First-half thoughts: Mizzou leads Central Arkansas 26-0
We’ve hit halftime with the Missouri Tigers leading the Central Arkansas Bears 26-0.
And after the first 30 minutes of Tiger football this season, I have some thoughts.
But first, here is the box score at the break.
1. Beau Pribula looks pretty good.
Which is good because with Sam Horn going out after one play, the Tigers will need Beau Pribula to play well as it seems like he’s the definitive starter moving forward.
From his deep ball on the first series to Marquis Johnson, to his touchdown run where he made the best of a terrible pass blocking rep. Pribula looked really good basically every play where he wasn’t hit by a free rusher.
Pribula ended up 19-of-23 for 204 yards and two touchdowns along with seven rushing attempts for 51 yards. Pretty great performance so far.
2. The offensive line looks pretty bad.
The reason Pribula keeps getting hit by free rushers is the offensive line looks terrible.
Against an FCS opponent, the Tigers allowed a sack and another few quarterback hits. And can’t seem to open up any running lanes.
The line was a worry going into the game, but not specifically for this game. They should just be bigger and stronger than anyone they’re going against, and yet Central Arkansas has regularly been in the backfield.
3. The mix of players has been good to see.
Donovan Olugbode got a couple of catches, Joshua Manning seemed blanketed most of the half and then got three straight plays going his way.
Jamal Roberts, Ahmad Hardy and Tavorus Jones have all split time in the backfield.
It’s been a good mix of guys throughout.
4. The two-minute drive was well executed.
That’s when Manning got the plays going his way. He made a great catch, the offensive line played a little bit better, the team was able to move well.
And that’s after starting at its own 1.
Overall, I would say that wasn’t a positive first half for the Tiger offense, but it wasn’t as bad as it might have seemed other than the offensive line.
5. The tackling hasn’t been great.
The Tiger defense hasn’t allowed a point, and yet I feel the need to critique a little. The tackling hasn’t been as sound as it needs to be against an opponent like this. And the run defense hasn’t done as well as expected.
I think there’s plenty of room for this to still be an impressive defensive performance.
But no sacks and no turnovers is not a great half against an offense they should be dominating.
