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Missouri reinstalled field-goal protection and changed some personnel after two blocked kicks through the same area. Eli Drinkwitz also cited four special-teams penalties, including two personal fouls. Those are concrete corrections to a recurring protection problem; improved results have not yet been demonstrated.
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Missouri's outside-zone timing remains inconsistent between guards, double-teams and runner cuts; duo worked better. Ahmad Hardy is still rehabbing with no new update. Drinkwitz wants another back involved alongside Jamal Roberts and Xai'Shaun Edwards, mentioning Anthony Favrow or Preston Hatfield as possibilities rather than announcing a settled rotation.
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Missouri allowed seam throws and quarterback escapes opposite pressure, and had not forced a red-zone third down. Drinkwitz singled out Florence's tackling and Laulea losing his man on a scramble. With a safety often in the box for run support, corners must hold one-on-one coverage; he warned that Troy could exploit the same errors.
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Drinkwitz praised Austin Simmons' pocket patience and downfield accuracy behind largely clean protection, but Missouri's red-zone touchdown rate was only 50%. Chip Lindsey and Garrett Riley retain mesh in the plan; Drinkwitz clarified that his discomfort was unfamiliarity, not an order to remove it. Passing success has not eliminated finishing problems.
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Drinkwitz described Troy's Adam Austin offense as a blend of wide-split RPOs and slow mesh with experienced quarterback Goose Crowder. On defense, he highlighted Donnie Smith at boundary edge, two capable interior linemen and multiple fronts. This is Missouri's scouting assessment of Troy's schematic challenges, not a new depth-chart announcement.