老澳门六合彩开奖结果

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� For a couple of weeks earlier in this college football season, Vanderbilt looked like a program that might be on the doorstep. Now, it鈥檚 unclear whether the Commodores can do more than be the doormat of the Southeastern Conference.

No. 7 Missouri (3-0) hosts Vanderbilt (2-1) at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in both schools鈥� first SEC game of the 2024 season.

The 鈥橠ores have already had a roller coaster of an opening three weeks to the campaign. They surprised Virginia Tech in Week 1, missing a potential game-winning field goal as time expired but scoring a touchdown and getting a stop in overtime for a victory.

Vanderbilt dominated Alcorn State and East St. Louis product and former Mizzou quarterback Tyler Macon in Week 2, then played an odd nonconference game on the road against Georgia State last weekend. The Panthers led for nearly all of that contest, but the Commodores took a lead with 1:14 left in the game 鈥� only to blow the lead to a 59-second Georgia State touchdown drive for a loss.

That took Vanderbilt from receiving votes in the AP Poll to off voters鈥� ballots entirely.

Now, as was the case last year, the Tigers and Clark Lea鈥檚 Commodores face each other early in SEC action.

鈥淰andy, I think, has always been a very difficult out for us,鈥� MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said. 鈥淓xcept for during the COVID year.鈥�

Drinkwitz is undefeated against Vanderbilt in four tries. Mizzou won 41-0 in 2020, but the past three games against the Commodores have been tougher. The last time Vandy played in Columbia was a narrow 17-14 escape for MU in 2022. Last season, the Tigers controlled the game on the road, but Vanderbilt remained threatening late in a 38-21 win.

Missouri is once again heavily favored at home, but Drinkwitz, of course, found reasons to praise the visitors.

鈥淚 think this is Clark鈥檚 best team since he鈥檚 been there,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 done a really nice job of utilizing the transfer portal and still developing his players.鈥�

Development headlines Vanderbilt鈥檚 defense, which Lea is calling himself this season. Safety CJ Taylor, widely considered to be the 鈥橠ores best defensive player, is back this season, though he鈥檒l miss the first half of Saturday鈥檚 game due to a targeting foul against Georgia State.

The most eye-popping player for Vandy is on offense. Quarterback Diego Pavia opened eyes with his legs during the season opener against Virginia Tech and continues a line of mobile quarterbacks that the Tigers must reckon with.

Through three games, Pavia has completed 40 of 62 passes for 543 yards and four touchdowns. He鈥檚 also Vanderbilt鈥檚 leading rushing in both attempts and yards, tucking the ball 54 times for 195 yards and two scores on the ground.

鈥淭hey utilize their quarterback, Diego, in a lot of different ways, and he gives them a chance on every play to be explosive,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

Though Pavia is in his first season with the Commodores, Mizzou has seen him before: He played at New Mexico State for two seasons before transferring into the SEC.

MU hosted NMSU in 2022, a 45-14 result for the Tigers. In that game, Pavia went just 6 for 17 through the air for 76 yards and an interception while running the ball nine times for 50 yards.

It wasn鈥檛 until last season that the former high school wrestler really seemed to find his legs. In 2023, Pavia threw for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns but also ran for 923 yards and seven scores while winning Conference USA鈥檚 offensive player of the year award.

He guided New Mexico State to an eight-game winning streak that included a road win over Auburn 鈥� a result that opened the conference鈥檚 eyes to what he can do.

Pavia marks the third week in a row in which Mizzou鈥檚 defense will be tasked with containing a quarterback who looks for opportunities to run. It鈥檒l be a familiar test, especially after facing Boston College鈥檚 Thomas Castellanos last time out. Both are legitimate dual-threat options, though the Tigers are unlikely to trot out the exact same game plan against Pavia.

鈥淒iego鈥檚 a different style of runner than Castellanos,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 more physical downhill, kind of has the old okey-doke on his option stuff, will lower his shoulder and take on defenders 鈥� so it鈥檚 different. But then there鈥檚 some schematic things that are similar. One of the first couple plays of the (Boston College) game, they ran a triple-option scheme that shows up this week in the exact same formation. There鈥檚 some of that stuff that will carry.鈥�

Pavia鈥檚 preferred target is tight end Eli Stowers, who followed him to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State. Stowers has 12 catches for 163 yards this season 鈥� both team highs 鈥� to go with a receiving score and a passing touchdown.

He鈥檚 a unique college football player. Initially a four-star quarterback recruit at Texas A&M, Stowers switched positions and levels of football before climbing back up into the SEC.

鈥淭raditionally, when the ball is going to get thrown, he鈥檚 looking for (Stowers),鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淪o we have to understand that if we have him in man or he鈥檚 in our zone, we need to cover him because the quarterback鈥檚 looking for him.鈥�

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Bring your Tigers football, basketball and recruiting questions, and talk to Eli Hoff in a live chat at 11 a.m. Thursday.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� One Mississippi, two Mississippi, throw.

That鈥檚 been the rhythm for Missouri quarterback Brady Cook so far this season. Through three games, the third-year starter is getting the ball out of his hands quicker than in the past, a tendency that鈥檚 part schematic trend, part knowledge of the Tigers offense.

Measuring a quarterback鈥檚 average time to throw the ball boils down to tenths of seconds 鈥� the variation between the Southeastern Conference QBs with the quickest releases and slowest releases is less than a second. But Cook鈥檚 faster processing is an early season trend worth watching and something the Tigers have noticed too.

On dropbacks that result in a pass attempt, Cook takes 2.18 seconds on average to release the ball, according to Pro Football Focus 鈥� hence the timing at the beginning of this story. That鈥檚 the fastest release of any SEC quarterback with at least 50 dropbacks this season.

Hank Brown, Auburn鈥檚 new starter for the moment, had quicker throws during his debut, but he only has 30 dropbacks on the season. Cook is narrowly ahead of Texas鈥� Quinn Ewers, who had an average time to throw of 2.23 before his injury in the Longhorns鈥� Week 3 game.

Cook was near the top of the SEC in throw timing last year, too, trailing only Georgia鈥檚 Carson Beck, Ewers (included for the sake of continuity despite playing in the Big 12 last season) and Auburn鈥檚 Payton Thorne. But in 2023, Cook鈥檚 average time to throw was 2.4 seconds.

So what led to him shaving off 0.22 seconds between last season and this season?

鈥淪ome of it is by design, some of it is by play concept,鈥� MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said, 鈥渟ome of it鈥檚 (that) we鈥檝e emphasized more quick game this year than we probably did last year. Some of it is just a better understanding and reading of defenses, so he鈥檚 processing the play faster, he knows where his answers are faster.鈥�

The numbers support that theory, particularly around play concepts. On throws that come within 2.5 seconds of the snap 鈥� an arbitrary but distinct cutoff used in both pro and college football to signal when a quarterback is taking his time in the pocket 鈥� Cook is throwing to targets 5.2 yards downfield on average.

That has shortened from 6 yards away last season on the same types of throws, and Cook鈥檚 completion percentage has also improved in those situations. It鈥檚 not a massive shift, but there is a marginal improvement in Cook鈥檚 consistency with quicker, shorter throws.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just really knowing where I鈥檓 going pre-snap, understanding the concepts better, really just not holding the ball as long,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 able to identify what the defense is doing and I know the concept like the ball of my hand and I know where the ball needs to go, ideally it comes out very, very quick.鈥�

When the Mizzou quarterback does take his time in the pocket, he tends to look farther downfield. Cook鈥檚 throws coming out 2.5 seconds or longer after the snap have an average target depth of 12.5 yards this season, slightly shorter than last year鈥檚 14.7-yard mark on the same throws.

While deep passing accuracy has been the chief complaint with his play so far in 2024, he鈥檚 actually completing more long passes 鈥� if you define 鈥渓ong鈥� in a chronological sense, not in proximity to the line of scrimmage: Cook鈥檚 completion percentage on throws coming 2.5 seconds or later is up to 55.9% from 53.5%.

There鈥檚 another interesting metric to use a stopwatch on when it comes to Cook in the pocket: the average time it takes to sack him. So far, his sacks have occurred 2.6 seconds after the snap, which is the fastest mark in the SEC.

This seems like it could be an anomaly, though. Last season, Cook鈥檚 average sack time was 3.4 seconds, and no SEC quarterback had one under 3 seconds. Given that there haven鈥檛 been a ton of sacks to measure so far in 2024, those numbers might not have had time to acquire enough of a sample size to be significant.

The same thing may be true of Cook鈥檚 release times as well. When the Post-Dispatch asked him about the numbers on Tuesday, the Missouri quarterback suggested the parts of his quicker throws that come from scheme emphases are more volatile.

鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 early 鈥� we鈥檝e only played three games,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hings change and concepts change and prepping for defenses change, so the numbers could change. But at the end of the day, we have gotten the ball out pretty quick.鈥�

Even if it does, the average times to throw, be sacked and accuracy metrics based on different amounts of time spent in the pocket are an interesting insight into an abstract part of playing quarterback: timing.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e not really thinking about it, but you can just kind of feel it,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淲henever you get the ball in your hands from the snap, it鈥檚 kind of like an internal time clock. Whenever it hits that moment, you鈥檙e like, 鈥極K, I鈥檝e been here a little long, I need to see what鈥檚 going on or get out of here.鈥欌��

Former AD鈥檚 buyout lowered

Former Missouri athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois will pay a lower buyout to the school than her contract initially required, according to a settlement signed by the former administrator and university leadership.

Because she left Mizzou before the end of her contract, Reed-Francois, now the athletics director at Arizona, will have to pay at most $2 million to her previous employer, according to the agreement. KMIZ-TV first published the signed settlement, which it obtained through an open records request.

That amount is less than the $3 million that was expected to be her buyout when she left MU for Arizona in February, which means UM System leadership evidently gave in to some degree to Reed-Francois鈥� requests.

Whether she ever asked to lower the amount she owed was not made public, but Arizona鈥檚 leadership publicly stated that it would only assist her with $1.5 million of any buyout and expected her to remove or reduce anything owed to Missouri.

Under the terms of the settlement, Arizona could cover $1.5 million of the $2 million Reed-Francois now owes and has done so, according to KMIZ鈥檚 report. A third party is not allowed to cover the remaining $500,000 on her behalf.

It may not wind up being $500,000, though. If she pays MU $250,000 by March 31, 2028, the university will call things even. That means her buyout could functionally wind up being $1.75 million in total.

Reed-Francois had signed a contract extension with Mizzou in March 2023, a deal that ran through the end of the 2027-28 academic year. That agreement called for a buyout, based on when she left for Arizona, in the $3 million range.

Should she not pay the amount owed under the settlement, MU would legally be ably to file a breach of contract complaint for $3 million.

Reed-Francois signed the settlement in late June, while UM System Board of Curators Chair Robin Wenneker did so in early July.

Both Reed-Francois and the university agreed to waive any other complaints or legal issues as part of the settlement.

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Tipsheet: While Mizzou basks in limelight, Florida, Florida State face dark days

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A week after the Tigers rallied to survive No. 24 Boston College in their first real test of the season, the road gets a bit easier for Mizzou.

The No. 7 Tigers (3-0) host Vanderbilt, a team with three total Southeastern Conference wins in the last five years, on Saturday in the first conference game for both teams. Mizzou is a big favorite.

The Commodores (2-1) lost at Georgia State on Saturday. Allowing 21 points per game, Vanderbilt ranks toward the bottom among SEC teams.

Saturday鈥檚 game is the 17th meeting all-time between the two schools. Mizzou leads the series 11-4-1. Vanderbilt鈥檚 last win came in Nashville in 2019.

Here's how to watch Mizzou vs.聽Vanderbilt football:

Mizzou Tigers vs.聽Vanderbilt Commodores TV, live stream and radio

Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT Saturday, Sept. 21

Location: Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri

TV channel: SEC Network

Live stream:

Radio: KTRS (550 AM and 106.1 FM) in St. Louis, across Missouri and online through the

Storylines

Meet Jack Foster, the Mizzou fan who saved TV anchor Peter Burns' life at a Columbia restaurant

Nate Noel who has earned early season hot-hand status in Mizzou's committee approach at running back

The list of jobs that could look better to Eli Drinkwitz has shortened considerably, columnist Ben Frederickson writes

Mizzou football snapshots: PFF grades, snap counts from Tigers' win over Boston College

Explaining the 'joker,' Mizzou鈥檚 boundary defensive end position.

Are offensive penalties an early season problem for Mizzou?

Theo Wease Jr. adds to Mizzou's depth at receiver, columnist Benjamin Hochman writes.

Why Mizzou uses unusual defensive formation in 3rd-and-long situations

Luther Burden is Mizzou鈥檚 first national superstar in the name, image and likeness age of college sports

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz doesn't need a "celebrity quarterback." What do the Tigers need from Brady Cook this season?

For safety Marvin Burks Jr., becoming a starter means becoming more vocal 鈥� and that requires him to become a little louder

An examination of whether Mizzou could make College Football Playoff with 2 losses in 2024

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Jack Foster heard the sound of bar stools scraping across the floor.

The commotion came from behind him. At first, he thought it might have been a fight breaking out.

鈥淥h my God,鈥� his wife, Heather, said. 鈥淛ack, that guy鈥檚 choking.鈥�

On the other side of Bud鈥檚 Classic BBQ in downtown Columbia, Peter Burns was, in fact, choking. The SEC Network anchor and ESPN radio personality was eating with conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and the broadcast crew for Saturday鈥檚 football game when a piece of steak became lodged in his throat.

鈥淚 knew something was wrong,鈥� Burns said.

He signaled to the other people at the table that he couldn鈥檛 breathe. Matt Stinchcomb, a former Georgia offensive lineman, tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver. So did the restaurant owner and a nurse who happened to be nearby. But Burns鈥� airway wouldn鈥檛 clear.

鈥淭wo, two and a half minutes in, I started losing everything 鈥� vision and consciousness and started blacking out,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淪omebody else, I didn鈥檛 know who it was, somebody else started trying. I felt after around two or three tries, it started loosening up. It woke me up a little bit.鈥�

That somebody else was Foster, a Mizzou fan and stranger whose Heimlich training saved Burns鈥� life last week.

Foster is a self-proclaimed Jersey boy who moved from the East Coast to Missouri in 1996. Marrying Heather meant marrying into a family of Tiger fans 鈥� the 鈥渂est decision I made,鈥� Foster told the Post-Dispatch.

The couple lives in Lee鈥檚 Summit, Missouri, and has two sons, one who plays college soccer in Iowa and one who is a first-year student at MU. They were visiting the latter for family weekend and ventured downtown for a Friday night dinner.

The Foster family had a reservation elsewhere, but a sudden craving for brisket changed plans.

鈥淎s luck and chance would have it, we made the decision last minute to call an audible and go to Bud鈥檚,鈥� Foster said.

It was, if nothing else, a life-saving coincidence. Foster was the fourth person to attempt the Heimlich on Burns 鈥� the cleanup hitter, as Burns joked.

Foster credits his wife as the reason he was able to perform the Heimlich successfully. As a preschool teacher, she always knew how, so he found it important to learn. He鈥檚 a licensed youth soccer coach, which requires safety courses to be taken every few years. When recertification came around a year ago, he paid attention to the class.

Once Burns was safe, he went over to Foster鈥檚 table to hug him and thank him.

鈥淗e really downplayed it,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥楬ey, it鈥檚 Missouri, it鈥檚 family. We would鈥檝e done anything for anybody.鈥欌��

The Mizzou football training staff checked out Burns later Friday night to make sure ribs cracked in the process hadn鈥檛 punctured a lung. Coach Eli Drinkwitz learned what happened, too.

鈥淎ppreciate Jack stepping up and being a hero when he was needed to be a hero,鈥� Drinkwitz said at his Tuesday news conference.

Foster is quick to deflect the use of that word.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a hero,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was just one of the guys that did their job.鈥�

But to Burns, Foster most certainly is one. The anchor told the story of Foster鈥檚 lifesaving efforts on the air, tearing up as he recounted what happened at Bud鈥檚. Burns spent his Tuesday morning at the doctor before visiting his kids鈥� school to have lunch with them 鈥� the sort of thing he felt compelled to do with a changed outlook on life.

鈥淚 just got a chance to have lunch with my kids because of some stranger鈥檚 incredible preparedness and wanting to help out,鈥� Burns said. 鈥淚t changed my life forever.鈥�

The way Foster sees the world, though, is not about wanting to help out one time. It鈥檚 about seeking opportunities to do that on a regular basis.

鈥淚 try to set a standard for my behavior and show that it鈥檚 OK to get involved versus just watch,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淚 always say that if I wasn鈥檛 there, who would do that for my family, for my boys?鈥�

The rest of the weekend was normal for Foster and his family. They ventured to Memorial Stadium to watch the Tigers beat Boston College. On Monday, Foster鈥檚 wife showed him the video of Burns鈥� story.

He was reminded of the impact that taking a required safety course seriously could have but was also struck by the emotion of ensuring, through a motion he鈥檇 learned in a class, that another man was able to avoid a catastrophe and be with his family.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 really what I want this story to tell,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淚 made a new friend. We鈥檙e going to be linked. I鈥檓 actually so much more proud of the other people there and the people of Missouri because we鈥檙e good people. Man, it was awesome to see three, four people all rally around him. You hear him say he gets to home to his kids and his family and that just warms your heart.鈥�

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BenFred: Florida should have Mizzou鈥檚 Eli Drinkwitz on wish list. Doesn鈥檛 mean Gators get him.

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Every Tuesday, I鈥檝e been offering up some fresh thoughts on Missouri鈥檚 upcoming SEC opponents.

Florida isn鈥檛 on that list 鈥� which is kind of a a bummer for the Tigers because the Gators look like an easy win 鈥� but I can鈥檛 be the only one wondering if what is supposed to be the Sunshine State鈥檚 premier program isn鈥檛 warming up to the idea of tying to take a bite out of Mizzou.

Not in the College Football Playoff. Florida, unlike Mizzou, has no shot of making it there. I鈥檓 talking about a potential coach poach.

If you hadn鈥檛 heard, third-year Gators coach Billy Napier is drowning in The Swamp. How bad is it? Well, he鈥檚 in even worse shape than Florida State鈥檚 Mike Norvell.

At least the Seminoles were good last season before this year鈥檚 disastrous start. Meanwhile, Napier鈥檚 Gators are 12-16 since he was hired in 2022, and this season, he鈥檚 1-3 after deflating home losses to in-state rival Miami and first-year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko. That makes Napier, who jumped up from Louisiana, 2-10 against ranked foes at Florida, with seven consecutive L鈥檚 to power conference teams. Ouch.

Per multiple reports from those close to Florida鈥檚 program, Florida has big-money donors ready to cover the roughly $26 million buyout needed to kick Napier to the curb. The situation has taken on a when-not-if feel, and when things get to that point, we know what comes next. Prepare for massive speculation about who Florida could target to replace Napier, even while Napier tries to come up with some sort of Hail Mary.

Florida didn鈥檛 seem to realize what it had in Dan Mullen, who is now on TV talking for a living. Considering he recently posted a trolling tweet reminding UF fans of that, it鈥檚 hard to imagine a reunion.

Urban Meyer is everywhere again. TV. Podcasts. Does he want back in? I imagine the roar of Florida fans would deafen any complaints about how his previous run as Gators coach had as much off-field chaos as on-field success.

If Florida can get Lane Kiffin, the Gators should do that yesterday. He鈥檚 cranking out high-octane offense at Ole Miss, and he鈥檚 got a big-name brand that attracts talented transfers, plus previous Florida experience at Florida Atlantic.

After that, it鈥檚 hard to imagine the Gators getting very far down a shopping list before fifth-year Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz looks pretty, pretty good. And not just because it was his overtime win over Mullen in 2021 that convinced Florida to fire the guy whose Florida record read 34-15.

Drinkwitz is 14-2 since the start of last season, which included 11 wins and a takedown of Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. He鈥檚 led Mizzou to a top 10 ranking this season, has made quality hires for assistant roles, continually gets more out of the transfer portal than he loses to it, and has expanded his recruiting reach from mostly closing the state鈥檚 boarders to poaching some serious talent out from beneath the noses of more established Big Ten and SEC powers. Oh, and he spearheaded Mizzou during its creation of one of the most lucrative and aggressive name, image and likeness programs going.

There鈥檚 a lot to like, is the point. Interest in Drinkwitz from other programs is a compliment to how he鈥檚 reignited Mizzou football.

Now here鈥檚 the good news for Mizzou:

If Florida decides it wants Drinkwitz, it doesn鈥檛 mean Drinkwitz has to decide he wants Florida.

After making a great hire entering the 2020 season, Mizzou has followed through on its pledge to grow with Drinkwitz, sometimes even taking forward steps at times his team was trying to dislodge itself from a .500 trajectory. Drinkwitz hasn鈥檛 just received multiple, hefty contract improvements taking him up to $9 million annually now with more coming later. He鈥檚 welcomed a new practice facility and multiple rounds of Memorial Stadium improvements.

When he led on trying to make NIL a cutting-edge advantage for his program, the university and state lawmakers followed that lead. When former Mizzou athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois was chilly on the idea of Drinkwitz鈥檚 raise before the breakthrough 2023 season, he got one from his curators anyway, and then another after his breakthrough.

And then he got a new AD. And when new Mizzou athletics director Laird Veatch was introduced, among his first public comments was a pledge to continue to elevate Drinkwitz鈥檚 program.

No, there鈥檚 no truth to the rumor there will be a seventh column added to the quad named Drinkwitz, but who knows, maybe one day. If he stays.

Also worth mentioning: The last guy to leave the Mizzou football program despite determined attempts to keep him was former defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who convinced himself he would do bigger, better things at LSU.

Update: LSU through three games is giving up the 14th-most total yards per game in the SEC, and that includes letting winless Southland opponent Nicholls score 21. If LSU hadn鈥檛 come back to beat South Carolina this weekend, LSU fans would be dreaming up Brian Kelly replacements.

Sometimes the grass really is greenest where you stand.

The last time the Tigers were rolling like this, Michigan called and tried to hire Gary Pinkel. He declined to interview.

Mizzou can be the destination. Pinkel proved it. Maybe Drinkwitz will again.

All you can do in this crazy world of college football is hire the right guy and give him reasons to stay put. Mizzou has done a great job of that with Drinkwitz, and I think the list of places that could look better to him has shortened considerably since the day he was hired.

Take Florida State, for example. It鈥檚 not a better job than Mizzou鈥檚. There鈥檚 a reason the Seminoles are desperate to enter the SEC. And there鈥檚 a reason Napier is being prepped for launch at Florida. It鈥檚 an incredibly impatient place.

Napier is 12-16 three games into his third season. Drinkwitz was 13-16 six games into his own, remember? Maybe not, because he made you forget. Before he could do so, though, he was given the time to do so.

He should remember that when his agent tells him someone鈥檚 interested, and it will happen, whether it鈥檚 with the Florida gig or other ones.

Yes, Drinkwitz patrols the sideline in a visor and once named his flag football team in college after Steve Spurrier. It would be silly to downplay the potential awe of being asked to lead Florida back to glory.

But when Drinkwitz talks about being and building at Mizzou for the long haul, like he has a lot lately, I don鈥檛 roll my eyes. Mizzou has shown it will fight to keep what it wants, and more important than that, it has been proactive about proving it even before outside leverage demands it.

In the end, the only way a school keeps a winning coach when poachers start calling is by having one who sees more reasons to stay than leave. The best reasons, other than the always increasing money, are the ones the place you currently coach gave you before the phone rang.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Missouri seems to have figured out who its hot hand will be.

The No. 7 Tigers have, as expected, opened the 2024 season with a committee approach at running back. The plan, dating back to spring ball, was to use transfers Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll as the two leads, giving more touches to whichever tailback was having the better day.

As the preseason wound down, Noel emerged as the likely 鈥�1A鈥� running back. Still, the two split carries fairly evenly through the two blowout victories that opened the campaign.

Saturday鈥檚 win over Boston College showed that it鈥檚 Noel who has earned early season hot-hand status.

He took 22 carries for 121 yards against the Eagles, including four runs of 13 or more yards. Through three games, Noel has 45 rushes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion he scored against BC.

鈥淗e got really hot on the outside zone, and he鈥檚 just got so much experience carrying that play, we felt like it was going to be an outside zone game,鈥� coach Eli Drinkwitz said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where we were going with him.鈥�

That Noel settled into running that particular play is notable and positions him to be the main option in the backfield going forward. Zone runs 鈥� where running backs make a read on where the crease is in an offensive line that鈥檚 generally blocking in one direction, as opposed to targeting a pre-determined hole in a gap play 鈥� are a vital part of Mizzou鈥檚 offense.

According to SECStatCat鈥檚 play-call tracking, the Tigers have run outside zone 55 times through three games, making up 23.5% of all plays. It鈥檚 their most commonly used scheme, with the next-highest 鈥� inside zone reads 鈥� coming up 24 times. Combined, zone variations account for more than one-third of MU鈥檚 offensive plays.

Outside zone in particular has been working just as much as it has been called. Missouri has picked up 302 yards through that scheme, which is about 21% of its total yard share.

That scheme worked especially well against Boston College, yielding 113 yards on 21 attempts 鈥� or 5.4 yards per play.

鈥淲e got our outside zone working,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

Noel credited the Tigers offensive line for making his reads easy.

鈥淚 was smiling going through the holes,鈥� he said, 鈥渓ike, 鈥極h my, I got all this space.鈥� I was thinking of my next moves, really. It was nice.鈥�

Part of Noel鈥檚 appeal out of the transfer portal was his comfort in zone schemes dating back to his time at Appalachian State 鈥� and even before it. While still in high school, the running back watched Drinkwitz鈥檚 offense there before the coach left App State for MU.

鈥淭hat was really the offense I was looking forward to,鈥� Noel said during the preseason.

So far, he鈥檚 been among the nation鈥檚 most prolific zone runners this season. With the caveat that teams have played very different strengths of opponents in their first three games and some, like Noel, have been able to sit out portions of games that became blowouts, the Mizzou tailback is tied for 13th in the nation for most zone runs so far this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Noel has run on 33 zone plays to just nine gap situations. The only Southeastern Conference back with more zone reps is South Carolina鈥檚 Raheim 鈥淩ocket鈥� Sanders.

For his part, Carroll has also showed that he鈥檚 a capable zone runner. When he鈥檚 in the game, though, MU tends to be more balanced with which blocking schemes it dials up: Carroll has run 18 zone plays to 13 gap sets, which is far tighter than Noel鈥檚 ratio.

Carroll, expected to be more of a bruising back, played a 鈥�1B鈥� role against Boston College. He took 12 carries for 57 yards, stacking rushing attempts on key drives.

鈥淢arcus did a really good job getting his shoulders down,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

As a duo, Noel and Carroll are both in the top 13 SEC running backs in terms of rushing attempts 鈥� Missouri is the only program in the 16-team conference with that distinction.

At this point, on-field indications are that Noel will continue to get more work than Carroll does, though the Tigers have left themselves some wiggle room.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be whoever fits the strengths the most,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淗ot hand, scheme decision, whatever.鈥�

And if that gives Noel hot hand status for now, he鈥檒l take it.

鈥淚 appreciate it. I definitely do,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I came here for: I came here to be a hot hand. I came here to just do what I can do to help the team. But also, all the running backs, we all have our roles.鈥�

Ben Frederickson

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Mizzou football snapshots: PFF grades, snap counts from Tigers' win over Boston College

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Now for the good stuff.

After two games of caveats and lots of depth players getting time, postgame analysis of Missouri should not be a little more telling. For an entire four quarters on Saturday, the Tigers聽tried. That means more insight is available on the back end.

Now, it's your breakdown of Pro Football Focus' grades and advanced stats from Mizzou's win over Boston College.

Your usual weekly reminder of how these work: The grades come from PFF 鈥� not this writer. They're at times misaligned with what happened on the field, especially when there's a small sample size, like some players in this game. They're not worth getting worked up about.

PFF grades are based on NFL standards: 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl caliber, 70-84 is starter level, 60-69 means backup, and anything between 0-59 is replaceable. Grades seem particularly dampened this week, which you can take as analysis in itself or reason to adjust what you consider to be a solid performance this week.

Offensive line

• LT Marcus Bryant, 77 snaps, 67.5
• LG Cayden Green, 77 snaps, 62.4
• C Connor Tollison, 77 snaps, 66.5
• RG Cam'Ron Johnson, 77 snaps, 68.7
• RT Armand Membou, 77 snaps, 75.5
• OL Mitchell Walters, 2 snaps, 60

Membou finished the day as Mizzou's second-highest graded offensive player. He was the only lineman not to allow a quarterback pressure. All in all, it was a tougher than expected day for the Tigers' blockers. As a unit, they allowed eight pressures. Three came from Bryant. Perhaps some of that was adjusting to a higher quality opponent 鈥� and Boston College does appear to have some legitimate talent along its defensive line 鈥� but these grades and numbers suggest some improvement might need to take place before the heart of the Southeastern Conference slate.

Quarterback

• Brady Cook, 77 snaps, 76.2

Cook took home the honor of PFF's favorite offensive player, with a relatively pedestrian mark by the site's own standards enough to make him the highest graded player on offense. He finished 21 for 30 for 264 passing yards and a touchdown. Two of those incompletions were graded as drops, and none of his passes were deemed "turnover worthy" by PFF.

The pressure allowed by the Missouri offensive line shifted how Cook was able to operate in the pocket. He averaged 2.18 seconds before throwing the ball, down from 2.3 against Buffalo and last year's mark of 2.57. On average, he targeted receivers 7.2 yards away from the line of scrimmage, which is also shorter than last year's 9.6 average depth of target. It's still early for those trends, but they're worth watching.

One of the biggest indicators of Cook's passing success is whether he's pressured and blitzed. As you'd expect with any quarterback, he performs significantly better in a clean pocket. Against the Eagles, Cook was just 2 for 6 against pressure.聽

In MU's second season with Kirby Moore as offensive coordinator, play action usage continues to hover around 25%.聽

Cook excelled at throwing to "medium" depth routes against BC, going 5 for 6 to targets 10-19 yards downfield. He was 1 for 3 on passes of 20+ yards, hurt by one drop there.

Running backs

• Nate Noel, 42 snaps, 68.8
• Marcus Carroll, 26 snaps, 68.6
• Jamal Roberts, 9 snaps, 54.1

Mizzou seems to have settled into a definite hierarchy when it comes to its two running backs, with Noel getting more work but Carroll still seeing his fair share of touches. Given that the two tailbacks combined for 178 yards in a game in which rushing very much mattered, that seems like a positive.聽

BC proved to be a strong tackling team, holding Noel to just 1.82 yards after contact and Carroll to 1.75.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz said Noel was "hot" in the outside zone scheme, and the numbers back that up: 17 of his 22 carries featured zone blocks.

Laterally, the Tigers' rushing attack remained balanced. Fifteen runs went up the middle on either side of Tollison, the center. Seven went around each edge. The most productive gap, in terms of yards per attempt, was between Tollison and Johnson, the right guard.

Wide receivers/tight ends

• WR Theo Wease Jr., 63 snaps, 70.7
• WR Luther Burden III, 56 snaps, 68.0
• WR Mookie Cooper, 53 snaps, 66.3
• WR Mekhi Miller, 32 snaps, 45.3
• TE Brett Norfleet, 31 snaps, 50.2
• TE Jordon Harris, 28 snaps, 72.0
• WR Joshua Manning, 18 snaps, 61.7
• WR Marquis Johnson, 15 snaps, 58.2
• TE Tyler Stephens, 8 snaps, 59.6
• WR Daniel Blood, 2 snaps, 59.0

Arguably the most interesting takeaways from these positions is the usage.聽

Despite Manning starting the game with an appearance on the first offensive snap, it was the usual three experienced wideouts leading the charge for Missouri. Miller continues to see a decent number of snaps per game but isn't getting many targets 鈥� he didn't get any against Boston College. Manning and Johnson seem to be the change of pace wide receivers, combining for three targets. Blood, despite seeing a fair amount of volume with the second-team offense in the first two games of the season, barely got on the field against BC.

Some of Norfleet's work was limited by the shoulder injury that kept him out of the Tigers' second game. But when he wasn't on the field, or in some two-tight end sets, it was Harris working alongside Norfleet, not Stephens.聽

Over the course of Saturday's game, Burden forced six missed tackles. That was the most of any wide receiver in the nation in Week 3.

Defensive line

• JOKER Johnny Walker Jr., 42 snaps, 63.8
• DT Kristian Williams, 42 snaps, 72.5
• DT Chris McClellan, 36 snaps, 64.5
• DE Zion Young, 33 snaps, 64.0
• DT Sterling Webb, 21 snaps, 61.6
• DE Eddie Kelly Jr., 17 snaps, 54.2
• DT Marquis Gracial, 12 snaps, 63.9
• DE Jahkai Lang, 10 snaps, 62.5
• DE Joe Moore III, 10 snaps, 55.3
• DT Sam Williams, 3 snaps, 64.6
• DT Jalen Marshall, 3 snaps, 57.9

While there continues to be a significant amount of rotation along the defensive line, as expected, Walker and Kristian Williams are cementing roles as the players who are tough to take off the field. Walker and McClellan each managed two quarterback hurries.

Mizzou averaged 4.09 defensive linemen on the field per snap, based on these participation numbers and the overall count of 56 defensive plays. That means the Tigers' use of five-linemen fronts slightly outweighed deployment of three-man fronts. This could be something to keep an eye on against other mobile quarterbacks this season, but again, it's early.

Linebackers

• OLB Triston Newson, 33 snaps, 48.8
• MLB Chuck Hicks, 29 snaps, 82.3
• OLB Khalil Jacobs, 23 snaps, 75.5
• MLB Corey Flagg Jr., 20 snaps, 75.2

There wasn't a ton of blitzing from Corey Batoon's defense in this one, so Mizzou's linebackers spent a lot of time as quarterback spies or in coverage 鈥� only Jacobs got to rush the quarterback multiple times from the linebacker position. MU blitzed on just seven of BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos' dropbacks, including one where Jacobs picked up a sack from the edge.

Hicks, who made four tackles, was Missouri's highest graded player.

Secondary

• CB Toriano Pride Jr., 55 snaps, 53.6
• CB Dreyden Norwood, 52 snaps, 67.7
• S Marvin Burks Jr., 49 snaps, 49.9
• S Joseph Charleston, 40 snaps, 54.4
• STAR Daylan Carnell, 34 snaps, 64.5
• S Tre'Vez Johnson, 20 snaps, 79.4
• STAR Sidney Williams Sr., 19 snaps, 52.1
• CB Nicholas Deloach Jr., 12 snaps, 66.9
• S Trajen Greco, 1 snap, 60.0

Like with other positions, usage is becoming more clear among Mizzou's defensive backs. Pride and Norwood are occupying ironman roles, rarely leaving the field. Deloach, the third corner, is still getting on the field in prowler package situations, though.聽

Carnell's snaps were lowered because he was the player removed for an extra defensive lineman in some situations 鈥� as previously mentioned, a changed-up look to monitor moving forward.聽

After getting burned over the top on a couple of plays, the Tigers' safeties received low pass coverage marks from PFF. Pride and Norwood seem solid in coverage, though. The only catch Norwood allowed was for a loss of yards 鈥� plus he intercepted Castellanos. Pride allowed two receptions on five targets, one of which was a touchdown.聽