COLUMBIA, Mo. — Blake Craig, with one knee pad bearing his number and the other a cross, held his helmet between his legs as he sat on the bench.
He was alone, though not for long, as punters Luke Bauer and Orion Phillips both made their way to his area on the edge of the sideline. The trio often stuck by each other, as was expected for the specialists.
But while them being together was a normal occurrence — Craig practicing his form at the kicking net while the punters watched the field — there was extra weight this time around.
The freshman kicker was sitting alone, at first, by choice.
He had just missed his third field goal of the game as the No. 7 Missouri Tigers were deadlocked with the Vanderbilt Commodores late in the fourth quarter. All 62,621 fans at Faurot Field watched him, and they showered him with the kind of boos Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz often frowned upon.
“You don’t boo the starting quarterback,” Drinkwitz famously said when Missouri faithful laid it on Brady Cook during the starting announcement against Kansas State last season. “It’s bullcrap.”
This time, it was Craig on the receiving end. And while it could be argued that the negative fanfare was directed at the coach for opting to try Craig’s leg after two prior misses, it was Craig who felt it.
That’s why he sat lonesome. And why he probably needed Phillips and Bauer.
“The specialist room is definitely important,” Cook said of the trio. “Those are the guys that are right there with him on the sideline at all times. They do a great job of keeping his head up and making sure he’s focused.”
Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers kicker Blake Craig (19) looks at the scoreboard following a missed field goal against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI
In the moment, they did — whether it was by signaling for him to move past it with a swift hand motion, or simply paying him a visit after his miss — but Saturday night, it wasn’t just Craig who needed reassurance.
It seems the entire team did.
For the first time of the season, the Tigers trailed at halftime. For the first time, it wasn’t a guarantee that everything would simply work out. Even after going down 14-3 against Boston College, the Black-and-Gold prevailed.
Those games, Craig made his kicks. But he also took plenty fewer.
That, in of itself, was an indictment of the offense.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Cook said. “In the red zone, when we get down there, we need to score touchdowns. There’s no reason we need to be kicking so many field goals.”
Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws a pass against Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Bryan Longwell (4) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Tigers scored just once in their four red zone trips. They had a pair of field goals — two of Craig’s silver-lining plays — but with just one punch-in, it’s clear that more work is needed.
Had Cook stepped up and delivered a better pass, or Nate Noel found a bigger hole, Missouri wouldn’t have been in the position they were. If Drinkwitz had better play design, as he put it himself, the Tigers might have won in a landslide. But they didn’t.
Instead, they turned to Craig. Luckily, when it mattered most, he delivered.
“You just keep putting him back up,” Drinkwitz said. “At the end of the day, we were going to trust him.”
Craig drilled what would wound up being the game-winning field goal in double-overtime to give the Tigers a three-point edge, and when Brock Taylor missed his, he took in the scene of what could have been him.
He saved them, yet he shouldn’t have needed to.
With the first third of the season out of the way, the Tigers have a legitimate chance to make a bid at the College Football Playoff. With still seven SEC games to play, their case will be made or broken with every passing week.
This week, they didn’t let it be broken, but the fact that it almost was wasn’t something they let go unnoticed, either. They’ve clearly outlined where they can be better.
“We’ve got to go take a hard look at the Missouri Tigers,” Drinkwitz said. “(We’re) 4-0, which is as good as we can be record-wise, but we’re not as good as we can be play-wise.
“We’re going to have to settle in on that.”
Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Eddie Kelly Jr. (97), cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. (2) and coach Eli Drinkwitz link arms prior to a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores as they walk out of the tunnel at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman-Missouri Tigers On SI
So, they will. They’ll have to, lest they risk letting their fast start be overshadowed by a quicker collapse. That begins with Cook. And Drinkwitz. And Noel. Luther Burden III, too.
“Bottom line … we’ve got to get better,” Drinkwitz said. “I’ve got to get better. He’s got to get better. We’ve all got to get better.”
When Craig’s final field goal sailed through the uprights in overtime, the boos he faced in regulation turned into emphatic cheers. No longer was he sitting at the end of the bench by himself.
No longer was he going to be to blame for the loss — though from an internal standpoint, he was never going to — and no longer was he going to feel the weight of a shortcoming.
But he damn sure felt the pressure of getting better.
“I just had to execute for the team,” he said. “That’s all.”
As it goes for the team, it goes for Craig. He, too, has to be better. But he has the support of his teammates, who watched him stay poised, even when faced with adversity.
“I was just trying to remind him that it really doesn’t matter,” Noel said. “Forget about the last play, forget about the last quarter, last half. Just worry about the next play. … Try to make the next one.”
“Blake Craig is a professional,” Cook added. “I’m sure he’s going to bounce back just fine. He’s so talented … he’s accurate, he’s going to bounce back.”
Craig saved the Tigers. He delivered the winning blow, but while he shouldn’t have had to, there were quite a few “shouldn’t haves.” That’s the next focus.
Sep 21, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eliah Drinkwitz reacts after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores in double overtime at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Next game, Missouri will get back to work. It’ll look to perform the way it knows it can, and get right during a week with no game. And that’s what it should do. That’s what it needs.
“I’m a little disappointed in how I performed,” Cook said. “How the offense performed, straight up. But at the end of the day, we found a way to win.”
Tigers lineman Cam’Ron Johnson put it best: “That was ugly as f***, but good s***.”
I suppose it was. And I suppose so.
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Publish date : 2024-09-22 04:00:00
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