Up-tempo offense successful for MU

The team's longest scoring drive lasted less than two and a half minutes.

By Mike Bushnell

Published Sept. 18, 2007

On its path to a 3-0 start, the Missouri offense has put up 130 points. But not only have the Tigers filled up the scoreboard every week, they have done it with incredible efficiency, showing they are capable of scoring from nearly anywhere in however little time they have.

In Missouri's 52-24 win against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, junior quarterback Chase Daniel led seven scoring drives that took a total of 9 minutes, 13 seconds. The longest scoring drive lasted less than 2 1/2 minutes.

Although backup quarterback Chase Patton led MU on a scoring drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, which was over five minutes long, the first team offense has not had a scoring drive more than 3 minutes, 15 seconds this season.

Coach Gary Pinkel said this is how he envisioned his offense playing.

"We attack a lot," he said. "We always want to keep the pressure on the other team by striking quickly."

Daniel did that a lot in the first half.

In the second quarter on Saturday, he led the Tigers on a six-play, 70-yard drive in just 52 seconds, and an eight-play, 86-yard drive in 64 seconds.

"We're not going to hold back," Daniel said. "Our plan is to strike quickly at all times."

Despite holding the ball for just over 11 minutes in the first half, Missouri led 31-3. But the MU defense began to tire in the third quarter, likely because they had been on the field for nearly two-thirds of the game at that point.

But junior defensive end Tommy Chavis said he never wishes the offense would slow down and give him more time to rest.

"As long as they're scoring, we're all fine with it," he said. "Points mean wins, and all anyone on the defense cared about is winning."

Pinkel said he is going to stick with his plan of striking quickly on offense, because he believes the defense is improving.

"The defense is getting stronger," he said. "When they start getting more three-and-outs, then they'll get more rest by forcing punts."

Senior defensive tackle Ziggy Hood said he loves that the offense gives the defense more drives to improve as the Big 12 schedule approaches.

"I love when the offense scores," he said. "Obviously, points are good, and it means that we get more chances to see what we can do and where we're at."

The offense's 52 points were the Tigers' best output since MU put up the same number against the Troy Trojans in September 2005.

The 619 yards of total offense marked just the eighth time in school history Missouri had amassed more than 600 total yards in a game.

Senior tight end Martin Rucker said the Tigers' offense wouldn't be as effective if it slowed down.

"We practice up-tempo football," he said. "If we were to wait until the last couple seconds of the play clock every time, the defense would be able to set better. We keep the defense tired, and that's how we can have games like this."