Mizzou football could've taken a big step. It went backward instead: 10 thoughts after MU's loss to Kansas State

MANHATTAN, Kansas — Missouri football was decimated by Kansas State in a pivotal non-conference game this early in the season.

Here are 10 thoughts from the ugly, awful, no-good loss to Kansas State on Saturday.

1. This was what everything led to. Mizzou had no answer on offense.

For months, this was the game that would tell us where the 2022 Missouri Tigers are.

It would be a test on which MU can base the rest of its season. That test was a dud. Missouri couldn't do anything offensively, the Kansas State running game ran rampant and the special teams consistently failed the team.

For as much as Drinkwitz believes he has the right players on this team to win games, none of that showed Saturday. There wasn't one playmaker that did anything outstanding.

Against Louisiana Tech, three players intercepted passes. Luther Burden made electric plays. The coaches made adjustments.

More: How everything went wrong in Mizzou football's blowout loss to Kansas State

Against Kansas State, I can say the coaches made adjustments on the defensive side of the ball. The defense held the Wildcats' offense in the third quarter as best it could, but the game went from 20-3 to 26-6 entering the final frame.

In the fourth, the defense folded. Two touchdowns turned the game into a full-on rout.

The offense was nowhere to be found after a third-quarter field goal made it 20-6. That's troubling with Drinkwitz's identity as an offensive mind.

Even Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman knew the weather would throw off the offensive game plan a bit. Sure, coaches want to swing the ball around and play loose, but the rain took away some of the speed plays. So, he served Missouri Deuce Vaughn.

"It just wasn't meant to be today. It was neutralized because of the weather," Klieman said. "It became, 'okay guys, let's not make a mistake.'"

The thorough disconnect began with the issues running the football (57 yards on 21 carries from the Tigers' running backs) and came full circle with the inability to connect on deep passes. Brady Cook and Jack Abraham couldn't do either when they both were in the game.

There was no sign of a consistent attempt to get Luther Burden the ball, there wasn't any creativity to players like Nate Peat and there wasn't much of an attempt to get players like Tyler Stephens involved.

It doesn't matter who Missouri is playing. That's not a recipe for winning games in general, let alone in the SEC.

In a season where Missouri was expecting to be winning, or close to winning, games against teams like Kansas State it was outclassed, even after retooling its roster and refining its coaching staff.

Missouri isn't good enough. Its next chance at redemption is Sept. 24 at Auburn.

"One game doesn't define a season," Drinkwitz said. "We'll be back."

2. There was still a chance to get back in the game.

Giving the defense all the credit it's due, the unit gave the Tigers a chance to actually be competitive. MU wasn't worth very much all game, but whatever it was worth it was because of the defense.

In the third quarter, trailing 20-6, Missouri had its chance to build some its worth on the offensive end.

"Our defense in the third quarter kept us in the game," Drinkwitz said. "It's still a three-possession game until that last interception. They kept going out and battling, so absolutely. Our defense did a nice job."

A defensive stop led to a Kansas State punt. That's the beginning of the end.

The KSU punt landed at about the MU 10-yard line. Kris Abrams-Draine decided not to field the punt and it landed at the 3-yard line. Add in a block in the back flag and the Tigers were backed up on their own goal line.

As Cook stood in the end zone ready for the snap. If MU was to cut the lead to 20-13, it would need to go 99 yards for a touchdown. Instead, the first play was Cook forcing a deep pass down the middle for an interception.

The Cook interception was it.

"The better team just won today," linebacker Chad Bailey said.

More: How bad was the offense? Grading Mizzou football's performance against Kansas State

3. After that, it was over. Nothing Mizzou could have done would have helped.

That interception was the first of four-straight drives that ended in an interception for MU.

The Kansas State defensive line was a terror, led by star defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The MU offensive line couldn't consistently hold the line.

Once KSU began forcing Cook and Abraham to airmail throws over the middle, Kansas State had the two exactly where it wanted the Missouri offense.

The MU defense was on the field for so long, that perhaps even an NFL defense might have folded.

"One's going to pop," Vaughn said. "Just keep pounding away."

There was much Drinkwitz liked about his defense in the third quarter. He commended their effort in keeping the team in the game. But, that only goes so far when the end result was 20 second-half points.

From there, it was a slow, painful death for MU for a quarter and a half.

"The defense held them," Drinkwitz said. "We just put our defense back against the wall."

Whatever MU game planned for was obsolete, which was obvious. The first attempt at any kind of change was putting Abraham in for a spark, something that can work in the right situation.

They needed to be prepared for that situation, and Drinkwitz said he was surprised by the result because he believed MU was prepared.

"My instincts on that were wrong," Drinkwitz said.

4. Decision-making remains a work in progress for the quarterbacks

After defeating Louisiana Tech, Drinkwitz said he would've liked to see Cook make better decisions and make the right reads on specific passes.

Cook did that in the first quarter, reading defenses and choosing the times when to throw, scramble or duck and run. That led to a field goal on the opening drive and an early lead.

Later in the game, however, those decisions turned into turnovers but they also put Cook in harm's way.

There were multiple times where protection on the line would break down, and Cook would make a move out of the pocket that would result in a huge hit.

In the third quarter, Cook was hit so hard he had the wind knocked out of him and he had to leave the game for a play. He came back after a play and threw an interception.

That wasn't the first time Cook took off into a sea of defenders. He did it in the first half and paid the price.

I'm all for Cook displaying toughness; playing scared is an easy way to get beat consistently. But, smart running is an art. Or else he's just unecesssarily risking his body for a four-yard scramble.

More: Missouri football: 3 takeaways from Saturday's lopsided loss at Kansas State

The same sentiment goes for Abraham, where one of his two interceptions was thrown into double coverage. It was an underthrown ball, which is understandable for a guy who came off the bench cold.

Cook is the guy going forward. He'll probably build some better rapport next week at home against Abilene Christian.

"Offensively, we got to do a whole heck of a lot more," Drinkwitz said. "We sure as heck can't turn it over four times."

5. When does Sam Horn get a thought?

Even after swapping back and forth, Drinkwitz said he didn't consider swapping in freshman Sam Horn.

I agree, there's no point in throwing the kid to the wolves on an afternoon where nothing was working. If confidence was something Horn was building this offseason, allowing Kansas State to rip him apart would've made that obsolete.

Drinkwitz said Horn was ahead of where he expected him to be in preseason camp, which is good.

"Sam Horn has done an excellent job since he's been here," Drinkwitz said on Aug, 10. "He is a lot further ahead than I kind of expected to be honest."

The redshirt rule adds a wrinkle in how much Horn can play this year, as if he plays a minute more than just four games then he burns a whole year of eligibility. But I still expect to see Horn at some point this season.

I never expected to see him in meaningful minutes this season, but after yesterday seeing Horn in meaningful minutes got more likely.

6. The last touchdown was as obsolete as it felt, except for Cody Schrader

The difference between a 40-6 and 40-12 score might be a little bit of pride.

If anything, it was nice that Cody Schrader scored that touchdown. It's clear how proud he is of just playing at this level, and the touchdown means Schrader has scored a rushing touchdown in 14-straight college football games.

This dates back to his Truman State days. The last game Schrader didn't rush for a touchdown was on April 24, 2021, against the University of Indianapolis.

7. Mizzou makes note during a wild day of college football for all the wrong reasons.

As it is every weekend, there's more than just Missouri football playing across the country.

This day, specifically, was a doozy.

Saturday was the same day Nebraska suffered another embarrassment. Three AP top-10 teams lost. A post-Mike Leach Washington State team emerged and downed No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers. It was a day that'll be remembered at the end of the 2022 season.

For Missouri? While everyone who watched the upsets and big wins around the county and asked "How did that happen?"

Those who watched Kansas State dismantle MU might've simply asked "How did that happen?"

There's a difference in the emphasis. That shouldn't be happening in year three with a team specifically built to counteract the struggles the Tigers faced last season.

8. The SEC continued to be relentless Saturday. That's changed my thoughts for Mizzou's future.

Prior to Saturday, you could have convinced me that an 8-4 season was on the table for the Tigers.

Four must-have wins are there — Louisiana Tech, Abilene Christian, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State — and there were four other toss-up games, too. There was Kentucky, after a shaky Week 1 performance against Miami (Ohio), Arkansas, Auburn and South Carolina.

Don't ask me why I thought Kentucky was one of those toss-ups. Any idea of that notion went out the window when the Wildcats beat Florida in the swamp.

Missouri needs to rectify major offensive issues before it can even think about scoring more than 20 points on an SEC team as Kentucky did against Florida. One of those UK touchdowns, however, was a pick-six.

I was originally thinking Missouri could have a 7-5, 8-4 season, only because Drinkwitz knew what the problem was, addressed it during the offseason and showed it in Week 1. Obviously, the status now is that Missouri isn't good enough right now to compete with teams like Kansas State.

That makes you wonder where Kansas State would fall in the SEC standings. MU falls way behind that.

More: Is Mizzou considering a QB change? What Eli Drinkwitz said after losing to Kansas State

9. At this point last year, major changes were on the horizon

The last time Missouri was outclassed on a football field was when Tennessee came to Faurot Field.

The Volunteers embarrassed the Tigers with a fast-paced running attack and a vertical passing game. The defense was exposed, specifically the defensive line.

The next day, MU fired Jethro Franklin. A major change had occurred. It's fair to wonder what would lead to the next major change after Saturday's game.

There needs to be something, even if it's as simple as Drinkwitz reopening the depth chart, which was also something he did after the Tennessee game.

Games against Kansas State aren't games Drinkwitz needs to win. Those games are the Louisiana Tech, Abilene Christian, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State games, where Missouri is expected to be heavily favored and build MU toward bowl eligibility.

MU has to want to win that game, and the want is there. It has to be or else there are much bigger problems at play. Tigers weren't good enough, and to be good enough MU needs a change.

I don't think any drastic changes are coming. But I can think of one change, as unlikely as it is.

10. Should Drinkwitz hand off play calling? That idea is complicated.

The idea ran rampant all throughout social media during and after the loss. Should Drinkwitz hire an offensive coordinator to try and ignite a stagnant offense?

That's an idea, and maybe it is one Drinkwitz should ponder but I think that's one to ponder after the season. It's Week 2, and there's room for growth with an entire team, let alone Drinkwitz himself.

But having him hand off play-calling duties this early in the year would ruin any continuity the team has built.

Plus, if he were to hand play calling to another person it wouldn't be to a brand new hire. That would take time to find, hire and install. It would most likely go to someone that's has previous play-calling experience.

Bush Hamdan has had experience calling plays. So has Jacob Peeler. If it were to be anyone, it would be Hamdan, who has experience as an offensive coordinator at Washington, Arkansas State and Davidson and someone that Drinkwitz has immense respect for.

Could that happen? Perhaps, especially if the offense continues to output games like it had against Kansas State.

Saturday was abysmal. But, Drinkwitz is allowed a chance to redeem himself.

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou football: 10 thoughts after Mizzou's loss to Kansas State