2021 Season Preview: Missouri Tigers

Stoney Keeley takes a look at the state of the Tigers in his 2021 Missouri preview.

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Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going around the landscape of the SEC, team by team, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, our 2021 Missouri preview!

2021 Missouri Preview

In their first year under head coach Eli Drinkwitz, the 2020 Missouri Tigers were a bit all over the place. Like a lot of college football teams around the country, it’s probably best that we don’t gauge the state of a program based solely on last year’s results. Still, despite getting absolutely slaughtered by the good teams in the SEC (and the Vols), there were some moments of encouragement in Drinkwitz’s first season with Mizzou. They outlasted a feisty Arkansas team, pulled off a big time surprise 45-41 win over LSU, and managed to qualify for a bowl game playing an all-SEC schedule, even though that Music City Bowl would end up being canceled.

Unlike a lot of other teams in the SEC, the Tigers undoubtedly have their guy at quarterback in Connor Bazelak. Bazelak took over the starting role early on in 2020, and has the size and arm talent to be one of the best in the conference. He just needs to show a little more consistency – the passing game absolutely can’t disappear for stretches of the season the way it did in 2020. The Tigers have a steady, experienced offensive line returning, and some intriguing options at wide receiver. But, they need to find a more balanced run game – can Tyler Badie step up in the absence of Larry Rountree III? Badie is a nice do-it-all option out of the backfield, but can he plod down the field and control the clock? The Tigers could use an element of that in their offense to make it a little more well-rounded

The Tigers defense allowed a whopping 49.3 PPG in their final three games (Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi State). Perhaps the most important move of Mizzou’s offseason, Drinkwitz brought in former NFL mainstay Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator. They have some pieces on that side of the ball. In addition to a promising defensive line, the Tigers will get back All-SEC pass rusher Trajan Jeffcoat. They lose Nick Bolton, who was one of my sleeper picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they get Blaze Alldredge, a veritable tackling machine, from Rice. But, the secondary failed to generate plays in 2020, and that unit remains a question mark heading into 2021.

There’s no doubt that there are some major questions surrounding the Tigers heading into 2021, but I think there’s ample reason for optimism. They have a lot of talent on both lines, they have their franchise quarterback – if they can keep the secondary from getting gashed, and find some semblance of a balanced run game, they could have a say in how the SEC East shakes down.

2021 Tigers Schedule

Saturday, 9/4: vs. Central Michigan – Hey, Central Michigan could be a factor in the MAC this season, so best not to sleep on this bunch. The Tigers should easily win this one, but it’s not quite the “preseason opener” that other SEC teams have.

Saturday, 9/11: @ Kentucky – I think this is the most critical game on Mizzou’s schedule – two teams in similar spots. If things go well for either team, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a run at the runner-up spot in the SEC East. Right now, I think Kentucky looks a little bit more complete, and gets the benefit of having this one at home, but the Tigers have the talent to win this one. If they do, they could go on a solid run. If not, they just might be out of the hunt already.

Saturday, 9/18: vs. SEMO – Okay, so the true “preseason opener” comes three weeks into the season…

Saturday, 9/25: @ Boston College – I hate that it’s a road game, but this should absolutely be a win for the Tigers.

Saturday, 10/2: vs. Tennessee – I like the potential Josh Heupel has to rebuild this Vols offense, but I don’t expect he’ll get it done by October 2nd. Mizzou should be able to easily outscore the Vols at this point in the season.

Saturday, 10/9: vs. North Texas – How does 6-0 sound to start the season? It could happen. This isn’t one of the games the Tigers should worry about dropping.

Saturday, 10/16: vs. Texas A&M – Yeah, they avoid Alabama out of the SEC West, but I’m not sure getting Texas A&M is much better this year. I’d consider this one of two sure losses on Mizzou’s schedule.

Saturday, 10/23: BYE

Saturday, 10/30: @ Vanderbilt – I’m higher on Clark Lea and the new look Vanderbilt Commodores than most, but it would be a shock to see them upset Mizzou here.

Saturday, 11/6: @ Georgia – Nope. Not on the road. Not this year – the other “sure loss” I’d have on this schedule.

Saturday, 11/13: vs. South Carolina – This should be another win for the Tigers – with all the re-building to do in South Carolina, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Gamecocks finish at the bottom of the SEC East this year.

Saturday, 11/20: vs. Florida – The Gators offense is going to look different with Emory Jones at quarterback, but there’s so much talent and Dan Mullen is a proven coaching commodity that it makes it hard to pick against them in this game. It helps to get this one at home, and I’m not saying a win is out of reach for the Tigers, but it won’t be easy.

Friday, 11/26: @ Arkansas – Gotta love some Black Friday football! This game could be a big one for both schools, and if last year was any indicator, there could be some fireworks in it. The Razorbacks will be feisty in 2021, so this one will be a tough one for Mizzou, but they absolutely can get it done. Set the over/under to 100.

Prediction

Everyone’s saying “solid push at a bowl game” for this team like it’s the ceiling for the 2021 Mizzou Tigers. But, I love the talent that this team has, and most importantly, they’re more set at the quarterback position than a lot of teams in the SEC. The SEC East looks like it’s going to be wide open beyond Georgia, so hell – why not Mizzou? Drinkwitz has some real swagger about him that seems to be rubbing off across the entire program. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this team won 10 games, and maybe that seems shocking, but outside of Georgia and Texas A&M, every game on the schedule is at least winnable for Mizzou. My official gun-to-my-head prediction is 8-4 with losses to Kentucky, Georgia, Texas A&M, and either Florida or Arkansas.

OTHER SEC 2021 SEASON PREVIEWS

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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