After a road loss to Georgia on Oct. 14, Missouri found itself with a 1-5 record on the 2017 season.
The team had already fired defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross. The offense was wildly inconsistent.
In a gruesome five-game losing streak, only one of the losses was even close. Many fans began to entertain the idea that the 2017 football season was a lost cause.
It would’ve been hard to imagine that the team would respond with a four-game winning streak and appear as one of the most dangerous teams in the Southeastern Conference.
But here we are. Missouri (5-5, 2-4 SEC) has broken off a historic run, winning each of its last four games to pull within a win of bowl eligibility. In each of those four games, the Tigers have recorded 45 points or more, the longest such stretch in program history.
Missouri has improved in multiple facets of the game. Below is a game-by-game overview of what Missouri has done right to help it turn the corner.
####Oct. 21: Idaho 21, Missouri 68
On MU’s 106th Homecoming, Missouri added its second win of the season to re-energize a stagnant fanbase. Junior quarterback Drew Lock recorded an impressive six-touchdown performance, and the offense flowed all afternoon long.
For the first time all season, Missouri established the upper hand on special teams as sophomore Richaud Floyd returned a punt for an 85-yard touchdown, Missouri’s first special teams score of the season.
After early-season struggles, the play symbolized improvement as a unit, and Missouri’s special teams has looked solid since.
####Oct. 28: Missouri 52, UConn 12
Head coach Barry Odom and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel continued the balanced play-calling shown in the game prior. Lock dominated the UConn pass defense, completing 31 of 37 passes for 377 yards.
Even without starting running back Damarea Crockett, who suffered a shoulder injury, Ish Witter, Larry Rountree and Dawson Downing split the load to carry the Missouri offense, rushing for 193 yards.
The defense emerged as a threat as well, holding UConn to just 12 points, the lowest point total given up by a Missouri defense since its 79-0 shutout of Delaware State in 2016.
The dominant performance against the Huskies’ offense built up Missouri’s defensive confidence, which has carried over into more recent games.
After allowing 42 points per game in the first half of the season, Missouri has allowed just 16.5 points per game since its Homecoming victory.
####Nov. 4: Florida 16, Missouri 45
Missouri continued to play confidently on defense, holding a limping Gators squad to just 93 rushing yards.
The passing game was going as Lock completed 75 percent of his passes en route to a three-touchdown performance. However, Missouri continued to favor the run for the second consecutive week as the Tigers ran for 227 yards as a team.
Most impressive from the win was the fact that the team didn’t let up once it had built a large lead. Missouri led 28-6 at halftime and kept the pressure on Florida with 17 second-half points.
####Nov. 11: Tennessee 17, Missouri 50
Tennessee entered the game with the No. 3-ranked pass defense in the nation. Missouri responded by favoring the run game and exploiting its glaring weakness — Tennessee’s run defense.
Missouri gashed the Volunteers for 433 total rushing yards, including 219 in the first half.
Witter and Rountree’s 100+ yard performances marked the first time that two Missouri running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards since Witter and Crockett in last year’s road loss to the Volunteers.
Senior Ish Witter starred on senior night, exploding for a career-high 216 yards, the most by a Missouri player since Crockett torched the Volunteers in November 2016 with 225 yards.
Playing well on offense, defense and on special teams, Missouri has holistically improved since the beginning of its season.
Now just one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2014 season, all eyes will be on Missouri’s final two regular-season contests. The Tigers face Vanderbilt on Nov. 18 in Nashville, Tennessee, with the game scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_