Grades from the Missouri Tigers’ victory over SEMO and looking ahead to Boston College

The Missouri Tigers are back above .500 following a 59-28 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.

Here are grades for all three Mizzou units, the best highlight of the game and a look ahead to next week’s contest against Boston College. With the Tigers up 38-0 at halftime, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz pulled his starters and most of his primary backups in the third and fourth quarters, instead giving inexperienced players a chance to see the field, so these grades will only apply to the first half.

Play of the game

Perhaps the most exciting play of the game came from the backups in the third quarter. True freshman quarterback Tyler Macon saw game action for the first time this season and he made the most of the opportunity right away. On his first pass attempt of the afternoon, Macon threw a perfectly placed ball to wide receiver JJ Hester, who then sprinted down the field for a 65 yard touchdown to put Mizzou up 52-7.

Grades

Offense: A+. The Missouri offense made everything look easy throughout this one. Led by quarterback Connor Bazelak, the Tigers stormed down the field and found a way to put points on the board on each of their drives of the first half. Through two quarters, Mizzou totaled an impressive 458 total yards on offense, nearly averaging 10 yards per play. Getting an array of different receivers involved in the passing game boosts this to an A+.

Defense: A. The defense looked much improved from its performances in the first two games of the season against the Redhawks. In the first half, Mizzou held SEMO to zero points, 69 yards and no third down conversions on five attempts, only allowing three total first downs. The only negative was a lack of forced turnovers and sacks, but with how efficient the defense was in forcing the SEMO offense to punt they weren’t needed.

Special teams: A. The special teams unit didn’t have any incredible plays or horrible mistakes, they simply got the job done efficiently. There wasn’t much need for the field goal unit with how many touchdowns the Mizzou offense managed to score, but kicker Harrison Mevis was called upon in the second quarter and delivered on a 43-yard attempt. He has now made 11 consecutive field goals, providing key stability for the Tigers.

Next up

Missouri will head on the road to face Boston College at 11 a.m. Central time Saturday, Sept. 25 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game will air on ESPN2.