Mizzourah! - A Missouri Tigers Blog
Last time Mizzou went to Lincoln was fun. Mizzou won by five touchdowns. (photo from rockmnation.com).
I have to admit, I'm kind of sad this is Mizzou's last game with Nebraska. Sure, those arrogant classy fans up there refuse to acknowledge Missouri as a rival, but the truth is, this has developed into a good one lately. Nub fans will point to their storied past and their dominance throughout the 80's and 90's all day long however, recently this matchup has been even. Missouri has won four of seven, including three of its last five games against the nubs. If Mizzou wins tomorrow, the Tigers will be 5-5 against the Huskers all-time under Gary Pinkel. The winner of this game has determined the Big 12 North's winner the last four years. It will again this year. Yes, Husker fans, this has become a rivalry.
If you listen to national "experts," Mizzou stands no chance tomorrow. The Tigers might as well save the travel expenses and not even make the trip to Lincoln. Yet these are the same "experts," who didn't think Mizzou could beat A&M on the road and definitely couldn't knock off mighty Oklahoma this year either. This team continues to prove critics wrong. A win tomorrow might still not shut everyone up, but the Tigers record will speak for itself.
Guest contributor Jacob Hanson provided our eyes and ears at last night's scrimmage. Here's his take on the game and who played well. Just a heads up, he compares Phil Pressey to Rajon Rondo. Yeah, that got me pumped too.
Is Phil Pressey the point guard that will spark this team's run to a championship ala Rajon Rondo for the Celtics in 2008?
The game featured lots and lots of offense. There were a few too many careless turnovers tonight and not enough defense. Although, you can't expect too much of that in a Black and Gold game. The scrimmage provided a good opportunity to see extended minutes from the new guys. For what it's worth, the black Team won 102-94.
I know many Tiger fans will be making the trip to Lincoln this week. Some of you may have been there before. For others (myself included) this will be your first trip to Husker land. I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure what to expect in Lincoln. Luckily, our friends over at otherteamsfans.com were able to clue us in on the sights we can expect to see this weekend.
Danario Alexander and Sam Bradford bet on the Mizzou-Oklahoma game this past weekend. The loser had to wear the other team's jersey today in practice. Here are the pics. Courtesy of Danario and Brandon Gibson's twitter pages.
When this is the scene after the game, you know things went well. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
For the second straight week I can't legitimately name three Mizzou players who had "down," weeks and keep a straight face. When you beat the number one team in the nation pretty soundly there is nothing to complain about. So for the second straight week we present you, "Three Up, Three Up."
Gahn McGaffie - So. - WR
The casual Mizzou fan might not have heard of Gahn (pronounced John) McGaffie prior to Saturday. They have now. His opening kickoff return for a touchdown will go down as one of the best plays in Missouri history. I've never been apart of a crowd as raucous as the Faurot Field was after that return. McGaffie's TD set the tone for the rest of the game.
Don't laugh. While "optimal arousal," may sound like the tagline of a Viagra commercial, it's actually a big part of Mizzou's success this year. Much has been made of Mizzou players meeting with a sports psychologist this season. It appears it's paying dividends.
Last week I met with several players for a school project. Naturally, our conversation moved from school to football. As the players talked about how excited they were for the OU game I asked if their excitement could be detrimental - being too hyped up or over-eager which would result in mistakes and penalties etc.
They all mentioned the same thing: "optimal arousal." With the help of the team's sports psychologist the team works on being at "optimal arousal," for every play. Players said before each play they get their minds right to be at their best. The players said this year, when the team gives up a big play or makes a mistake they are much better at not letting it affect them mentally.
Wow. What a weekend. More to come later today recapping the win and looking ahead to this week's monster showdown in Lincoln, but for now, I'll post this email I received. Thanks Ryan, for sending this in.
Signs:
"OU cant eat their wheaties...they lost their bowls."
"dOUches"
"There is a reason their girlfriends call them Sooners."
"Landry Jones for Homecoming Queen."
"Landry Jones watches the WNBA"
"We found our Moe-Joe"
"Eat it Stoops this is Pinkel Nation"
You could light homes in Columbia with the energy on campus right now. For possibly the first time ever, Mizzou is the center of the sports universe. For the next 24 hours this is the place to be. The quad, the same quad that many of us walk (or walked) everyday is the centerpiece of ESPN's college football coverage. Our campus could not be showcased in any better light.
The game is more than 24 hours away yet people can barely contain themselves. I've never seen so many people on campus, so many cars downtown, and so much traffic everywhere you go. This is the place to be.
All of these things are great. However, there's still a football game to played. It's the biggest game of the weekend. It has the attention of the nation. Theoretically, Mizzou doesn't need to win this game to still win the Big 12 North or even the Big 12.
But what if Mizzou wins? Just think about it. It's fun to get carried away with the possibilities.
Missouri always seems to get the short end of the stick. The fifth down, the flea kicker, the BCS snub... We all know about it. But what if tomorrow night it's our team that gets the lucky bounces? What if it's our team that takes down the number one team in the nation?
If there's ever going to be a chance, it's now. Gary Pinkel and co. have worked hard to put Missouri in this position. Tomorrow they need to take advantage of it. It's hard to imagine any more excitement in the air than there is now. This town is already buzzing. As a sports fan it doesn't get any better than this... Except for one thing: A win tomorrow night.
no commentsOklahoma blogger Allen Kenney of blatanthomerism.com breaks down the Sooners and how Missouri can beat them.
There's only one word to describe the Oklahoma Sooners' season to this point: weird.
Yes, OU is No. 1 in the latest BCS standings. The Sooners have knocked off an impressive lineup of foes. They look like the frontrunners in the Big 12 South.
When things are going good, OU fans are accustomed to seeing 49-7, 63-10, etc. This year, though, opponents have generally played the Crimson and Cream tough. In four out of six games, the other side has been within a score at the final gun. Take a look at these national rankings:
- Yards per rush: 3.48 (95th)
- Yards per pass: 7.30 (48th)
- Yards allowed per rush: 3.98 (56th)
- Yards allowed per pass: 7.00 (64th)
Overall, the Sooners are actually allowing slightly more yards per play, 5.4, than they're accumulating, 5.3.
In other words, this is a good OU team, but it is not a group of world-beaters. If I were game-planning against the Sooners, here's what I'd do.
Stopping OU's Offense
This year, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is emphasizing rhythm and trying to not put too much pressure on his offensive line. Early on in games, in particular, Wilson is pushing the tempo to prevent opposing defenses from substituting and catch them napping.
In terms of play-calling, the Sooners are far more balanced this season than last, when the OU offensive line really struggled in the running game. When they're not running DeMarco Murray, the Sooners are relying on their screen game and quick-hitting passes to move the ball. Talented pass catchers such as Ryan Broyles are big threats through the air.
One thing opponents have to realize is that OU's offense may not be as explosive as in past seasons, but Landry Jones and Co. don't make many mistakes. OU has turned the ball over just five times in six games. If your defensive strategy hinges on generating takeaways, you might as well start getting ready for the next opponent.
First things first, junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles is Oklahoma's greatest weapon. The only team that has had success in keeping Broyles under wraps was Texas, which used bracket coverage all game on No. 85. That's a must.
Otherwise, aside from blitzes on obvious passing downs, play the Sooners straight up. Stacking the box on early downs may seem tempting, but Wilson sniff that out and check into hot routes all night.
Bottom line: Stop Broyles first and take your chances with the rest.
