| 14 July 2009
I made a mental note of the exact moment when I knew, without question, that the Missouri Tigers had no chance at pulling off a miraculous upset over the Oklahoma Sooners.
There were just under nine minutes left in the second quarter. OU had scored a touchdown following yet another Chase Daniel fumble to go up 24-7. You knew the Tigers had to come up with points on that drive or it was going to turn into another Sooner route.
On the first play of the drive Daniel was flushed from the pocket and he took off downfield. He picked up 10 yards and then saw a Sooner defender closing in on him. Chase had a decision to make. Take the hit and possibly risk another fumble or try to get out of bounds and take the first down.
I can tell you what Chase would’ve done a year ago. He would’ve lowered his shoulders while running full speed at the defender and taken whatever hit the Sooner had to offer. Then he probably would’ve bounced back up and gotten in the defender’s face and told him he could expect that all night.
I’ve seen Chase do that numerous times over the past four years. Some might call it a dumb play considering he did fumble on the previous possession. Some might consider it showboating by Daniel. I can’t really argue with them.
But that’s the kind of swagger Daniel and the Tigers had the past few seasons. It would’ve been the kind of play that has endeared Daniel to the hearts of Mizzou fans. Our quarterback doesn’t slide. He runs you over and gets in your face afterward.
But that’s not what happened this time. Instead, Daniel saw the defender and made a beeline to the sideline. Three plays later the Tigers were forced to punt and OU methodically drove down the field for another touchdown to increase their lead to 31-7. Ballgame.
I don’t want to make too much out of one play or be too harsh on Daniel. It probably was the smart play to make and Chase will always be on my Mount Rushmore of all-time favorite athletes.
But I couldn’t help but feel like that play was a microcosm of the Tigers’ season. I think it’s obvious this team had its confidence shaken against Oklahoma State and then shattered the following week by Texas. This team lost its swagger during those two weeks and it hasn’t been the same since.
It’s a harsh reality for Mizzou fans like myself. One season after having our Tigers take us on a ride to the brink of a National Championship we’ve had to hold on for dear life as they’ve taken us to the brink of falling out of the Top 25.
I consider myself an optimist (I was able to convince myself the Tigers had a puncher’s chance against Oklahoma) but there really is no silver lining this week. It’s going to be tough to conjure up some excitement for the Alamo Bowl later this month. There’s nothing the Tigers can do to even come close to regaining the national respect they expected to earn this season.
But maybe a solid effort will give Mizzou fans one last positive memory of this heralded class. We won’t get the respect we wanted but maybe we can regain some of our dignity.
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