Florida vs. Missouri: Score, Grades and Analysis

The No. 14 Missouri Tigers advanced to 7-0 on Saturday after defeating No. 22 Florida, 36-17, at Faurot Field in Columbia behind a stellar offensive performance, per Sports Illustrated on Twitter:

Florida aided Mizzou with a head-scratching offensive game plan and execution. The Gators turned the ball over three times, racked up just 151 total yards on offense and converted on just three out of 15 third-down opportunities. 

Meanwhile, the Tigers racked up 500 yards of total offense, taking advantage of the Gators' inability to keep their offense on the field.

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Florida	3	0	14	0	17
Missouri	10	3	10	13	36

Mizzou couldn't have asked for a better start to Saturday's game. The Tigers only needed two plays and 22 seconds to cover 76 yards and take a 7-0 lead. Freshman quarterback Maty Mauk found Bud Sasser from 20 yards out for the score. 

Minutes later, the Gators would get on the board, taking advantage of a fumbled punt return from Missouri to set up a 23-yard field goal by kicker Francisco Velez. The two teams would trade punts and interceptions later in the first half, but it was Missouri who capitalized, connecting on two field goals to take a 13-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Tigers' interception of Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy late in the first quarter extended their streak of games with a turnover to 37 straight, per ESPN's Edward Aschoff on Twitter:

It didn't take long for Solomon Patton to fire up the Gators, thanks to an incredible 100-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff of the second half. And just 12 seconds into the third quarter, Florida was within three points.

The Gators' celebration was short-lived however, as Mauk and the Tigers responded quickly with a five-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with a five-yard touchdown run by Henry Josey. The series' key play came on a 52-yard pass from Mauk to Jimmie Hunt that put Mizzou inside Florida's 15-yard line.

After another Florida punt, Mizzou put together a seven-play, 59-yard drive that resulted in the Tigers' third field goal of the game. With the score, Mauk and company ended one the Gators' impressive 13-game streak of not allowing more than 20 points against SEC opponents, per College GameDay:

Surprisingly, the Gators offense responded for the first time all day, piecing together a good-looking six-play drive that covered 70 yards and ended with a 20-yard touchdown run from freshman back Kelvin Taylor, who is the son of former NFL star Fred Taylor. 

But as they did all day long, the Tigers responded with a drive and points, settling for another Andrew Baggett field goal to take a nine-point lead.

Afterward, the script remained the same for Florida, as the Gators went three plays on offense and punted the ball right back, much to the chagrin of ESPN's Jeff Barlis on Twitter:

Mizzou would drive and tack on another field goal before forcing a third turnover on a strip sack deep in Florida territory. Mauk's touchdown run one play later made it 36-17 Tigers, and that was it. 

Key Player Grades

Maty Mauk, Missouri, QB: A-

Freshman signal-caller Maty Mauk stepped up in James Franklin's absence on Saturday, playing with tremendous poise and confidence against one of the nation's top defensive units, as ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn noted on Twitter:

Though he threw an interception in the first half, he kept the costly errors to a minimum and found ways to beat Florida's secondary. He out-played Florida's Tyler Murphy by a long shot and made the plays he had to in order to propel the Tigers to 7-0.

He finished having completed 18 of his 36 passes for 295 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Tyler Murphy, Florida, QB: F

There's no two ways about it—Tyler Murphy was awful on Saturday. Then again, so was the entire Florida offense. The junior passer completed just 15 of his 29 pass attempts, turned the ball over three times and accounted for just 47 total yards. 

Henry Josey, Missouri, RB: A+

Tigers running back Henry Josey was a stud on Saturday, averaging nearly eight yards per carry against a Florida defense that ranked third in the nation against the run coming in. The Gators ranked second in the country in fewest total yards allowed as well.

Josey's 136-yard performance marks his first 100-plus-yard game since the season opener versus Murray State.

What's Next?

The Gators will have two weeks off to lick their wounds after suffering their second straight loss and third overall this season. Florida will return to action on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville against No. 15 Georgia. Meanwhile, undefeated Missouri will gear up for another can't-miss SEC showdown with No. 11 South Carolina next Saturday.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.