re: Do we Receive or Defer to 2nd Half @ Coin Toss

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I am definitely in the always defer crowd. That said, if you were ever going to take the ball first, this team would be the one to do it with. Let your offense go out there first and set the tone for the game instead of your defense, which is going to get manhandled.

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I agree. Kelly has (contrary to popular belief) elected to receive the opening kickoff 3 times since he’s been here - 2022 FSU, 2022 Mississippi State, and 2022 Tennessee.

I’m not sure what drove that decision against FSU but I can see the thought process for Mississippi State and Tennessee. Against Mississippi State you might have been able to break their spirit with an immediate TD. Against Tennessee it was just about staying in the game - ideally you score on the opening drive to prevent playing from behind, keep the players’ (and fans’) confidence up, etc.

It obviously failed spectacularly since we muffed the opening kickoff, but I understand why he did it against that Tennessee offense.

This Missouri team probably falls somewhere between those two examples. Despite their output, I don’t think that offense is going to look like 2022 Tennessee once the dust settles. I could be wrong. But our defense is so bad, it doesn’t matter.

I would defer but agree that if you’re going to receive, this is probably the game to do it.