Missouri vs. Florida: Game Grades, Analysis for Tigers and Gators

Things weren’t pretty for either team, but ultimately turnovers and special teams helped the Missouri Tigers stun the Florida Gators 42-13. Missouri’s Marcus Murphy scored three touchdowns—including two on special teams—which helped cover up a night in which the Tigers totaled only 119 yards of total offense.

For the Gators, Saturday night could have been the last straw for quarterback Jeff Driskel. He threw for only 50 yards and tossed two interceptions, leading Florida head coach Will Muschamp to put true freshman Treon Harris into the game.

Harris finished the night 8-of-12 passing for 98 yards but received a lot of his stats after the game was well in hand.

Things have to be getting extremely frustrating for the Florida defense after holding Missouri to only seven first downs.

The beginning of the game appeared to be a contest of which quarterback could play the worst, but Maty Mauk wasn’t forced to make many big plays because of the way Missouri’s defense played. He finished 6-of-18 passing for 20 yards and threw one interception.

You can find the box score here, courtesy of NCAA.com.

Game Grades and Analysis for the Florida Gators

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	D-	D-
Rushing Offense	B	B
Pass Defense	B+	A
Run Defense	C	B
Special Teams	D	F
Coaching	D	F

Passing Offense

The only reason the Gators don’t receive a failing grade here is because of what Harris was able to do late in the game. Driskel never looked comfortable out there, and Harris looked like a true freshman at times.

Florida has to find a way to get production through the air moving forward. If the Gators choose to stay with Harris at quarterback, pass protection and the running game will become even more important.

Rushing Offense

I thought the Gators should have run the ball more at times, but it wasn’t a bad effort from this group. As a whole, the Gators finished the night with 135 yards on the ground and received a couple of strong efforts from Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones. Those two backs didn’t carry it much, but each averaged over three yards per carry.

The Gators have to be excited for the future because of what Brandon Powell was able to do. On seven carries, the young back went for 37 yards late in the game.

Pass Defense

It’s surprising to see such a high grade after a blowout loss, but that was the story of the night. The Gators defense played exceptionally well in both categories, but their pass defense was near perfect.

Mauk was held to 20 yards through the air and only completed six passes.

Run Defense

The Tigers were able to get more going on the ground than through the air, but the Gators defense didn’t allow any big run plays.

Missouri finished with 99 total rushing yards, and Florida was in the backfield numerous times throughout this game.

Special Teams

If a category deserves to have a lower grade than passing offense, it would be special teams. The Gators allowed two long returns for touchdowns and were out of position on both of them. Murphy evaded at least six Gators on his punt return touchdown because of the inability to tackle in space.

Coaching

I didn’t understand what Muschamp was looking to accomplish by keeping Driskel in the game. The turnovers clearly took a toll on his confidence and Harris could have provided a spark. Yeah, the kid is a freshman, but it couldn’t have gotten any worse than Driskel, right?

The defensive coaching had a great game plan and found ways to limit the Tigers offense. Florida offensive coordinator Kurt Roper also made some questionable calls at times. When Driskel was struggling, the Gators continued to throw the ball down the field, only resulting in more mistakes.

Game Grades and Analysis for Missouri Tigers

Position Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	D	D
Rushing Offense	B-	C
Pass Defense	B+	A+
Run Defense	C	C
Special Teams	A+	A+
Coaching	B	B

Pass Offense

Like we have said, it was ugly for the Tigers offensively. Quite frankly, Mauk didn’t look much better than last week, but he didn’t have the opportunity to throw interceptions tonight. The Tigers scored most of their touchdowns on defense or special teams, so it was an easy night for the first-year starter.

Rushing Offense

Mauk gained 38 yards on the ground and was able to help sustain a couple of drives with timely scrambles. This was a decent effort from the Tigers on the ground, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. Murphy added 27 yards and a score, and Russell Hansbrough had 35 yards on 13 carries.

Pass Defense

Whether it was the product of bad play from Florida quarterbacks or excellent Missouri pass defense, the Tigers keep the credit here. This Tigers secondary came up with three important interceptions and returned one for a touchdown.

Run Defense

Florida was able to get some solid yards from its backs, but in the end Missouri held the Gators to 2.8 yards per carry. The Tigers were able to keep Florida’s rushing game from breaking out, and they forced the Gators into many passing downs.

Special Teams

Murphy returned his only kick return opportunity 96 yards for a touchdown and averaged 25.3 yards per return on punts. His punt return for a touchdown really seemed to be a momentum-shifter.

Coaching

Looking back at it, there’s a lot you can criticize about Missouri’s offense. What you can’t criticize is that Missouri found a way to win this game, despite struggles. This was an excellent coaching job, as they got the majority of their production through defense and special teams.