Florida delivered yet another uninspired performance against Missouri on Saturday, though this one played out a lot differently than the last few games have. After getting torched by South Carolina and Samford, the Gators defense actually had a relatively solid game against the Tigers, at least in the first half. But the offense couldn’t score, and the end result was the same as every FBS game UF has played over the last month.
The Gators fell 24-23 in overtime to Mizzou to fall to 5-6 (2-6 SEC) on the season, and they will have to knock off a Florida State team that is playing much better next week if they hope to return to a bowl game this year.
A mostly defensive game that went to halftime with the Tigers up 9-6, Missouri held two separate three-point leads in the second half and had a chance to win it in regulation. Kicker Harrison Mevis missed a 46-yard field goal with the game tied at 16 and only 1:04 remaining.
Florida, which didn’t have any timeouts, chose to play for overtime, a choice that ultimately came back to bite it. It got the ball first and scored a touchdown on a Philly special pass from Trent Whittemore to quarterback Emory Jones, but it allowed a quick Missouri answer.
Instead of tying the game with an extra point, the Tigers decided to go for the win with a two-point conversion. Quarterback Connor Bazelak found Daniel Parker in the end zone on a screen pass, and that was that.
Once again, the Gators dropped a game they should have won, and coach Dan Mullen could be in serious trouble. Here are the takeaways.