The Missouri Tigers faced their first signs of adversity in their week three matchup with the No. 24 Boston College Eagles. 

The Tigers found a spark from their defense, leading to a response from the offense. Missouri rallied back thanks to an elusive rushing attack and a breakout freshman kicker.

Here is what we learned as the Tigers edged out the Eagles with a 27-21 victory.

“Death Row Defense”

This is the nickname the Missouri players have dubbed their dominant defense, and so far, they have lived up to the moniker.

The Tigers fell into a 14-3 hole early in the game, thanks to the Eagles’ dynamic playmakers and downfield attack. The tide turned when the Tigers forced Boston College quarterback, junior  Thomas Castellanos, to turn the ball over.

Missouri Defensive Back Tre’Vez Johnson scored the game’s first turnover, intercepting a deep pass attempt early in the second quarter. This ignited the stagnant Tigers’ offense, leading to their first touchdown of the game with Brady Cook’s pass to Luther Burden III. 

While it was inevitable that the Tigers’ impressive two-week shutout streak would come to an end, they struggled to find any sort of momentum on either side of the ball. This turnover later proved to be crucial in swinging the momentum in the Tigers’ favor.

Missouri limited the Eagles to seven points over the remaining two and a half quarters. This includes an astounding third quarter where they allowed only 14 yards.

Corey Batoon’s defensive unit is officially battle-tested and is likely ready to take on SEC competition in the coming weeks.

Breakout Kicker

In week three of last season, kicker Harrison Mevis cemented himself as a Missouri legend with a staggering 61-yard field goal to defeat the No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats. 

Fast-forward to week three of this season, redshirt freshman Blake Craig has stepped up to the plate and filled the gap left by Mevis who is currently trying to find a roster spot in the NFL. 

Craig battled inconsistency through the first two weeks, going three for three on field goals in their season opener before missing two of his three attempts in week two.

Craig followed this up with a four for four field goal performance against Boston College. The highlight came on a 56-yard rocket straight through the goalpost right before halftime. 

Craig showcased power, accuracy and poise in a game where the Tigers needed him to step up.

“I think he gave our team a lot of confidence going into the half,” Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “He had an excellent game today.”

Elusive Run Game

Missouri running back Nate Noel notched a season high 121 yards in his third outing with the Tigers, averaging 5.5 yards per carry on 22 attempts. 

Despite numerous offensive setbacks due to eight penalties, Noel established himself as one of the team’s premier playmakers. 

“Around the coaches, I became a smarter football player,” Noel said. “They were able to help me with a lot more situations, and I was able to learn the game a little bit more.”

Through the first three weeks of the season, Noel has received the majority of the carries while also splitting reps with Marcus Carroll. The two running backs have combined for 396 rushing yards this season.

As a team, the Tigers are averaging 203.3 yards per game on the ground, outpacing last year’s squad by 30-plus yards. 

What this means

The Tigers lost several key pieces this past offseason. However, they have found success with a new defensive coordinator, starting kicker and running back rotation. This highlights how capable Drinkwitz is in building a successful program. 

The Tigers seem to have found their identity on the back of their first ranked win of the season. This comes just in time for SEC play as No. 7 Missouri takes on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3:15 p.m.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com 

Copyedited by Ethan Palgon and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com