Mizzou Basketball in Columbia, Missouri:

Mizzou Basketball in Athens, Georgia:

A look back at the season that was in Missouri football.

Note: Video may require Quicktime

Photos courtesy: MU Athletic Department, Columbia Daily Tribune, The Maneater, Kansas City Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Associated Press

Disclaimer: Rather than the typical bullet point analysis, this post will be a long and meandering string of thoughts I forced into prose. Hang with me here as I give you a summation of my thoughts from four rows up in the Alamodome end zone.

Having been what appears to be one of the select few of RMN regulars who made it down to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, there's not much that hasn't been said here that I can add. More than anything, for as disappointing as the season was, it seemed like a season of moderate disappointment was bookended in similar fashion. Missouri began the season with a shootout with a Big Ten team that was fueled by a Maclin return in the first half and Sean Weatherspoon's dominance in the second half. Substitute "shootout" with "slugfest," and you have the exact recipe of Mizzou's Alamo Bowl victory.

Before I delve too deeply into Missouri's end of the equation, I first want to send some love the way of Evanston, Ill. As the 2008 campaign progressed, I was highly enamored with the coaching jobs done by the men in charge of two of Missouri's opponents: Buffalo's Turner Gill and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. You can now add Pat Fitzgerald to that list. I've always loved his fire, but after last night, I now respect the man's ability. It should have come as no surprise to me how disciplined NU was defensively and how solid the unit was in pursuit and in wrapping up ballcarriers.

Secondly, I think this game swings far more in favor of Missouri had Tyrell Sutton not been able to go. Before the game, it was clear from highlights that Sutton added a different dynamic to the NU offense, one I asked Lake the Posts to try and quantify last Thursday. Between outstanding balance, great hands (despite one being in a cast), a never-ending motor, and some quick burst, Sutton proved himself as the perfect scat back for NU's style of offense.

The atmosphere at the game seemed very reflective of the attitudes of each school entering the game. The Northwestern players and fans looked absolutely thrilled to be in San Antonio, while the Missouri players and fans looked somewhat determined to redefine the word "complacency." The warmups seemed uninspired, the drills seemed rusty. As ghtd36 passed on in the game thread, the team found motivation from the one man we knew we could count on to try to light a fire: Tommy Saunders (love that kid).

More rambling after the jump.

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Who: No. 25 Missouri Tigers (9-4) vs. No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3)
Where: Alamodome (Capacity 65,000)
When: 7:00 p.m. CST
Line: Missouri by 12.5

VS.

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike "To The House" Kelly, John Kadlec, Chris Gervino)
TV: ESPN HD (Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute)
Weather: N/A
Online trackers: CSTV, ESPN
Northwestern Online: Lake The Posts

Make Rock M Nation your base of operations tonight and weigh in with your predictions, questions, worries, bold statements and observations by signing up for a free account. 10 wins and a hell of a send off for a special senior class are still on the table in San Antonio. What kind of performance does Mizzou have in store for the conclusion to the 2008 campaign?

Fight Tigers... Rock, Flag and Eagle!

LIVE BLOG AFTER THE JUMP.

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Mizzou Basketball in Columbia, Missouri: