# 2021 Missouri Tigers football team

The 2021 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in the 2021 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 second-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 3:00 p.m. | Central Michigan* | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | W 34–24 | 46,327 |
| September 11 | 6:30 p.m. | at Kentucky | Kroger FieldLexington, KY | SECN | L 28–35 | 58,437 |
| September 18 | 11:00 a.m. | Southeast Missouri State* | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | ESPN+/SECN+ | W 59–28 | 46,598 |
| September 25 | 11:00 a.m. | at Boston College* | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | ESPN2 | L 34–41 $^{OT}$ | 44,500 |
| October 2 | 11:00 a.m. | Tennessee | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | L 24–62 | 45,655 |
| October 9 | 3:00 p.m. | North Texas* | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | W 48–35 | 46,985 |
| October 16 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 21 Texas A&M | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | L 14–35 | 48,139 |
| October 30 | 2:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | W 37–28 | 19,821 |
| November 6 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 1 Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | ESPN | L 6–43 | 92,746 |
| November 13 | 3:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | W 31–28 | 44,092 |
| November 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Florida | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN | W 24–23 $^{OT}$ | 47,818 |
| November 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 25 Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR (Battle Line Rivalry) | CBS | L 17–34 | 67,320 |
| December 22 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Army* | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (Armed Forces Bowl) | ESPN | L 22–24 | 34,888 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP and CFP Rankings after November 2All times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### vs Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Central Michigan | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| • Missouri | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MIZ –14.0 | 59.0 |
| Statistics | Central Michigan | Missouri |
| First downs | 27 | 26 |
| Total yards | 475 | 468 |
| Rushing yards | 174 | 211 |
| Passing yards | 301 | 257 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:59 | 28:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central Michigan | Passing | Jacob Sirmon | 23/45, 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs |
| Central Michigan | Rushing | Lew Nichols III | 19 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD |
| Central Michigan | Receiving | JaCorey Sullivan | 8 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TDs |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 21/32, 257 yards, 2 TDs |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 25 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | D'ionte Smith | 2 receptions, 69 yards |

### At Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Missouri | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| • Kentucky | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Statistics | Missouri | Kentucky |
| First downs | 25 | 26 |
| Total yards | 398 | 520 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 341 |
| Passing yards | 294 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:12 | 32:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 34/51, 294 yards, 4 TD’s, 1 INT |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 14 carries, 61 yards |
| Missouri | Receiving | Tyler Badie | 10 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |
| Kentucky | Passing | Will Levis | 10/18, 179 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 27 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD’s |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Wan'Dale Robinson | 5 receptions, 101 yards |

### vs Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tennessee | 28 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 62 |
| Missouri | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Faurot Field, Columbia, MO
* Date: October 2
* Game time: Noon
* Game weather: Rain, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,655
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color), and Andraya Carter (sidelines)

### vs North Texas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mean Green | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
| Tigers | 14 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 48 |
| Statistics | UNT | MIZ |
| First downs | 21 | 22 |
| Total yards | 493 | 474 |
| Rushing yards | 188 | 306 |
| Passing yards | 305 | 168 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:12 | 31:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Texas | Passing | Austin Aune | 16/26, 305 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| North Texas | Rushing | DeAndre Torrey | 24 rushes, 85 yards |
| North Texas | Receiving | Damon Ward Jr. | 2 receptions, 81 yards, TD |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 22/33, 168 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 17 rushes, 209 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | J. J. Hester | 1 reception, 41 yards, TD |

### vs No. 21 Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Aggies | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Tigers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 11:00 a.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 13 MPH
* Game attendance: 48,139
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play) and Matt Stinchcomb (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | TAMU | MIZ |
| First downs | 29 | 19 |
| Total yards | 431 | 328 |
| Rushing yards | 283 | 98 |
| Passing yards | 148 | 230 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:57 | 30:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Zach Calzada | 13/25, 148 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | Isaiah Spiller | 20 rushes, 168 yards 1 TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Ainias Smith | 3 receptions, 34 yards 2 TD |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 29/43, 230 yards, 2 INT |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 22 rushes 68 yards 1 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | Tauskie Dove | 5 receptions, 65 yards |

### At Vanderbilt

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 10 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 37 |
| Commodores | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Statistics
| Statistics | MIZ | VAN |
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total yards | 502 | 380 |
| Rushing yards | 284 | 258 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 122 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:45 | 26:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 22/28, 218 yards, TD, INT |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 31 carries, 254 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | Keke Chism | 4 receptions, 95 yards, TD |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Mike Wright | 14/28, 122 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Mike Wright | 14 carries, 152 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Chris Pierce Jr. | 4 receptions, 54 yards |

### At No.1 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Missouri | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| No. 1 Georgia | 7 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 43 |
at Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia
* Date: Saturday, November 6, 2021
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature -
* Game attendance: 92,746
* Referee: -
* TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color) and Katie George (sideline)
* Pregame line: Georgia −40.0 • Odds to win: Georgia 98.6% • Game summary: ESPN
| Statistics | MIZ | UGA |
| First downs | 15 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 67–273 | 63–505 |
| Rushes–yards | 35–121 | 33–168 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 337 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–32–0 | 20–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:53 | 28:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| MIZ | Passing | Brady Cook | 14-19, 78 yards |
| MIZ | Rushing | Tyler Macon | 11 carries, 42 yards |
| MIZ | Receiving | Tauskie Dove | 4 receptions, 84 yards |
| Georgia | Passing | Stetson Bennett | 13/19, 255 yards, 2 TD |
| Georgia | Rushing | James Cook | 9 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia | Receiving | Jermaine Burton | 3 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### vs Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Florida | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| Missouri | 3 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 24 |
at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri
* Date: November 20, 2021
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: S at 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 47,818
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline)
* Boxscore
Game information :
First quarter
Florida – Chris Howard 42-yard field goal, 9:49
Missouri – Harrison Mevis 39-yard field goal, 2:40
Second quarter
Florida – Chris Howard 26-yard field goal, 9:35
Missouri – Harrison Mevis 46-yard field goal, 6:56
Missouri – Harrison Mevis 31-yard field goal, 1:34
Third quarter
Florida – Dameon Pierce 2-yard run (Chris Howard kick), 12:52
Fourth quarter
Missouri – Niko Hea 41-yard pass from Connor Bazelak (Harrison Mevis kick), 11:53
Florida – Chris Howard 33-yard field goal, 8:30
Overtime
Florida – Emory Jones 6-yard pass from Trent Whittemore (Chris Howard kick)
Missouri – Tyler Badie 13-yard run (Connor Bazelak pass to Daniel Parker, Jr.)
Passing leaders
FLA – Emory Jones – 20/32, 261 yards
MIZZ – Connor Bazelak – 15/26, 165 yards, 1 touchdown
Rushing leaders
FLA – Emory Jones – 17 carries, 45 yards
MIZZ – Tyler Badie – 27 carries, 146 yards, 1 touchdown
Receiving leaders
FLA – Jacob Copeland – 8 receptions, 102 yards
MIZZ – Tauskie Dove – 2 receptions, 72 yards
Tackling leaders
FLA – Ty'Ron Hopper – 12 tackles
MIZZ – Chad Bailey – 9 tackles :

### At No.23 Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| No. 25 Razorbacks | 3 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: Friday, November 26, 2021
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind: NE 12 mph
* Game attendance: 67,320
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (CBS): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Aaron Murray and Rick Neuheisel (analysts), Jenny Dell (sideline)
* Pregame line: Arkansas by 14.5 • Odds to win: Arkansas 82.7% • Game summary: ESPN
| Statistics | MIZ | ARK |
| First downs | 19 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 76–316 | 53–425 |
| Rushes–yards | 50–251 | 33–163 |
| Passing yards | 65 | 262 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 10–26–1 | 15–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 35:11 | 24:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 10/26, 65 yards, 1 INT |
| Missouri | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 41 carries, 219 yards, 1 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | Keke Chism | 3 receptions, 37 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | KJ Jefferson | 15/19, 262 yards, 1 TD |
| Arkansas | Rushing | KJ Jefferson | 6 carries, 58 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Treylon Burks | 7 receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD |

### vs Army (Armed Forces Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 10 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
| Black Knights | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
* Date: December 22, 2021
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW 1 mph • Weather: Clear
* Game attendance: 34,888
* Referee: Derek Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN): Tiffany Greene (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst) & Kris Budden (sideline)
* ESPN – Army stuns Missouri in Armed Forces Bowl on last-second FG /// Box Score, Missouri vs. Army (2021 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl) /// Pregame Notes /// Pregame Notes /// Postgame Notes
Game information :
First Quarter
(11:55) MIZ TD – Brady Cook 30-yard rush, Harrison Mevis kick Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:05; Missouri 7–0
(00:55) MIZ FG – Harrison Mevis 22-yard field goal Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:27; Missouri 10–0
Second Quarter
(13:56) ARMY TD – Christian Anderson 22-yard rush, Cole Talley kick Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:59; Missouri 10–7
(05:59) MIZ FG – Harrison Mevis 25-yard field goal Drive: 16 plays, 67 yards, 7:57; Missouri 13–7
(00:03) MIZ FG – Harrison Mevis 39-yard field goal Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 3:49; Missouri 16–7
Third Quarter
(06:35) ARMY TD – Jakobi Buchanan 10-yard rush, Cole Talley kick Drive: 17 plays, 75 yards, 8:25; Missouri 16–14
Fourth Quarter
(10:20) ARMY TD – Brandon Walters 14-yard pass from Tyhier Tyler, Cole Talley kick Drive: 13 plays, 56 yards, 6:29; Army 21–16
(01:11) MIZ TD – Keke Chism 6-yard pass from Brady Cook, Brady Cook pass failed Drive: 11 plays, 83 yards, 1:33; Missouri 22–21
(00:00) ARMY FG – Cole Talley 41-yard field goal Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 1:11; Army 24–22
Passing
MIZ – Brady Cook: 27/34, 238 yards, 1 TD
ARMY – Christian Anderson: 3/4, 60 yards
Rushing
MIZ – Elijah Young: 13 carries, 75 yards
ARMY – Jakobi Buchanan: 21 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
MIZ – Keke Chism: 5 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD
ARMY – Tyrell Robinson: 1 reception, 42 yards
Defense
MIZ – Blaze Alldredge: 14 total tackles (5 solo, 9 assisted), 2.5 tackles for loss
ARMY – Marquel Broughton: 14 total tackles (6 solo, 8 assisted), 1 forced fumble, 1 pass break-up :
| Statistics | MIZ | ARMY |
| First downs | 28 | 21 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6–11 | 5–14 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–1 | 5–5 |
| Plays–yards | 71–433 | 64–306 |
| Rushes–yards | 37–195 | 55–211 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 95 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 27–34–0 | 6–9–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 5–40 | 4–35 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:00 | 31:00 |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Missouri | Alma Mater |
| Eliah Drinkwitz | Head coach | 2 | Arkansas Tech (2004) |
| Charlie Harbison | Associate head coach / defensive backs | 2 | Gardner–Webb (1982) |
| Steve Wilks | Defensive coordinator / Safeties | 1 | Appalachian State (1991) |
| Erik Link | Special teams coordinator | 2 | Drake (2003) |
| Al Davis | Defensive line | 1 | Arkansas (2012) |
| Bush Hamdan | Wide receivers / quarterbacks | 2 | Boise State (2008) |
| Casey Woods | Tight ends / recruiting coordinator | 2 | Tennessee (2006) |
| Aaron Fletcher | Secondary | 1 | Texas A&M (1999) |
| Marcus Johnson | Offensive line/run game coordinator/assistant head coach | 2 | Ole Miss (2004) |
| Curtis Luper | Running backs | 2 | Stephen F. Austin (1996) |
| D. J. Smith | Linebackers | 2 | Appalachian State (2010) |
| Andy Lutz | Director of football operations | 2 | Pacific (1991) |
| Zac Woodfin | Director of Athletic Performance | 2 | UAB (2004) |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 118 | Akayleb Evans | CB | Minnesota Vikings |
| 5 | 196 | Tyler Badie | RB | Baltimore Ravens |
Source: