The No. 20 Missouri Tigers control their destiny. If they win out then they will claim an SEC East crown and a spot in the SEC Championship Game.
Tennessee apparently didn’t get the message.
Butch Jones’ squad has given Missouri everything it can handle through two quarters of play. The two teams are tied 13-13 at halftime.
Neither team has been particularly sharp on offense, but Missouri has an edge in yardage with 181 total yards. The Volunteers only mustered 126 yards, and 31 of those came courtesy of a fake field goal.
Tennessee required a little trickeration to reach the end zone against Missouri’s vaunted defense. Backup quarterback and holder Patrick Ashford found tight end Alex Ellis racing down the field for the Volunteers only touchdown of the half (see: below).
Tennessee fake FG for a TD https://t.co/guylF2egC6
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) November 23, 2014
Otherwise, Missouri’s talented defensive front has applied consistent pressure on Volunteers quarterback Josh Dobbs. The SEC’s sack leader, Shane Ray, already registered a pair of sacks in the first half.
“We have to continue to mix it up,” Jones told ESPN at halftime. “They’re a very, very disruptive front. So, we have to stay ahead of the sticks. A lot of the sacks have come on third-and-long situations.”
Running back Marcus Murphy proved to be the catalyst for the Tigers offense. While Russell Hansbrough led Missouri with 46 rushing yards, Murphy found the end zone twice. A missed extra point is the only reason the game remains tied.
As the two teams prepare for the second half, Missouri’s coaching staff needs to get quarterback Maty Mauk into a rhythm. The sophomore signal-caller was only 6-of-15 passing.
Maty Mauk passed for 48 yards on Missouri’s first touchdown drive, but only 30 yards on final 6 drives of the first half. #MIZZvsTENN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 23, 2014
Tennessee, meanwhile, should continue to leave everything on the field and continue to dig deep into the team’s playbook.
Tennessee could end the SEC's worst nightmare keeping Mizzou from running the table and winning the East, and dare I say winning the Title?
— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) November 21, 2014