Here's a round-up of some of the news articles and blog posts about yesterday's Mizzou victory over Miami of Ohio. The Mizzou offense struggled in the passing game, and it looked nothing like the offenses that Gary Pinkel and his coaches have put on the field ever since Brad Smith's break out game against Illinois in 2002. The run game was decent, but the offensive line struggled with penalties throughout the game. The offense also converted only 3 of 13 third downs, which is a big concern. Thankfully, the Mizzou defense played stoutly, especially in the red zone, special teams play was solid, and the Miami kicking game couldn't hit the barn side of a broad.
Mike DeArmond of the KC Star: Franklin Gives Himself Low Marks in Missouri's Victory.
Mike DeArmond: MU Notebook: Hamilton Returns with a Flourish.
Mike DeArmond: MU-Miami, Ohio Game Report.
Vahe Gregorian of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: For Openers, Mizzou is Good Enough. Vahe thought that Franklin's play wasn't as bad as Franklin himself thought.
Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune: Franklin, Tigers Win Sloppy Opener.
Joe Walljasper of the Trib: Times Are A-Changin' for Missouri Football. <new link!>
David Briggs of the Trib: Defense Holds After Allowing Touchdown. <new link!>
Steve Walentik of the Trib: Game Notes. <new link!>
Dave Matter: Emptying the Notebook. <new link!>
Bill C. of Rock M Nation: Missouri's Defense Clamps Down Again in 17-6 Win Over Miami (Ohio).
Bill C.: Mizzou Beats Miami (Ohio): Links and Reflections.
Pete Conrad of the Oxford Press: RedHawks Unable to Execute in the Red Zone. Note that Pete, for some reason, had Minnesota on the mind in the middle of the article.
Pete Conrad: MU Falls in Treadwell's Debut.
Bill Pollock of MissouriNet: Mizzou Gets Past Miami-Ohio (Audio).
Pete Scantlebury of PowerMizzou.com ($$$). A Win is a Win. I agree with Pete: the punting game looked solid, but I thought that the punt rush looked like it got a little closer to the punter compared to past seasons.
Gabe DeArmond of PowerMizzou.com ($$$): Franklin Good Enough, Looking to Improve.
Associated Press: Big 12 Roundup: Missouri Gets by Tought Test.
Miscellaneous links:
Missouri coach David Yost is the 8th best offensive coordinator in the land per Rivals.
Vahe thought that Franklin's play wasn't that bad, citing some of the nuances that the average fan might not have noticed watching the game live. Franklin's no Chase Daniel or Blaine Gabbert, but he didn't force his passes and threw the ball away when there was nothing there. When he did make a mistake, he didn't panic. Those are reasons for optimism
The offense sputtered because of poor play by the quarterback and the offensive line. Hopefully both are things that can be corrected by the coaches. But don't expect the offense to be the machine it has been in the past. Thankfully, due to a solid D that is deep in the trenches and at linebacker, it doesn't have to be.