​Rephrased: My November 15, 2025, piece from Columbia, Missouri, USA, about the Missouri Tigers players and cheerleaders rushing onto Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium before their game with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The article’s inspiration sprang from two sources. Just over a week earlier, EA College Football 27 released its team ratings, and Missouri was tied for eighth-best in offense. Pair that with the upcoming Fourth of July weekend, and the excitement of offensive fireworks on the field sparked a question: what would it take for Mizzou to rise to one of the nation’s elite offenses in 2026?
In 2025, the Tigers boasted one of the nation’s top defenses. Offensively, they ran the ball well enough to finish 8-5, but several factors prevented the unit from reaching a higher ceiling. This isn’t simply about needing a star quarterback like Arch Manning or a playmaking receiver like Jeremiah Smith to hit offensive goals. Three years ago, I explored what it would take for Missouri to make a leap similar to TCU’s; this time I’m examining what common traits the most well-rounded offenses employed in 2025.
A stronger emphasis on a downfield passing attack
I touched on this a few weeks ago: Missouri’s downfield passing game was virtually non-existent, even by old Big Ten West standards. To expand: the Tigers ranked 16th in SEC completions and attempts on passes 20-plus yards. Three of the five teams at the top of that list—Mississippi, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt—were among the top ten scoring units in the nation, while Alabama and Texas also reached the College Football Playoff. Looking at the full FBS picture, the top-scoring teams had notable downfield production: North Texas posted 19 completions on 49 attempts for 758 yards and 8 touchdowns with 1 interception; Notre Dame went 27 of 61 for 961 yards and 8 touchdowns with 0 interceptions; Indiana went 29 of 55 for 955 yards and 11 touchdowns with 1 interception. The old-school maxim by Bruce Arians—“No risk it, no biscuit”—fits Missouri’s need for a more explosive offense, a must if 2026 aims to be a top unit.
Limiting the negative-drive–killing plays at the quarterback position
Continuing with the passing game and quarterback play, Missouri’s quarterbacks were sacked 28 times over 13 games in 2025 (2.2 sacks per game). That pace ranked 8th in the SEC, despite the team recording the second-fewest passing attempts in the conference and sitting 105th nationally in sacks allowed. We often blame the offensive line for sacks, but the truth is more nuanced. Of Missouri’s 28 sacks, only about 42% were credited to non–quarterbacks. Only three SEC programs had a lower share of sacks attributed to non-QB sources—Florida, Oklahoma, and Georgia—though Georgia’s sample size was smaller.