Trap Avoided, Let the Hate Begin...
It was a November day in Manhattan where Missouri didn't dominate, but Missouri did something it hadn't done since 1989 - beat KSU at its own place. The Tigers did what they had to, and avoided the trap game while escaping Manhattan relatively injury free with a 49-32 win over Kansas State.
So, like a 99-yard kickoff return, off we run with this week's edition of Good, Bad, and Indifferent.

Keep runnin' to Kansas City, J-Mac... (AP Photo)
Click "Full Story" for Good, Bad, and Indifferent.

GOOD:
- Jeremy F. Maclin: I don't know if "F" is truly his middle initial, but it's the first letter of the word I usually put between his first and last name, that's for sure. Maclin had 252 total yards, 99 of them on a HUGE kickoff return for touchdown after KSU elected to kick a short FG, in the process setting the NCAA record for total yardage by a freshman in a season.
- Responses: Mizzou's offense came up big, especially in the second half, anytime the Tigers' backs were against the wall. The consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter helped put the game away, with the drives spanning about 180 combined yards in three minutes of possession.
- Chase Daniel: Didn't have big time numbers, but kept his team focused and his Heisman campaign (and knee ligaments) intact.
- Sean Weatherspoon/William Moore: Once again, Spoon and Willy Mo were the best Mizzou defenders on the field, combining for 20 tackles, 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. And the better news? Neither of them are seniors.
- Carl Gettis: The stats weren't great, but teams are starting to shy away from Gettis' side of the field. He is as sure of a tackler as I've seen at the corner position, and what he's done in his freshman year has been nothing short of outstanding. Plus, he had an interception robbed from him by the men in stripes.
BAD:
- Tony Temple: The stats don't look bad (16 carries, 75 yards, 2 TD), but outside of a few big gains, Temple continued to dance around holes and be indecisive out of the backfield. Five of his carries resulted in either a loss or no gain. I'm reaching the point where I think Jackson should get the majority of the carries.
- Run defense: The strong pursuit and great linebacker play that was this defense's trademark earlier in conference play seemed to take a day off in the run game. K-State nearly averaged 5 yards a carry, and, of it were not for Josh Freeman's -30 yards, the Wildcats would have rushed for 180 yards, 172 from James Johnson.
- Kickoffs: Wolfert was suspect, struggling to reach the 10-yard line with his kicks on most occasions. Crossett was brought in to try to upgrade the kicks and he promptly put one out of bounds for an illegal procedure.
- Punting: Once again, the punting game looks terrible but Mizzou can get away with it. Poor long-snapping continues to cost the unit, and Crossett is prone to the random shank. But how often can Missouri afford to give up a blocked punt every game? It almost killed them against Illinois, and KU and (possibly) OU will not come with that much room for error.
INDIFFERENT:
- Darnell Terrell: Big picture, Terrell's quietly had a very solid season, especially in run support on options and sweeps. Terrell had 8 tackles but often seemed lost in coverage today, as Mizzou seemed content to let Jordy Nelson have his yards underneath.
- Tight ends: I know Rucker had two touchdowns, but doesn't it seem like he and Coffman were extremely quiet? Usually those guys move the chains 7 or 8 times a game, but either KSU gameplanned like hell against these two or the Tigers weren't able to get them open in space.
- Offensive Line: The Tigers O-Line did a pretty good job picking up the K-State blitzes and stunts. Daniel got drilled on the blind side on a couple of possessions, but overall, the unit was solid. I think the two sacks surrendered were more of a function of Daniel holding the ball too long.
- Time of Possession: Not that it really matters with this squad, but I did find it amusing that the TOP was tied at exactly 30:00.
0 recs |
10
comments
Read Related
Comments
GB&I
Chase: A freaking machine. The guy gets mad when he has to throw it away. That throw to Maclin to suck in the defense and the jump shot to Rucker was perfect. He also seemed to come out of the locker room pissed off and commanded the team.
Pinkel: No stupid gambles, not too much trickeration, no running up the score, and made great adjustments on both sides of the ball at the half.
Temple on Counters: When we get him a hole, his second half bursts are great. We're developing the ability to milk clock, which is great, and temple's been a big help on that. He balances out with the bad, but he's still playing well at times.
Maclin: I mean, duh.
Weatherspoon: I've been waiting for Spoon to step up, and he seemed to take the defense in the reins in the second half, leading on pressure and making plays.
Secondary: We owned Freeman. Owned him. Gave up the one 27 yarder because Terrence got his feet crossed, but other than that, no big plays.
Bad:
Special Teams: I know we had the Maclin return, but we also have constant pressure on punts, and our kickoffs are constantly short. We gotta get better. Fast. No mistakes in the Border War.
Run defense: Front four stepped it up in the second half, but got gouged in the first. Way too much yardage in the first half.
Alexander: Alexander is my favorite receiver, but he had a pretty bad day, not creating space and dropping balls.
Indifferent:
Offensive Line: They seemed to allow pressure but recover because they were schemed well.
Referees: They tried to beat us, they really did. But we're just. That. Damn. Good.
It's Border War, time, baby.
by Ridiculous Matt on Nov 17, 2007 5:01 PM CST 0 recs
Sitting in the Texas Stadium press box
Covering high school football (BTW, rpt, Rowlett upsets Allen in the first round, and South Garland cruises by Wylie)
I managed to snag a TV near me and put it on the Mizzou game. The game was extremely frustrating, but the good guys pulled it out. That's what great teams do: they win ugly games as well as pretty games.
And with Reesing looking banged up for Kansas...well...
Let the dream live, and let the hate begin.
by ghtd36 on Nov 17, 2007 5:46 PM CST 0 recs
7pm!
Someone prepare the national guard.
by SleepyFloyd7 on Nov 17, 2007 6:56 PM CST 0 recs
I think the official over/under...
...for number of deaths at Arrowhead is 1.5.
by The Boy on
Nov 17, 2007 7:07 PM CST
up
0 recs
Check out my Saturday Schedule
It's in the Gameday diary.
Should be memorable.
by SleepyFloyd7 on
Nov 18, 2007 9:14 AM CST
up
0 recs
Good call
Rushed out the link.
Should be fixed in a sec.
by rptgwb on
Nov 17, 2007 7:25 PM CST
up
0 recs
Didn't mean to show off my reading skills. They
are rare at that!
by Big Head on
Nov 17, 2007 7:38 PM CST
up
0 recs
Ladies and Gentlemen
Your Missouri Tigers are the no.3 team in the country.
This is going to be.
INSANE.
by Ridiculous Matt on Nov 17, 2007 11:18 PM CST 0 recs









