Missouri defensive lineman Shane Ray, center, gets past Kentucky’s Darrian Miller, right, as he fights his way to quarterback Patrick Towles.After his team committed five turnovers and was outgained by 232 yards in a 34-0 home loss to Georgia on Oct. 11, Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel knew his Tigers were in a bad place.
“I’ve been here before,” Pinkel said after that game. “It’s not a whole lot of fun.”
The multitude of problems the Tigers experienced that afternoon against the Bulldogs appear to have been quite temporary, as Missouri has bounced back from that debacle with double-digit victories over Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Tigers dumped the Wildcats 20-10 this past Saturday at Faurot Field.
Missouri has by no means looked as dominant as the 2013 team that won 12 games and the Southeastern Conference’s East Division crown, but the Tigers are quietly 7-2 and in control of their East destiny again.
“We’re going to focus on the next game, and that’s all we’re going to do,” Pinkel said in his news conference Saturday. “We’re 1-0 in November. Our goal is to be 2-0.”