Florida at 11 Missouri: Another Explosive Offense Awaits for Gators

One Last Regular Season Road Trip for the Gators

The Florida Gators are hitting the road for the final time this season as they travel to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the 11th-ranked, 8-2 Missouri Tigers at 7:30 PM on ESPN. 

The Tigers are coming off an impressive win 36-7 win over the Tennessee Volunteers and the Gators are looking to regroup after their 52-35 loss to LSU where the defense allowed a program-record 701 total yards of offense. 

Much like LSU, Missouri has one of the best offenses in the SEC, so Florida’s defense will be challenged once again.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier discussed the Missouri Tigers and head coach Eli Drinkwitz in his press conference on Monday.

“Mizzou’s got a good football team. They play complimentary football. Eli’s done a nice job there. In year four, they’ve gotten incrementally better,” Napier said.

Slowing Down Missouri RB Cody Schrader 

Missouri defeated Tennessee by relying on their RB Cody Schrader on offense, who rushed the ball 35 times for 205 yards and a touchdown. Schrader also did damage in the passing game, catching five passes for 115 yards. 

The performance made Schrader the first player in SEC history to have 200+ rushing yards and 100+ receiving yards in a single game. 

Schrader leads the SEC in rushing with 1,124 yards. The second closest player has 929 rushing yards, Kentucky’s Ray Davis, who Florida is very familiar with (Davis ran for 280 yards against the Gators earlier this season).

Napier discussed Schrader in his press conference on Monday.

“He’s got good instincts and vision. I think he can get small and plays with pad level and power. Ultimately, I think he’s a guy that’s been productive as a running back for a long time.”

Napier added, “He’s part of the challenge when you play Mizzou. For the most part he carries the load.”

It’s safe to say the Gators will be keying in on Schrader on defense. 

Running the Football Efficiently Against a Tough Missouri Front 

The Gators were able to somewhat get the running game going again against LSU, with RB Trevor Etienne rushing for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Against Mizzou, the Gators will have to get the running game going again, but it won’t be easy.   

Missouri ranks 20th in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing just 111.2 yards per game and 3.62 yards per carry. Missouri’s captain on defense and leading tackler is former Florida Gators LB Ty’Ron Hopper, who transferred to Missouri ahead of last season. Hopper has 55 total tackles (36 solo), three sacks and three pass deflections.

Another play to watch along the Missouri front is defensive lineman Darius Robinson. Robinson has seven sacks on the season, which is 4th-most in the SEC.

If Florida’s offensive line can’t create rushing lanes against the Tigers front, it’s going to be a long night for the offense.

Containing Missouri’s Dynamic Wide Receivers 

LSU wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. had big games against the Gators last Saturday night and Missouri has a good quarterback and dynamic receivers in their own right that the Gators will need to prevent from making explosive plays. 

Missouri QB Brady Cook is 4th in the SEC in passing with 2746 yards and has thrown 17 touchdowns to six interceptions. That said, Cook can also utilize his legs, which the Gators defense has struggled against throughout this season, particularly last week when LSU QB Jayden Daniels rushed for 234 yards. Cook doesn’t have the rushing abilities that Daniels possesses (frankly nobody in the NCAA does), but Napier said that is something the Gators defense needs to be prepared for.

“This guy, for sure, has the ability on third down to escape and extend, y’know, make some plays with his feet. There’s no doubt about it.”

Missouri’s top wide receiver is Luther Burden III, who leads the Tigers in receptions, yards and touchdowns with 68 catches, 984 yards and eight touchdowns. Burden III’s 984 receiving yards is the third most in the SEC amongst wide receivers. 

The Tigers also have two other receivers having good seasons in Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper. Wease Jr. has 43 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns. Cooper has 31 catches for 400 yards. 

“The receiver group has, y’know, they’re all a little bit different, right, and I think they do a good job of utilizing that group,” Napier said when discussing Missouri’s offense on Monday.

Burden Jr. is the primary receiver the Gators will need to focus on, but Wease Jr. and Cooper can make big plays happen as well. 

Final Thoughts

Missouri has an explosive offense and a QB in Brady Cook that can run when he needs to, which has been the kryptonite of Florida’s defense this season. Just like last week, Florida’s offense is going to have to score points. This game is likely going to come down to whether or not Florida’s defense can come up with one or two stops down the stretch of the game.