Year in Review: Assessing Missouri football’s 2022 season

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KCTV) - A topsy-turvy 2022 Missouri football season concluded last week when the Tigers fell to Wake Forest, 27-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. The second season for head coach Eliah Drinkwitz had its share of ups and downs. Let’s take a look back with some superlatives for the Tigers’ season.

Overview: 6-7 (3-5 SEC), 5th place in SEC East

Best Game: Missouri 23, No. 25 South Carolina 10

Start-to-finish the best game of Missouri’s season came in a dominant defensive performance against No. 25 South Carolina on Oct. 29. The Tigers held the Gamecocks’ offense to just 203 yards of total offense, a mark made all the more impressive by the performances USC quarterback Spencer Rattler put together in wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson later in the season.

Missouri scored on its second drive of the game and never relinquished its lead. Heading into the game with a 3-4 record, the road victory revived Missouri’s chances to make a bowl game in Drinkwitz’s second season in Columbia. In the win over South Carolina, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook began a streak of six consecutive games without an interception. Better ball security from Cook came after he had thrown seven interceptions in Missouri’s first seven games.

Worst Game: Kansas State 40, Missouri 12

The Tigers needed an untimed down at the end of the fourth quarter to score their lone touchdown of the game. While it wasn’t the worst loss by margin of defeat (that would be a 66-24 loss to No. 5 Tennessee), it was the most embarrassing. Missouri was never competitive in the game against its former Big 12 rival, trailing 20-3 at halftime.

Missouri was physically dominated at the line of scrimmage, allowing Kansas State to score four touchdowns -- and run for 5.5 yards per carry -- on the ground in a game where the Wildcats only threw for 101 yards. KSU also added a special teams score, and Missouri threw four interceptions in the game.

Best Moment: Beating Arkansas to achieve bowl-eligibility

Needing a win to achieve bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons, Missouri escaped the Battle Line Rivalry with a two-point victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. It was the sixth win in the last seven seasons for the Tigers against the Razorbacks. Brady Cook was fantastic utilizing his legs, rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown in the win.

Worst Moment: Auburn OT fumble

The closing minutes of the fourth quarter and the ensuing overtime period produced plenty of unbelievable moments for the Tigers. If not for a missed 26-yard field goal from the normally sure-footed Harrison Mevis, Missouri wouldn’t have needed overtime. Once they made it into overtime, a 2nd-and-5 run from Nathaniel Peat looked promising before the Missouri running back dropped the ball on his way into the end zone. Auburn recovered the fumble and won the game, 17-14.

Outstanding Offense: Dominic Lovett WR

Missouri’s best player departed the program before its bowl game and recently announced he would transfer to Georgia for the 2023 season. Lovett was Missouri’s most productive receiver by far, tallying a team-leading 56 receptions and 846 receiving yards. His loss is softened somewhat by the presence of Luther Burden, who returns for his sophomore season after a 45-catch, seven-touchdown season as a true freshman. Lovett was a All-SEC Second Team selection.

Dominant Defense: Isaiah McGuire, DL

McGuire started every game for the Tigers this season and had a team-high 8.5 sacks. The 6-foot-4 defensive lineman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, finished the season with the second-most tackles for loss on the team. He’ll likely hear his name called on either Day 2 or 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

“You guys have seen it. He’s the best player on our defense for two years now,” defensive lineman Darius Robinson told reporters of McGuire, who joined Lovett as an All-SEC Second Team selection for his play on the Tigers defense.

Notable Number: 2

Missouri announced that Drinkwitz would receive a two-year extension on Nov. 5. The contract extension came following the win over South Carolina and a day before a 21-17 loss to Kentucky in Columbia.

Along with an extension for the third-year Missouri head coach, the Tigers also gave an extension to defensive coordinator Blake Baker. His contract now runs through the 2025 season, while Drinkwitz is under contract with MU until 2027. In three seasons at the helm, Drinkwitz is 17-19 leading the Tigers.

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