Q: Beating Illinois was nice, but that Missouri defense has to leave all Tigers fans concerned. Are they really that bad?
— Mike from Milwaukee, Wis.
A: I don’t think Missouri’s defense is hopeless, Mike, but clearly it must play several levels better or else the thoughts of a Big 12 title will be just a pipe dream.

Illinois quarterback Juice Williams is an electrifying talent, no doubt. But his previous high for passing yardage was 227 two seasons ago.

Against Missouri, Juice lit up the night for 458 passing yards and five touchdowns.

The Missouri secondary was torched, time and time again, just when it looked like the 45-20 lead was going to hold up as a real laugher.

Missouri’s offense is good enough to outscore anybody, what with Chase Daniel pulling the trigger and skill players such as Jeremy Maclin roaming the turf. But that’s not the issue.

If Missouri’s offense is under that type of pressure to put up half-a-hundred every Saturday, the Tigers not only will fail in their quest to become an under-the-radar national contender, they will not be serious players for the Big 12 title.

Is it that bad? It sure looked that way in the second half. Missouri’s defense actually had some nice moments last season, particularly in shutting down Nebraska and Texas Tech. And nobody raised season-altering concerns about this unit in the preseason.

Watch out now, though. At least Missouri has some latitude to get things corrected in its upcoming “exhibition’’ season — games against Southeast Missouri State, Nevada and Buffalo are next, followed by the Big 12 schedule — but the corrections better be made.

Because the Big 12 has a few quarterbacks who are better passers than Juice Williams.

Q: Mike Sherman and Texas A&M: Is this already rocky marriage gonna last?
— B.R. from Tulsa, Okla.
A: It’s going to last for at least a few seasons, B.R., simply because Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne made Sherman the target of his coaching search, even though the hire raised more than a few eyebrows.

Even so, most coaches get a honeymoon period, however brief. Sherman’s was remarkably short, about the length of time needed to complete Saturday night’s stunning 18-14 loss to the Arkansas State Red Wolves of the Sun Belt Conference.

If you thought Texas A&M fans were embarrassed after that 77-0 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma in 2003, you haven’t seen anything yet.

The Aggies did everything possible to lose, blowing a 14-3 lead, surrendering 280 rushing yards, missing field-goal attempts of 25 and 32 yards and committing four turnovers. Not a pretty picture.

It looked like Texas A&M would carry a 2-0 record into the Sept. 20 home game against Miami, which defeated the Aggies 34-17 last season. Now it’s a tension-filled atmosphere, and the Aggies are in must-win territory for Saturday’s road game at New Mexico.

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Sherman, a former Texas A&M assistant, made his name in the NFL. He brought along a pro-style offense and the promise of opening things up for the program. The big-bucks deal given to Dennis Franchione never paid off. In fact, Texas A&M hasn’t been a major player in the Big 12 power structure this decade (tough to do, considering the presence of Oklahoma and Texas in the Big 12 South).

Title contention wasn’t going to happen this season. But losing to Arkansas State sends up major red flags. The benefit of the doubt took a major beating on Saturday night. Sherman must live with this pressure all season.

Q: Will college football ever adopt helmet audio for play-calling similar to the NFL?
— Tom Hines
A: Technology is king, Tom, so it’s very easy to see college football picking up all the NFL nuances. If the financial numbers crunched properly, I wouldn’t be surprised if high-school football took a look, too.

There are things such as virtual-reality training tools on college campuses now. You put on a headset, enter a virtual-reality chamber and, presto, you are facing a real, live pass rush.

So in that respect, the helmet audio may be inevitable.

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