Missouri football is exactly where it was expected to be.

The Tigers are 3-0, undefeated, and on to a matchup with Vanderbilt in Week 4 before their first idle week of the season. The chase for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff is still very much attainable.

But Mizzou had to sweat and claw to scrape out a 27-21 win over Boston College on Saturday in Columbia. And the Tigers had to do it in a game where they won the turnover battle (2-0), outgained the Eagles 440-295 and held their opponent’s stout running game to just 1.8 yards a carry for a total of 46 rushing yards.

So, why was it so difficult to get across the line?

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Next on the schedule is Vanderbilt, which lost to Georgia State on Saturday night and will come to CoMo 2-1. Don’t be fooled: With electric quarterback Diego Pavia on deck, that’s no gimme.

Especially because Missouri has mistakes to clean up.

Here are the three biggest issues facing the Tigers, and what they need to do before Vandy comes to town:

Coverage woes cost Missouri football points

Even when one player got it right — cornerback Dreyden Norwood on his fourth-quarter pick — most of them got it wrong.

“(The interception) was really good, because we had done the exact same thing when (BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos) scrambled, we all just took off running like a dadgum little league football team chasing the ball,” Drinkwtiz said. “So, fortunate for us that Dreyden had enough wherewithal to stay in zone (coverage).”

Drinkwitz is almost certainly referencing the two busted coverages that cost the Tigers 67- and 38-yard touchdowns. Both times, the Boston College pass-catcher was in approximately 10 yards of space when the ball hit their hands.

The first one occurred after the snap to Castellanos ended up on the ground. The quarterback went scrambling to recover and the Missouri safeties, concurrently, made the worst possible decision, deciding to abandon ship and step up toward the loose ball. Castellanos picked the ball up and had two options downfield who couldn’t fail to score.

The second one is equally perplexing. Sophomore safety Marvin Burks Jr., in zone coverage, had his eyes downfield as tight end Kamari Morales burst beyond the secondary and into enough space to jog into the end zone.

The Tigers’ game plan, which for the most part worked, has plenty to do with Missouri’s coverage troubles. The objective was to keep Castellanos in a box, stop the run and practically goad him into throwing the deep ball. That can leave you shorthanded in the secondary if enough eyes are on the offensive backfield.

Shorthanded. Not empty-handed.

For the same mistake to occur multiple times in such a short timespan should sound some alarm bells, especially with a playmaking QB next on deck. Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon will have to spend some time clarifying each DB's responsibility in zone looks.

Penalties, and a lot of them

Let’s start with the good news: Missouri wasn’t called for holding once, which was a problem against Buffalo.

The good, when it comes to penalties, is not a lengthy list.

Now, for the not-so-good.

Luther Burden III was perhaps fortunate not to be ejected in the third quarter when a potential second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the space of three plays was called unnecessary roughness, keeping him in the game. Mekhi Miller was called for a block in the back, and Cam’Ron Johnson was adjudged as ineligible downfield in the same drive.

Mizzou had picked up 51 yards in four plays on the drive, but that’s without the penalties. Ignoring situational factors that could have impacted the series, that would have had MU deep in the red zone.

Instead, because of the penalties, the Tigers were staring down the barrel of a second-and-58 a total of 26 yards behind where they started the series.

The woes go on.

The previously penalty-less defense gave up a pair on what could have been third-and-long stops, including an illegal use of hands to the face called on defensive tackle Chris McClellan. Toriano Pride Jr. was flagged for pass interference. Joseph Charleston received an unsportsmanlike conduct flag earlier in the game on a special teams play.

Missouri is a good enough team to overcome 78 yards worth of penalty yards against Boston College. Will that be the case against Texas A&M? Or even Vanderbilt?

The variety of ways Mizzou has shot itself in the foot to start the season is concerning. The good news is that most infractions could be classified as undisciplined, which should be fixable.

Burden took accountability postgame for his own mishaps, saying he has to cut out the “nonsense.” That’s a good place to start team-wide.

What is wrong with the deep pass?

The Tribune will have more on this particular issue in the leadup to the Vanderbilt matchup, but for now, let’s look at the basics.

Brady Cook went 21-of-30 for 264 yards on Saturday. He did exactly what was needed. But of those 30 throws, just three had a target 20 yards or more past the line of scrimmage. Of those three attempts, he had one completion and two overthrows.

The Tigers had three passing plays that gained 20 yards or more, adding up to 104 total yards. The total depth of target on those three plays was 41 yards, which is an average of 13.7 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. That means 63 of the 104 yards gained came from yards after the catch.

It’s inadvisable to pigeonhole Missouri’s apparent deep-ball issues just to one particular problem.

While the offensive line was dominant at the point of attack in the run game, it was inconsistent in pass protection Saturday. Defenses, assuredly, are offering Mizzou more in the short-yardage game in an attempt to stifle big plays. Cook was not accurate when he tried to take the top off.

But just three passes you can confidently qualify as “deep” on 77 total offensive snaps?

Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore typically isn’t made available for interviews to media between games. The deep ball isn’t connecting. But the raw numbers suggest it isn’t being called, either.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's what Missouri football needs to fix before SEC play begins