OXFORD, MISS — In the Tigers' 31-3 loss to No. 9 Ole Miss on Saturday, the defensive unit recorded its most polarizing performance of the season while the passing game looked abnormal at times. PFF defensive grades ranged from 81.6 to 41.9 in the loss headlined by several tackling performances that significantly lacked.
Here are the three biggest PFF takeaways, followed by every Tigers' snap count on offense and defense.
Tackling is a problem, again
After two straight weeks of massive Missouri wins and strong tackling performances, the Tigers' tackling fell back down to their underwhelming performances that haunted the team through four weeks. Four Tigers in particular received a grade of 34.3 or worse in the contest.
Chris Graves Jr. had a 34.3 tackling grade despite playing a team-high 77 snaps. As the cornerback that sees the most field time, his underwhelming performance and inability to finish tackles is a concern for Missouri's secondary.
Marquis Gracial, 30 snaps, and Langden Kitchen, 55 snaps, each ranked at the bottom of the tackling grades with 28 and 27.5. The important linemen's mishaps allowed Ole Miss to run for 6.8 yards per carry.
Missouri uncharacteristic in the passing game
Simmons was under pressure 12 times and sacked twice in the game. He was consistently met with a Rebel defender that either took him down or forced a premature pass, consistently resulting in incomplete throws.
On top of the unusual pressure that came Simmons way, he had his worst deep ball performance of the season. The senior quarterback went 1-for-8 on passes longer than 20 yards, accounting for the nearly half of his 19 missed passes on Saturday. These miscues were a contributor in the Tigers' inability to score a touchdown in three red zone appearances.
Trajen Greco shined in an otherwise dim performance
Greco recorded a season-high 81.9 PFF grade, replacing his previous record of 66. Through the first three weeks of the season, Greco looked like a liability on the defensive end, misreading coverages and getting blown past by wide receivers, even against Troy.
But after a resurgence in Week 4 and a positive performance against Ole Miss, Greco looks to be a leader in the secondary. In 69 snaps on Saturday he stood out in coverage with an 83.1 grade and was one of few Tigers with a strong tackling performance posting an 85.2 grade.
In a secondary that has had significant lapses throughout the season, Greco is emerging as a standout player.
Snap count totals are below.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Austin Simmons - 73 snaps
Wide receivers
Donovan Olugbode - 61 snaps
Cayden Lee - 59 snaps
Naeshaun Montgomery - 44 snaps
DaMarion Fowlkes - 20 snaps
Caleb Goodie Sr. - 20 snaps
Shaun Terry II - 17 snaps
Kenric Lanier II - 2 snaps
Running backs
Jamal Roberts - 69 snaps
Xai'Shaun Edwards - 3 snaps
Anthony Favrow - 1 snap
Center
Dominick Giudice - 73 snaps
Guards/tackles
Tristan Wilson - 73 snaps
Curtis Peagler - 73 snaps
Luke Work - 73 snaps
Cayden Green - 73 snaps
Tight ends
Jude James - 40 snaps
Jordon Harris - 29 snaps
Defense
Safeties
Elijah Dotson - 73 snaps
Santana Banner - 71 snaps
Trajen Greco - 69 snaps
Kensley Louidor-Faustin - 18 snaps
CJ Bass III - 6 snaps
Cornerbacks
Chris Graves Jr. - 77 snaps
Sione Laulea - 63 snaps
Jahlil Florence - 14 snaps
Linebackers
Nicholas Rodriguez - 77 snaps
Robert Woodyard Jr. - 42 snaps
Dante McClellan - 35 snaps
Edge rushers
Langden Kitchen - 55 snaps
Daeden Hopkins - 46 snaps
Jaden Jones - 13 snaps
Demarcus Johnson - 12 snaps
Darris Smith - 9 snaps
Sterling Webb - 8 snaps
Cavan Tuley - 6 snaps
Malik Bryant - 5 snaps
Defensive tackles
Jason Dowell - 42 snaps
Donta Simpson - 33 snaps
Jalen Marshall - 32 snaps
Marquis Gracial - 30 snaps
Mark Hensley - 11 snaps
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