Is it fair to view Mizzou's loss to Alabama as similar to its smackdown against Texas A&M?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.

Eli Drinkwitz doesnt want you to compare this loss to the Texas A&M one.

Seriously.

His Tigers (6-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) have lost two games this season, both this month.

One was 41-10 to the Aggies, the other was 34-0 to Alabama on Saturday.

Both defeats came via conference foes on the road, in some of the nations biggest stadiums.

Both were smackdowns, out of hand solidly before their scores were final.

Both saw Mizzous offense struggle to ignite in any meaningful way or prompt fashion.

Both call into question the ceiling of this years wait, this is the thing he doesnt want to do be done.

No, I didnt see any similarities, Drinkwitz said of the two scars on MUs 2024 record.

I saw three turnovers.

I saw a bunch of guys, beat to crap, that went out there and fought their butt off.

It wasnt anything similar to Texas A&M at all.

It was 13-nothing at halftime because of an interception.

We fought our butt off.

Any other conversation outside thats ridiculous.

Woah, woah, woah.

This story must be ridiculous, then, because there must be some common denominators between the Tigers worst showings of the year and the fact that they came within a few weeks of each other.

But first, to his point: Unlike against A&M, Missouris defense had a solid game against Bama.

Like Drinkwitz mentioned, the Tigers trailed by only 13 points at halftime and seven of those points were fairly attributable to an interception thrown by backup quarterback Drew Pyne that gave the Tide the ball just 35 yards away from the end zone.

On drives that didnt start with an Alabama interception, the Mizzou defense held the hosts to two touchdowns and two field goals.

Of course, any points allowed at all would have been too much for the Tigers offense to surmount, but that seems like a competitive showing under the circumstances and the Crimson Tides offensive talent.

Proud of our defense, the way they came out and fought, Drinkwitz said.

Thought they gave us an opportunity to stay in the game.

There were even parts of the defense that were good outside of the game context.

Alabama was just two for nine on third downs and faced an average distance of 9.4 yards to gain in those situations.

For what makes that different from the Texas A&M game: The Aggies converted seven of 12 third downs in that contest.

Mizzou benefitted from some individual playmaking on third downs against Bama.

Cornerback Nicholas Deloach Jr.

made a nice play from the slot corner position, gaining ground at the last moment on his coverage assignment to knock a pass away.

Defensive end Johnny Walker Jr.

had two sacks, both of which came on third downs.

I dont think nobody gave up, Walker said.

Just kept fighting, kept pushing.

Thats really it.

Also different from the A&M loss is the dominant offensive storyline for the Tigers: In College Station, there were questions about whether quarterback Brady Cook was hurt.

In Tuscaloosa, there was X-ray proof that Cook was not just injured but doubly so, playing through a high ankle sprain before exiting with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

But back to these ridiculous parallels.

In both the A&M and Alabama losses, Mizzou was held to 254 or fewer yards of total offense and 15 or fewer first downs.

The Tigers lowest yardage total in a win this season is the 353 they gained against Auburn last weekend.

The fewest first downs theyve picked up in a victory is 20, also from that game against Auburn.

And given where the Auburn game falls on the schedule right in between these conference defeats the stats show a step backward in conference play for this Missouri team.

For a niche similarity: Both games were broadcasted nationally on ABC.

And for this Mizzou team, the process of how those games were lost might not matter much anymore.

Results do, and those outcomes were the same: defeats that diminish MUs national reputation.

A bid for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff is now a longshot at best.

The Tigers have probably bid their yearlong stint in the AP Top 25 adieu too, for that matter.

There are questions about health from Cook to running back Nate Noel, who missed the game with a foot injury and what the Missouri offense can actually accomplish and what teams the Tigers can actually beat.

Naturally, thats a bit cynical for a coach to voice after the game.

On the other side of next weeks bye, Drinkwitz said he sees four SEC games, still a potential to finish with a double-digit win season.

But thats not the potential that was there for this program before its two losses this year to date two losses that, similar or different, have changed the course of a promising Missouri season..

This article has been shared from the original article on stltoday, here is the link to the original article.