RECAP: Mizzou football hits the ground running in SEC play

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

It wasn't perfect, but it was a win...and that's really all that counts in SEC play.

The Mizzou football team came out with a nine-point victory in its conference opener on Saturday night, which lifted the Tigers three spots in the latest AP Poll to the No. 20 team in the nation.

Between major problems in the secondary to inconsistencies on special teams, head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company did not have an easy path to a 4-0 start.

"When we watch the tape tomorrow, I'm gonna be on some secondary coaches rear ends because this is getting ridiculous, how porous our pass defense is," he said.

However, once again, Mizzou showed it is not a team that will back down from a little adversity. Time-and-time again, the Tigers responded, especially in the run game. Out of MU's 456 total yards, 285 came on the ground.

"We just knew we had to work a little harder. I mean, we were being us, but we just had to work a little harder for us running the ball, you know. We did an alright job in the first half and then came back in the second half and did what we had to do," running back Ahmad Hardy said.

Ground and pound has been the name of the game for Mizzou all season, as its one-two punch, in Hardy and running back Jamal Roberts, has been devastating for opposing defenses.

Hardy ran for 138 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries on Saturday night, which lifted his season total to an astounding 600 yards, which ranks second in the nation.

"The dude's running through people like he's a dump truck. I mean, he's a Clydesdale amongst a bunch of fillies," Drinkwitz said.

The other half of the one-two punch has been devastating, as well. Roberts is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, after rushing for 76 yards and a critical touchdown on 13 carries in the win over the Gamecocks.

If that wasn't enough, defenses have also had to game plan for what quarterback Beau Pribula can do with his legs. Mizzou's starter added 72 yards and a two-point conversion onto the Tigers' ground attack.

"There was some open lanes tonight, so anytime I can take that, I know defensive coordinators hate that. You know, you got to take it and just be an extension of the run game," Pribula said.

While Coach Drinkwitz's offense embarrassed South Carolina on the ground, the Gamecocks were not able to return the favor. Mizzou's 'Death Row Defense,' lived up to its name in limiting their rivals to -9 yards rushing, while living in South Carolina's back field.

Overall, Drinkwitz said he is not disappointed in anything that transpired in the Mayor's Cup win against the Gamecocks on Saturday, despite some sputters.

"This can either be a highlight or a launching point for us," he said. "We can either be satisfied with our ability to win this game or we can go back to work and launch ourselves into the rest of the SEC." 

Up next - the Tigers will take a brief break from conference play to wrap up the non-conference slate in a game against UMass. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.