No matter how it turns out, a win in the SEC is something you should never discount. The Missouri Tigers can say they did just that, but their offense showed major weaknesses in a 30-27 win over Vanderbilt.

Quarterback Brady Cook leads the offense and is well aware of his teams' difficulties in scoring points.

“(It) starts with me and we have to find a way to get the ball into the end zone,” Cook said.

The offensive problems were evident in the end zone. The Tigers scored just two touchdowns in four quarters and two overtimes and allowed kicker Blake Craig six field goal attempts. His first two attempts came in scoring territory, where the Tigers backfield struggled to convert on third down in short yardage situations.

Cook and the Tiger offense have struggled to score in the red zone all year, which was most evident in the game against the Commodores.

“We need to score touchdowns,” Cook said. “There's no reason to kick so many field goals after we get into the red zone.”

The fifth-year quarterback was certainly responsible for the Tigers' offensive performance today. He threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, including 23 successful passes on 37 attempts. His first touchdown pass went to receiver Luther Burden III on a play-action rollout, and the second also found Burden in overtime. Despite his two touchdowns in the air, Cook wants to see more.

Head coach Eli Drinkwits also acknowledged the team's problems in the red zone, scoring just three touchdowns in multiple attempts, one of which came in overtime, where each team starts at the 25-yard line. In fact, the Tigers scored two regulation touchdowns in the red zone.

“There were some really positive aspects to the way we played the football game, but we definitely weren't good enough in the red zone when we were shooting that many field goals,” Drinkwitz said.

Perhaps the only bright spot on offense was running back Nate Noel, who set a career high with 199 rushing yards on 24 carries. His impact did not go unnoticed, and the Tigers may not have won without his performance.

“(He's) a special player, I think we all noticed and knew that,” Drinkwitz said. “We just have to keep finishing his drives.”

Noel frequently set up drives for the Tigers in the red zone, and touchdowns were often not scored. Noel's 64-yard run was capped off with a touchdown by his backfield mate Marcus Carroll, but other big runs were not rewarded with seven points. Efficiency is key in the red zone, whether the ball is in the air or on the ground.

“We're just not able to finish drives in the red zone and we need to take a close look at what we're not doing in the red zone and why we're not scoring touchdowns there,” Drinkwitz said.

The Tigers now have an off week after starting the season 4-0. Drinkwitz and the Tigers are solely focused on the off week and not their next road game against Texas A&M.

“We need to take a hard look at the Missouri Tigers,” Drinkwitz said. “We need to find out why we're not taking third downs in the red area, why we're kicking field goals, why we're missing tackles and why we're not doing our jobs.”

After a much-needed break, the Tigers will travel to College Station to face the Texas A&M Aggies, scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 5 at Kyle Field.