst 3 yards per carry for the Browns last season and was deemed by advanced analytics as one of the worst performing running backs in the league.

You remember Hunt. He’s the one-time Pro Bowler the Chiefs cut ties with in 2018 after video surfaced of him attacking a woman, something he lied to the team about doing. How bad was Hunt last season? No team had him for training camp this preseason.

Or, maybe later, there could be Clyde Edwards-Helaire. But he’s out for now due to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Keaontay Ingram was promoted from the practice squad, so maybe he emerges.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. See what I mean?

So here’s a free idea for the NFL team across the state: drop the feel-bad story of Hunt’s reunion and create a feel-good one instead. Run back a successful play. Call upon a Missouri Tiger.

From Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s previous stint as a ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ offensive line coach, to the rise of former Mizzou stalwart turned Chiefs steadfast linebacker Nick Bolton, the Chiefs and their home-state school have had plenty of crossover success. Why not write a new chapter? Cody Schrader would be a perfect fit for the Chiefs right here, right now.

It’s borderline criminal that the Southeastern Conference’s lead rusher from last season is wasting away on the depth chart of the NFL team that abandoned his hometown.

The going-nowhere Los Angeles Rams, already 0-2, have made the 2023 top 10 Heisman Trophy finisher inactive in both of their losses, preferring instead to prioritize St. Louisan Kyren Williams and other backs. Schrader isn’t even being used in special teams. It’s a waste.

The NFL rumor mill already is humming about the possibility of the Rams punting on their season and trading quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Miami Dolphins, who were not well prepared to cover the concussion-caused absence of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The Chiefs acquiring Schrader wouldn’t generate blockbuster headlines like Stafford speculation or cost the Chiefs nearly as much as the Dolphins would have to give up to kick-start a Rams rebuild, but what a trade for Schrader could do is give the Chiefs a boost until Pacheco returns. And maybe after, too.

There isn’t a team that is worse off with Schrader on it. He can help in too many different ways. His quiet preseason with the 49ers shouldn’t be taken as a referendum on what he can do in the NFL. We’re still talking about a back who blasted some of college football’s best defenses for 14 touchdowns and more than 1,800 all-purpose yards last season.

Schrader has some Pacheco in him. They’re about the same size. He’s not quite as fast, but he’s just as fierce. And he is faster than Steele, per the 40-yard dashes both posted as draft hopefuls. Schrader definitely is faster than the 29-year-old version of Hunt, who has become one of the league’s slowest backs.

Schrader also is a willing and capable blocker, a nimble pass catcher out of the backfield and a quick study who has now been interesting enough to two of the NFL’s lead thinkers in offense, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Rams coach Sean McVay, to want to see more of him. Their teams have multiple set producers at Schrader’s position, though. The Chiefs? Not anymore.

Someone at Arrowhead should make a call to Mizzou running backs coach Curtis Luper and inquire about the back watching a season go by in Los Angeles. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will love what they hear.

If Schrader can’t get a shot in the NFL, he can always come back home and star for the St. Louis Battlehawks. They have his United Football League rights thanks to their wise move of drafting him in July. No offense to the B-Hawks faithful reading this, but he’d look better helping out the Chiefs, and it would be better for his career, too.

And make no mistake, he could help.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — You can learn a lot about a placekicker by playing golf with him, apparently.

That’s what Harrison Mevis says, anyway, and the golf course is where the former Missouri kicker realized that Blake Craig, his successor, has the mental wherewithal to impress in the college game.

Kicking, Mevis explained to the Post-Dispatch this week, “is a lot like golf. It’s 90% mental and 10% physical. ... What do you do when you miss a kick? Do you go downhill? Do you miss two or three more, or do you come back and make the next kick when it matters?�

He and Craig overlapped last season with the Tigers. Mevis kicked a Southeastern Conference-high 24 field goals while becoming Missouri’s all-time leading scorer. Craig earned a few cameos as a kickoff specialist but mostly worked behind the scenes to take over Mizzou’s kicking mantle.

And the duo even found time to hit the links to talk about the fortitude necessary to last as a kicker.

“We’ve been out golfing a couple times, so we’ve been able to talk about it,� Mevis said. “He has that.�

Craig entered this season expected to be the starter, though he had yet to attempt a field goal at the collegiate level. As the No. 2-ranked kicker in his recruiting class, expectations were high, but he was still an unknown.

In the Tigers’ season opener against Murray State, Craig cashed in on every kick he tried — three field goals and six extra points. He made five extra points in the second game of the season, against Buffalo, but was just 1 for 3 on field goals.

That’s where Mevis’ point about the mental side came into play.

“He taught me a lot on the mental side of kicking, and physically,� Craig said. “Everything he taught me is stuff I still apply in my everyday approach.�

When Craig lined up for a 56-yard field goal try against Boston College last weekend, he smoked it. Based on where the ball passed between the uprights, his kick likely would’ve been good from a fair bit farther back.

And, funnily enough, Craig’s big kick was on the same side of hash marks that Mevis’ career-highlight 61-yard walkoff make came from.

“I was thinking that in my mind,� coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Man, that’s pretty ironic.�

Craig was named the SEC’s special teams player of the week for that kick and going 4 for 4 on field goals against the Eagles.

While both the 2024 season and his career are in their early stages, he’s showing the potential that was there back when Missouri recruited him to be the kicker of the future.

“He’s put in a lot of work,� Drinkwitz said. “He’s always been a really confident kid. He’s always been confident in himself. The players and coaches demonstrate confidence in him too. Like the question last week: ‘Were we concerned about him because he missed a couple of longer field goals?’ And the answer was no. We knew he would be able to make it when we needed.�

Mevis, having worked closely with Craig last season, was plenty confident in how the transition would go, in part because Craig had a year to practice, work in the weight room and pick the brain of his mentor before he ever had to attempt a kick.

“That was really big for him. That was something that I didn’t have,� Mevis said. “I came in and I was thrown into the fire as a freshman. ... Nowadays, you see quarterbacks in the NFL or certain positions, they’re waiting a year and they watch a certain player. Then they play their second year.�

Mevis had watched film of Craig while the latter was going through his high school recruiting process. Starring at Liberty North in the Kansas City area Craig kicked the fifth- and seventh-longest field goals in Missouri high school history, converting from 56 and 53 yards out on those respective kicks. He also set state records for field goals in a season, career field goals and career points by a kicker.

That, plus wins at kicking camps that included makes from beyond 60 yards, had Mevis convinced he would be joined on the roster by a “really good fundamental kicker,� he said. But he found himself especially impressed by how Craig entered the program.

“He didn’t approach it as, ‘Oh, I’m going to sit and wait,’� Mevis said. “He wants to play immediately. He acted like he was going to play every week, so he pushed me, in a sense.�

Drinkwitz said strength coach Ryan Russell routinely praises Craig as one of MU’s most consistent performers in the weight room. And while Drinkwitz cheekily pointed out the two kickers wear different jersey sizes, he has spotted a key similarity.

“Both of them relish the opportunity for them to compete and bring value to the team,� he said.

At the moment, one of the things separating Craig from Mevis, though, is his lack of an established nickname. Mevis’ stocky physique earned him the “Thicker Kicker� moniker, a nickname even applied to a local burger.

There are a few options out there for Craig already: Blake the Make, the Thinner Kicker, Craig the Leg. This writer gravitates toward that last one but needed to put the question to the nicknamed kicker who would know best.

Back in Columbia as an NFL free agent, the Thicker Kicker agreed.

“Shoot, Craig the Leg has got to be it,� Mevis said. “I mean, come on. That’s solid. But let him make some kicks first. He’s got a few under his belt, so let him get a few more, and then we’ll go from there. He’s definitely got a lot more to come.�

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Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Eli Hoff in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Transcript

Eli Hoff:ÌýHowdy all, and happy Thursday! Thanks for coming by this week's Mizzou chat. Feel free to drop any questions or takes you want to air out over the next couple of hours. Let's see what you've got!

µþ±ð±ð»å³Ü²ú:ÌýI like Mizzou's potential this year, but so far they've been their own worst enemy ... especially when it comes to penalties -- defensive penalties that extend the other teams' drives, offensive penalties that puts them in long unmanageable situations, hot head penalties (i.e., namely Luther Burden) that serve no purpose ... How can Drink clean these up? ... as much of these dumb penalties are based on emotion and reacting with "uncalled for anger" in the spur of the momentÌý

Hoff:ÌýIt's definitely a concern, and I don't think it's fishing for negativity to say that it could be a problem down the road. The defense avoided penalties altogether during the first two games, but when the flags popped up against BC, you're right, it extended drives. The offense getting into a 2nd and 59-sized hole is unlikely to ever happen again — have you ever seen that before? — but that doesn't mean it isn't a problem.

I think Drinkwitz can handle and is handling the Burden penalties. He chewed Burden out on the sideline, and Drinkwitz told us the other day that Burden looked him in the eyes and said "yes, sir." Drinkwitz took that as Burden understanding that those flags just cannot happen.

Illegal formation-type penalties are also on the coaching staff. They need to be spotting that and avoiding that — or if it comes down to it, use helmet comms to get word into Brady Cook (if there are more than 15 seconds on the play clock). False starts and holds and defensive penalties will just happen. Frankly, I'm not sure they're as much of a problem if the "stupid" stuff gets cleaned up.

Evil Calvin:ÌýIs Burden going to get involved finally? Doesn't even remotely look like a 'Heisman' candidate.

Hoff:ÌýFirst, let's be clear: Burden isn't a Heisman candidate. He needed to have gaudy numbers to even have a chance, and the best opportunities to do that have likely come and gone. That doesn't diminish him as a player, it's just the reality of that award. It takes a perfect season and then some.

BenFred wrote a good column about the importance of getting Burden involved more. If the offense stalls, like it did for a bit against Boston College, it seems wide to feed him the ball. Sometimes, you have to manufacture touches for your stars. Look at how the game-breaking wideouts are used in the NFL. None of us (I think) are qualified to tell Kirby Moore how to call his offense, but that seems like a core tenet that you'd expect to be in place.Ìý

c_good:ÌýWhat happened to Brady Cook's deep ball? Last year, I thought it was a strength--and an impressive one at that. High arc, dropped right where it needed to be. Distance was shorter than NFL deep balls, but it looked to me like, well, a mini version of a great NFL deep ball.

Hoff:ÌýIt's still there, and it's not a strength issue. Most of his misses on the deep shots have been overthrows. It seems more like a timing or footwork problem. Drinkwitz diagnosed it as the latter after Week 1 — Cook was a little too bouncy, it seemed — but the connection hasn't returned even after it was an emphasis.

From a touch standpoint, I can tell you that that was an emphasis during Tuesday's practice. I watched several minutes of Cook lofting the ball "into the bread basket" for receivers in the end zone with a defender intentionally draped on them. Most of the incompletions in that drill were drops from the wideouts. Like you mention, the fact that Cook can make these throws is undeniable since he showed it last year, it's just about getting two or three of them to pop in a game. Maybe it's only a matter of time.

c_good:ÌýDoes it seem weird to you at all that, since arriving at Mizzou, Burden has been used primarily on screen passes, reverses, and the like? I get that broken tackles and RAC are strengths of his, but presumably he has others, too. I worry a bit that 1) he's a legitimate candidate to make it to the NFL and represent Mizzou well, à la Jeremy Maclin, but 2) he's mostly being used in somewhat-gimmicky college plays and won't be taken seriously as a route runner. He breaks SEC tackles, but he's no Tavon Austin, and Tavon Austin's career never took off in the way it might have.

Hoff:ÌýI don't think I'd say it's weird. I just mentioned how important it is to manufacture touches for Burden because of how dangerous he is with the ball in his hands, and the usage you mention is a good way to do that. NFL teams still call that stuff. Look at Deebo Samuel, for example.Ìý

Your point about Burden being taken seriously as a route-runner is interesting. I can't say I've delved deep into NFL Draft scouting reports yet, but you're right that Burden isn't known as a sharp route runner. I don't think that means he isn't one, but I hadn't really thought of it through that lens yet. I'll keep an eye on it over the next couple games and then be able to give you a better answer to that part of your question. Maybe scheme — there are a lot of flood concepts that come up in Mizzou's pass game — plays a role too.

c_good:ÌýRe: Burden, route-running, and downfield targets: Could also be a product of Mizzou's deep receiver corps. There are only so many touches to go around. Your point about manufacturing touches for Burden is a good way to put it. I think my main takeaway is that it seems most of Burden's touches are manufactured.

Hoff:ÌýIt certainly could be, especially with coverage emphases for opposing defenses. I feel like I notice Theo Wease Jr and Mookie Cooper "getting open" in between zones or defenders more than Burden — probably because other teams are tracking Burden closely and more likely to let the other guys slip into gaps. Just a theory, but I feel like it makes sense.

jwvl:ÌýEli, I'm so annoyed at the national media on how many called this a close game with BC. I was there and never felt this win was in jeopardy. Am I being pollyannaish?

Hoff:ÌýKeep this in mind: There probably aren't too many national folks who watched all of this game. There certainly weren't any at the stadium. So if you saw, in a vacuum, a one-score game and that BC was leading for parts of it, you'd probably think it was close. And maybe you can safely call any one-score game that had teams in control at different times close to some degree.

I didn't feel it was in jeopardy either. I had my story written for it to be a win and didn't feel a panicked need to adjust it after the Eagles got back within a score. ESPN's win probability never dipped below 86% for Mizzou in the second half. Take all that for what you want.

Tiggggerfan:ÌýSo, Georgia beats Kentucky at Kentucky and MizZou beats a ranked BC fairly handily. Then, Texas and Tennessee both run up the score VS Texas-San Antonio and Kent State and they both jump up in the AP rankings. Is that what it comes down to with the AP? Beat up a nobody (in typical Josh Heupel fashion) and get rewarded by the AP! Help me understand this one Eli.

Hoff:ÌýFirst, I'm not an AP voter and frankly don't want to be one, so I don't speak for any balloting decisions. Georgia and Texas were ahead of Mizzou already so I'll ignore them and focus on the aspect of Tennessee leapfrogging Mizzou.

I thought the Tigers would actually come out ahead in the poll. I wasn't sure how many people would feel good demoting a team that just picked up a ranked win. But I guess enough were. That's the only hang-up I had. I think it's totally fine to have Tennessee ranked ahead of Missouri right now, and I know y'all probably don't want to hear that.

But look at it this way: Mizzou has played an FCS team, a MAC team and the then-No. 24 team in the country at home. Those scores were 51-0, 38-0 and 27-21.

Tennessee has played an FCS team, a MAC team and the then-No. 24 team on the road. Those scores were 69-3, 71-0 and 51-10.Ìý

Both programs have played remarkably similar schedules, with the biggest difference being Tennessee's ranked win being on the road. The Vols won each of those games in more dominant fashion. If you're going to rank teams based on results, Tennessee should be ahead of Mizzou? Could that/will that/should that change? Probably. But right now, the Vols have shown more. I understand the timing of the polling flip being weird, but not the result — that makes sense.Ìý

Lu:ÌýI don't want to take credit for this discover as I read it on another message board, but what do you think the probability of Brady Cook successfully petitioning for another year of eligibility?

If I'm not mistaken the NCAA recently passed a rule that allows bowl games to not count toward your 4 games of a red shirt season. In theory, couldn't Brady petition the NCAA to retroactively apply that rule to his 2021 season (where his fifth game played was the armed forces). So his 2021 season would be his red shirt season and 2020 would just be his COVID year.

Certainly, there's two major obstacles here:

1. Brady has to want to do this

2. NCAA has to approve it

I suppose my question would be whether you think NCAA might approve something like this. Who knows where Brady's heads at.

Hoff:ÌýYou're right, and it's an interesting discovery regardless of who put it together. I think the technicality is that postseason games of any form don't count toward the redshirt limit anymore, but bowl games are where that's going to come up the most.

It does seem that Cook could petition to get this modified retroactively for another year of eligibility, and you're right on with the two core questions. Obviously, we don't have precedent to look at with this particular rule, so it's tough to know how the NCAA would weigh in. The only similar situation that immediately jumps to mind is Taulia Tagovailoa, who petitioned the NCAA for another year this past offseason. He had a couple games at Alabama where he only played two snaps, I think, but that was enough to burn a redshirt. I don't think a bowl game was involved, but I could be wrong. He had the backing of Nick Saban in requesting a waiver but the NCAA turned him down. Different circumstances, but that does jump to mind.

In all honesty, the bigger question is probably whether Cook would want to do that. It's a little too early to be thinking too much about NFL stock and such, but that seems like it'll be an option. He's been around Mizzou for a while, and sometimes players just want to take that next step. Not everybody wants to be an old college player. But we'll see. It's interesting and will be something I ask folks about as those decisions come closer.

Jeremy:ÌýI realize we're new into the SEC injury reporting requirement but are there actually consequences for fudging those reports? I'm not thinking about betting, rather about giving false information to opposing teams about availability. "Gamesmanship." Drinkwitz has played coy in the past but maybe coaches can't do that now?

Hoff:ÌýAlong with the gambling aspect, getting rid of the gamesmanship is part of this too. There are penalties in place: Fines for the program that start at $25,000 and could go up to $100,000 for inaccurate reporting. I'm sure that would take an investigation and perhaps be hard to actually enforce, but the mechanism is there.

I also get the sense that the coaches aren't really the ones handling this, especially for the non-gameday injury reports. Drinkwitz initially suggested he'd delegate the duty to an assistant or someone on the training staff. That probably removes some of the gamesmanship from it. And when it's the coaches making gameday calls, there isn't really a point to gamesmanship: By that stage, the opponent has prepared for whomever they've prepared for and you can tell who's a go or not based on who dresses and who's in warm-ups.

DCG:ÌýWhat's your take on the O-Line so far? Off to great start with the running game, pass protection has been good, but also, again, a lot of penalties. But might they end up as a better line than last year's?

Hoff:ÌýRun blocking has been excellent. The O-line made the outside zone reads easy last game and has really been making space around the goal line, which is important. I actually don't think the pass protection has been all that good. Cook was pressured eight times against Boston College. It felt like the Eagles were winning the line of scrimmage a lot in pass pro situations. Now, they have some good D-linemen and edge rushers, but so do a lot of other teams in the SEC. I'm not going to sit here and say it was bad, but it wasn't really where I expected it to be.

There were quite a few penalties with last year's line too — Connor Tollison and Cam'Ron Johnson in particular, if you include snapping issues as a penalty of sorts. Not that penalties are acceptable, but they are to a degree part of any O-line.Ìý

Beating last year's O-line will be tough. Javon Foster and Xavier Delgado were so solid. It think this year's group will be more balanced. The split between runs to the left and right is already looking much more even than last year, when Mizzou heavily favored going left. Green and Bryant working together is still new, so I think the jury's out still. Health will also be a factor — last year's starting group was intact for every single game. Already, Johnson has missed a game this season. It wasn't a problem, but that will dictate how good this group ends up being.Ìý

Groucho:ÌýAm I the only one who thinks Drew Pine threw a prettier spiral? Not trying to denigrate Cook, but I wish Pine would get more opportunities.Ìý

Hoff:ÌýI haven't been around the Mizzou program for long, but I get the sense that y'all, as a fanbase, have spent a while admiring backup quarterbacks' spirals. My freshman year in the journalism school was Odom's last year, so I got used to the rhythm of backups taking over midseason there for a bit. Pyne got the looks I think he earned in those first two games. You still need to give Cook opportunities to get in rhythm, and that's a far, far, far bigger priority than getting your backup game reps. There should be another opportunity against UMass. And assuming Pyne sticks around, he'll have the QB competition for next season to show things off.

Groucho:ÌýHow is Tyler Macon doing? Where did he end up?

Hoff:ÌýHe is now at Alcorn State in the SWAC. It doesn't look like he's the starter there, but as appeared in all three games. He has completed 6 of 12 passes for 18 yards and thrown two interceptions. I don't think that counts as doing well, which is too bad to see.Ìý

Lu:ÌýI've spent way too much time going through the potential College Football Playoff scenarios. Part of the reason this year has been so much fun as a Mizzou fan is having such a vested interest in the games going on around the country. Two questions:

1. Have you come up with any galaxy brain scenarios? Mine is Tennessee, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Mizzou all going 11-1. I guess you have to put all of them in, right? Plus Texas and Georgia? that could get real weird

2. Certainly Alabama would be our "best loss," after that who would be the next best loss in your opinion? at A&M maybe?

Thanks for the coverage on the first one by the way. Loved that article about the time to throw. It was fascinating to hear Brady's take on the data you pulled together.

Hoff:ÌýI'm glad to see that Mizzou fans are enjoying the CFP aspect of this season. I'm not going to tell you how to be a fan, but that seems like the fun/novel part of what 2024 is shaping up to be.

I also, in all honesty, haven't kept that close an eye on it. Once we're in the season, I'm writing every single day, going to availabilities/the game, reporting out a feature every week and trying to keep you up to date with everything happening around the games. That doesn't give me the time I'd need to really pore over all the CFP cases. I probably will during the bye next week to write an update on how things are looking for Missouri.

That said, there are two core principles to how everything aside from Mizzou winning its games could help MU. If you want to have Mizzou-related things to cheer for in other games, I'd use this:

1. You want any team on the Tigers' schedule to win. Every bit of strength/resume-padding helps. Yes, this includes Oklahoma against Tennessee this weekend.

2. You want Big 12 and ACC teams (and Notre Dame) to lose a whole lot. Both those conferences are getting a team each into the CFP. You don't want it to be more than that, so you want the runners-up in each conference to be weak. Notre Dame losing again would probably ice that particular cake. This is the recipe for the SEC being able to get 5 teams into the CFP.

I'll look into this more next week, but I think that's still the general case for right now. Glad you liked today's piece on Cook — he had some really interesting insight when I asked him about what I'd seen in the numbers.

Jeremy:ÌýBefore the season started I heard an interview with "SEC Mike" on Rock M who said that (blue chip type) transfers generally do not have an outsized impact until their 2nd year with the team. Obviously it depends on the position, but O-line is a great example where the guys have to learn to work together as well as learn the system and schemes. So he thought Mizzou looked very good, but he put less stock in the portal than other observers. I mention this because it comports with what we've seen from Mizzou's left side. Also recall that Johnson missed a game so at one point they had 2 transfers plus a backup in. A shaky O-line is what doomed Drinkwitz's earlier seasons and I'm a little nervous to see them get abused in SEC play. On the plus side Cook has all the experience in the world to deal with that, per Eli's story earlier today about his release times.

Hoff:ÌýI can see that effect with transfers, generally, but I think expectation is part of it. Mizzou didn't expect Theo Wease Jr. to be an All-SEC wideout last year, and he wasn't, but he certainly hit on what they did want from him. Marcus Bryant on the O-line doesn't have the luxury of multiple years to make an impact at Missouri — this is his final season. So in that case, that two-year pattern can't really play out. But Cayden Green can develop with the Tigers. It's all situational. I don't think there's reason to panic over the O-line. They should get better as the season gets tougher. Just a matter of whether that's actually how it trends.

DCG:ÌýAny sense that Blake Baker might be feeling some buyer's remorse? LSU is not good. They shouldn't be in the top 25, the D hasn't been particularly good, and Brian Kelly will throw everyone under the bus before taking accountability.

Hoff:ÌýI'll be honest: The only bit of LSU football I've watched this year was their opener against USC, and even then, I had a fantasy football draft at the same time. On Saturdays now, I maybe have time to catch part of an 11 a.m. kickoff or the back end of a late night game at most, depending on Mizzou's schedule, so I really don't watch any other college football than Missouri and its next opponent, which I watch after the fact.Ìý

If LSU is a letdown this year — whether missing the CFP is enough to constitute that, I don't know — is Kelly on a very hot seat or gone? Y'all can estimate that better than I can. But if so, it would probably mean a short stint in Baton Rouge for Baker.

Lu:ÌýSounds like you probably haven't had much time to dig into the new video game either. Sort of a two birds one stone situation when you pick that up.

Hoff:ÌýI played it pretty heavily when it came out to get excited for this season, and I've run a couple of dynasties into the future. From what I saw in those, the simulation engine for CFP fields was a little, um,Ìýcreative, so I'm not sure how much of a baseline it's given me. And one of those dynasties was me reverting conferences to what they were like when I was a kid, so it's not even a great indicator.Ìý

I need to brush up my skills in the game, though. I played Jarod Hamilton from PowerMizzou on it the other day and... it was ugly. Need to hit the PlayStation practice field badly!

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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Former Missouri athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois will pay a lower buyout to the school than her contract initially required, according to a settlement signed by the former administrator and university leadership.Ìý

Because she left Mizzou before the end of her contract, Reed-Francois, now the athletics director at Arizona, will have to pay at most $2 million to her previous employer, according to the agreement. KMIZ-TV , which it obtained through an open records request.

That amount is less than the $3 million that was expected to be her buyout when she left MU for Arizona in February, which means UM System leadership evidently gave in to some degree to Reed-Francois' requests.

Whether she ever asked to lower the amount she owed was not made public, but Arizona's leadership publicly stated that it would only assist her with $1.5 million of any buyout and expected her to remove or reduce anything owed to Missouri.

Under the terms of the settlement, Arizona could cover $1.5 million of the $2 million Reed-Francois now owes and has done so, according to KMIZ's report. A third party is not allowed to cover the remaining $500,000 on her behalf.

It may not wind up being $500,000, though. If she pays MU $250,000 by March 31, 2028, the university will call things even. That means her buyout could functionally wind up being $1.75 million in total.

Reed-Francois had signed a contract extension with Mizzou in March 2023, a deal that ran through the end of the 2027-28 academic year. That agreement called for a buyout, based on when she left for Arizona, in the $3 million range.

Should she not pay the amount owed under the settlement, MU would legally be ably to file a breach of contract complaint for $3 million.

Reed-Francois signed the settlement in late June, while UM System Board of Curators Chair Robin Wenneker did so in early July.

Both Reed-Francois and the university agreed to waive any other complaints or legal issues as part of the settlement.