Mississippi State Versus Missouri Report Card

Nov 5, 2015; Columbia, MO, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Brandon Holloway (10) runs with the ball against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Defense’s Grade

There isn’t a ton to talk about for the special teams. Westin Graves missed his second field goal of the season, but it was a 49 yard attempt. It’s hard to dock him too much for that one. He did make one as well, and brought his season total to 9 of 11 on the year with a long of 44 yards.

There were a couple of sloppy returns on the night as well. The first time Missouri punted, Fred Ross muffed the punt, but thankfully it was close enough to the sideline it went out of bounds without doing much harm. Brandon Holloway also muffed a kickoff, but made up for it with a 69 yard return after corralling the football which led to the Bulldogs second touchdown of the game.

The most egregious error and the primary reason for giving the unit a C came halfway through the first quarter. With the Bulldogs up 7-3, the offense was forced into a three and out and had to punt from its own 33 yard line. The special teams did a terrible job of blocking and allowed Kentrell Brothers to break through and block the punt. The damage was minimized because Missouri could only get a field goal out of a golden opportunity, but had they managed to score a touchdown, the game could have changed instantly.

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