The Tigers took down Louisiana 52-10 yesterday in a dominating win, with quite a few standout performances. Today, we are going to dish out letter grades to each position group. The grading scale will be A-F, no pluses or minuses.

Quarterbacks: C

Overall, I think Pribula did play a pretty good game, and the only reason I have him at a C is simply because of the interception. Pribula did not have to do much today, because the running backs were exceptional, which we will get into later. Overall, Pribula did not have to throw deep and he had to take what the defense gave him. Could honestly put him at a B here, but given his other performances, this is by far his least impressive one.

Pribula went 15/22, 174 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. My only gripe with Pribula today, other than the interception, was the last drive of the first half, where I thought he missed an easy TD pass in the back of the endzone to Brett Norfleet. It wasn’t all bad, but not tremendous either. It’s nothing to worry about, however.

Running Backs: A

If I didn’t want to stick to the grading scale, I could seriously give out an A++. Absolutely exceptional performance from the running back room. Mizzou rushed for a total of 427 yards, dominating the Rajin Cajuns defense. Ahmad Hardy had the seventh-best game in Mizzou history in terms of yardage, rushing for 250 yards on 22 carries, to go with three touchdowns. Not only that, but true freshman Marquise Davis was very impressive as well. Davis checked in at around the halfway point of the third quarter, where he would have several 10-yard or more carries. He finished with 113 yards on 20 carries, along with a touchdown.

Jamal Roberts impressed on minimal carries, getting 8 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown on a pass from Beau Pribula. True freshman Brendan Haygood even got some run late, with 4 carries for 12 yards. Very impressed with the group and it’s no doubt a strength of this team.

Wide Receivers: C

Not much to say here, it was fine. In similar fashion to Beau Pribula, they didn’t have to do much. Marquis Johnson had a nice touchdown grab, but nearly fumbled as he tried to cross the ball over the goal line. Drinkwitz said in the press conference: “We should never do that.”

Kevin Coleman had a nice game, showing off his electric after-the-catch ability, hauling in 8 balls for 84 yards. Five Missouri receivers caught a ball today, which was a good stat. The room is deep, no doubt. I wouldn’t be concerned with this performance, as the game simply called for a heavy dose of the run game.

Tight Ends: B

The tight ends had a great blocking game. Apart from that, Brett Norfleet and Jordon Harris combined for 22 receiving yards on 3 catches. They both had a great time blocking. I’m not going to give you a word salad. They did their job. Norfleet dropped a touchdown, but the ball wasn’t great.

Offensive Line: B

The steady growth of the offensive line is something that Missouri fans can be very happy about. The Tigers’ offensive line started the season opener against Central Arkansas on a rough patch. Against Kansas, it gradually improved, and yesterday, it looked even better. The run blocking was much improved, giving the running backs wide open holes and consistently getting to the second level.

The pass blocking was fine, but the unit did allow two sacks, both of which were unblocked/missed assignments. Overall, impressed with how quickly the unit has grown. Something to watch for is the potential batttle between Tristan Wilson and Curtis Peagler for the right guard spot. Peagler started at right guard to start the season, but Wilson did today. Both have played pretty well so far.

Defensive Line: A

Overall, the defensive line looked tremendous. The Tigers held Louisiana to just over 100 yards on the ground, a number that’s inflated due to an 84-yard TD run. Sure, it happened, but that’s not exactly commonplace. The Tigers generated pressure often, getting two sacks (one from Khalil Jacobs and one from Damon Wilson), and the Tigers also had eight tackles for loss, the highest of the season so far.

The Tigers have shown that stopping the run is a priority for them, which Khalil Jacobs remarked on in the press conference.

Linebackers: A

I honestly shouldn’t waste words here. I could copy and paste what I said about the defensive line for this position group as well. They stopped the run. They did well in coverage. I understand that this is the expert analysis that you came to me for.

Corners: A

Louisiana threw for four passing yards. That’s something I have never seen, and I’ve watched college football all of my life. Absolutely insane work from the corners today. I believe there was one defensive pass interference, but that was about it. Missouri played aggressive man-to-man, instead of soft zone, and it paid off. Dreyden Norwood had two really nice PBU’s, Stephen Hall played sticky coverage. Best game for the corners by far.

Safeties: A

The safeties had six tackles combined, and they had to do absolutely nothing today. Great job doing their job. Solid group. Really impressed by Santana Banner so far and Jalen Catalon is as good as advertised. Marvin Burks and Daylan Carnell are awesome.

Special teams: D

Special teams, in my opinion, has been the most underwhelming unit by a long shot. The returners haven’t done much. Kevin Coleman had a nice game and made good decisions, other than deciding to not fair catch a punt return and immediately paid the price for it.

So, why is this grade so low? The kicking unit. I’m going to be straight with you. Robert Meyer leaves little confidence. He missed a 40-yarder today and it was way off. His kicks don’t look great. He went 2/7 from 45 in a fall camp practice. When Mizzou needs to kick in big games, can they trust him? There’s only one way to find out.

Mizzou looked good, and they’ve got a big one against #11 South Carolina.