ozark trout fisher

Finally getting down there for a winter camping/fishing trip tomorrow and Monday it looks like. It is supposed to get pretty cold but that's how we like it......keeps the crowds away if we're lucky. I plan post a report when I get back, likely late on Monday. Probably will fish between Tan Vat and Baptist mostly, but might make it down to Parker as well as the park just depending on crowds/how things are going.

Big win for Mizzou against NC State. Mizzou never got a gritty road win like this last year. Haith did an excellent job putting the team in position down the stretch. It's probably time to look at where Mizzou stacks up. They are now 11-1, heading into the last non-conference game against Long Beach State next weekend before we dive into SEC play. The RPI is within the top 30 with three solid wins now (WVU, UCLA, and NC State) and zero bad losses. If we can beat a very game Long Beach State team (and don't overlook that game, even with their 3-9 record), then that's gonna be a pretty good non-conference resume. An SEC record of 10-8 or 11-7 would likely be what is necessary for a tournament bid. Realistically whether we can get a win over Kentucky or Florida is probably more important than the overall record, and we only have one chance against each. For a strong seed (5 or higher), we'll need something like a 13-5 conference record and a big win in one of our two opportunities. Right now, I think this is a tournament team, but we'll need to avoid too much in the way of losses to South Carolina, Auburn, Mississippi State, Alabama and the like. There will be more opportunities to hurt our RPI than help it in SEC play. We'd be a virtual lock if we were in a stronger conference.

Somehow Missouri is still ranked. #25 in both polls. I think the foul had to be called. There was contact there and the rules don't change in the clutch. Mizzou did decide the outcome, by fouling. As Al mentioned, two more made free throws and none of this matters.

Unlikely to actually happen, but I'm all for it. Have the bottom two conference champions have a play in game to take the four spot in the four team playoff. That way you actually earn your way in based on winning and losing, not perception in the polls. This season you would have (if I was seeding it) 1. Florida State playing 4/5 Michigan State/Stanford (your Rose Bowl would serve as the play in game) and #2 Auburn against #3 Baylor. I put Baylor ahead of MSU because of a couple more quality wins in the Big 12 and a slightly stronger non-conference schedule, but that could easily be reversed. Either way, sign me up.

Mizzou played pretty well, defensively. They just turned the ball over too much and didn't hit free throws. The freshmen didn't look ready for a game of this magnitude, which wasn't exactly surprising. Jordan Clarkson is one heck of a player. We may have lost by 30 without him. Of course Mizzou was going to lose a game eventually, and this isn't exactly a bad loss. But there is now so much pressure to win next week in Raleigh. Last year we survived a horrible road record because of great non-conference wins. This year, we have two decent wins over UCLA and WVU, but none of the caliber of VCU or Illinois last season. So, we are going to need to play around .500 ball away from home or we will be in trouble. That has to start next week at a NC State team that is also likely to be on the tournament bubble. If we can win that game and then take down Long Beach State, we'll enter SEC play in very good shape. A 10-8 conference record would probably get us into the tournament. With a loss to NC State, we'll be in decent shape to play our way into the tournament. But we'll have to play our way in and not out in conference play, which I have some doubts on our ability to do.

Yes, they play to their competition too much, especially defensively. You'd think they'd be ready to go against Illinois, but we'll find out.

Should be a good one. Illinois isn't having a great season so far, but they are still not going to be an easy out. I haven't watched the Illini play this year except for a few minutes against a mediocre Auburn team, so I don't really know what we are getting into here. I can't remember a Braggin' Rights game with less hype for it. I think Missouri is pretty good and they did sneak into the top 25, but they haven't gotten on the national radar yet. And Illinois certainly hasn't either. It's very different from last year when both were in the top 15, but that doesn't mean the game has to be any worse. I'll go with a Mizzou win, 84-75, but who knows.

I don't really have a problem with it. I saw most of the video, and I have heard much worse. However, there's a reason he said what he said,and it's not because things are going well. The rant was fine, but it better work or he may be out of a job due to the win-loss record pretty soon.

I remember when those games between MU and SIU were tight and hard fought battles between two NCAA tournament hopefuls. It's kind of rough to see them as down as they are. Though they did give Mizzou a hard time this year.

I agree. You can only hope that they learned a lesson. Oklahoma State will not be an easy test for this defense. If they are still shellshocked on Jan. 3rd it will be a long day. But I just don't think they'll go out in that fashion. It will be a chance for Steck to show that Auburn was a fluke. OSU may well win.....but I just don't see it going like the Auburn game. I'll go 34-30 Mizzou.

It did remind me of the the Navy game a lot. Except, obviously, Auburn is much more talented.

We're still 11-3. We'll see how it ends up. Since we're doing this, does Alex Smith remind anyone of Jake Plummer? The weird thing about late season NFL for good teams is that this awful, embarrassing loss basically doesn't matter. It could cost the #1 seed, but that's probably the end of it. And NE is certainly not immune to another slip up to give us that back.

I'll admit my mistake. A terrible loss for the Broncos. Now you all are one more Denver slip up from being in the drivers seat again.

Their offense can score. But I have no confidence that SD's defense can stop anyone. But we'll see how it goes.

Yeah, that doesn't scare me.

I do hope the Chiefs get DGB in 2015 With the #1 overall pick. The Broncos won't get anyone good with that #32 pick. Really a shame:)

Assuming he goes pro after the 2014 season, even getting a guy like DGB for three years is a real treat. Mizzou usually develops 3 star players and it works out great, but the buzz around having the #1 recruit was still a good thing. And now no one can call him a disappointment. He really broke out against Kentucky. That was one of the best games any wide receiver has had this year. He's been playing at a high level most of the year, though. Getting players to the NFL is about the best thing possible for recruiting and the image of the program, so if DGB does declare after next year and has a great NFL career, we probably shouldn't act like that's a bad thing. Just look at Sheldon Richardson this season. It's always good to have young NFL players from your school succeeding.

No, of course not. That would never happen.........

Yeah, Mauk looks good as the QB of the future. The SEC is going to be stripped of experienced QBs, so Mauk will have the chance to be an all conference type player. I don't think anyone, "insider" or not, has any idea how the Cotton Bowl will pan out. They are two evenly matched teams.

We'll see how it goes. I'd disagree that a loss to the Cowboys would prove Missouri a pretender. 11 wins and a division championship has already negated that possibility. But combined with the Auburn loss, it would leave a sour taste after a great season. The bottom line is we are in a great bowl playing a great team in January, so I'm pretty excited. I feel in many ways Oklahoma State has been a near carbon copy of Mizzou lately......both very good, consistent programs that don't get a whole lot of recognition nationally for whatever reasons. And both teams are having better than average years, so it should make for a good matchup.

I could see Alabama not wanting to be there in the Sugar Bowl and opening the door for a Sooners win. Bowl games have as much to do with motivation as talent, and Oklahoma has to be incredibly excited to be in the BCS while Alabama could still be regretting the Auburn game. If Alabama is fully engaged, they probably win by a couple touchdowns, but I wouldn't count on it. Remember Utah a few years ago. Same with Ohio State against Clemson. Both teams are pretty disappointed to be in the Orange bowl given their preseason/midseason expectations but especially OSU. Of course both teams in the Cotton Bowl will have to get past devastating losses in the last week of the season, as well. Whoever does a better job of that probably wins, because Missouri and Oklahoma State are almost dead even in most respects. I just think analyzing bowl games is different from regular season matchups. Coaching is so much bigger because motivation isn't as obvious (outside of the title game) and players have a lot of time to either improve on defiencies or get rusty. And teams with weird systems like Auburn are at a disadvantage, because Jimbo Fisher basically has a month to figure out that offense. It's a much harder task when you have Johnny Football to prepare for the week before. Not that I'm making any excuses for the way our defense was shredded, but that did make it a challenge.

He had a chance to pull off in that situation. I have watched the play several times and it is abundantly clear. Of course we would have still lost the game. That has nothing to do with the point.

There is a reason everyone is saying it. He was out of bounds for about 5 minutes before he was pushed into a cart along the sideline causing an injury that knocked him out of the most important game of his career. It simply doesn't get dirtier than that. And yes, the Josey story does matter, and I'd suggest you'd feel the same way if he was an Arkansas player. When he got (very minorly as it turned out) injured earlier this year, you should have been in Mizzou's stadium-I have never seen 65,000 people be so quiet and depressed, because that is what he means to our fanbase. Josey is near and dear to any Missouri fans heart because of the way he came back, and especially in that context it makes me sick to see an opponent pull that crap. He should be suspended in the title game without a doubt. Have the guts to do that, Gus Malzahn. So short of that, I won't be cheering for good old War Eagle in January. Of course I won't really be cheering for FSU either. At least I had Notre Dame to pull for last year before that went down in flames. Now I have serious reservations about both participants. For me, college football ends after Mizzou plays Oklahoma State. Then it's on to basketball, officially.

The problem is a lot of defenses worse than ours did better against Auburn. If Steck is incapable of making ingame adjustments he isn't much of a DC. But the thing is, he has been good at this all year-that is fixing problems at halftime. He just got too stubborn against Auburn. Hopefully he'll learn from that.

I think FSU crushes Auburn, even after what happened to us on Saturday. Give a d-coordinator a month and they will solve that offense, I believe. But we will see. After that dirty hit late in that game that knocked Josey out, well, I can't exactly cheer for Auburn to make it eight straight.