Both Sides of Passing Game Falter in Mizzou’s Pyrrhic Victory Over Troy

Mizzou’s final non-conference game of the season was about as nightmarish as it could get. The 27-17 win felt more like a loss with a 4-0 Mississippi State team looming.

It was clear coming into the game that there were kinks in need of knocking out, but new problems arose. Frustrations began on the defensive side, but the offense also failed to capitalize on opportunities.

It’s never a good sign when a G5 team wins the possession battle 37:23-22:37.

On the second play from scrimmage, Goose Crowder found TK Keyes wide open across the middle after shifting Santana Banner in coverage. He took the pass 76 yards to the south end zone. That wasn’t the only time Crowder silenced the crowd at Memorial Stadium’s 100th anniversary game.

With 13 seconds to go in the first half, Howard Kinchen got a step on Sione Laulea and Crowder dropped a dime en route to a 55-yard touchdown. The halftime score read 24-17. All 24 points came in the second quarter for the Tigers.

The offense didn’t take over in that frame – it was given several short fields.

Troy’s All-American punter Evan Crenshaw shanked a punt, putting Mizzou on the opposing 34-yard line. The offense only walked away with three points off a Blake Craig 35-yard field goal.

The Tigers evened the score at 10-10 after a 68-yard punt return touchdown courtesy of DaMarion Fowlkes. The return just edged out Kevin Coleman Jr.’s 67-yard punt return touchdown against Arkansas last season.

The defense made up for some of its early mistakes to fuel 24 unanswered points before letting up the touchdown to end the first half.

A Laulea interception and a Langden Kitchen strip sack recovered by Jason Dowell set up touchdown drives starting from the red zone. Donovan Olugbode caught the initial touchdown from 12 yards out, and Jamal Roberts ran in a 13-yard touchdown after the fumble.

At the half, Troy had nearly double the total yards of the Tigers and Goose Crowder completed 11 of 19 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The defense allowed more passing yards in one half than it has for any game this season.

But Trojan receivers consistently created separation, specifically on third downs. There was a clear discrepancy on the key down between the two teams. The Tigers were 2-for-11 on third-down conversions compared to Troy’s 7-for-17 night.

One of the biggest areas of concern coming into the game was the rushing attack, but it was surprisingly the most consistent weapon for the offense. Roberts took 21 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown.

That’s not accounting for an abundance of penalties that brought plays back. Mizzou totaled nine penalties for 90 yards, six coming on the offensive side.

The passing attack was where the offense struggled mightily. Austin Simmons came into the game averaging 272 passing yards per game, and both Cayden Lee and Olugbode accounted for over 215 of those yards on average.

Simmons finished the game 10-for-19 for 91 yards and a touchdown. Lee and Olugbode were still the top receivers, combining seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

The lopsided possession battle stayed true in the second half. The Tigers only had two drives in the third quarter, combining 11 plays for 42 yards across five minutes. They punted on three straight drives to begin the half.

Mizzou finally gave itself a two-score cushion with 7:18 to go in the fourth quarter. Craig drilled a 36-yard field goal to put the Tigers up 27-17, which ultimately put the Trojans away.

The conference opener on the road against Mississippi State gets even more precarious after this narrow win. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. next Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi.