The Missouri Tigers open up the 2021 season with plenty of belief and a home contest in Columbia against the Central Michigan Chippewas. Former Florida head coach Jim McElwain would love to upset the Tigers here given how his career with the Gators ended, but Mizzou must avoid a stumble at the first hurdle this fall.
By Steve Wright
Here are the three keys:
1 – Come out strong
There are plenty of SEC teams playing easier opponents than the Chippewas in Week 1. They were outstanding in 2019, took a year to rebuild in 2020, and now come back with a veteran-loaded squad that knows what it is going. The defense returns ten starters and almost everyone that matters is back on offense. Missouri needs to counter this by starting the game strong behind a solid running game and the arm of Connor Bazelak. If Central Michigan is still within a score in the middle of the third quarter then it could get dicey.
2 – Play smart football
A team that senses an upset is often kept in the game by mistakes from the favored team. These can be obvious mistakes – throwing an interception or missing an open field tackle – or more subtle failures like an offensive lineman missing a block on 3rd-and-4 that would have allowed an easy first down to move the chains. Mizzou needs to be turnover-free, keep the penalty count low, and just execute the game plan in a way that isn’t always the easiest in a season opener.
3 – Open up the passing game
Mizzou wants to run the ball, but Central Michigan can hold up on that side of the defensive game. They were 46th in the country in total rush defense, but a stunning second in the country in explosive rushes allowed. On the other hand, they had no ability to stop the pass – and especially big plays – with the better quarterbacks they faced routinely torching their risk-centric defensive system that looks to create havoc over containment. Bazelak needs to open up the pass and have a high yards pass per attempt number here.
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