10 thoughts on Mizzou's win over New Mexico State

Missouri football got back into the win column on Saturday. Here are 10 thoughts on Missouri's 45-14 win over a New Mexico State, bringing the Tigers within one win of a bowl berth.

1. What did we learn about Mizzou? Absolutely nothing.

Brady Cook likes to scramble. Luther Burden can score from anywhere on the field. The defense excels at keeping teams not named Tennessee out of the end zone.

That was on display Saturday night.

We didn't learn anything new. We saw a team take care of business. That's all that you could ask for with this team ahead of the most important game of the season.

If you had to nail down two objectives for Missouri against New Mexico State, it was to take care of business and stay healthy. The Tigers did so by easily handling an Aggies team they were expected to.

The second objective left a little to be desired.

2. Multiple injuries have the spotlight after one game.

Isaiah McGuire, Ty'ron Hopper, Joseph Charleston, Kris Abrams-Draine and Barrett Banister all left the game Saturday with an injury. None of them returned.

It wasn't a glaring issue Saturday. MU probably could have handily beaten NMSU with its second-string players, and it would still have been a four-score game.

But, this puts some of the best players MU has in the "questionable" designation for Friday's game against Arkansas. Not only is it a rivalry game, bringing the Battle Line Rivalry back into the discussion, but it's also the chance for MU to earn bowl eligibility with a sixth win.

Those players are the ones head coach Eli Drinkwitz and MU fans want out on the field.

Charleston and Abrams-Draine represent 2/5ths of the secondary, Hopper is arguably MU's best defensive player, McGuire is arguably MU's best defensive lineman and Banister is the guy responsible for basically all of MU's third-down conversions. Kidding, mostly.

Drinkwitz didn't have an update on where their health was after the game. That will become clear when MU releases its injury report later in the week.

Needless to say, if those five players can't go then MU will have an uphill climb.

Recovery is always something players need to focus on after a game. It's never more important when the season is potentially on the line.

3. Be excited about the youth, but they proved they need time.

Finally, Sam Horn got his first snaps at quarterback. Tavorus Jones, Marquis Gracial and more also got playing time Saturday.

Thankfully, MU was able to get up on a team enough to allow the likes of the younger players to earn that playing time. Drinkwitz wanted to do it against Vanderbilt, but that wasn't in the cards.

Still, it was a boon these players weren't playing any real meaningful minutes. They aren't ready, and while that skill can translate over into an exciting future Saturday was their first step. Drinkwitz was watching like a hawk.

"I thought some of those guys handled it really well," Drinkwitz said. "I think there's some guys out there that probably didn't take advantage of the opportunity the way that they needed to. And they're going to look back and point it out on tape, maybe they were huddling back next to the heaters too much instead of having a mindset on the game."

This can be said for guys like Horn and Jones.

The freshmen duo played well and showed some exciting bright spots, but Horn had a miss that led to Barrett Banister getting nailed on a crossing route and Jones had a fumble that NMSU recovered.

Playing quarterback isn't easy, especially in the SEC. But, Horn has to learn he can find ways to keep his receivers from getting hit like that. Those kinds of passes are very casually called "hospital passes" for a reason.

Jones, who is assumedly joining the rushing rotation next year with Nate Peat's graduation, can't lose a fumble in the fourth quarter. That's backbreaking for a team that struggles on offense as it is.

Still, Jones ran a really sweet seam route for his first-career reception and Horn had a perfectly placed touch pass that moved the offense to the two-yard line. That pass play was called back due to a penalty, but Horn made the throw look effortless.

These guys will be competing for a starting job next year at the earliest. That's exciting. Just remember they need to learn a lot during spring ball if they want to be full-time starters.

4. Cook's sly advice to Horn

Seeing your eventual replacement take the field to raucous cheers must feel weird for a player like Cook, but he was a good sport about it.

He gave Horn some crucial advice before his first collegiate snaps.

"I just told him, 'Hey, make sure you catch the snap first,'" Cook said. "'Just go out there and ball like you always do.'"

This was Cook's season. He has piloted MU's offense through the highs and the lows, and it'll be Cook's arm that will be leading the Tigers this Friday with a chance to earn a bowl berth. The only way he'll be benched is if he implodes under center.

Cook has proved he's moved past backbreaking interceptions. He had a head-scratching fumble against Kentucky, but didn't commit a turnover against South Carolina, Tennessee and New Mexico. Cook has also utilized his legs more as a scrambler.

It's fair to say he's earned a chance to compete next year for the starting quarterback job but Horn will have all the opportunities to earn that same job, and frankly might even be the favorite to win it outright.

5. Playcalling duties have reportedly been given to Bush Hamdan. Credit Drinkwitz.

Drinkwitz's career hasn't been the slowest developing train.

He went from offensive coordinator to head coach at Appalachian State in 2019, then from being a head coach in the Sun Belt to head coach in the SEC after just one year.

The shift hasn't been easy. There's been a lot Drinkwitz has had to find out about himself as he grows into the job. That took another turn as Drinkwitz has reportedly given play-calling duties to Bush Hamdan.

Powermizzou.com and On3 first reported the move, as Hamdan has reportedly called the offensive plays the last two Saturdays. That's part of Drinkwitz's growth, as he passed quarterback coaching duties to Hamdan this past offseason, too.

Drinkwitz's growth also plays into his trust in Hamdan, as the two spent time together at Arkansas State.

"He's an outstanding person," Drinkwitz said in August. "He runs the offense on a day-to-day basis when I can't be in there. There's no doubt he's one of the best coaches in the county in my opinion."

Drinkwitz's praise for Hamdan is high. It's clear how much he trusts Hamdan. I can't imagine it was easy to hand off coaching quarterbacks, or even play calling, but Drinkwitz would only do that to someone he knows he can trust.

It's why Hamdan is a crucial part of this staff.

"I think in the past, Mizzou has had a lot of good assistant coaches who have gone on to have unbelievable carers: Andy Reid, Marty Mornhinweg, Dirk Koetter," Drinkwitz said in August. "I think 10 years, 15 years, we'll look back and say the same thing about Bush Hamdan."

6. The tight ends heard what was said. Saturday, they proved they can be a well-functioning unit.

Ryan Hoerstkamp said he never took the diatribe about the Missouri tight ends personally. That takes a healthy amount of mental strength.

Nearly everyone with an opinion on Missouri football has said that MU needed more out of its tight ends this season. I even said it too in a previous edition of this column.

It got to the point where I wondered if any of the tight ends on Missouri's roster were even worth waiting for this season. Hoerstkamp proved me, and many, wrong.

"There's a lot of people that talk things and say things," Hoerstkamp said. "We know what we can do."

It wasn't a perfect game by any means, but Hoerstkamp did what a tight end should have been doing for MU all season. He blocked well, and acted as a key safety valve for Brady Cook in the passing game.

His first-career touchdown came on a play where he wasn't the first read. But, he has been the target on that play a few times in practice and knew to be ready. Hoerstkamp took a short check down and went 32 yards for a touchdown.

The rotation at tight end this year with Tyler Stephens and Kibet Chepyator left a bit to be desired, especially when Daniel Parker Jr. and Niko Hea were both integral parts of MU's offense last year.

Stephens, a transfer from Buffalo, had the most experience but struggled with fumbles and drops before an injury kept him out of the game Saturday. Chepyator is more a blocker than a receiver, limiting the impact expected of him in the passing game.

Stephens did catch a touchdown in the near upset of Georgia, and Chepyator has been involved in pass plays, too. But, it hadn't been enough. Saturday was a chance for Hoerstkamp to prove nay-sayers wrong, and he did. He did his job, took what was given and showed the ability to do more with what he was given.

Doing that was a step forward for the tight ends, which get even better with four-star Brett Norfleet joining the unit next year.

"Definitely feels good," Hoerstkamp said. "Everybody's just working every day, getting in there, trying to do their best."

7. Daylan Carnell's home at the star

I love a good double entendre, or a double meaning.

Daylan Carnell fits that by being in the star position in Blake Baker's defense.

He's already been responsible for four turnovers this season. He's recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes and returned his latest pick for a touchdown against New Mexico State.

Carnell has fit into the star position and is on the cusp of being a star himself. Starting star Martez Manuel is departing after this year and leaves a hole Carnell can fill.

"Martez has been big, especially as part of my development," Carnell said. "Tremendous guy, tremendous leader, I really can't thank him enough."

Manuel's leadership can resonate with Carnell because of how Carnell has settled into the star position. Before, he played around different cornerback and safety positions. Settling at star allows him to focus on one position.

Carnell said the process of growing into the star position started back in the spring, and it was just something the coaching staff thought was natural for him.

"I just really grew into it," Carnell said. "Coach Baker always tells me it was made for me with my size and my ability to tackle."

Drinkwitz has a third-down package where he can play both Manuel and Carnell, but other than that he lamented not being able to play them at the same time since they're playing the same position.

He'll have a chance to see Carnell full-time once he gets a chance to take over the star position next season.

"You wish you could find a way to get both of them on the field at the same time," Drinkwitz said. "Daylan's done a good job."

8. Arkansas makes no sense, but that's a fitting challenge for Mizzou.

Arkansas lost to Liberty, got whipped by Mississippi State and lost to a struggling Texas A&M team earlier in the season.

Arkansas also beat up BYU, fought to the wire with LSU and is coming off an upset on Ole Miss. Who can make sense of what the Razorbacks are right now at 6-5? For Missouri, it's the next opponent.

KJ Jefferson is still at quarterback. Bumper Pool is still at linebacker. Those two are all-SEC players in their own right and were big reasons Arkansas beat Missouri last year.

Receiver Treylon Burks is a Tennessee Titan but Raheim Sanders rushed for 232 and three touchdowns in the upset win over Ole Miss. MU will have its hands full.

It depends on which Arkansas travels to Columbia: the one which struggled with Texas A&M, or the one that gave LSU everything it could handle and blew out BYU on the road. The Hogs teams that lost to Liberty and Mississippi State were also without Jefferson.

If Jefferson plays, expect Arkansas to play MU close.

9. Academic Progress Rate is in Mizzou's favor

Before the season, all 130 teams across college football receive their academic progress rate. Or, APR. Or, that thing that allows five-win teams to slide into a bowl game.

Missouri is currently tied for fourth overall in the SEC among APR rankings. MU is tied for 27th overall among the 130 teams in the country in APR numbers.

There are currently 73 bowl-eligible teams for the 82 remaining open bowl games. Missouri is one of six Power 5 teams currently sitting at five wins. Missouri has the APR advantage.

Tied at 27th overall with Missouri are five-win Auburn and five-win Michigan State. Those three are ahead of Georgia Tech, Miami and Vanderbilt.

All this to say, Missouri has a good chance of making a bowl game as it stands.

10. A reset on all potential bowl games.

Let's factor out where Missouri is not going to go. The Tigers will not go to the College Football Playoff, nor will they go to a New Year's Six bowl game.

That leaves a selection of games from the pool of six bowl games: AutoZone Liberty Bowl (vs Big 12), Mercari Texas Bowl vs (Big 12), ReliaQuest Bowl (vs Big Ten or ACC), SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (vs Pac-12), TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (vs ACC) or TransPerfect Music City Bowl (vs Big Ten).

There are also the bowls that ESPN will choose: TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl (vs American Athletic) and Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (vs AAC, ACC, or Pac-12).

A win over Arkansas likely slots MU in one of the last few games in the pool of six, where the SEC chooses where MU will play. A loss vs. the Razorbacks might relegate the Tigers to either the Gasparilla Bowl or Birmingham Bowl.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 10 thoughts on Mizzou's win over New Mexico State