Mississippi State is on the road for its final SEC away trip against Missouri this Saturday.
To preview the matchup and gather an understanding of MSU’s opponent, The Dispatch exchanged questions with Eli Hoff, a beat writer covering Mizzou for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Dispatch: How has the situation at quarterback changed the offense over the last two games?
Eli Hoff: It’s changed pretty drastically. Mizzou went from Beau Pribula, a run-happy quarterback who’d been taking first-team reps since January when he arrived from Penn State, to Matt Zollers, a true freshman who was supposed to be QB3 until injuries pushed him into the spotlight. Zollers is much more of a pocket passer than Pribula and has more range with his arm, though he’s just 19 years old and will be making his second career start this season. There’s just a degree to which that limitation is going to be present. With Zollers as the starter against Texas A&M, Missouri threw deep (20+ yards downfield) more in that matchup than any other game this season, so that’s theoretically on the table, but the priority for this week is just getting Zollers more completions.
The Dispatch: MSU has developed a bad habit of giving up explosive plays in recent games. Does Mizzou’s offense still have that capability through the air?
Hoff: In theory, yes — and Zollers is probably the quarterback to unlock it. Marquis Johnson is one of the SEC’s faster receivers, but his playing time nosedived last week so it’s not clear how often he’ll be out there. Donovan Olugbode, a true freshman whose name is worth remembering, has been Zollers’ favorite target. He’s one of those receivers who will get the “throw it up and let him make a play” targets, particularly deep and toward the sidelines. That said, the Tigers’ offense has looked the best when it can get chunk plays on the ground. They even managed a couple of those against the Aggies, so that feels like the bigger threat.
The Dispatch: How has the defense handled the extra pressure with the offense having to retool on the fly?
Hoff: As well as it realistically can, and the emphasis is on the last bit there. The offense has been quite poor at sustaining first-half drives, which leads to a lot of exposure and time on the field for the defense. Even a defense as good as this one can only hold up for so long, especially when the offense causes this team to lose the field-position battle. Against Alabama, Vanderbilt and A&M (Mizzou’s three losses), the defense has done everything needed to keep the Tigers in it. The offense has not managed to get over the hump.
The Dispatch: Is there anyone you feel is under the radar who MSU fans need to know about before Saturday?
Hoff: I’ll give you a name on each offense and defense. I mentioned Olugbode above, and he’s without question the most fun prospect on this roster. How many true freshman wideouts will pride themselves on making contested catches above else — and back it up? His role has steadily increased to where he started for the first time against A&M. Missouri fans are all for him getting the targets, but I don’t think the rest of the SEC has quite caught on yet. That should soon change. Defensively, watch for how Mizzou uses Darris Smith — he wears No. 19 and a Guardian Cap. He’s a defensive end, but lately the Tigers have been stacking him on the same side of the line as another edge rusher for a really unique front, mostly on third downs. Smith started his career at Georgia but missed all of last season with a torn ACL and is a very athletic, twitchy edge guy.
The Dispatch: What about MSU has been the focus from coaches and players this week?
Hoff: The defensive front seems to have the most attention. Some of that is a byproduct of Mizzou needing better protection to get Zollers settled and just general struggles with blitz-happy teams, but that feels like the key. Odd fronts and simulated pressures — both of which Eli Drinkwitz mentioned as elements of the MSU defense that the Tigers need to be ready for — have been tripping hazards for this Missouri line in the past, so it remains to be seen how they can hold up.
The Dispatch: What has to happen for Mizzou to lose this game?
Hoff: The offense has to struggle to take flight, which is to say the line can’t give Zollers time to settle in, and the Tigers have to abandon the run. That sort of game script would probably once again over-expose the defense, leading to that group wearing down in the third and fourth quarter and letting the game get away.
The Dispatch: What has to happen for Mizzou to win this game?
Hoff: Zollers has to look better and more comfortable. To what degree, I guess we’ll see. The run game needs to remain consistent. And the defensive front has to cause havoc. The latter two elements have happened more than they haven’t this season — it’s mostly a matter of whether the first bit comes around.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
