Mizzou Football: Key takeaways from loss to Tennessee in Week 2

Mizzou football is 0-2 to start the Eli Drinkwitz era. What did we learn about the Tigers after they lost to Tennessee?

The Missouri Tigers had the misfortune of opening their 2020 season up against the second ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and while it’d get a little easier in Week 2, not by much. They’d head to Knoxville to face the No. 21 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. It didn’t go well.

Missouri lost 35-12 to the Volunteers and now are 0-2 for the first time since 1996. W                                                          ith an important game against LSU taking place next weekend. It hasn’t been the start that Mizzou football fans were hoping for with their new coach, but their schedule became much more difficult when COVID-19 forced conferences to move to a conference-only schedule.

So, what did we learn about MU in their 23-point loss? Let’s take a look.

Quarterback change

Shawn Robinson was efficient in the Tigers’ loss to Alabama last week, but he completed just one pass off of four attempts this week for zero yards. Connor Bazelak took over for the rest of the game and went 13 of 21 for 218 yards and an interception. Bazelak was one of the few bright spots for the team, but five wide receiver drops and a shaky defense couldn’t help him out.

Rountree still effective

Larry Rountree III was another bright spot (one of the few) in this one, as the Mizzou running back rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown off of 18 carries. If the Tigers want to be competitive in games this year, Rountree has to have a similar game because he’s the best weapon on this team by far.

Defense optional apparently

Missouri’s defense wasn’t up to the task of stopping Tennessee’s rushing attack, getting absolutely gashed on the ground by the Volunteers. Eric Gray had 16 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown (plus a receiving touchdown), Ty Chandler had 19 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano rushed for two touchdowns on the day.

While the defense did hold its own against Guarantano through the air (he completed just 14 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown), giving him room to run proved dangerous and he barreled his way into the end zone on two separate occasions. The defense is going to have to play much better if the Tigers want to be competitive in any of their games this year.

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This hasn’t been the start that Mizzou football fans were hoping for, but there have been positives from these two games. Bazelak played well on Saturday and should get the nod to start against LSU next week. Rountree showed he’s the same player he’s been since he first arrived to Columbia. The defense had previously looked to be a strength in past seasons, but they couldn’t slow down the Volunteers on the ground.

It’s never a good feeling to be 0-2, but the Missouri Tigers are going to have to play incredibly well next weekend to avoid starting 0-3 under their new head coach.