Tigers Coach Blake Baker: Defense Has 'Some Things to Clean Up' Ahead of Auburn Game

Baker discussed the defense's effort through three games and how they can improve ahead of Auburn.

It will be a Tiger-on-Tiger matchup, as the Missouri Tigers are set to hit the road to take on the Auburn Tigers to start SEC play. However, which Missouri team shows up on Saturday will play a large part in whether or not they can start 1-0 in conference play as opposed to 0-1. 

In the Tigers' two wins this season against Louisiana Tech and Abilene Christian, the defense has looked impressive, only allowing 20.5 points and 326 yards of total offense per game. However, in their loss to Kansas State, they gave up 40 points on 336 yards of total offense.

Through three games, defensive coordinator Blake Baker has been impressed with the Tigers' defensive performances but acknowledged that they still have room for improvement ahead of conference play.

"There's some things we have to clean up," Baker said. "The big message is showing these guys there's spurts in every single game where we've been absolutely dominant and then there's spurts where we give up bonehead plays."

"We have to put it together for 60 minutes." 

If the Tigers can play with the same defensive effort against Auburn as they did in their two wins, they could leave Saturday with a victory. Making that effort easier for Missouri is the fact that Auburn's starting quarterback, TJ Finley, has been ruled out for Saturday. 

The Tigers have the pieces on defense to put it all together, now it just comes down to whether or not they can on a consistent basis against SEC opponents. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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