It’s no secret that the Missouri football offense is struggling under offensive coordinator Josh Heupel.

Since Heupel’s tenure began in 2016, Missouri has run a fast-paced, no-huddle offense. Given junior quarterback Drew Lock’s talent and the speed of Missouri’s running back and wide receiver units, the decision seemed completely rational.

However, that decision hasn’t paid off for Missouri. The Tigers’ offense over the last three games has been simply anemic.

After the offense came out flat in the first half of its Sept. 16 loss to Purdue, Heupel decided to move to the sixth floor coaches’ box at Memorial Stadium to get a clearer perspective of the on-field action.

It didn’t help, as Missouri failed to record a single point the rest of the game.

The most significant issue with the fast-paced offense is the fact that, more often than not, players simply aren’t in position to run an effective play. Players are focused on getting the play off quickly and do not execute as well as they would when given more time.

The fast-paced offense isn’t fooling anyone. Missouri has been outscored 117-30 since its opening win against Missouri State.

In the bigger picture, things are just as bad. Missouri has scored just 17.9 points per game against Power Five opponents in Heupel’s tenure. That kind of scoring output is no recipe for success.

Strangely, the play calling has shown no sign of change. Trailing by as many as 38 points against Auburn, Missouri continued running the hurry-up offense. Its coaches have shown an inflexible dependency to running plays quickly yet inefficiently.

With more time to run a play, Lock could have more time to read opposing defenses. That would lead to more rest between plays, meaning better blocks, more explosive plays and a more cohesive offensive unit.

Given Missouri’s points per game, a change certainly can’t hurt. After his press conference following the team’s loss to Auburn that addressed the state of the program, head coach Barry Odom implied those changes could be coming soon.

“I know what it takes to win,” Odom said. “This is the staff, the team, the unit to get it done.”

Missouri will have extensive time to process its offensive gremlins. After a bye week, the Tigers will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to battle the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 7.

_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_