The Tigers changed their stripes in Saturday’s opener at Wyoming, a stunning 37-31 defeat that’s sure to stoke concerns about a defense that can’t seem to get out of its own way. Wyoming ran the ball 42 times for 297 yards, and while 136 of those yards came on two plays, the Cowboys looked more physical along the line of scrimmage for long stretches. Against a Cowboys team that only bothers throwing the ball on occasion and instead relies on motion and misdirection plays to create mismatches in the running game, the Tigers looked bamboozled.
After stuffing the run consistently in the first quarter, Missouri’s defense buckled on a 61-yard touchdown run by Xazavian Valladay in the second quarter.