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Mizzou Football Links
I think this weekend clinched it: Mizzou fans have officially been more awful, ridiculous and bitterly stupid toward James Franklin than they were toward Blaine Gabbert. Congrats, everybody!
- :-(
MUtigers.com: Missouri Falls to Syracuse, 31-27
MUtigers.com: Post-Game Notes
MUtigers.com: Post-Game Quotes
The Trib: Missouri's bowl hopes take hit with loss
The Trib: Tigers have no answer for Orange receiver
The Trib: Tigers say goodbye with shrug
The Trib: GAME NOTES: Syracuse 31, Missouri 27
The Trib: PHOTO: So hard to say goodbye
The Trib: PHOTO: Tough loss
The Missourian: Final drive lifts Syracuse above Missouri on Senior Day
The Missourian: Despite good start, pace slows for Missouri offense
The Missourian: PHOTO GALLERY: Tigers' seniors recognized at Missouri-Syracuse game
The Missourian: PHOTO GALLERY: Syracuse defeats Missouri at Memorial Stadium
KC Star: Missouri notebook
Post-Dispatch: Syracuse rallies to beat Mizzou
Post-Dispatch: Mizzou's bowl bid takes late hit
Post-Dispatch (Burwell): Mizzou's defeat is utterly shocking
PowerMizzou: Flat-lined at Faurot
PowerMizzou: Game at a Glance
PowerMizzou: Mixed Reaction
PowerMizzou: Sunday Grade Card
PowerMizzou: PMTV-HD: Week 11 Post-Game
PowerMizzou: PHOTO: The Sideline View
We Are Mizzou: 2012 Mizzou Football Seniors - The Next Day
The Trib (Dave Matter): Emptying the Notebook: Orange Crush2. If you're among the infants in Missouri's fan base ripping Franklin for not playing after taking a shot to the head, put down the comic book and whatever illegal substance you're inhaling and do some research on football head injuries. Better yet, spend about an hour on The New York Times' award-winning coverage on this very topic. You can educate yourself right here.
Here are the facts. After having what was statistically the best passing performance of his career, Franklin took a shot to the head on a third-and-1 rushing attempt in the fourth quarter. He was slow to get up off the field. The training staff met with him and could instantly tell he was woozy. I was later told the medical staff sensed that "James was just not himself on the sideline." His helmet was taken away and the medical staff decided he was done playing. The trainers did not officially rule it a concussion during the game but there was enough evidence that they decided he wouldn't return.
It was widely reported that he had taken a shot to the head. Pinkel didn't articulate the situation very well, saying only that Franklin "got dinged." Still, with all we now know about head injuries in football and the risks they present both in the short term and long term, there are still fans criticizing Franklin on Twitter for not finishing the game. That's downright shameful.
This is beside the point, but before he left the game, Franklin was carving through the Orange. His completion percentage (73.9) and quarterback rating (204.5) were both single-game career bests in the 21 games he's started at Missouri. He held onto the ball too long on a couple of his four sacks, and the pass protection broke down at other times. Missouri's inability to convert short-yardage plays doomed a few drives. That's nothing new. But if that was indeed Franklin's last start of the season, it was easily his best passing performance of his career.
"He was playing pretty good," Pinkel said. "He really was. We still have our problems on offense. They've been for weeks. … That’s hurt us for a long, long time. We've been trying to fix that as best we can."
Just discovered that the James Franklin Sideline "SmileGate" that so many people are criticizing him for happened AFTER Mizzou took the lead
— Pete Scantlebury (@PeteScantlebury) November 19, 2012@rockmnation Oh, Lord, yes.
— Pete Scantlebury (@PeteScantlebury) November 19, 2012 - 2013 Recruiting
PowerMizzou: Following the Future - It Was Danario, Therefore It Was A Great Call
Shutdown Corner: Ruling on Danario Alexander touchdown doesn't make any sense
NFL.com: VIDEO: Rivers and Alexander Connect Again (here's the controversial TD)
NFL.com: VIDEO: Danario Alexander 8-Yard TD (this one was not controversial)
I was also going to include a couple of Jaguars highlights, but NFL.com is perhaps the least user-friendly site I have ever encountered -- every click results in a 30-second ad, and half of the time when I click on a specific highlight, nothing happens -- so you are spared watching Blaine Gabbert get hurt. Ugh. It is an absolutely infuriating site. The NFL really is ridiculously popular despite itself.
Other Football Links
- Tennessee Fires Derek Dooley
John Clay: Charlie Strong on early list of Tennessee possibiles
Rivals.com: Vols must fill job quickly, hit recruiting trail - Funny How It Always Works Out This Way
SI.com (Stewart Mandel): SEC in control of BCS fate after losses to Oregon, Kansas State - Just, Uh, So You Know
USA Today: Study: College football coaching changes are overrated
Mizzou Basketball Links
I'll include Nicholls State links in the Nicholls State Study Hall post today ... just to tamp down the ridiculous length of this post.
- Atlantis
PowerMizzou: Atlantis Preview: UNI
PowerMizzou: Atlantis Preview: Louisville - Cool
The Trib: Chievous, Smith inducted into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
EXPANSIONAPALOOZA™ 2013
- It Begins Again
SI.com (Stewart Mandel): Maryland, Rutgers Big Ten realignment rumors spark chaos
Frank the Tank: Maryland and Rutgers Talking to the Big Ten
Chicago Tribune: Big Ten May Add Maryland, Rutgers
Chicago Tribune: Notre Dame AD Swarbrick: Maryland move has 'zero impact' on ACC view
College Football Talk: Report: Maryland in serious negotiations with Big Ten
Off Tackle Empire: Maryland and Rutgers To The Big Ten?
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician: Conference Realignment: If What Might Happen Happens, It's Probably Good For Syracuse
Mizzou Volleyball Links
- Texas A&M 3, Mizzou 1
MUtigers.com: Mizzou Falls in Four at Texas A&M
The Missourian: Missouri falls on the road to Texas A&M - Mizzou 3, Mississippi State 0
MUtigers.com: Mizzou Sweeps Mississippi State, 3-0 - The Trib: MU freshman Ely at home with Tigers
Mizzou Diamond Sports Links
- SEC
SimmonsField.com: SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball: Simmons Field Weather
Other Mizzou Links
- Mizzou Wrestling
MUtigers.com: Tigers Take Home Five Titles at Joe Parisi Open - Mizzou Cross Country
MUtigers.com: Storms Races to New Personal Record at NCAA National Championship - Mizzou Gymnastics
MUtigers.com: Word of the Week: Momentum