2020 Missouri Tigers football team

2020 Missouri Tigers football
Music City Bowl, No Contest vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	5–5 (5–5 SEC)
Head coach	Eliah Drinkwitz (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Eliah Drinkwitz (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Ryan Walters (3rd season as DC; 6th overall season)
Home stadium	Faurot Field

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 13 Florida x		8	–	2					8	–	4
No. 7 Georgia		7	–	2					8	–	2
Missouri		5	–	5					5	–	5
Kentucky		4	–	6					5	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	7					3	–	7
South Carolina		2	–	8					2	–	8
Vanderbilt		0	–	9					0	–	9
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^		10	–	0					13	–	0
No. 4 Texas A&M		8	–	1					9	–	1
Auburn		6	–	4					6	–	5
LSU*		5	–	5					5	–	5
Ole Miss		4	–	5					5	–	5
Arkansas		3	–	7					3	–	7
Mississippi State		3	–	7					4	–	7
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.

In a season impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers compiled a 5–5 record, all in conference games. The team was set to face Iowa in the Music City Bowl, but had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

SEC Media Days

In the preseason media poll, Missouri was predicted to finish in sixth place in the East Division.

Media poll (East Division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Florida	624 (53)
2	Georgia	613 (43)
3	Tennessee	434
4	Kentucky	405
5	South Carolina	287
6	Missouri	224
7	Vanderbilt	101

Personnel

Staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Missouri	Alma Mater
Eliah Drinkwitz	Head coach	1	Arkansas Tech (2004)
Charlie Harbison	Associate head coach / defensive backs	1	Gardner–Webb (1982)
Ryan Walters	Defensive coordinator / safeties	6	Colorado (2008)
Erik Link	Special teams coordinator	1	Drake (2003)
Brick Haley	Defensive line	4	Alabama A&M (1988)
Bush Hamdan	Wide receivers / quarterbacks	1	Boise State (2008)
Casey Woods	Tight ends / recruiting coordinator	1	Tennessee (2006)
David Gibbs	Secondary	2	Colorado (1990)
Marcus Johnson	Offensive line	1	Ole Miss (2004)
Curtis Luper	Running backs	1	Stephen F. Austin (1996)
D. J. Smith	Linebackers	1	Appalachian State (2010)
Andy Lutz	Director of football operations	1	Pacific (1991)
Zac Woodfin	Director of Athletic Performance	1	UAB (2004)

Roster

2020 Missouri Tigers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 1 Tyler Badie Jr WR 2 Micah Wilson  Sr QB 3 Shawn Robinson  Jr RB 4 Elijah Young Fr WR 6 Keke Chism GS WR 7 Damon Hazelton GS QB 8 Connor Bazelak  Fr WR 9 Jalen Knox Jr WR 11 Barrett Banister  Jr QB 12 Brady Cook Fr WR 13 Javian Hester Fr WR 14 Dominic Gicinto Jr WR 15 Kris Abrams-Draine Fr QB 16 Jack Samsel  So WR 18 Chance Luper Fr WR 19 Jay Maclin Fr RB 20 Simi Bakare Jr WR 26 Jaden Nash Fr RB 28 Dawson Downing  Sr WR 31 D'Ionte Smith Jr RB 34 Larry Rountree III Sr RB 35 Michael Cox Fr RB 43 Jerney Jones  Sr TE 45 Kibet Chepyator Fr TE 48 Niko Hea So OL 50 Hyrin White  Jr OL 51 Zeke Powell Jr OL 54 Luke Griffin  Fr OL 55 Michael Maietti GS OL 57 Steven Hardy  So OL 59 Case Cook  Jr OL 61 Richard Taylor  So OL 64 Bobby Lawrence  So OL 65 Trenton Sederwall  Fr OL 69 Drake Heismeyer Fr OL 70 Dylan Spencer Fr OL 71 D.J. Bullard  Fr OL 72 Xavier Delgado  So OL 73 Mike Ruth  So OL 75 Mitchell Walters Fr OL 76 Javon Foster  So OL 79 Larry Borom  Jr TE 80 Messiah Swinson  So TE 81 Shawn Hendershot Fr TE 82 Daniel Parker Jr. Jr WR 86 Tauskie Dove  So WR 87 Cade Musser  So TE 88 Logan Christopherson  Jr TE 89 Brendan Scales  Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 0 Tre Williams  Sr S 1 Joshuah Bledsoe Sr DB 2 Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Fr S 3 Martez Manuel So S 4 Jalani Williams  Fr DL 6 Darius Robinson So DB 7 Stacy Brown So DB 8 Jarvis Ware Jr S 9 Tyree Gillespie Sr DB 10 Chris Mills  So LB 11 Devin Nicholson So DB 14 Adam Sparks Sr LB 15 Johnny Walker Jr. Fr LB 16 Gerald Nathan Jr.  So DB 17 Jaylon Carlies Fr DL 18 Trajan Jeffcoat  So DB 21 Tyler Jones Fr DB 24 Ishmael Burdine  Fr LB 25 Jamal Brooks Sr DB 26 Aidan Harrison So LB 28 Jatorian Hansford Jr LB 29 Jamie Pettway  Fr DB 30 Zion Sales  Jr LB 32 Nick Bolton Jr LB 33 Chad Bailey  So DB 35 Mason Pack  Sr LB 36 Joe Britton  Jr LB 38 Bryson Clayton  So DL 39 Chris Turner Sr LB 40 Cameron Wilkins Jr LB 41 Chance May  Jr DB 43 Brandon Gregory Jr. Fr DB 45 Daval Torres Fr DB 46 Justin Efebera Fr LB 49 Marti Jr. Sr DL 52 Myles Eaddy  Sr LB 53 Will Norris Fr DL 78 Kobie Whiteside Sr DL 90 Markell Utsey  Sr LB 92 Z'Core Brooks  Fr DL 93 Andrew Serrano Fr DL 95 Ben Key Jr DL 96 Cannon York  So DL 97 Akial Byers Sr DL 98 Keion Willis  So DL 99 Isaiah McGuire So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 19 Grant McKinniss GS LS 31 Drew Wise  Jr LS 47 Daniel Hawthorne Fr LS 49 Jake Hoffman  So PK 90 Sean Koetting  Jr P 91 Josh Dodge  So PK 92 Harrison Mevis Fr PK 93 Luke Bauer Fr PK 94 Aaron Rodriguez  Fr PK 98 Logan Brock  Fr	Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz Coordinators/assistant coaches Charlie Harbison – Associate head coach/defensive backs Ryan Walters – Defensive coordinator/safeties Erik Link – Special teams coordinator Brick Haley – Defensive line Bush Hamdan – Wide receivers/quarterbacks Casey Woods – Tight ends/recruiting coordinator David Gibbs – Secondary Marcus Johnson – Offensive line Curtis Luper – Running backs D. J. Smith – Linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: October 11, 2020

Schedule

Missouri had games scheduled against BYU, Central Arkansas, Eastern Michigan, and Louisiana, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 26	6:00 p.m.	No. 2 Alabama		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	ESPN	L 19–38	11,738
October 3	11:00 a.m.	at No. 21 Tennessee		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	L 12–35	21,159
October 10	11:00 a.m.	at No. 17 LSU		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN Alt.	W 45–41	10,013
October 24	3:00 p.m.	Kentucky		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	W 20–10	11,738
October 31	6:30 p.m.	at No. 10 Florida		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECN Alt.	L 17–41	12,049
November 21	6:30 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN Alt.	W 17–10	13,603
November 28	11:00 a.m.	Vanderbilt		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	W 41–0	11,053
December 5	11:00 a.m.	Arkansas		Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Battle Line Rivalry)	SECN	W 50–48	11,378
December 12	11:00 a.m.	No. 9 Georgia	No. 25	Faurot Field Columbia, MO	SECN	L 14–49	10,830
December 19	2:30 p.m.	at Mississippi State		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN Alt.	L 32–51	11,748
December 30	3:00 p.m.	Iowa		Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN	ESPN	No Contest
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Central time

^{^[a]} The game between Missouri and LSU was originally scheduled to take place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, in light of Hurricane Delta, the game was moved to Columbia.

^{^[b]} The game between Vanderbilt and Missouri was originally scheduled to take place on October 17. However, due to COVID-19 management requirements in response to positive tests and subsequent quarantine of individuals within the Vanderbilt program, the game was rescheduled for December 12. The SEC postponed Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt to facilitate the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt-Missouri game. The shuffling allows for the opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to play 10 regular-season games.

Games Summaries

No. 2 Alabama

See also: 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Alabama 14 14 7 3 38 Missouri 0 3 3 13 19 Date: September 26 Location: Columbia, MO Game start: 6:10 p.m. Game attendance: 11,738 Game weather: 79, Clear, Wind S @ 9 mph Referee: Alex Moore TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color), Allison Williams and Todd McShay (sideline) Sources:

Pregame line	Over/under
ALA −28.5	56

Statistics	Alabama	Missouri
First downs	22	20
Total yards	414	322
Rushing yards	111	69
Passing yards	303	253
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	31:25	28:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama	Passing	Mac Jones	18–24, 249 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Najee Harris	17 carries, 98 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Jaylen Waddle	8 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs
Missouri	Passing	Shawn Robinson	19–25, 185 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	14 carries, 67 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Knox	5 receptions, 63 yards

At No. 21 Tennessee

See also: 2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Missouri at Tennessee

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	0	6	6	0	12
No. 21 Tennessee	7	14	7	7	35

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

• Date: October 3
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
• Game attendance: 21,159
• Referee: Steve Marlow
• TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

No. 17 LSU

See also: 2020 LSU Tigers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 LSU	14	10	17	0	41
Missouri	14	10	14	7	45

Kentucky

See also: 2020 Kentucky Wildcats football team

Kentucky vs. Missouri

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	3	0	7	10
Tigers	7	3	7	3	20

at Faurot Field, Columbia, MO

• Date: October 24, 2020
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Wind: NW 12-17mph
• Game attendance: 11,738
• Referee: Lee Hedrick
• TV: SECN

Statistics	UK	MIZ
First downs	8	26
Total yards	145	421
Rushing yards	95	220
Passing yards	50	201
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	16:50	43:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Terry Wilson	4/11, 38 yards, TD
	Rushing	Chris Rodriguez Jr.	9 carries, 48 yards
	Receiving	Josh Ali	4 receptions, 47 yards, TD
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	21/30, 201 yards
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	37 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jalen Knox	5 receptions, 60 yards

At No. 10 Florida

See also: 2020 Florida Gators football team

Missouri Tigers at No. 10 Florida Gators – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	0	7	0	10	17
No. 10 Florida	6	14	14	7	41

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL

• Date: October 31, 2020
• Game time: 7:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Clear
• Game attendance: 12,049
• Referee: David Smith
• TV announcers (SECN Alt.): Mike Morgan, Hutson Mason, Taylor Davis
• Boxscore

Game information

First quarter Florida – Chris Howard 28-yard field goal, 9:07 Florida – Chris Howard 32-yard field goal, 2:10 Second quarter Missouri – Jarvis Ware 59-yard interception return (Harrison Mevis kick), 12:54 Florida – Kadarius Toney 18-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Chris Howard kick), 1:41 Florida – Kadarius Toney 30-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Chris Howard kick), 1:08 Third quarter Florida – Kadarius Toney 16-yard run (Chris Howard kick), 10:36 Florida – Justin Shorter 2-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Chris Howard kick), 0:22 Fourth quarter Missouri – Harrison Mevis 29-yard field goal, 10:56 Florida – Trevon Grimes 18-yard pass from Kyle Trask (Chris Howard kick), 7:50 Missouri – Larry Rountree III 5-yard run (Harrison Mevis kick), 3:18 Passing leaders MIZZ – Connor Bazelak – 26/40, 208 yards FLA – Kyle Trask – 21/36, 345 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception Rushing leaders MIZZ – Larry Rountree III – 14 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown FLA – Kyle Trask – 6 carries, 47 yards Receiving leaders MIZZ – Keke Chism – 5 receptions, 68 yards FLA – Kyle Pitts – 5 receptions, 81 yards Tackling leaders MIZZ – Devin Nicholson – 13 tackles FLA – Jeremiah Moon and Brad Stewart – 6 tackles

At South Carolina

See also: 2020 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

Missouri Tigers (2–3) at South Carolina Gamecocks (2–5)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	7	10	0	0	17
Gamecocks	0	0	3	7	10

at Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC

• Date: November 21, 2020
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: • Temperature:
• Game attendance: 13,603
• TV: SECN Alt.
• Pregame line:

Game information
First Quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Fourth Quarter

Statistics	MIZ	SC
First downs	19	18
Total yards	301	283
Rushes/yards	34/98	36/114
Passing yards	203	169
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21-33-1	20-33-1
Time of possession	28:34	31:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	21-33, 203 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	21 carries, 58 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Keke Chism	6 receptions, 57 yards
South Carolina	Passing	Luke Doty	14-23, 130 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Luke Doty	11 carries, 59 yards
	Receiving	Nick Muse	6 receptions, 67 yards

Vanderbilt

See also: 2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Commodores	0	0	0	0	0
Tigers	7	14	6	14	41

Statistics

Statistics	VAN	MIZ
First downs	13	31
Total yards	185	603
Rushing yards	82	223
Passing yards	103	380
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:10	32:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Vanderbilt	Passing	Ken Seals	11/18, 79 yards
	Rushing	Keyon Henry-Brooks	15 rushes, 64 yards
	Receiving	Camron Johnson	5 receptions, 33 yards
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	30/37, 318 yards
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	21 rushes, 160 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Tyler Badie	7 receptions, 102 yards

Arkansas

See also: 2020 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Game Eight – Arkansas Razorbacks (3–5) vs. Missouri Tigers (4–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	6	21	6	15	48
Tigers	10	10	3	27	50

at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri

• Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 52 °F (11 °C) • Wind: W 3 mph
• Game attendance: 11,738
• Referee: Lee Hedrick
• TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline)
• Pregame line: Missouri −2.5 • Odds to win: Missouri 62.0%

Game information

First quarter (12:12) MIZ – Harrison Mevis 51 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 2:48; Missouri 3–0) (6:17) MIZ – Larry Rountree 2 yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick (Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 5:19; Missouri 10–0) (1:48) ARK – Blake Kern 2 yard pass from KJ Jefferson, kick failed (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:29; Missouri 10–6) Second quarter (11:56) MIZ – Harrison Mevis 29 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 4:52; Missouri 13–6) (11:16) ARK – Treylon Burks 68 yard pass from KJ Jefferson, A.J. Reed kick (Drive: 3 plays, 89 yards, 0:35; Tied 13–13) (7:45) MIZ – Larry Rountree 6 yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:31; Missouri 20–13) (3:39) ARK – Trelon Smith 8 yard rush, A.J. Reed kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:06; Tied 20–20) (0:20) ARK – KJ Jefferson 1 yard rush, A.J. Reed kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 1:50; Arkansas 27–20) Third quarter (10:23) MIZ – Harrison Mevis 37 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 3:07; Arkansas 27–23) (8:18) ARK – Trelon Smith 15 yard rush, kick failed (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:05; Arkansas 33–23) Fourth quarter (14:51) MIZ – Harrison Mevis 40 yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 5:34; Arkansas 33–26) (13:15) ARK – Trelon Smith 16 yard rush, A.J. Reed kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:35; Arkansas 40–26) (12:41) MIZ – Tyler Badie 46 yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick (Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:34; Arkansas 40–33) (7:46) MIZ – Larry Rountree 9 yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick (Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 2:07; Tied 40–40) (4:47) MIZ – Tyler Badie 25 yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:26; Missouri 47–40) (0:43) ARK – Michael Woods II 14 yard pass from KJ Jefferson, 2-point pass good (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:04; Arkansas 48–47) (0:00) MIZ – Harrison Mevis 32 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 0:43; Missouri 50–48)

Statistics	ARK	MIZ
First downs	34	37
Plays–yards	84–566	87–653
Rushes–yards	50–292	38–273
Passing yards	274	380
Passing: comp–att–int	18–34–0	32–49–0
Time of possession	26:28	33:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas	Passing	KJ Jefferson	18/33, 274 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Trelon Smith	26 carries, 172 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Treylon Burks	10 receptions, 206 yards, 1 TD
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	32/49, 380 yards
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	27 carries, 185 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Keke Chism	6 receptions, 113 yards

No. 9 Georgia

See also: 2020 Georgia Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Georgia	14	7	21	7	49
No. 25 Missouri	0	14	0	0	14

At Mississippi State

See also: 2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	7	3	8	14	32
Bulldogs	14	13	7	17	51

Statistics

Statistics	MIZ	MSST
First downs	22	24
Total yards	342	446
Rushing yards	101	151
Passing yards	241	295
Turnovers	4	3
Time of possession	28:57	31:03

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri	Passing	Connor Bazelak	22–38, 225 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Larry Rountree III	25 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Keke Chism	6 receptions, 64 yards, TD
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	21–36, 295 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jo'Quavious Marks	12 rushes, 70 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	5 receptions, 129 yards, TD

Rankings

Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	—	—*	RV	RV	—	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	—	—
Coaches	—	—*	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—
CFP	Not released										—	—	—	—	—	25	—	Not released

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2021 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	58	Nick Bolton	ILB	Kansas City Chiefs
4	143	Tyree Gillespie	S	Las Vegas Raiders
5	151	Larry Borom	OT	Chicago Bears
6	188	Joshuah Bledsoe	S	New England Patriots
6	198	Larry Rountree III	RB	Los Angeles Chargers