3 Things to Know About Mizzou's Matchup with the UMass Minutemen

With the Tigers sixth opponent on the horizon, here are three quick items to know about the Minutemen.

Oct 14, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh (3) looks to the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The No. 21 Missouri Tigers take on an interesting UMass Minutemen squad for their sixth matchup of the 2024 season. It seems like a questionable matchup for the middle of the Tigers' season, but it now presents as one that is more important than initially realized. Coming off a 41-10 loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers need a big-time response.

UMass poses an interesting challenge for the Tigers, especially on the road at McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Sitting at 1-5 with their lone win against Central Connecticut and multiple close losses to MAC opponents, UMass could arguable have two more wins on their record. They get the chance to play a top-25 team at their home field, one they may not get again for a while.

With that, here are three quick facts Missouri football fans need to know about their Week 7 opponent.

Another versatile quarterback

At the helm of the Minutemen offense is sixth-year quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. This is his third team and the first where he's had a true opportunity. He threw for only 217 yards in his first four seasons with the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but went for 1,507 last year and is at 1,280 already this season.

Oct 14, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh (3) looks to throw a pass during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Massachusetts 63-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Phommachanh also proves a threat on the ground, which seems to be a common theme for quarterbacks the Tigers face. He has 253 yards on the ground so far this season with a lone touchdown to pair with it. Standing at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Phommachanh is a powerful, downhill runner that's hard to bring down.

"He's playing his best ball," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said this week. "Accurate thrower, very good. He's their leading rusher also. So, he's a dual-threat quarterback. For us defensively, we're going to have our hands full."

Now, from the fourth game in a row, the Tigers take on a dual-threat quarterback. Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and his unit of players should have it figured out now when it comes to stopping these dual threat quarterbacks and have four games of mobile quarterback tape to draw from. Phommachanh runs similar to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, but is not as effective a thrower as the others.

Variety of receiving threats

The Minutemen have four receivers with over 100 receiving yards so far this season. Senior receiver Jakobie Keeney-James is the leader of the four, with 462 yards and three touchdowns to start the season. He leads the team in yards-after-catch with 157 as well, with a 61.5% catch rate. Keeney-James will be the receiving target that draws the most attention from the Tiger seconary.

Next on the list of four is T.Y. Harding, a short and quick receiving threat for the Minutemen. With 198 receiving yards and three touchdowns, Harding leads the team in yards-per-reception with 24.8. He's struggled after the catch this season with only 69 yards after.

Sophomore Jacquon Gibson is right behind with 193 yards, but remains without a touchdown through six games. This presents as his best receiving season of his two-year career, but he's only caught slightly over 50% of his 31 targets. Sterling Galban sits at 163 yards on the season, also currently without a touchdown. He's been targeted the third most times out of any Minutemen receiver with a 65.4% catch rate.

Lack of pass rush

Through its first six games, the Minutemen only have accumulated five total sacks. No player has more than one sack and as a team, they've only pressured the quarterback 28 times as a team. Kansas City, Missouri native Etinosa Reuben has the Minutemen's highest Pro Football Focus pass rushing grade, adding six tackles and four quarterback pressures to his statline.

The defensive line has truly struggled to get to the opposing quarterback, as only two of their five team sacks have come on the front line of the defense. Defensive ends Sahnai Swain-Prince and Louce Julien are the only two to actually reach the quarterback so far. They only have three pressures between the two players, with Swain-Prince boasting a 0% win rate and Julien a 7.5% win rate.

The defensive back blitz packages the Minutement dial up have been semi-effective to this date, with safeties Jadrian Gibbs and Jalen Harrell able to apply some pressure. Cornerback Lake Ellis has one of the highest pass-rushing grades on the team as well, accoriding to PFF. Those are three names that could sneakily shake things up on the defensive side of the ball who might not get a ton of attention.

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