Scouting the opponent: An insider's look at Missouri

Head Coach: Eli Drinkwitz (2nd year)

2020 Record: 5-5 overall, 5-5 in SEC

Returning Starters: Offense (7) Defense (6)

Vs Georgia: Nov. 6 in Athens

Players to Watch: QB Connor Bazelak, RB Tyler Baddie, WR Keke Chism, LT Zeke Powell, DE Isaiah McGuire, DE Trajan Jeffcoat, MLB Devin Nicholson, CB Ennis Rakestraw, SS Martez Manuel.

As far as Missouri’s offense is concerned, much will depend on how much quarterback Connor Bazelak can build off his first freshman year.

Bazelak had his moments, completing 218 of 324 passes for 2,366 yards and seven touchdowns. Yet it should be noted that four of those scores came in his first start against LSU.

Nevertheless, the Tigers like what they have in Bazelak, who will have to carry even more of the load now that three-year starter Larry Rountree III has moved on to the NFL.

Replacement Tyler Baddie is a capable back, although it’s unclear if Mizzou will be able to depend on him as they did Rountree.

At wide receiver there’s potential. Senior Jalen Knox has three 100-yard games under his belt, while senior Keke Chism proved a dependable target with 35 catches for 458 yards.

Ohio State transfer Mookie Cooper could also make an impact.

The offensive line appears solid as four starters return, including center Michael Maietta and guard Case Cook, who have all-conference potential.

Defensively, former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks is the team’s new defensive coordinator.

He has a big challenge on his hands.

Missouri’s defense imploded the final three games of 2020.

The biggest question, however, is finding a replacement for dynamic linebacker Nick Bolton, who left a year early for the NFL Draft.

Former Rice standout Blaze Alldredge could be the answer. Drinkwich pulled Alldredge from the transfer portal, and the Tigers hope the 21.5 tackles for loss he recorded back in 2019 are a harbinger of what’s to come.

Missouri also has plenty of experience back in the secondary. Although the group had its issues at times last fall, at least they have competed under fire.

What was your Year 1 impression of the job done by Coach Drinkwitz?

Forde: "Overall, I thought Drinkwitz and his staff exceeded expectations in year one. They got dealt a tough hand taking over for a fired coach and having to replace a starting quarterback all while navigating a pandemic that resulted in the cancelation of spring practices and most of summer workouts, then you throw in the all-SEC schedule and drawing Alabama and LSU out of the west. I predicted Missouri to be 2-8, maybe 3-7 last season. It wasn't a perfect year by any means — the Tigers got blown out by Tennessee and Mississippi State, two bad teams, and their five losses came by an average of 24 points — but I was impressed by the 5-5 record. I think that result, combined with Drinkwitz's energetic personality and his recruiting success so far, has the Missouri fanbase more excited about the direction of the program than it's been since at least 2015. "

What are the main improvements that Connor Bazelak needs to make this fall?

Forde: "Bazelak was solid last season considering he had only played about three quarters of college football coming into the year, was adjusting to a new head coach and offense and was coming off a torn ACL at the end of the 2019 season. He showed uncanny poise for his age and decent accuracy. But by far the biggest knock on him was his deep ball accuracy. According to Pro Football Focus, he only completed 14 of 40 attempts that traveled more than 20 yards in the air. It got to the point at the end of the season where opposing defenses were able to sit on the short timing routes and dare Bazelak to beat them over the top, and he couldn't do it. Now, certainly some of that is on the receiving corps, and Missouri has added a bit of speed there this offseason, and I also don't think it's unreasonable to expect Bazelak to make significant strides in that area now that he's getting his first full offseason with a college program, but I definitely think that will be the biggest key to Missouri's offensive success this season."

How much will the Tigers miss Larry Rountree, and what kind of replacement can Tyler Baddie be?

Forde: "Any time you lose a guy who carried the ball more than 20 times per game and who is the leading rusher among running backs in school history, he's going to be difficult to replace. I think Badie can do quite a bit more than he's shown so far. Badie has pretty much always been a change-of-pace guy, but he can run between the tackles in addition to making plays in space and catching the ball out of the backfield, which have been his strengths so far. I think he'll be a huge part of Drinkwitz's offense if — and this is a big if because he's a small guy — he can stay healthy with an increased workload. The one area Missouri will really miss Rountree is in short-yardage situations. He scored 14 touchdowns last season for a reason. I'll be interested to see who takes over as the short-yardage back and if he can be similarly effective."

What's the biggest challenge for new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks?

Forde: "By far the biggest name to depart Missouri's defense is linebacker Nick Bolton, who was a second-round pick in the NFL Draft, but I actually think the biggest challenge for Wilks will be patching together an effective secondary. Missouri lost a ton of experience on the back end of its defense. Safeties Tyree Gillespie and Joshuah Bledsoe both started for two-plus seasons and went pro, and cornerback Jarvis Ware, who has started most of the past two years when he's been healthy, entered the transfer portal. Meanwhile, the guy who looked likely to replace Ware, junior college transfer Jadarrius Perkins, participated in spring practices with Missouri then bolted for Florida. The staff is trying to bring in a transfer at cornerback, but if they don't land one, every single corner on the roster will have one or zero seasons of college experience. Throw in the fact that Mizzou is changing defensive systems and has a new cornerbacks coach, and the secondary is a major area of concern right now. The good news for Tiger fans is Wilks made his name as a secondary guru in the NFL, so we'll see what he can do."

How do you size up the Tigers for the upcoming season?

Forde: "There's some reason for optimism, for sure. As I mentioned above, Bazelak is back and should have a new weapon in the form of Ohio State transfer receiver Mookie Cooper. The offensive line and defensive line are mostly the same as last season. And the schedule is pretty manageable. Obviously, a trip to Athens is a likely loss, and Mizzou has to play Texas A&M from the SEC West, but you have Southeast Missouri, Eastern Michigan, North Texas and Boston College in the non-conference and Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina as very winnable games on the SEC slate. All that said, I am not quite buying into the optimism I've seen from some of the fans that this could be like a 9-3 team. While Missouri brought a lot back from last season, there's a lot of other teams who return as much or more, and I think the defense is going to have some struggles with no Bolton and a revamped secondary. I think 7-5 would be a solid season, and that's what I'm predicting."

• Will the defense produce more turnovers? It's a glaring need. Last year, Missouri recovered just five fumbles and intercepted four passes in 10 games. That’s a number that must improve.

• If Alldredge cannot replace the production of Bolton, what do the Tigers do? That’s a good question. Middle linebacker Devin Nicholson has experience, but otherwise, the Tigers’ returning linebackers did not exactly stand out.

• Can Tigers take advantage of their schedule? Missouri’s schedule actually sets up fairly well. After opening SEC play at Kentucky, a non-conference trip to Boston College might be the team’s toughest game until the Tigers entertain Texas A&M on Oct. 16. Missouri has to play at Georgia before hosting Florida, but overall, the schedule sets up in manner to help the Tigers find their way to a decent bowl.