Mizzou Football: What to watch for vs Tennessee in second game of 2020

Mizzou football hits the road for the first time this season and will face the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Missouri Tigers had the toughest possible opponent to open up the 2020 season and to kick off the Eli Drinkwitz era. They lost that game, as Alabama curb stomped them to the tune of 38-19 with the Tigers tacking on a touchdown late to make things look a little less daunting.

Next up for Mizzou is a date with No. 21 Tennessee on the road in Knoxville in what should be a fun game. Tennessee started the season ranked as the No. 15 team in the country and dropped six spots after their narrow victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks last weekend.

With all of this in mind, what should Mizzou football fans be watching for as the Tigers face the Volunteers? Let’s take a look.

Can the Tigers get off to a better start?

Look, it’s no picnic playing offense against the Alabama Crimson Tide and that’s why a lot of fans were willing to look past the poor offensive effort last week, but the Tigers should be able to move the ball against Tennessee. The Volunteers got off to a slow start offensively last week, allowing South Carolina to score on their first of the game.

If Missouri can find the end zone on their first drive of the game and play from ahead, that’d be huge for this team because their defense is good. This defense could slow down the Volunteers a heck of a lot easier than they could Alabama, who just has way too much firepower.

With Tennessee being vulnerable early in the game last week, I’ll be curious to see if the Tigers can capitalize on that and get points on the board on their first drive of the game.

Mizzou Quarterback Situation

This is something that’s going to be a topic of conversation probably every week this season and for good reason. Mizzou fans got to see both Shawn Robinson and Connor Bazelak take snaps in the Alabama game with Robinson getting to play the first, third, and fourth quarter with Bazelak playing the second quarter.

Robinson played better, but he had two more quarters to prove himself. He went 19 of 25 for 185 yards and a touchdown late in the game. Bazelak went 7 of 14 for 68 yards. Drinkwitz has said that both guys will continue to play, so of course this will continue to be a storyline.

Maybe we see Bazelak for more than just a quarter this week, but if Robinson starts the game and gets the Tigers off to a lead, then Drinkwitz should stick with him. The whole switching quarterbacks thing is fine in games that aren’t close, but if Missouri has any kind of lead, keep Robinson under center.

Tennessee does a little bit of everything

When looking at the Vols’ box score from last week, nothing really stood out. That’s not to say Tennessee isn’t a force because clearly they are. The Volunteers scored four touchdowns against South Carolina with two coming on the ground, one through the air, and one being a defensive touchdown. That makes them a team who can strike at any time.

Rushing wise, Ty Chandler did most of the work, but it was Eric Gray and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano who scored the two rushing touchdowns. Passing wise, Guarantano threw just one pass and it went to Josh Palmer. Defensively, Henry To’o To’o intercepted South Carolina’s pass and ran it 32 yards for six points.

With Tennessee’s threat of being able to score in just about every facet of the game, Missouri needs to play a mistake-free game and their defense needs to be all over the field. Otherwise, the Volunteers are going to run roughshod over Mizzou football.