COLLEGE STATION, Tx. – The Missouri Tigers looked bad on several fronts today. They didn’t put any points on the board until there were 5:06 left in the third quarter and trailed 24-0 by the end of the first half. While the offense failed to maintain their promise, the defense played its worst 60 minutes of the season.

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz took full responsibility for the Tigers’ 41-10 loss and the performances on both sides of the ball. Allowing that many points against a high-powered offense is not a recipe for success in a talented conference.

“We didn’t do much good today on the defensive side of the ball,” Drinkwitz said.

Pinpointing a good part of the Tiger defense is a challenge. On the ground, eight total rushers combined for 236 yards and all five touchdowns scored. The best of the bunch was Le’Veon Moss, who totaled 138 yards and three touchdowns. Moss had just 54 yards in the first half, with a touchdown to show for it.

It was Amari Daniels who got off to a hot start, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game and breaking open a 25-yard run for the second-longest Aggie play of the quarter. He continued his run with a 1-yard touchdown run. Daniels scored again about 10 minutes later and stayed quiet for the rest of the game.

Moss was just getting started. On the first play of the second half, he broke away from all the Tiger defenders in his vicinity and sprinted for a 75-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 31-0. This long run was demoralizing for the Tigers and perhaps put the nail in the coffin.

Quarterback Conner Weigman showed his athleticism on the ground, converting a key third down and escaping the pocket in other situations. He finished with 33 yards on five carries and finished as the Aggies’ third-leading rusher.

The Tiger defense was no better at defending the pass. Weigman passed for 276 yards, but the most striking thing was that no one could reach him. Weigman was only rushed three times and sacked once, and none of those seemed to have much of an impact. He had all the time in the world to find his receivers, which he did frequently and efficiently. Weigman’s performance as a whole was hard to stop.

“He was very accurate today, did a great job scrambling and threw the ball extremely well,” Drinkwitz said. “We were never able to make him feel uncomfortable.

The lack of pressure not only limited their chances to get back on the attack, but also potentially cost them the match. Weigman’s returning ability to convert on third down and the time he had to do so could be attributed to both the lack of pressure and a strong performance from the Aggie offensive line.

The Tiger defensive line struggled in one-on-one situations and couldn’t win from the rim. The Aggie front five made it a nightmare to get to their quarterback, but Williams and his teammates around him had to do more to generate pressure.

“We need to attack our influence more. We need to attack and win head-to-head,” Williams said. “We have to take advantage of the different victories and stunts we have and then also fall back on our technique and basic principles.”