The Florida Gators lost to the Missouri Tigers, and Florida is now in jeopardy of not reaching a bowl game. Missouri carried a similar gameplan as other teams who defeated the Gators, and running back Tyler Badie was a big reason for the success of the Missouri offense in this game. Check out a quick recap of Florida’s loss on the road to Missouri.
Recap
Offense
Overall, this performance is not what you would expect from a Dan Mullen-led offense. Emory Jones threw for 260 yards and rushed for 45 yards in this game. Missouri’s secondary really tightened up well and knew the focus of the Gators’ offense is the running game. In fact, the Tigers’ defense limited Nay’Quan Wright, Malik Davis, and Dameon Pierce to a collective total of 48 rushing yards.
Jacob Copeland had a big game with eight receptions for more than 100 yards. Finally, the veteran receiver shows up for Florida, although it may be a bit too late in the season for that. Davis also had a day on the receiving end with four receptions for almost 50 yards. Florida failed to gain 400 yards in this game, which is definitely a letdown compared to the Gators’ other performances this season.
Defense
Quarterback Connor Bazelak had a decent game for Missouri with 165 passing yards and a touchdown. As always, the Gators’ defense was unable to stop the running back. Badie had nearly 150 rushing yards and a touchdown. If anyone thought Todd Grantham was the only problem, there’s much more to it than just him.
Tauskie Dove and Niko Hea both had around 70 receiving yards, and Niko had the Tigers’ only passing touchdown. After another sub-par defensive performance by the Gators, athletic director Scott Stricklin needs to make a decision on the direction of the program.
Concluding Thoughts
Florida’s loss to Missouri puts the Gators at 5-6 entering their final game of the season. Next week’s rivalry game against Florida State will have big implications for the Gators, and perhaps head coach Dan Mullen will gain attention in regards to the hot seat.
FL Teams has partnered with “The AJ Show”. AJ covered the Florida Gators vs. Missouri Tigers game! Check out his play-by-play reactions along with smack talk from the game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAPQJo6FcJ4