Saturday, November 11
Columbia, Mo.
6:30 PM
University of Missouri
vs
Tennessee
Mizzou Looks to Keep it Rollin' vs. Tennessee
11/6/2017 10:58:00 AM | Football
Tigers set for home finale, Senior Night
Mizzou Football (4-5 overall, 1-4 in Southeastern Conference play) wraps up the 2017 home season this Saturday as it hosts the Tennessee Volunteers (4-5, 0-5) at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the game, which will be televised on the SEC Network, is set for 6:30 p.m. central time.
- The Tigers are coming off a stellar 45-16 home win over Florida last Saturday, and are riding a season-best three-game winning streak, the program's longest since winning the first three games in 2015. Mizzou used its under-appreciated run game Saturday to take control against the Gators, and built a 28-3 halftime lead while never looking back.
- True freshman RB Larry Rountree III rushed for three touchdowns and 83 yards on 15 carries (5.5 average), while senior RB and Florida native Ish Witter also had 83 yards rushing on 17 attempts (4.9 avg.), and he also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass on the day.
- Junior QB Drew Lock continued his lights-out play of late, as he turned in an uber-efficient 15-of-20 passing day for 228 yards. The national leader in passing touchdowns with 31 heading into Saturday, Lock burned the vaunted Gator defense for three TDs in the win.
- Not to be overshadowed, the Tiger defense chipped in with arguably its best overall performance of the season, limiting the Gators to just 349 yards of offense, and keeping them out of the endzone until 5:34 to go in the game. The defense held Florida to 5-of-13 on third down attempts, and forced the Gators into field goal attempts twice in three redzone trips.
Setting the Stage
- Tennessee comes to Columbia fresh off a solid 24-10 win over Southern Miss last Saturday, breaking a four-game losing streak in the process. The Volunteers held a 10-3 halftime lead and cashed in on a pair of third quarter turnovers deep in Southern Miss territory to push out to a 24-3 lead. The opportunistic Volunteers had to drive only 20 yards and 19 yards, respectively, on those scoring drives which effectively put the game out of reach. The game was mostly a defensive battle, as Southern Miss outgained the Vols by a 279-to-210 margin in total offense, but UT was plus-two in turnovers, and that was the difference in the ballgame. Tennessee's defense tallied four sacks in the win.
- A big key to Saturday's matchup will be Tennessee's secondary vs. Mizzou's unbelievable aerial attack. Mizzou ranks 14th nationally in passing offense while Tennessee checks in as the nation's No. 4 passing defense, allowing just 150.0 yards per game through the air.
- Saturday's game will also be special for six Mizzou players who call Tennessee home (four starters and all contributors for this year's team):
| Player | Hometown |
|---|---|
| Sophomore WR Johnathon Johnson | Memphis |
| Junior P Corey Fatony | Franklin |
| Junior DB Finis Stribling IV | Thompson's Station |
| Freshman LB Aubrey Miller, Jr. | Memphis |
| Junior OL Paul Adams | Nashville |
| Junior WR Emanuel Hall | Franklin |
Locked in Lately
- Junior QB Drew Lock has been on fire over his last six games. He has 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions while passing for 1,896 yards on 129-of-196 (65.8 percent). He now has four games in his career with 400 or more yards, tying for the most in school history with Chase Daniel (four from 2005-08).
- Last week vs. Florida, Lock completed 15-of-20 passes for 228 yards and three scores. He has completed 46-of-57 passes over his last two games (81 percent), the best stretch of his career.
- Lock now leads the nation with his 31 passing TDs this year, which are already the third-most in school history. Lock is second nationally in yards per completion (15.88), 10th in passing yards per game (310.6), 11th in total passing yards (2,795) and fifth in passing efficiency (170.7). He is first or second in virtually every passing category in the SEC. Lock has more TD passes through nine games than any SEC QB in the last 15 seasons and has at least three TD passes in five straight games.
- Lock now ranks third in school history with 7,526 career passing yards. He sits 1,273 yards behind second-place Brad Smith who had 8,799 from 2002-05. Lock is on pace to have 8,457 by year's end.
- Lock's 58 career TD passes rank second all-time on Mizzou's career TD passes list. With his three last week, he passed legendary Mizzou QB Brad Smith.
| QB | Yds | Att | Comp | INT | Pct. | TD | Rtg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chase Daniel (2005-08) | 12,515 | 1,609 | 1,094 | 41 | 0.680 | 101 | 148.95 |
| 2. Brad Smith (2002-05) | 8,799 | 1,484 | 835 | 33 | 0.563 | 56 | 114.08 |
| 3. Drew Lock (2015-17) | 7,526 | 962 | 547 | 26 | 0.569 | 58 | 137.06 |
| 4. James Franklin (2010-13) | 6,962 | 943 | 586 | 25 | 0.621 | 51 | 136.70 |
| 5. Jeff Handy (1991-94) | 6,959 | 1,058 | 618 | 30 | 0.584 | 39 | 120.16 |
| 6. Blaine Gabbert (2008-10) | 6,822 | 933 | 568 | 18 | 0.609 | 40 | 132.59 |
| 7. Phil Bradley (1977-80) | 5,352 | 798 | 437 | 29 | 0.548 | 32 | 117.06 |
A Defense That Starts in the Trenches
- Mizzou has 29.0 tackles for loss over the last three games and now ranks second in the SEC in tackles for loss.
- Mizzou had just 27.0 tackles for loss in its previous five games before posting 29.0 over its last three.
- The Tigers allowed just 93 rushing yards to Florida, its sixth-best mark in an SEC game in school history.
- Mizzou is allowing just 16.3 points per game over its three-game win streak after allowing 45.2 over its first six games (1-5).
Players Mentioned
Offensive Lineman
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Punter
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Wide Receiver
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Wide Receiver
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Linebacker
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Running Back
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Defensive Back
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Running Back
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