Before every football season I continue the tradition set by The Godfather Bill C. and come up with a checklist of accomplishments for the Missouri football team to complete. Some lead to a winning season,
some lead to a 10-win season, and the best seasons of recent years check a lot more boxes than other lackluster seasons the Tigers have gone through.
Here’s a quick link to 2025’s list. But I will also address each point here and give my thoughts on whether the goal was completed or not. A lot of these can be a bit nebulous so your mileage may vary, which is fine! Let’s go point by point:
The following goals should be achieved for Missouri to win 7 games in 2025
1. If the starting quarterback runs the offense like Brady Cook
I cited Brady Cook’s 2024 stats as the barometer to meet for Missouri’s quarterback in 2025. Those stats were:
- 65.3% completion percentage, 8.0 adjusted net yards per attempt, 41.8% passing success rate, 6.1% sack rate
Here is what Beau Pribula did in 2025:
- 67.4% completion percentage, 6.8 adjusted net yards per attempt, 45.8% success rate, 7.8% sack rate
And here is what Matt Zollers did in 2025. Cover your eyes:
- 53.4% completion percentage, 5.8 adjusted net yards per attempt, 33.7% success rate, 5.4% sack rate
Pribula had the accuracy and success rate but lacked consistency and effectiveness in throwing the ball, as highlighted by the noticeable dip in ANY/A. Zollers was a freshman and not ready to play. I feel like the verdict on this one was clear before even walking through the numbers.
Verdict: Fail
2. If the running back(s) maintain last year’s efficiency
Even though I was begging for more explosive plays in the ground game, I was hoping that Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts could maintain a 45-48% success rate on the ground to hopefully open up better opportunities through the air. Obviously the passing game never took off but both Hardy (49.6%) and Roberts (49.2%) excelled in the efficiency goal. Even Beau Pribula (48.6%) was able to provide effective running. It’s a shame that’s all this offense could do.
Verdict: Pass
3. If the offensive line is Top 50 in run blocking
This was easily Brandon Jones’ worst offensive line but not in the way you’d think. Yes, they averaged 1.9 penalties per game, that’s not great. But they were actually a GREAT pass blocking offensive line! I know! They ranked 3rd in pressures allowed! I know! I can’t believe it either! And their run blocking ranked 99th.
Yeah, not a typo. 99th in blown run blocking assignments.
Other than Cayden Green who was at 1.3%, every other offensive lineman fielded had at least a 2.2% chance of blowing a run blocking assignment, leading to a 16% stuff rate and a 58th-ranked 1.6 yards gained before contact average.
Maybe it’s good that the o-line is getting a reset at 60% of the positions?
Verdict: Fail
4. If the defense can be a Top 50 unit
7th in success rate allowed, 10th against the run, 13th against the pass, 4th in standard downs, 29th in passing downs, 4th in tackle success rate, 18th in overall havoc, 10th-best defense in the country. Yes, they were incredible. And had to be.
Verdict: Pass
That’s four items listed to get to a 7-win season, and the Tigers only passed two of the four. And while Beau Pribula was not able to maintain an efficiency at quarterback that Missouri needed, the ground game and defense provided enough to get the Tigers to 8 wins. Not too shabby!
But I also listed items that Mizzou needed to shoot for to get to a 10-win campaign! These weren’t benchmarks that were necessary to become eligible for a bowl game, they were more “bonus” items, or elevated play from specific units that could help win a one-score game and steal some extra wins to possibly get to 10. Let’s see if they came close on any of those:
If the following are achieved, a 10-win season is on the table
5. If the new receiving corps can bring any sort of explosiveness to the passing game
Overall explosiveness ranked 70th in the nation. Passing explosiveness ranked 76th. If Missouri had a successful drop back they were averaging 13.6 yards, 118th in the nation. The Tigers’ percentage of completions going for 20+ yards was 13.1%, 111th in the nation. The air yards per completion was 5.2, an absurdly low number and yet still managed to rank 91st out of 136 teams. All of these numbers reinforce what you already know: the passing game was not explosive at all.
Verdict: Fail
6. If the linebackers become more than happy participants
Josiah Trotter and Nicholas Rodriguez were two of your top three tacklers, tied for 3rd in overall havoc plays, were 2nd and 4th in tackles for loss, and combined for 8 sacks and 19 run stuffs. They were active and awesome.
Verdict: Pass
7. If the safeties can eliminate the passing explosiveness
We tend to remember every single explosive play and, therefore, consistently complain about the defense – or secondary, specifically – giving up big plays at the worst time possible. But the fact is: this improved big time. 24th in passing explosiveness allowed, 29th in ANY/A allowed, 27th in 20+ yard passes allowed, 42nd in air yards per completion allowed…all better than what we had seen in ‘23 and ‘24. Shame that the defensive secondary is the position group that’s getting the hardest reset.
Verdict: Pass
8. If the offensive line actually improves
As stated above, they did not.
Verdict: Fail
9. The defensive line turns into the 2013 defensive line
I love pulling up this stat:
- Markus Golden, Michael Sam, Kony Ealy, Shane Ray in 2013: 184 tackles, 55 TFLs, 30 sacks
Here’s what Missouri’s three defensive ends (with more than 50 snaps played) did in 2025:
- Zion Young, Damon Wilson, Langden Kitchen in 2025: 100 tackles, 28.5 TFLs, 16 sacks
Even on a per player basis Missouri’s ‘25 pass rush couldn’t come close to ‘13. But, man, Wilson and Young were a ton of fun to watch.
Verdict: Fail
10. If Missouri has a star quarterback and he plays the full season
They didn’t and he didn’t.
Verdict: Fail
11. If Blake Craig can be clutch
He wasn’t because he football died 30 minutes into the season and his replacements did not achieve clutchitude.
Verdict: Fail
12. “Astral Assistance”
The schedule provided four teams that were in Playoff contention until the last week of the season and Mizzou lost to all four. Your kicker was injured in a freak play. Your backup quarterback was lost on the one play he was in. Your starting quarterback missed two games to injury (and, yes, it was a miracle that was all he missed). I’m sure I’m missing more items here but those cited above on their own are enough to convince you that the stars were not interested in giving Missouri any chance this year because they were all squarely focused on Indiana.
Verdict: Fail
Conclusion
Of these eight items necessary to get to a 10-win season Mizzou checked off two. That means, of the entire list, Mizzou achieved four of the twelve goals I laid out in a 8-5 season. Hitting four of my “ifs” is what the ‘21 and ‘22 Missouri squads did in consecutive 6-7 seasons, so I guess it’s an improvement that this team only hit 4 “ifs” but managed 8 wins.
Now that dynamite defense is getting a hard reset and the offense – which was kind of bad by design due to the overwhelming amount of portal players in starting positions – will most likely still be bad after losing most of then starters and needed more portal players to step up.
But, hey, that’s a problem to discuss later.
