Mizzou Vs. Vandy

[moguy1973]

The projected BCS standings has Mizzou at #20

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/bcs

[hank franklin]

Whatever. Mizzou just beat an SEC team by 23 on the road that won nine games last year. And Indiana, the other worthless team we beat, beat up on Penn State. That said, I won't defend this team anymore, because it should be obvious to anyone that pays attention to college football that they are good, borderline elite. At a certain point, wins speak for themselves. IF people can not get excited about a 5-0 team that has obliterated every team they've played, then they are simply never gonna be pleased. Or, more likely, they just really don't like Mizzou and choose to nitpick at every accomplishment.

I will gladly eat a bit of crow as I didn't see much to get excited about in that game against Ark State. And while I couldn't watch the Vanderbilt game beating ANY SEC team on the road is a good thing.

But I don't think we have the defense to be much more than "pretty good." Elite? Not even close. But I will grant you, "pretty good" in Year 2 of the SEC aint bad. Of course it's a long season yet.

I don't think Mizzou football has ever reached "elite" status. Yes, some will say the year we were ranked #1 going into Big 12 championship but let's face it, we got thrashed by Oklahoma. Not quite ready for prime time.

[Al Agnew]

I will gladly eat a bit of crow as I didn't see much to get excited about in that game against Ark State. And while I couldn't watch the Vanderbilt game beating ANY SEC team on the road is a good thing.

But I don't think we have the defense to be much more than "pretty good." Elite? Not even close. But I will grant you, "pretty good" in Year 2 of the SEC aint bad. Of course it's a long season yet.

I don't think Mizzou football has ever reached "elite" status. Yes, some will say the year we were ranked #1 going into Big 12 championship but let's face it, we got thrashed by Oklahoma. Not quite ready for prime time.

The Arkie State game was bad in the first half and even into the third quarter, but you got the sense that Mizzou was holding a lot back that game, and just figured they could win it in the second half. And from about midway through the third quarter they completely dominated. The Indiana game was more indicative of where they actually were at the time...they had that game under control the whole way, and Indiana isn't a bad team, as witness their beat-down of Penn St.

But the Vandy game...you SHOULD have seen it. Not only do they get a road win, but they completely dominated. Even when Vandy scored the touchdowns, it was pretty obvious that Mizzou went into the "trade them yards for time" mode. (A little early.) When they realized that they needed to shut Vandy down again, they did, as witness two times of taking over on downs in the fourth quarter. Mizzou was a MUCH better team than Vandy. If Vandy is lower tier in the SEC (and most people had them as a middle tier team after their season last year), Mizzou is at least middle tier.

Like others here, the only thing I'm really afraid of this year is injuries, not only to Franklin but to the offensive line. As for Franklin's running, yes, it's scary. But he's a big, strong kid. A lot of running backs are not as big and strong as he is, and they do a lot of running without getting injured. Injuries are often freakish things that don't happen during the usual plays. It's mostly a matter of luck, and you can't play scared no matter who you are.

[joeD]

All you have to do is look at Mizzou's record versus top 25 teams in football under Gary Pinkel. This year will be no different.

I will no doubt cheer them on, but, truthfully, they will get their butts kicked by the SEC elite.

Maybe now, Miissouri will start scheduling better teams in the first four games of the season.

[ozark trout fisher]

I know a lot of people couldn't watch the game because of the terrible decision not to make it available to most viewers in STL and some other local areas. That said, if you did watch it you saw an offense that is rolling. I'm just going to say it now, our receiving corps is the best in the country. DGB is the #1 recruit and not even the best receiver on the team, with LaDamian Washington and Marcus Lucas fighting for that honor. Their height gives them an unfair advantage especially in the redzone. Every D-coordinator focuses on the famous DGB and leaves our other receivers open way more often than not.

And our three running back combo (Hansborough, Josey, and Murphy, with some added rushing by James Franklin) is leading the SEC.. The offense is elite, by yardage, by points, by appearance, and by talent. Honestly, I just don't think that's even up for debate. It is not quite as good as Oregon or Baylor's O but it is in the VERY next level below that.

Our defensive line is also a massive strength, despite looking like a potential weakness in the preseason. Michael Sam in particular is absolutely terrifying but Kony Ealy is having a breakout season too. I miss Sheldon Richardson but Pinkel always has good defensive line talent to come in and replace the guys who are playing on Sundays.

But that leaves our secondary. We have one of the SEC's best corners in E.J. Gaines. But that isn't enough, and the rest is pretty much one giant question mark. Missouri is one of the worst teams in the SEC defending the pass, and that could obviously be a problem given the good QB play in the league. The pass rush gives these guys a chance, but ultimately our secondary will almost certainly result in a loss or two. Honestly, if it weren't for this I'd be thinking 11-1 or 10-2. Instead I'll go 9-3 and 3rd in the SEC east, with potential for second. The likely worst case scenario (at least with Franklin healthy) would seem to be 7-5 with two wins over UT, UK, and Ole Miss.

As for the doubters, those that still remain anyway.....We beat the teams we should beat and then the problem is that we won't be able to win the big one? Okay. If we win the big one then it will be a fluke or because the opponent had an off game. A never ending cycle with some never giving credit where it's due. Here's an interesting fact: no one (outside of Alabama) has a good record against ranked teams, because, well, ranked teams are good and win most of their games against all opponents.. Just so happens, the Georgia coach also has a poor record against ranked teams. Since Missouri is also ranked both teams are in trouble, it would seem.

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, record against ranked teams is not really the telling stat, the real stat, and I don't know how Mizzou or anyone else fares on this, is whether or not you beat teams that are ranked HIGHER THAN YOU ARE. If you're unranked and the # whatever ranked team beats you, or if you're ranked #20 and the #10 team beats you, what did you expect? But if you're ranked higher than the ranked team that beats you, yes, that's not so good. I would bet that not many teams have a winning record against teams ranked higher than they are. Mizzou has lost to a few lower ranked teams, and beaten a few higher ranked teams, and probably compares fairly closely with other schools that have often been in the rankings.

[joeD]

Gary Pinkel= Norm Stewart.

Winning records, but...

But.

[stlfisher]

As for the doubters, those that still remain anyway.....We beat the teams we should beat and then the problem is that we won't be able to win the big one? Okay. If we win the big one then it will be a fluke or because the opponent had an off game. A never ending cycle with some never giving credit where it's due. Here's an interesting fact: no one (outside of Alabama) has a good record against ranked teams, because, well, ranked teams are good and win most of their games against all opponents.. Just so happens, the Georgia coach also has a poor record against ranked teams. Since Missouri is also ranked both teams are in trouble, it would seem.

I agree...well said.

And Norm didn't inherit the mess Pinkel did. For all those that rip his recruiting and his coaching if this team finishes strong then a lot of people are wrong. You don't win with bad recruiting and bad coaching. You have to be good at one. If we win with all this inferior talent then just maybe it is (gulp) at testament to the coaching? Or was it just all luck.

The problem with the Georgia game is MU wins and it was because GA was hurt, MU losses and it is because MU sucks. MU wins the East and it was a down year etc. It is a no win.

No one felt sorry for MU last year when the season was derailed by injuries. There were a punching bag among fans and media. It seems this year our own fans are already making excuses for Georgia etc. It is a complex.

I am cautiously optimistic about the rest of the year. I don't think there is one game they absolutely can't win, but I am not sure they are contender for the East either.

We will find out the next 3 games, and I am pretty excited about it.

[Terrierman]

Was it just me or was the broadcast quality of that game so horrid as to make it practically unwatchable? Looked like some cheap webcam or something.

[ozark trout fisher]

I am cautiously optimistic about the rest of the year. I don't think there is one game they absolutely can't win, but I am not sure they are contender for the East either.

We will find out the next 3 games, and I am pretty excited about it.

I agree with this. I think that Missouri is still in the "dark horse" category though they are a contender. I don't expect, certainly, to go 3-0 over this brutal stretch. That would require us to be in the Alabama category. 2-1 would be awesome, but 1-2 would still put us at 6-2 with three more winnable games in the final four and a chance to get into a really good bowl. I think the only way I'm going to be disappointed is if we end up 5-3 heading into the UT game. That would lead to 7-5 most likely which would hurt given the way we've started.