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This isn’t what any of the players and coaches at Missouri had in mind when they began the season in pursuit of a third consecutive SEC East division title.
But instead of moving toward another trip to the conference title game in Atlanta, the Tigers are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and in need of at least two upsets in their final three games just to have an opportunity at a bowl game.
And yet, in one of the most tumultuous seasons in recent memory, none of that is really the story, nor the biggest issue.
The 2015 Missouri Tigers could go down in history as the team that:
A.) Went more than three games without a touchdown.
B.) Saw their redshirt junior starting quarterback, who had helped them to the SEC Championship Game in back-to-back years, benched and then dismissed.
C.) Nearly boycotted this week’s game against BYU because of racial unrest and protest on campus that was reminiscent of the 1960s.
D.) Saw their longtime head coach forced to retire after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
But there’s also an option E. The Tigers could reshape their legacy as the team that united in the face of it all and closed out the season on a roll to salvage a bowl game.
To do that, Mizzou needs to somehow overcome all the distractions it’s faced in recent weeks and use it as a way to rally together. It won’t necessarily be easy. While some players were at the forefront of the movement that led to the ouster of the University of Missouri system president, some former stars such as T.J. Moe have criticized the boycott.
“Obviously we have a unique set of circumstances this week at Mizzou that we’re experiencing, and there’s really no playbook for that,” coach Gary Pinkel said during the SEC conference call this week. “You’re sitting home on a normal Tuesday night, and there’s nothing normal about that. You’d be watching your video, doing your homework, getting all your stuff done and all this stuff’s going on. I’m really concerned, and we’re gonna address that as a football team.”
At 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC, Missouri has to win two games against BYU, Tennessee and Arkansas to finish the regular season .500. It’s not an impossible task, but it’s one that would require significant improvement from a team that’s been good on defense and atrocious on offense.
Much of that stems from the quarterback situation. Even before he was suspended, redshirt junior quarterback Maty Mauk was struggling in the starting role, failing to improve from his freshman and sophomore seasons.
True freshman Drew Lock took over and hasn’t done any better, completing 49.4 percent of his passes with 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
But with Lock, there is clearly some talent there that just needs to be boosted by experience. The question he and the other Tigers have to answer on Saturday is how well they can respond to the adversity when they hit the field.
The players have been almost universally lauded for using their power and influence to execute change. Their decisions could have long-reaching effects throughout college sports, but if they don’t come out and play well, it might also turn into a warning used in the future to keep disgruntled athletes in check.
It’s also possible the Tigers rally together, play their best and simply come up short against a solid BYU team. Whatever happens, a lot of people who didn’t previously have interest in Mizzou football will be looking toward Kansas City this weekend.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
