BIG XII CONFERENCE Missouri's defense poor in 41-40 overtime victory

Youngstown's Brad Smith had to rally the team against Middle Tennessee.
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- According to Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel, his high-flying defense had been "in la-la land the last two weeks." Try as he may, Pinkel was unable to get his hands on a return ticket.
"Those guys have been beat up for three years, and now all of a sudden everybody's singing how great the defense is," he said, reflecting on the unit's rising reputation after impressive outings against Ball State and Eastern Illinois. "There were too many things that were too good, too rosy. I saw it coming, and I couldn't [stop] it. So, you point the finger at me."
The view Pinkel had was of was a speeding train hurtling head-on toward the young Missouri defenders, who perhaps were starting to believe the plaudits being tossed their way. The wreck occurred Saturday, when winless Middle Tennessee State rocked the Tigers for 483 yards and 40 points.
Missouri (4-0) rallied behind quarterback Brad Smith for a 41-40 overtime win, but that did little to mask the depth of the defense's plunge.
"It was a surprise," safety Jason Simpson said. "I don't think we expected to get hit for 40 points."
Coming off shutout win
Not after allowing 22 in the first three games and just a week after Missouri's first shutout (37-0 over Eastern Illinois) in 58 games. But Middle Tennessee romped over, around and through the Tigers as if it were from the Southeastern Conference instead of the Sun Belt.
"It was fundamentals, doing our assignments," cornerback Michael Harden said. "That's what it all boils down to, everyone playing their role and doing what they're supposed to do. We didn't do that, and it showed."
With Kansas (3-1) on the horizon Saturday, time isn't on Missouri's side as it tries to "figure out what we did, and figure out how to correct it," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said.
The Jayhawks are racking up 37.3 points per game, and their total offense average of 499.8 yards ranks fourth nationally.
"We certainly have a challenge ahead of us," Eberflus said.
No changes scheduled
Missouri listed no personnel changes on this week's depth chart, so neither Eberflus not Pinkel could trace the problem to particular individuals after viewing the game tape. Pinkel said he "didn't like how we competed when we got in the third and fourth quarter. There's never an excuse for not being ready to play."
Specifically, two deficiencies jumped out from the film: the Tigers missed a truckload of tackles.
"That's a lack of focus and intensity," Pinkel said.
The Blue Raiders consistently exploited Missouri in lengthy third-down situations. They were successful 8-of-15 times overall, including a 29-yard pass on third-and-27 that extended a 17-play, 81-yard touchdown drive late in the second half that cut Missouri's halftime lead to 23-21.