After Missouri football’s gut-wrenching 49-39 loss to Louisiana (LSU) on Saturday, the locker room was “dead silent” according to defensive end Darius Robinson.

Missouri led the game up until late in the third quarter, and a win would’ve solidified Missouri as a dangerous team to face in the SEC. However, self-inflicted wounds led to Missouri falling short and missing out on what could’ve been a momentum building win to push through the second-half of the season. 

From frustrating fourth-quarter mistakes to head-scratching disconcerting signal penalty calls, here’s three things to take away from Missouri’s first loss of the season.

‘(Still) To Prove’: Closing out games

This season, Missouri’s team motto is “something to prove,” a mentality to prove not only their doubters wrong but to also prove themselves and fans right for believing in them. So far, they’ve succeeded above expectations, but are yet to prove they can consistently close out games by playing a complete four quarters and showing up in the biggest moments. Long-time Tiger fans would tell you this has been an issue for decades. Look no further than last season’s games against Auburn, Kentucky and Florida, where Missouri lost because of special team errors or turnovers in the final minutes. 

Even in the team’s five wins in 2023, they have often failed to create significant leads, allowing opponents to remain in close distance for all four quarters. The third quarter specifically seems to be a trouble area for the Tigers. In six games, Missouri has scored a combined 52 points in first quarters, 62 in the second, a low dip to 20 in the third and 58 in the fourth. Additionally, the Tigers have been shut out in the third quarter three times this season. The Tigers were able to get away with this trend early in the season, but it was likely that it was going to bite them eventually. That’s exactly what happened when they faced the fifth best scoring offense in college football: LSU. 

Missouri scored a touchdown on its first three offensive drives, creating a 22-7 lead early in the second quarter. However, they were outscored 32-14 in the second half. Despite this, Missouri trailed only 42-39 late in the fourth quarter and had two opportunities to regain the lead. On the first of these drives, a false start penalty followed by a fumble from quarterback Brady Cook set Missouri up on an insurmountable 4th & 32 that they failed to convert. Missouri’s defense then rose to the occasion, forcing LSU to punt and give Missouri the ball back with 41 seconds remaining. On the second play of the drive, Cook threw an interception that LSU safety Major Burns returned to the endzone, ending any hopes for a Missouri comeback. 

For Missouri to accomplish its goals this season, it will be crucial for the team to not only become more consistent in the second half, but also deliver in the most important moments.

Defensive disappointments

It’s difficult to fault the Missouri defense for allowing an offense that features two of the most explosive playmakers in college football – quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers – to score 49 points. However, the Missouri defense has performed well below the standard it set in the 2022 season. 

The defense is currently averaging 113 more passing yards (332–219) and 18 more rushing yards (144–126) per game. After this weekend’s loss, Robinson, a team captain, explained why he thought the defense was performing below expectations.

“[I’d] say attention to details,” Robinson said. “I think the effort is there but how detailed are we during practice […] [We have to] watch this tape, see all the details we messed up on.”

This defensive unit has the talent to be one of the best in college football but is yet to put it together. With how productive Missouri’s offense has been, an improved defense would make the team even more of a challenge for opponents to face.

Don’t lose perspective

At this point last season, Missouri had just suffered a last-minute loss to the unranked Florida Gators, falling to 2-4. It took a late season 2-game win-streak for the 2022 team to even be eligible for a bowl game. Arguably the biggest accomplishment for that year’s team was leading No. 1 ranked Georgia up until the final five minutes of the game. A year later, the Tigers have had their best start to a season since 2013, and are averaging 10 more points (33) than they did in 2022 (23). No trophy is awarded for improving as a team, but there’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of the team. 

“We need our fans to continue believing in us,” offensive tackle Javon Foster said after the loss. “Keep having faith in us, we’re going to come back.”

The dream of Missouri going undefeated in 2023 is over, but the team’s goals for the season are still in reach. The Tigers are currently tied for the second best record in the SEC at 5-1, and still have games scheduled against every team in the SEC East division besides Vanderbilt. 

“Our message is stick together,” running back Cody Schrader said. “Everything is still right in front of us […] our goal is still there.”

It’s easy as a fan to be a prisoner of the moment, and to let the result of the most recent game dictate your thoughts on the whole season. But if not for a few costly mistakes in the fourth quarter, Missouri would be one of the just 14 undefeated teams in college football.

“Halfway point in the season, we’re 5-1,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “There’s a lot of season left, and it’s about how we respond to the disappointment that’s ultimately going to decide the fate of our season.”

Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com