Greetings! I'm back from lovely Dallas, and aside from really wanting to call in sick (I'm not) and sporting a Shiner Bock addiction, I'm none the worse for wear...thanks to rpt for filling in...and hey, anytime you want to fill in again, you let me know.
West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28. Sorry, Eric (best friend from high school), but I really, really hate OU right now. Granted, that loss could bump us into the Top 5, but a) it blew the Big 12's opportunity to claim superiority, and b) IF YOU'RE GOING TO FREAKING PLAY SO WELL AGAINST US, YOU SHOULD FREAKING PLAY WELL AGAINST EVERYBODY ELSE TOO. Let's just move on...this makes me pissy...
On to happier articles...in case you missed it, there was plenty of good Mizzou coverage while we were in Dallas. The Trib had Holy Temple, Hog Tied, and a great Joe Walljasper column, Missouri is for real...and built to last.
Moore played like he did throughout the second half of the season, which is to say, like the best safety in the nation. He made 13 tackles, forced a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown. Hopefully, for the 2008 Tigers’ sake, NFL scouts weren’t watching.
Speaking of those 2008 Tigers, let the salivation begin. The defense returns all of its key contributors except for Williams. The offense loses Rucker, Temple, wide receiver Will Franklin, center Adam Spieker and tackle Tyler Luellen, but Missouri will still be loaded on that side of the ball.
If Missouri is playing next Jan. 1, or even later in January, no one will be surprised, least of all Williams. He will watch the Tigers like a proud papa.
"We’re the best football team to ever play at the University of Missouri - 12-2, Cotton Bowl champions," Williams said. "It’s so great to say I was a part of that and got to be in that situation.
"But I don’t expect it to stick around too long. Those guys are going to be great next year again. I might be on top for one year, but that’s good enough for me."
From the Missourian: Seniors guide MU football team to memorable season, Cotton Bowl win can't stop MU fans' Web complaints about BCS. From the KC Star: Missouri runs over Arkansas in Cotton Bowl win, Tiger fans show their stripes, and Tigers’ resolution for next year is a national title.
"I’m not going to guarantee," Moore said Tuesday after his eighth interception of the season — which he returned for a touchdown. "But I believe in my guys. We all come back, we’re going to play for one another. We’re going to do some good things next season."
Moore, of the five juniors who have filed for projected status in the upcoming NFL draft, had been thought to be the most likely to turn pro early.
Did this mean Moore was coming back for his senior season as a Tiger?
"Yes sir," Moore said, although later he allowed that in the unlikely case of being projected as a first-round choice he would go through the draft.
"As of now, man, I’m going to follow my promise to Zo and the rest of my seniors. If we win it, we’re going to bring it back to you."
From the Post-Dispatch: Mizzou makes the most of its opportunity (Gordo), MU goes from old errors to new era (Bernie), Good news for MU is that 2008 could be even better.
Finally, PowerMizzou has a fun set of quotes from current (and hopeful) Mizzou recruits, the most encouraging being this one, from current A&M commit and big-time athlete Derrick Hall:
I can see myself in that lineup. It just gave me chills to think about myself on the field with those guys. I could easily go up there and take a lot of pressure off of people. Man, Tony had a big game, didn't he?
We'll stop there for now...I'll talk about basketball some other time...