BenFred: New Mizzou defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's defense roars in first impression (2024)

COLUMBIA, Mo. — According to one of his players, new Tigers defensive coordinator Corey Batoon is mellow and quiet.

The first impression of his defense in No. 11 Missouri’s season-opening home win against Murray State on Thursday night would best be described as harsh and loud — in the most encouraging ways.

“Corey Batoon,” Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “I can’t say how good of a job he did tonight.”

Rule: You don’t read too much into blowout season-opening home wins against overmatched FCS opponents. Handling Murray State, like Mizzou did in a 51-0 romp, is what a top-10 team should do. And Mizzou should be a top-10 team, upgraded from No. 11, when the next Associated Press Top-25 drops.

Mizzou took care of business. Move along. But . . . before we go . . . even with the proper context in mind . . . can we take just a second to say that was a pretty encouraging performance from Batoon and the transfer-bolstered unit he now leads?

Because this bunch lost some serious talent to graduation and the NFL Draft, and at all levels: up front, in the middle and in the secondary. It said goodbye to beloved ex-coordinator Blake Baker to LSU over a minor difference in dollars and a belief, perhaps a misconstrued one, that LSU could better prepare Baker to secure a head coaching gig. Let’s face it. Had Batoon’s defense struggled even a little in this game, folks would be worried, right?

There was no struggle Thursday. There was domination. Lots of it. From start to finish. From starters to backups.

Let’s review . . .

• Batoon’s defense stuffed an ill-advised fourth-down conversion attempt aggressive (and perhaps overexcited) first-year Murray State coach Jody Wright called on his first drive despite having a yard to go on his own 34-yard line. The Racers tried a quick-snap quarterback run straight up the gut. Jayden Johannsen was snuffed immediately by a mass of Mizzou. The Tigers were ready, the opposite of fooled. Drinkwitz felt like it set the tone of the game, and I agree. By then Murray State already had tried a game-opening onside kick and didn’t recover it. This was their second surprise sneak attack that flopped. There would be no magic coming the Racers’ way.
• If the Racers didn’t know after the stuffed fourth-down fizzle that they were in for a long night, they knew it when new Tigers corner Toriano Pride Jr., the St. Louis native who transferred in from Clemson, turned Mizzou’s 14-point first-quarter lead into three-touchdown advantage when he jumped a route, high-pointed a Johannsen pass with two hands, then switched the ball to one hand so he could stiff-arm the intended Murray State receiver away from him before high-stepping 25 yards for a touchdown.

Pride played but rarely started at Clemson. He now has as many interceptions here as he did there. Did Dabo Swinney know what this young man could do? He looked more like a receiver than a defensive back on the pick-six. He looked like an NFL corner when he physically fought off attempts to block him from coming up to help stop plays.

And Pride wasn’t the only new transfer to get off to a hot start.

New Tigers defensive lineman Chris McClellan, who played here last season as a Florida Gator, bull-rushed his way to a third-quarter sack and strip, freeing up a fumble for teammate Joe Moore. McClellan also was instrumental in the early fourth-down stop and deflected a pass.

“Honestly, I saw a break down in protection,” McClellan said of his strip-sack. “I saw some miscommunication between the guard and the center right there. I saw the space, and I took it.”

New Tigers linebacker Corey Flagg Jr., who came out of the transfer portal via Miami, hustled his way to a team-high five tackles. Fellow transfer linebacker Khalil Jacobs, who followed Batoon from South Alabama, flew around and scored a sack.

• When Batoon subbed out his starters in mass to get backups reps with Mizzou leading 45-0 with a little more than seven minutes left in the third quarter, the starters had held Murray State to just 35 total yards (15 passing, 20 rushing).
• Even with the starters being mass-subbed that early, Mizzou still finished the game having held Murray State to averages of 3.9 yards per completion and 1.7 yards per rush. The Racers totaled only five first downs on 50 offensive plays. They succeeded on only four of 15 third-down conversion attempts and never once reached the red zone. Starters complimented how depth players held up the shutout after they exited. “It set the tone for how we are able to play and how we want to play the rest of the season,” McClellan said.
• This was Mizzou’s first shutout since it blanked Vanderbilt in 2020. It was the first time since 2019 the defense held a team to less than 100 yards of total offense.

“It’s always a good feeling when you’re holding an offense to 100 yards,” Flagg said, giving Murray State 25 more total yards than the 85 they actually had. “But we’ve got to flip the page.”

Well said following a very loud introduction from the Tigers’ mellow, quiet DC.

On this postgame episode of the Eye on the Tigers Podcast, Eli Hoff and Ben Frederickson review Missouri's 51-0 win against Murray State to open the 2024 season. They discuss what impressed them about the Tigers' defense in a shutout performance, what could have been for wideout Luther Burden III on offense and why the kicking game was actually one of the most important takeaways. Eli and Ben close out the episode by picking games to watch from an appetizing Week 1 slate around the rest of the country.

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From East Carolina to Cal and Southern Miss to Syracuse, the state of modern college football means there are former Missouri football players scattered across the country.

Players who were once upon a time Tigers have leapt through the transfer portal to plenty of other programs at a wide range of levels. The start of the 2024 college football season is a reason to conduct a roll call of where they are now.

Here are 13 interesting Mizzou transfers to follow at other schools this season.

Connor Bazelak, QB, Bowling Green: Bazelak is closing in on 10,000 career passing yards after three seasons at MU, one at Indiana and one at Bowling Green. He’s now entering his final season of eligibility and gunning for a Mid-American Conference title after closing out last season in strong form.

Jake Garcia, QB, East Carolina: Garcia’s time in black and gold was short — he transferred in from Miami for the 2023 quarterback battle and hopped back in the portal just before the Cotton Bowl. He’s won the Pirates starting job during this preseason.

Carmycah Glass, LB, Louisiana: If Glass left MU in search of playing time after not appearing for the Tigers last season, he’ll seemingly get it with the Ragin’ Cajuns. He’s expected to get regular snaps as a rotational middle linebacker and could move out to the edge at times.

JJ Hester, WR, Oklahoma: The lone transfer from this list who will face his former school in the regular season, Hester is healthy for the first time in a long time. Injuries have limited him to just one catch in two seasons in Norman, but Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Hester will have a “real role” this season.

Gabarri Johnson, QB, Oregon State: After making some nice plays in Missouri’s preseason scrimmages for young players, Johnson was a bit of a surprise portal entrant. He was in the mix for the Beavers’ quarterback competition, which was a close one, and could see some action early in the season if that battle continues.

Dominic Lovett, WR, Georgia: Lovett scored on his former team when the Tigers played the Bulldogs last season. He’ll continue to start in the slot for Georgia and be one of the leading receivers in Athens, particularly after Rara Thomas was dismissed from the team.

Ja’Mori Maclin, WR, Kentucky: Maclin is back in the Southeastern Conference after a stint at North Texas, where he’s reuniting with a familiar face in new Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. When Maclin was a freshman at Mizzou, Hamdan was the Tigers’ wide receivers coach. MU quarterback Brady Cook helped them reconnect after Kentucky’s hire of the former Missouri assistant.

Tyler Macon, QB, Alcorn State: Macon is playing at a very different level of college football after beginning his career as an intriguing freshman for Mizzou. Alcorn State started 2024 with a 41-3 loss to UAB which saw Macon — one of three quarterbacks used in an attempt to get some offense going — finish three for seven with four passing yards and an interception.

Jack Stonehouse, P, Syracuse: The former Missouri punter made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference third-team last season while booting the ball away indoors more often. His punting ability is strong enough that his offseason focus has been improving as a … holder.

Serigne Tounkara, OLB, Cal: After working as a defensive end with the Tigers, Tounkara landed with another power-conference program in California. The Golden Bears used outside linebackers as their edge rushers, and he’s listed as a third-string option on their first depth chart of the season.

Arden Walker, DE, Colorado: After a pair of seasons at Mizzou, Walker was among the influx of transfers to Deion Sanders’ Colorado program, where he started two games last year. Walker played 26 snaps and recorded one quarterback hurry in the Buffs’ narrow Thursday win over North Dakota State.

Dameon Wilson, LB, East Carolina: Wilson was a regular contributor at times for Missouri during the 2023 season, which saw the Tigers lean on quite a bit of linebacker depth. He didn’t seem to have the same impact as Chuck Hicks or Triston Newson, this year’s starters, and left via the portal. Wilson looks likely to get snaps at East Carolina but remains a developmental add for the Pirates.

Elijah Young, RB, Western Kentucky: Young led the Hilltoppers in rushing last season after transferring away from Columbia. He was one of three Conference USA players named to the Doak Walker Award preseason watchlist, which is given to the nation’s best running back.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — As halftime of Missouri's season-opening win over Murray State on Thursday drew to a close, a number of students in attendance began their gameday pilgrimage from the Memorial Stadium gates to downtown bars.

By that stage, the No. 11 Tigers were ahead by 35 points and well on their way to a 51-0 blowout of the Football Championship Subdivision Racers. Tucked inside the opposite end of the stadium, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz was talking to a motivated locker room aboutthebar — not for drinking but for clearing.

"The standard is the standard, and we got to uphold the standard," was his halftime message, according to linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. And that was the consistent theme of MU's win.

First-quarter dominance allowed the deployment of second-half depth as starters yielded playing time to their counterparts who are just starting their careers.

As expected in that kind of lopsided game, nearly every eligible player touched the field at some point. There were 28 defensive players who recorded a stat in some capacity, be it a tackle, quarterback pressure or play on the ball. On offense, 11 different players caught a pass while eight ran the ball.

On one drive near the end of the game, Missouri trotted a defense onto the field that featured 10 freshmen, by Drinkwitz's estimation.

"Got a lot of different people in the game," he said. "Man, that is going to be one heck of a defense in the future. Really proud of those guys and thought they came in and played to a standard."

Getting to that stage of player usage was the byproduct of a record-setting quick start to the game from Mizzou's offense. The Tigers scored 21 points in their quickest-ever fashion.

Preseason All-American wideout Luther Burden III opened the scoring by shaking a defender in the flat to high-step into the end zone from 16 yards away.

Running back Nate Noel, making his debut in black and gold, provided the next punch by taking control of a drive ahead of a 9-yard score.

Voltage sizzled to its maximum on the first play of Murray State's resulting drive, when cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. — also debuting — stepped in front of a pass to the sideline and secured the requisite separation to score.

"Oh, man. TP set the tone with that," Flagg said. "We knew somebody was gonna get a takeaway, but a pick six? I mean, that's classic."

The 10 seconds between Noel and Pride's touchdowns tied for the fourth-shortest duration between MU scores since 1968, according to statistician Tom Orf's records. The only times consecutive touchdowns have happened more quickly were a two-second span in a 1979 game against San Diego State, seven seconds in a 1969 game against Oklahoma and eight seconds in a 1979 game against Nebraska.

Mizzou's quick start offset any pregame concerns that difficult preparation for Murray State, which had a new coaching staff and more than 60 new players. The Tigers made quick work of figuring out the Racers.

"It took us four plays," Drinkwitz said.

He credited a sellout crowd for boosting Missouri's energy early on.

The sellout was both Mizzou's sixth in a row and the sixth-largest attendance for a home opener.

"Just want to say how remarkable the crowd was today," Drinkwitz said. "I mean, unbelievable from the start of the game, the students being out there and being loud and then everybody being in their seats when we kicked off. It reminded me of what it was last year, so it was an awesome job by the crowd. You could just tell our players, with that fast start, fed off the energy of the crowd."

Noel, who joined MU from Appalachian State, was among those who noticed the uptick in enthusiasm emanating from the stands.

"It was different," he said. "I’ve played in big crowds, but today was different. … It was lit."

Aside from a lopsided score, a couple of injuries influenced the addition of depth players to the game. Tight end Brett Norfleet left the game in the second quarter after taking a tackle straight-on in space, stopping briefly in the sideline medical tent before heading back to the locker room. Wideout Theo Wease Jr. also returned to the locker room before halftime, though what sent him there was unclear.

Norfleet didn't appear to be on the sideline during the second half, while Wease remained on the sideline without a helmet.

"We were just gonna be smart with them in the second half, so I think they'll be fine," Drinkwitz said. "Wasn't alarmed by anything afterwards."

Among the young players to see the field in the second half were five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri, running back Kewan Lacy and wideouts Courtney Crutchfield and James Madison II. Second-year wide receivers Joshua Manning and Daniel Blood both saw expanded roles from their freshman seasons, as did second-year running back Jamal Roberts.

Attempting collegiate kicks for the first time in a game, kicker Blake Craig — a second-year player himself — was a perfect 3 for 3 on field goals and made all six of his extra points.

Blowing out and shutting out a team like Murray State won't singlehandedly improve Missouri's chances at making the College Football Playoff in a few months' time, but it does convey some confidence in the firepower that the Tigers have.

"Our team wanted to come out and show everybody that this is a new team and this is a new thing," Drinkwitz said. "We’re gonna have our own identity. Really proud of those guys for setting the standard. But like I told them in the locker room, this is just the start. … Each game, it’s going to get a little bit more challenging, so we got to meet those challenges head-on with improvement."

COLUMBIA, Mo. — That was smooth.

No. 11 Missouri took control immediately in a season-opening win over Murray State and never entertained the idea of making things close in a comfortable result against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent.

The Tigers’ fastest scoring start on record was the game’s first blow, and their reserves kept the good times rolling en route to a 51-0victory Thursday night.

With his night cut short by the onset of a blowout, quarterback Brady Cook completed 19 of his 30 passes for 218 yards and a passing touchdown. He also picked up 22 yards and a score on the ground.

Wide receiver Luther Burden III caught three passes for 39 yards and a score, though Mookie Cooper’s lone 49-yard reception led the starters in yardage.

Transfer tailbacks Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll debuted in strong form, rushing for 48 and 35 yards, respectively — plus a touchdown apiece. Noel received more work than Carroll did, though they both mixed into the receiving game.

The Mizzou defense forced and recovered one fumble, returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded six tackles for a loss. The shutout is MU's first since a 2020 game against Vanderbilt.

Hat trick of a hot start

Mizzou began preseason camp by emphasizing red-zone offense — coordinator Kirby Moore’s offseason analysis deemed the Tigers not lethal enough within the 20 yards in front of the goal line. His primary gripe was third downs within the red zone and how often they led to field goals.

It turns out that was a sage way to go about starting camp: MU opened the scoring with a Burden receiving touchdown on a red-zone third down.

In a cheeky move, Murray State went for the onside kick to begin the game, which didn’t work and instead gave the hosts some favorable field position. Missouri’s first offensive play of the season was a jet sweep to Burden, which he took for a first down.

On a 3rd and 5 spotted 16 yards from the end zone, Cook threw to Burden in the flat. The preseason All-American made one man miss and high-stepped the final few yards into the end zone for his first score of the season.

Sticking with an aggressive approach, the Racers went for a 4th and 1 on their 34-yard line in response to Mizzou’s quick opening, which safety Daylan Carnell and defensive tackle Chris McClellan stuffed.

Armed with another short field, Cook targeted Burden straightaway on a deep route to the end zone, which drew a pass-interference call. The rest of the drive was left up to Noel, who only needed three carries to score from nine yards out. Kicker Blake Craig converted his first two collegiate kicks to give MU a 14-0 advantage after barely five minutes of game time.

Ten seconds later, it was 21-0. Cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., also debuting for Mizzou, jumped a soft Murray State pass to the sideline and was off to the races, scoring easily.

The start was the fastest a Missouri team has ever scored 21 points in a game, according to MU statisticians.

And it didn’t stop there. A handful of chunk plays coming through sound reads by Cook netted long receptions by Burden and wideout Mekhi Miller before Carroll carried the ball for the first time. He dragged defenders downfield for a 20-yard run, then punched it in a play later from the 1-yard line to extend the lead to 28-0.

While undoubtedly hot, Missouri’s start fell short of the program record for points in a quarter — the mark of 34 posted in the first quarter of a 2017 game against Idaho remains the number to beat.

Sleepy, sloppy second quarter

For Mizzou, the cost of a first-quarter frenzy was a second frame that was more of a snooze fest.

Deep throws from Cook aimed toward Burden and speedster Marquis Johnson fell incomplete, just shy of their targets’ fingertips. A penalty-free first quarter yielded to five flags in the second. Punter Luke Bauer booted the ball away for the first time this season, booming the attempt 52 yards to flip the field.

Murray State’s offense was mildly more effective — the Racers picked up 27 total yards in the second quarter compared to just 19 in the first — and the Memorial Stadium scoreboard briefly gave the visitors a mysterious three free points. With them rightfully wiped away.

Near the end of the period, Missouri successfully wandered downfield to execute an informal 3-minute drill. After chipping away with short gains, Cook scrambled up the middle for an 18-yard gain to move the ball into the red zone — but more critically for the Tigers’ offense, he slid well before contact.

Instead of trying a field goal before the first-half clock expired, which would have given Craig his first collegiate attempt in a very manageable fashion, MU kept the offense on the field. With Burden in the backfield on what looked like a read-option play, Cook pulled back the handoff and ran the ball in himself for a 3-yard score.

Missouri led 35-0 at halftime.

Add depth to taste

As expected, the rotation of players who saw the field was fairly extensive.

Third-string defensive linemen like Jalen Marshall, Sam Williams and Jahkai Lang all earned snaps in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Joshua Manning caught the first pass of his collegiate career to convert a 3rd and 9. Running back Jamal Roberts, seemingly settled in as the third option at that position, also found a role as a third-down back.

The Tigers rotated their wide receivers heavily, though some of that usage in the second half was influenced by starter Theo Wease Jr.’s absence. He jogged to the locker room shortly before halftime and stood on the sideline without a helmet.

Similarly, tight end Brett Norfleet left the game in the second quarter after a straight-on tackle and did not return.

After Craig got his crack at a field goal and bagged it from 39 yards, Mizzou mixed more defensive depth players into the game. It quickly produced a turnover, with McClellan forcing a fumble that defensive end Joe Moore III recovered.

As MU took over at the Murray State 10-yard line with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter, Drew Pyne relieved Cook at quarterback — and the entire second-team offense followed him onto the field.

Roberts scored on the second unit’s second play — his second-ever collegiate carry to boot — for a 45-0 lead.

With that sprawling advantage, the Tigers turned to the full backup defense with seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Craig added a 22-yard field goal to his tally to put MU up 48-0 with 13:34 to go in the game.

Five-star freshman edge rusher Williams Nwaneri entered the game in the fourth quarter. The Racers ran their first play inside Missouri territory with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

A handful of freshmen who will likely redshirt, like wide receiver Courtney Crutchfield and running back Kewan Lacy, received some action on offense, too.

Craig tacked on another field goal after the two-minute warning for a 51-0 lead.

Next up

Missouri’s second game of the season will be a visit from Buffalo at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7. The Bulls also debuted on Thursday, beating FCS school Lafayette 30-13.

COLUMBIA, MO. — I’m guessing this will be both the first and last college football column this season that connects Murray State and Alabama.

Stick with me.

Racers coach Jody Wright and Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer have something in common.

So do (checks notes) four other opposing head coaches featured on Missouri’s schedule.

Did you know six coaches on sidelines opposite of Eli Drinkwitz will be navigating their first season with their new teams?

More math: That’s half of Mizzou’s regular-season slate.

And no, wisecrackers, the six-coach total does not include a prediction of an interim coach leading Arkansas by the time that game rolls around. That would make seven — if Sam Pittman’s bacon burns before late November.

Murray State’s Wright was specializing in coaching South Carolina’s tight ends a season ago, his final stop on a long and well-traveled career as a college and NFL assistant before finally securing this debut.

Buffalo’s Pete Lembo has been the head man at Lehigh, Elon and Ball State before, but he’s brand new at Buffalo, which Mizzou hosts in Game 2.

Boston College’s Bill O’Brien — you either know him from his time at Penn State or with the NFL’s Houston Texans — is the new coach on campus for Mizzou’s Game 3 foe.

But wait. There’s more.

Still getting familiar there when Mizzou takes what could be a massive trip to Kyle Field will be new Texas A&M coach Mike Elko. Maybe it would have been Kentucky coach Bob Stoops instead, if not for a strange coaching search that took a sudden turn. Elko jumped into the A&M pressure cooker after just two winning seasons at Duke. Do we think paid-out Jimbo Fisher will be watching?

The other whopper of a road trip Mizzou takes this season also comes against a new-to-his-school coach in Alabama’s DeBoer. He’s a heck of a coach, as evidenced by how he elevated Washington. He’s also earned the hardest job out there: filling Nick Saban’s tassel loafers.

If we all agree, and most of us seem to on this one, that Saban became the best modern college football coach, then isn’t attempting to “replace” him the hardest modern job in college sports? I think so. Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer, who replaced coaching icon Mike Krzyzewski, and former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Holly Warlick, who replaced Pat Summitt, had daunting tasks. But both were inside hires, at least temporarily easing the transition. There are some Alabama fans, I’m sure, who don’t give a dang what DeBoer did at Fresno State and Washington. And there are some other Alabama fans, I’m sure, who didn’t know Fresno State and Washington existed before their new coach was introduced.

I think Elko and DeBoer were good hires who could do well at their new spots. But I also know even Saban went 7-6 in his first season at Alabama back in 2007. It was the only time he didn’t win double-digit games with the Tide.

First seasons at a new place, even for experienced head coaches with previous seasons spent elsewhere, are a unique challenge, an added degree of difficulty. You can’t know what you don’t know until you do. In short, if you’re going to play A&M and Alabama on the road, this is probably the best time in a long time to have to do it.

Actually, three of Mizzou’s four SEC road trips this season come against programs welcoming new coaches. The third is Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby, the former Oklahoma offensive coordinator who made headlines for bringing disgraced Baylor coach Art Briles, his father-in-law, on the field after a Sooners win last season. Now he can bring Briles around all he likes. He’s the boss. Just see Mississippi State’s announcement for proof. Lebby was billed as an offensive guru.

Some Mizzou-focused readers will chuckle at that and remember when similar language was used to describe Drinkwitz. That was back before he elevated his program’s trajectory to a higher level by hiring a rising offensive coordinator, handing over play-calling duties and focusing on bigger-picture obstacles as he grew more toward a CEO coaching style.

That’s not a knock on Drinkwitz. It’s a compliment. He got better by trusting Kirby Moore with the offense. He saw what was not working and evolved to improve it.

In this brutal business, you either figure out how to age well or you get replaced. And while you won’t find it mentioned much in the preseason projections and game-by-game analysis of Mizzou’s matchups, you better believe there is strength in having a head coach who has some real seasoning in his current spot. Especially when half of your schedule just so happens to include opponents whose coaches are likely to spend a chunk of their season Apple-mapping their way home to an address they haven’t yet committed to memory.

New guys spend big chunks of their first seasons trying to win despite being new. Established guys have the strength of experience if they have not been exposed. Pittman at Arkansas could become the latter. Drinkwitz has become the former, and No. 11 Mizzou is better for it.

I asked Drinkwitz once last season how much his job has changed since he accepted it entering the pandemic-affected 2020 season. He laughed and didn’t know where to start. Hard to blame him.

The transfer portal has gone from a threat to something Mizzou uses to maintain momentum. Name, image and likeness transitioned from a mystery to a competitive monetary advantage over recruiting foes. Drinkwitz’s leadership of his program has elevated, from a play-calling offensive coordinator who wanted to coach the quarterbacks in addition to the team, to an all-seeing coach who has shown a knack for hiring great coaches and trusting them to do their jobs while he keeps a close eye on the big picture.

He’s perfected his feel for his recruiting reach and strengthened his bonds with campus leaders and fans, as evidenced by his call for a sellout Thursday night and the quick response of supporters to make it happen. Sure, he has a new athletics director in Laird Veatch. But there’s a reason Veatch’s first public comments heaped praise on Drinkwitz and stressed the importance of continuing to elevate his team.

Entering his fifth season at Mizzou, Drinkwitz is a much improved coach with a much stronger program. He would have a lot to tell that first-season version of himself, just as all of these coaches who are starting new jobs will too one day.

That’s if they get to one day start Year 5 at their new spots. Some will. Some definitely won’t.

Make no mistake. Head coach seasoning will be a hard-earned advantage for Mizzou in half of its games this season, regardless of whether the Tigers win all six of them. It’s an overlooked reason to feel optimistic.