How the Missouri Offense Plans to Fix Penalty Issues

The Missouri Tigers' offense has drawn 16 penalties in the first two games of the season.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) readies for the snap against the Murray State Racers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In contrast to their defense, the Missouri Tigers' offense has had efficient but not explosive nor completely clean play through two weeks.

The unit has been charged with 16 penalties through the first two games, up from its average of just 4.2 penalties last season. Though some of the flags Missouri is drawing early on can be attributed to early season rust, the Tigers' offense only drew nine penalties in the first two games of 2023.

Against Buffalo, the Tigers' cleats and mouth guards were far from the only yellow gear hitting the field. Nine penalties were called on the Missouri offense, the highest mark for the offense in a single game since week 3 of 2022.

"10 penalties is always going to be an issue," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said after the game. "We had three called back because we either weren't on or we had too many people on. Those are self inflicted wounds that got to get cleaned up"

One, a false start on center Connor Tollison, on the first drive turned a 3rd-and-1 to a 3rd-and-6 that Missouri was unable to convert, stalling the drive and causing kicker Blake Craig to put his leg to work.

Seven of Missouri's offensive penalties have come on false starts. Another six have come from holdings. Drinkwitz believes the solution is offensive linemen knowing when its time to give up on blocks.

"We got to learn to let go when the ball's got leverage," Drinkwitz said Tuesday, "just when a defender is broken away, we cannot continue to engage the jersey of the defender. There were three of those that were clear calls, easy calls that are something that we have to correct. You appreciate guys playing with effort and energy, but they got to know when it's across the line."

Three of the holding calls have been called on left guard Cayden Green, a transfer from Oklahoma. The challenge of simply letting go is counterintuitive to the brute mindset required to play in the trenches.

“Up front, our mentality is, we’re trying to finish people all the time," Green said in a press conference Tuesday. "Sometimes we go a little bit overboard. We just got to work on not going so overboard.”

Avoiding holding penalties can also come down to minute, intententional technical decisions.

“We just got to work on getting our hands inside," Green s We talked to refs before the game and during the week so we can see kind of what kind of officiating we’re dealing with. ... Work on getting hands inside and finishing blocks but not finishing in a bad position.”

Though holding penalties have a simple fix to them, Missouri has also been called for costly, avoidable alignment penalties. The Tigers have been called for two illegal formation penalties and one ineligible man downfield penalty. Drinkwitz did not shy away from taking accountability for those.

"Quite honestly, the alignment penalties are just embarrassing," Drinkwitz said Tuesday after the week 2 game. "As the head football coach, that's on me. That's undisciplined football for me to allow that to happen."

Missouri has been able to get away with sloppy play and penalties haven't costed them any significant yet. But it will need to clean up its play this week when it takes on No. 24 Boston College at 11:45 a.m. at Faurot Field.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

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Kickoff Time Announced for Mizzou's Week 4 Game Against Vanderbilt

Missouri Defense Adds to Program History, Playing as Connected Unit