Missouri Football: Report Card Grades for the Tigers' Second Game

The Missouri Tigers lost a tough overtime game to the Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday night.

There were plenty of bad things and plenty of good things to take from the 37-30 loss, most importantly the much-improved play of quarterback James Franklin.

But, injuries continue to take their toll on the Tigers, who lost running back De’Vion Moore to an injury on Friday.

They need to have a bounce back victory over Western Illinois on Saturday to prepare for the grueling Big 12 season, which starts with trips to Oklahoma and Kansas State.

First though, let's take a look at the Tigers' report card from Friday night's loss.

Quarterback: A

It wasn’t James Franklin’s fault the Tigers lost to the Sun Devils.

Franklin was 26-for-42 for 319 yards and two touchdowns on Friday night.

It was a huge improvement over his play in Week 1.

He looked poised in the pocket and made some plays in the running game, as well. If he can keep playing this way for the rest of the season, the Tigers are going to win more often than not.

Running Backs: B-

The running backs were mediocre against the Sun Devils, but they lost De’Vion Moore to an injury early in the game.

With Kendial Lawrence already injured, the running back depth is completely gone for Missouri.

But, Henry Josey continued to show he should be the No. 1 back. He ran nine times for 94 yards and added two catches for 51 yards.

The Tigers should get him more touches.

Receivers: B

Michael Egnew and T.J. Moe certainly miss Blaine Gabbert.

Last year, they were catching passes on nearly every play. This year, things are different.

Egnew ended up catching a touchdown, but he only had three catches for 27 yards.

Moe, meanwhile, had just 48 yards on six catches.

Marcus Lucas continued to emerge as Franklin’s favorite target though, ending the game with 87 yards on four catches.

Offensive Line: B+

The offensive line only allowed two sacks all night and generally gave Franklin time to make plays in the pocket.

They were also struck by the injury bug, though, losing center Travis Ruth to a sprained knee after losing Elvis Fisher for the year before the season started.

Ruth might be able to play next week in a limited capacity.

Defensive Line: D+

The defensive line didn’t manage any sacks and didn’t put nearly enough pressure on Brock Osweiler.

They desperately miss DE Jacquies Smith, who missed the game with a dislocated elbow and will probably miss the Western Illinois game as well.

But, Brad Madison and company need to start creating some havoc in the backfield or this is going to be a long season for Mizzou fans.

Linebackers: A-

Zaviar Gooden had nine tackles, a tackle for a loss and a sack on Friday night.

That was good enough to make him the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

The other LBs played well too, allowing only 68 yards to the Sun Devils’ leading rusher.

They still miss Will Ebner, though. They won’t be the same until he’s healthy.

Secondary: F

The secondary was awful on Friday night.

Too many penalties allowed too many Arizona State drives to continue.

And Sun Devils’ QB Brock Osweiler made the most of his chances, completing 24 of 32 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns.

If the secondary can’t stop Osweiler, they are going to get torn apart by Landry Jones and Brandon Weeden.

Special Teams: C-

Kicker Grant Ressel missed two field goals, but only one of which was really his fault.

For some reason, head coach Gary Pinkel decided to call two straight timeouts before Ressel’s game winning field goal attempt at the end of regulation.

If Ressel had been allowed to kick right away, he would have had a better shot to make it.

He’s one of the best kickers in college football. Friday night was an anomaly.

Coaching: D

Like I said already, Pinkel made some questionable choices in terms of timeouts and play calls.

And, Dave Steckel’s defense struggled mightily.

The Tigers need to be coached up a lot this week and next week as they prepare for Oklahoma.

They need to dominate Western Illinois on Saturday to get prepared for their toughest test of the season in Norman.

Intangibles: C-

The Tigers waited too long to get their acts together offensively on Friday night.

They looked good late, but they weren't consistent. They need to be able to move the ball consistently if they want to be successful in 2011.

Defensively, the Tigers never got in a rhythm. Especially in the secondary, too many mistakes were being made all night long.

They need to make sure they get things sorted out this week during practice and in the Western Illinois game before they head to Oklahoma to start October.