OTF Premium Missouri's Options on Offense | Wednesday 10:25 a.m.

[CJ Vogel]

Where Does Mizzou Go With the Ball Offensively?

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When you talk about the Missouri offense, often times the conversation begins and ends with the running game, and rightfully so.

Missouri running back Jamal Roberts has been one of the conference's best this season. Roberts currently sits atop of the SEC rushing leaders as the only back in the conference over 1,000 yards on the season.

So obviously, a key focus will be geared towards keeping the Mizzou run game in a box. 

However, what is lost in the shuffle is the ability from Austin Simmons to create with his arm. Simmons only has two interceptions on the season despite 240 pass attempts. Any way you spin it, Simmons has done a fine job of protecting the football.

Additionally, the Tigers have found themselves a really impressive No. 1 wide receiver in the form of Cayden Lee, a transfer from Ole Miss who arrived at the same time as Simmons. Next in line at receive is Donovan Olugbode, a 6–2 sophomore out of Chicago, who has really burst onto the scene in 2026.

But the point of the article is to then point out – who else is a threat for Missouri?

Teams that have had success against the Tigers limited the running game and lived with the Tigers force feeding passes to Lee and Olugbode.

In the 34–3 loss to Ole Miss, both Lee and Olugbode received 12 targets a piece and Roberts rushed for just 39 yards on 20 attempts.

In the 31–24 loss to Mississippi State, Lee led the way with 13 targets, and Olugbode followed behind with eight. In both contests combined, only one other pass catchers saw five targets.

We have seen Texas aggressive on the perimeter this season, and the performance of the nickel defender has been tested plenty this season. For this weekend, whether it is Graceson Littleton or Bo Mascoe in the slot, the point remains: Get ready to be tested.

Missouri is fixated on their two wide receivers to offset the running game, but there is not exactly a coveted third option in the passing game who has consistently shown up for the Tigers. And none of the tight ends for Mizzou have provided a consistent option in the passing game so far this season.

82.2% of Cayden Lee's snaps have come while lined up in the slot. As things currently stand, Lee is just one target shy of leading the SEC on the season. 

To the point about a third option, there really is not one that stands out.

Lee leads the team with 53 receptions, Olugbode comes in with 40 of his own, and then no one else on the roster has more than 14 receptions this season. It truly is a mixed bag of tight ends, running backs and lesser involved receivers that make up the remaining passing attack.

55% of the passes attempted this season for Missouri have been in the direction of Lee and Olugbode. For Texas, one of the keys will be to not fall asleep with the other pass game options.

When the injury report is revealed on Wednesday evening, it is going to be really interesting to see what conclusions can be made in regard to how the Longhorns plan to slow down the Missouri offense – especially the passing attack.

[CJ Vogel]

 

[CJ Vogel]

 

[Alex Butler]

I’ll be interested to see if they try and break tendency and use ag beaters to push us back off the run game. Not having Littleton and or Phillips is going to make things much harder to shut their main options down. If we have Simmons back hopefully we’ll be able to dial up enough pressure, IF we stop the run effectively, to force some bad throws. We’ve done it to the 2 best in CFB let’s got get Simmons this week!!

[CJ Vogel]

4 minutes ago, Alex Butler said:

I’ll be interested to see if they try and break tendency and use ag beaters to push us back off the run game. Not having Littleton and or Phillips is going to make things much harder to shut their main options down. If we have Simmons back hopefully we’ll be able to dial up enough pressure, IF we stop the run effectively, to force some bad throws. We’ve done it to the 2 best in CFB let’s got get Simmons this week!!

The interior line and the linebackers are probably the safest bet to the Who Shows Up Saturday question. They have been ultra reliable this season and I don't think their performance reverts on Saturday. Continuing to generate pressure is going to be the key, especially with a few backups set to see time this weekend in the secondary.

[mmdaytontexas]

@CJ Vogel

CJ, in your analysis of Mizzou's losses to Ole Miss and Mississippi State, would you say stopping their run game was the key? In Mizzou's win over Florida, Florida struggled to stop Mizzou's 1st- and 2nd-down run game, and then their 3rd-down pass plays. I'm confident we can stop their run game, but I'm worried about stopping that 3rd-down pass play. We can't play soft.