Pinkel's last home game

[ozark trout fisher]

Tomorrow is Gary Pinkel's last home game at Mizzou. I don't think there's any question that he's not only the best coach in Mizzou history, but, given the state of the Missouri program when he came, and where he got it, an all time great on a national level. .At this point it''s awfully hard to process the idea of Missouri football without him on the sideline. After a rough season like this, we've always been able to say, "well, Pinkel will get it figured out" and really believe it. We've been really lucky to have that for fifteen years. That loyalty (doing things like reportedly turning down the Michigan job to stay in Columbia) might be my favorite thing about him.

With all that said, the game Saturday is tremendously important, and they are going to have to channel all that emotion very well if they expect to compete. To make the postseason this game is basically a must-win. You don't like to stake everything on a Post-Thanksgiving trip to an SEC West stadium. Last time we tried that the opposing quarterback won a Heisman partially off our performance. It's just really hard to see Missouri winning that Arkansas game, but this weekend presents a much more interesting opportunity.

Tennessee comes in as an 8 point favorite, and that sounds about right. They are good, better than Missouri for certain, but they are far from unbeatable. They've almost beaten Oklahoma, did beat Georgia, and nearly took out Alabama...but nearly blew a home game against a South Carolina team that even Missouri handled rather easily, and failed to dominate a terrible North Texas team last week. So if the recent Tennessee team shows up Missouri can hang around and potentially steal it late. The offensive line must play better, or at minimum, as well, as they played against BYU. If you can make Hansbrough at least a credible threat, that opens up some play-action passes that Lock needs to take advantage of. If that happens, Missouri is probably in it for four quarters, and may well get itself bowl eligible.

I think Missouri plays hard and gives everything for Pinkel. I'm not sure it equals a win. My prediction is Tennessee 19, Missouri 15 (our games have weird scores this year) but the result could easily be flipped.

[Quillback]

Being it is his last home game, I'll be a Mizzou fan today.  But not next week when they come to Fayetteville.

[Jerry Rapp]

Les Miles is about to lose his 3rd game in a row at LSU.  Behind to ole Miss 24-7 at half.  Read where he is on the hot seat at LSU.  Just conjecture, but if he is available, does Missouri consider him?

[Al Agnew]

Well, looks like the Gary Pinkel era is going to end with a thud.  No way they win at Arkie next week.  This was a general failure of he whole offense, players and coaches, with some piling on by less than mediocre special teams play.  You gotta wonder if Pinkel hadn't had the lymphoma thing hanging over him all season results might have been different.  Maybe he gets more involved in the offensive play calling, which has been atrocious.  Maybe he makes different decisions on offensive personnel.  I don't know how the offensive line could have been improved, though.

Do you hire Miles?  I don't know.  Could he carry even a modicum of the kind of recruiting success he's had at LSU to Mizzou?  Is he really a great offensive coach?  At his age, does he stick around long enough?  Tough call, in my opinion.  But any coaching hire is going to be a gamble.  

I read that Rhoades has considered Muschamp.  He has a great defensive mind, but did NOTHING with the highly rated recruits he had at Florida, especially on offense.  

[joeD]

Mizzou is in the SEC now. And they have money. I hope they are not timid. Promoting from within would be a mistake. Fortune favors the bold.

[hoglaw]

A couple of random thoughts.  I agree with Joe...promoting one of the coordinators would be a bad deal for Mizzou.  I remember thinking that having John L as an interim coach was a great move - keeping Petrino's team and staff together after we canned him.  That was a disaster.  I'm sure any of the Mizzou coordinators would have better results than John L, but Mizzou should be after an established head coach, not a promoted coordinator to kick the can down the road.

Do you think there's pressure for Mizzou to go after a black coach?  Is it so significant that it's a dealbreaker?  I don't really understand what's going on up there so I don't know hoe much that factors in.  We hired Stan Heath right after Nolan, in a resignation/firing that was loaded with racial implications.

I'd personally love it if Mizzou hired Les Miles, because it would guarantee mediocrity for the foreseeable future from a non-division team we have to play every year.  Les Miles gave us a great shot at LSU every year.  I can't think of a coach who has consistently done less with more than Les.  I don't know if he's a great recruiter or the program sort of recruited itself for a while, but I do know that his development of a ridiculous wealth of talent always left a lot to be desired.  

And I certainly wouldn't count Mizzou out of the game this weekend.  Arkansas' offense has come on really strong over the last few weeks and I think it's fair to say we have one of the best offenses in college football at the moment.  But our defense, particularly against teams that sell out to throw the ball to good receivers, is really poor right now.  And Mizzou has a lot on the line, so I think we'll see their best effort for sure. 

I'm on the fence about how we'll react to the loss to Moo U.  We were up for that game and playing for a chance to finish this season 8-4.  I don't know if that loss will fire us up or beat us down.  And there's no practical difference between 6-6 and 7-5 for us at this point.  Probably the same bowl game either way.  Even with all the stupid "battle line" stuff, this just isn't a game the fan base gets that excited about which is sad because we should.  Mizzou has eaten our lunch in the last two meetings I remember - the cotton bowl abortion and the road game last year.  I don't understand how you can term a game a "rivalry" game when the teams have played each other probably less than a dozen times, and only three times that I remember.

LSU jilting us to play their Friday after Thanksgiving game with A&M really irritated me.  We had a long history with LSU as a charter member of the SWC before we were both in the SEC.  That game was always a good one.  Hopefully some day the Missouri deal will have that feel, it's just going to take a long time.  I will say that it gives me great pleasure to know that LSU's matchup with A&M this Friday will only be on the SEC Network.  So much for A&M having a bigger appeal than the established game.

Anyway, I'll be there in the rain.  Brandon Allen has quietly become one of the best numbers quarterbacks in Razorback history, and I'm hoping he can get a little payback for last year to finish his career here.

[Ham]

4 minutes ago, hoglaw said:

I'd personally love it if Mizzou hired Les Miles, because it would guarantee mediocrity for the foreseeable future from a non-division team we have to play every year.  Les Miles gave us a great shot at LSU every year.  I can't think of a coach who has consistently done less with more than Les.  I don't know if he's a great recruiter or the program sort of recruited itself for a while, but I do know that his development of a ridiculous wealth of talent always left a lot to be desired. 

 

LSU jilting us to play their Friday after Thanksgiving game with A&M really irritated me.  We had a long history with LSU as a charter member of the SWC before we were both in the SEC.  That game was always a good one.  Hopefully some day the Missouri deal will have that feel, it's just going to take a long time.  I will say that it gives me great pleasure to know that LSU's matchup with A&M this Friday will only be on the SEC Network.  So much for A&M having a bigger appeal than the established game.

 

I get really tired of the hate/ disrepect for Les MIles from Arky fans (and LSU fans too but thats another rant). He averaged more than 9 wins a year. He has guided LSU to 42 consecutive regular season non conference wins (think Toledo). He got LSU another National Championship. LSU has three of them. He got us one. He coached in another National Championship game that was a disaster. That LSU team went to Alabama and beat a better team. I really dont think bama should have gotten a rematch after NOT having played in SEC Championship, but I was not shocked LSU lost that game. I was bitterly disappointed in how they played. Regardless, that's One National Championship more than Arkansas has total.

Les Miles is loved by his players and is able to recruit them well. LSU did not always recruit this well and we will not recruit as well IF he leaves. I do believe LSU will continue to recruit better than U of A, but I doubt they remain NFLU after Miles is run off.  It's total bull crap to NOT give Miles credit for the talent he obtains, but then blame him for faiing to win a national championship every year. What the hell kind of standard is that? National Championship every 5 years or you have to go?

Saban and bama has been the main stumbling block for Miles. LSU fans constantly bring that up and make that comparision because Saban left LSU to go to the NFL. Saban aint coming back and I don't want him back. Saban is NOT getting routinely beat by other SEC coaches either. Saban is a very successful coach and a very flawed person. I would love for him to go back to the NFL and fail again or leave bama and be a football nazi somewhere else. BUT whatever

Les Miles has been way more successful over his time at LSU that any of the Arkansas coaches during his time. If Petrino would have bought his girlfriends with his own money, he may have been close to being as successful as Miles has been, but he bought his side action with U of A money and that cost him. Don't tell me how Miles has under performed when your guys haven't been close.

The LSU vs Arkansas is a one sided rivarily. It is a huge game for Arky, and LSU always plays flat. I have no clue why LSU doesn't care about that game and I wish it was different, but it aint. I have no clue why they switched to Tamu. I don't think Tamu is going to be a good team in the long haul, but we will see I suppose.

 

[BATCAB27]

2 hours ago, hoglaw said:

 

I'd personally love it if Mizzou hired Les Miles, because it would guarantee mediocrity for the foreseeable future from a non-division team we have to play every year.  Les Miles gave us a great shot at LSU every year.  I can't think of a coach who has consistently done less with more than Les.  I don't know if he's a great recruiter or the program sort of recruited itself for a while, but I do know that his development of a ridiculous wealth of talent always left a lot to be desired.  

 

The guy is 110-32 with a national championship in the last 10 years for god's sake.  

[Flysmallie]

18 minutes ago, BATCAB27 said:

The guy is 110-32 with a national championship in the last 10 years for god's sake.  

But he's had 3 losses in a row!! He's out. Seems like the boosters are running the show down there.

More of the same in the society failure of America.

[Ham]

I'm completely baffled by the pushing of Les Miles ou the door. I hate the LSU fanbase right now. I know know it all 40 somethings still living at home with Mom and Dad saying that Les is a failure because he hasn't done enough with the talent on hand.