Missouri

Here’s why Tennessee football’s biggest problem vs Missouri happened before the snap

Published

2 years ago

November 14, 2023

Press Room

Here’s why Tennessee football’s biggest problem vs Missouri happened before the snap

Tennessee football players said the wrong things or said them too slowly.

Believe it or not, that was the crux of the problem when the Vols defense was blistered by Missouri for 530 yards.

UT linebackers had a noticeably bad game in that 36-7 loss. On Tuesday, linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary pinpointed “pre-snap communication” as the biggest issue, which led to compounding problems in that game.

“I thought going into game 10, we were great at pre-snap communication,” Jean-Mary said. “That’s one of the reasons we felt like we started playing better on defense.

“But I thought that didn’t go well, particularly in the second half as far as recognizing formations and being able to adjust to them. And that’s at all three levels – from the d-line to linebackers to secondary – where we weren’t on the same page.”

It’s a bad time for a new problem to pop up. Not only are the No. 19 Vols (7-3, 3-3 SEC) deep into the season, but they play No. 2 Georgia (10-0, 7-0) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) at Neyland Stadium.

‘Starts with us as coaches’

Before the snap, UT defenders must receive the play call from the sideline, identify the opponent’s formation, make adjustments and perform individual assignments to stop the offense.

Players make calls for each step of the process. But the Vols were sometimes wrong and often too slow in their calls, and it showed once the ball was snapped.

UT defenders were a step behind in meeting the ball-carrier or chasing receivers. They were susceptible to blocks and diversions because they were slightly out of position. When they tried to compensate, their angles were poor in pursuing the ball-carrier. And when they reached the play, they missed tackles.

It all stemmed from the poor communication before the play. And Jean-Mary said Missouri didn’t do a lot out of the ordinary with its offense to confuse the Vols.

“Obviously, it always starts with us as coaches,” Jean-Mary said. “We didn’t get the adjustments that we needed done at the level we needed to.

“… We always start with what we can do better, and I’m always going to start with what I can do better. That’s why I keep mentioning the pre-snap communication.”

Who didn’t make the right calls?

Linebackers took much of the criticism, especially Elijah Herring.

“He didn’t play extremely well,” coach Josh Heupel said.

As middle linebacker, Herring makes many of the pre-snap calls. And he was often responsible for keeping track of Missouri running back Cody Schrader.

Schrader became the first player in SEC history with 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game.

“(Herring) was part of the problem. He wasn’t the only problem,” Jean-Mary said of Herring, who leads UT with 65 tackles.

Elijah Herring wasn’t helped by veteran Vols

Youth and inexperience, which UT had managed reasonably well all season, finally had a negative impact.

Senior Aaron Beasley started, but he missed several tackles and got out of position. The rest of the linebacker rotation included sophomore Herring, sophomore Kalib Perry and freshman Jeremiah Telander.

Senior Keenan Pili has been out since suffering an injury in the season opener, and freshman Arion Carter had a season-ending shoulder injury.

At Star position, senior Tamarion McDonald left the Missouri game with an injury. Sophomore Jourdan Thomas replaced him and played a career-high 74 snaps as Missouri gashed the Vols with a ground attack and intermediate passes.

Jean-Mary said experienced players should’ve picked up more slack when pre-snap communication was sluggish. Nine seniors start on UT’s defense, and Herring is the youngest player in the lineup.

“You have to be able to help them,” Jean-Mary said. “Our veteran guys have to be able to recognize the formations, alert them, help them with checks and those things. And that’s not letting them off the hook at all. But we didn’t do that as a whole team, and I think that was part of the struggle.”

How Georgia will attack UT’s new weakness

The task won’t get easier against Georgia.

The Bulldogs rank No. 5 nationally in total offense (504.8 ypg) and No. 6 in scoring offense (40.6 ppg).

Georgia uses a steady stream of fresh running backs to power a ground game that’s scored 28 rushing TDs, tied for the SEC lead.

ADAMS Georgia can’t run over Tennessee any worse than Missouri did

Quarterback Carson Beck and tight end Brock Bowers have both garnered Heisman Trophy consideration. And they’ll try to exploit UT’s issues that arose in the Missouri game.

“(Beck) recognizes pressures, and he’s athletic enough to get out of the pocket and extend plays – which is something teams are going to struggle with because of (Georgia’s) athletes on the perimeter,” Jean-Mary said. “And (Beck) recognizes the defense’s intentions pre-snap.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Missouri

Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for May 30, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

May 31, 2025

Press Room

The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at May 30, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 30 drawing

02-28-37-38-58, Mega Ball: 13

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 30 drawing

Midday: 0-5-7

Midday Wild: 9

Evening: 1-3-3

Evening Wild: 6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 30 drawing

Midday: 2-2-5-8

Midday Wild: 7

Evening: 6-9-6-1

Evening Wild: 2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from May 30 drawing

08-20-34-50-51, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 30 drawing

Early Bird: 09

Morning: 13

Matinee: 02

Prime Time: 06

Night Owl: 02

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Show Me Cash numbers from May 30 drawing

05-10-14-19-22

Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.

To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:

Ticket Redemption

Missouri Lottery

P.O. Box 7777

Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777

For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.

For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.

When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Missouri

Missouri governor's plan for new Kansas City stadiums is meeting resistance

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2025

Press Room

Missouri governor's plan for new Kansas City stadiums is meeting resistance

The Missouri legislature will conduct a special session next week, with one of the goals being action of bills aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals from crossing the border to Kansas.

It won’t be easy. The Missouri Independent explores the political issues that complicate the effort to get public money for a renovated football stadium and a new baseball stadium.

From the right, Missouri governor Mike Kehoe faces demands for tax cuts. From the left, he’s getting demands for more than $25 million in disaster relief after tornadoes recently ripped through St. Louis.

Making the situation even more delicate is gamesmanship regarding the manner in which the regular concluded. That culminated in a Thursday session punctuated by shouting.

The special session will focus on the stadium projects, with the state footing up to half the bill. Last year, Jackson County voters overwhelmingly rejected the continuation of an existing sales tax to fund the efforts. Soon, we’ll find out whether the political machinery in Missouri can accomplish indirectly that which the people refused to directly do.

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Missouri

Missouri veterans homes struggle year after year without consistent funding

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2025

Press Room

Missouri veterans homes struggle year after year without consistent funding

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) — Missouri is constantly on the brink of losing a veterans home because funding can vary from year to year.

One lawmaker is sounding the alarm on funding for Missouri’s veterans homes, saying the taxes the states rely on for these specialized care facilities are not dependable. The Missouri Veterans Commission relies on marijuana tax revenue and casino admission fees but has no set line in the state budget if these two avenues falter.

Before he represented Jefferson City in the Missouri House, Dave Griffith was a Green Beret.

Now he’s fighting a different battle: to keep Missouri’s veterans homes open and operational.

“These are veterans that we made a promise to,” Griffith said. “When we raise our hands as veterans, we make a pledge to our country to protect and serve. At the same time, the country made a pledge to us. That when you get to this point in your life, when you need skilled nursing services, we’re going to be there for you. And we’re failing them.”

Missouri’s seven veterans homes are currently serving 848 veterans, and almost all of them have waitlists. They offer specialized services, from haircuts to physical therapy, at a partially subsidized rate for veterans who can no longer care for themselves.

“Age is not a determining factor, we have everything from 40s up to, we’ve got a veteran who was in the Battle of the Bulge, so I think he’s 103 years old right now,” said Missouri Veterans Commissioner Director Ret. Col. Paul Kirchhoff.

It’s a fight every year to ensure funding since there is no permanent line item in the state budget for veterans homes. Kirchhoff said before the funds were secured this year, the commission had been deferring critical maintenance on some of the homes and even discussing which one they could afford to close.

“A lot of businesses have a 5-year plan, 10-year plan, I can’t do it because I don’t know what kind of funding I’m going to get year to year,” Kirchhoff said.

A portion of the tax revenue from both medical and recreational marijuana goes to the Missouri Veterans Commission. Missouri Cannabis Trade Association Spokesperson Erin Schrimpf said marijuana has been selling at three times the rate expected before legalization. She said the industry expects it will continue to thrive and provide the state with ample sales tax.

“Missouri’s regulated market is thriving and has a lot of support,” Schrimpf said.

The Veterans Commission received nearly $34 million from marijuana taxes this fiscal year, but that’s not the bonus people thought it would be. It’s just enough to maintain veterans homes.

“A lot of people think that with the marijuana funding that there could be additional programs that we could start, that’s just not the case,” Kirchhoff said.

The amount veterans homes receive from casino admissions has been decreasing steadily, from $30 million in 2013, to $11 million in 2023, which is the last full fiscal year the Missouri Gaming Commission has reported. Although casinos in Missouri are reporting increased revenue, they’re getting less foot traffic and the admissions fees stay the same.

Griffith wants to get a new line item in the budget, $50 million in general revenue for veterans homes. He only has one year left in office, but expects his colleagues to carry on the battle after he’s gone.

“It’s a battle that I’m not afraid to fight, and I will continue that battle until I have to walk out of this building,” Griffith said.

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