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Pregamin' Toledo

It's that time again! Let's all imbibe on some sweet, sweet knowledge while we prep for the game.

By Jack Peglow, BillSelfsToupee, Adam Cribbs, Sam Snelling, The Beef, switzy227, tigers and chiefs fan, Chris B, AlaTiger, and armyofmike
YEEEE-HAWWWWW!
YEEEE-HAWWWWW!
Jack Peglow

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WHO: Missouri Tigers @ Toledo Rockets

WHAT: Football? FOOTBALL.

WHEN: Saturday, September 6 – 11:00am CST

WHERE: 3044 N. Glass Bowl Dr. Toledo, Ohio 43606

TELEVISION: ESPN and WatchESPN

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(of the useless variety)

  • Gary Pinkel used to coach at Toledo.
  • The University of Toledo owns a one-ton rocket that sits outside the Glass Bowl. It's aimed at the 50-yard line of Bowling Green's Doyt Perry Stadium.
  • The Rockets nickname originated from a football game against the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1923. When a Toledo defender returned a fumble recovery 99 yards – outrunning the entire Carnegie offense in the process – reporters remarked that he looked like a rocket. Several writers used the nickname in their stories, and a week later the university officially adopted it.
  • Gary Pinkel used to coach at Toledo.
  • From 1977 to 1980, Rocky the Rocket wore an authentic NASA spacesuit that was donated to the university by former astronaut, senator, and Ohio native John Glenn.
  • Gary Pinkel used to coach at Toledo.

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Matt White tellin' it like it is.

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Who went under the radar last week that you'd like to see more from against Toledo?

Adam Cribbs: Our linebackers. I've heard a lot about how athletic this group is supposed to be, so I'd like to see them get into better position against misdirections and screen passes and such.

AlaTiger: Donavin Newsom. The corners need to improve, but they certainly weren't under the radar.

Sam Snelling: I don't know if you call a two-touchdown and about a 40 YPC average under the radar, but I'd like to see Darius White do more. The two catches were great, but after that we heard nothing form him and I'd like to think he could become our go-to guy.

Jack Peglow: I'm hoping for a big game out of Lucas Vincent. After all the hype he generated during the offseason, I didn't see him making many plays against SDSU. Get that wide-body in action, son.

HHKB Chris: I'd say Jimmie Hunt, was hoping for better YAC numbers than there were, since he's apparently slimmed down to get a bit of a burst.

The Beef: I was hoping to see more from the TE position in the passing game. I recall two attempts to Sean Culkin. Seems like one was not a great throw, but was dropped. On the other, Culkin came out of his break and sat down to the right... and the ball went left. The pitching and catching aspect is what was missing from the offense last week, and will be necessary to keep the ball moving consistently if we are going to keep the run/pass split around our usual 50 percent.

tigers and chiefs fan: Maty Mauk?

What group (D-line, secondary, coaches, etc.) do you want to see improvement from?

Cribbs: Our cornerbacks seemed a little... unprepared. We saw some glimpses of athleticism and Aarion Penton showed he's still a strong tackler, but playing the ball and keeping with the receivers out of their breaks seemed to be a struggle.

AlaTiger: Corners and safeties, please.

Snelling: Secondary. I'm not worried about our D-line. I'm worried about the secondary. I think Ely is a tough QB and a tough matchup if we can't generate enough pressure.

Peglow: As I discussed in this week's Anthrascience, one of the biggest keys to this game is going to be how Mizzou's offensive line fares against Toledo's defensive line. Evan Boehm and company were quite underwhelming last week, so I'm hoping for significant improvement.

HHKB: I'd like to see better play from the secondary. They looked a bit out of sorts, especially on third-down in passing situations, giving up big chunks of yards on screens and crossing routes.

Beef: I thought the O-line could have done a litter better on the pass protection (though Mauk did not help them out with his check once and run). Penton and Johnson struggled a good bit in the secondary, so those two units would be find to improve a bit.

T&CF: Secondary.

One wild prediction for this week's game?

Cribbs: Mizzou wins again by three scores. I know a lot of people are expecting this one to be really close, and I get that, but I really think that we see a more complete performance against a team nobody is overlooking. This is a chance for the tigers to flex a bit against a pretty good team.

AlaTiger: Mizzou plays efficiently, with Maty Mauk completing short passes easily.

Snelling: Mizzou wins by four touchdowns.

Peglow: Mauk throws for 400+ yards and 4+ touchdowns. Toledo's secondary gives up a ton of big plays. If our line holds, Maty should have a big day.

HHKB: Andrew Baggett does not miss a field goal and this is the difference in the game.

Beef: Markus Golden will have multiple sacks again.

T&CF: We lose.

Can you name one current/former Toledo football player?

Cribbs: David Fluellen. That dude did work on us last year.

AlaTiger: Coach Craig Kuligowski. The rest of you will have to report for extra sessions for failing to name him.

Snelling: David Fluellen. That guy.

Peglow: ༼ つ ຈل͜ຈ ༽つ GARY PINKEL COACHED AT TOLEDO ༼ つ ຈل͜ຈ ༽つ

HHKB: Elton John, he's a rocket man of sorts!

Beef: Never sure on the spelling, but I believe Bruce Gradkowski called Toledo home.

T&CF: I can't.

Any other thoughts?

Snelling:

Last week left kind of a weird taste in my mouth. Not necessarily bad, mind you, but weird. I'm lowering my expectations a bit to just wanting to see improvement. I'm really hoping that Mauk and the WRs can find some sense of chemistry so we can take the offense to another level. I was very happy with the performance of the RBs and got what I expected from MANSBRO. I'd like to see a more consistent offense from Mizzou, one that can take it up the field methodically and score points.

I'm dreading how competitive the game is going to be. I think Mizzou had a few defensive hiccups against SDSU, and I expect them to be better this time around at Toledo. However, I expect that Toledo will be better than SDSU defensively, and that will make scoring harder for Mizzou.

That means that I'm hoping that Marcus Murphy gets another ST TD, or maybe two, to buoy Mizzou to victory.

Switzy227:

  1. Watch for... Mizzou to open up the playbook against a tough opponent, Maty Mauk to try and take advantage of the Toledo CB situation by employing the deep ball, and the OL to show improved communication and better protection.
  2. Worry about... Toledo's pass game taking advantage of the weaknesses exposed during the SDSU game, and Mizzou's defensive line being held in check by an experienced Toledo OL. Also, Maty Mauk chucking more balls 11 yards behind himself toward the sideline.
  3. Hope for... An improved connection between Mauk and passes that travel less than 10 yards downfield, leading to an even more effective run game, and an extended turnover streak that helps Mizzou maintain an early edge and come through with a comfortable victory.

BONUS: Wave at... switzy227 as he makes his first trip to see Mizzou since they became members of the SEC!

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After last week, here's our standings:

Tied for first: Peglow and BST, with four correct picks

Tied for LAST: Beef, ArmyofMike, and HHKB, with three correct picks

No one got either of the A&M picks. Effing Spurrier. - BillSelfsToupee

MOVING ON, our slate this week is much less, uh, entertaining. Here's what we've got:

Mizzou @ Toledo
Miz -4.5
O/U 61

Ole Miss @ Vandy
OMU -20
O/U 50.5

East Carolina @ South Carolina
USCe -17
O/U 63

Arky State @ Tennessee
UT -16
O/U 51

FAU @ Bama
Bama -40
O/U -48.5

And here's our EXPERT picks:

Name MU – Toledo Spread MU – Toledo O/U Ole Miss – Vandy Spread Ole Miss – Vandy O/U ECU – South Carolina Spread ECU – South Carolina O/U Arky St. – UT Spread Arky St. – UT O/U FAU – Bama Spread FAU – Bama O/U
Mike Toledo Under Ole Miss Under ECU Under UT Over Bama Over
HHKB Mizzou Under Vandy Under South Carolina Over UT Over Bama Under
Peglow Mizzou Over Ole Miss Over South Carolina Under UT Over Bama Over
Beef Mizzou Under Vandy Under South Carolina Over UT Over Bama Over
BST Mizzou Under Vandy Under South Carolina Over UT Under Bama Over

And finally, and new segment to send you off with:

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This week's edition will feature a piece of Mizzou memorabilia from the RMN Staff. If you have something you think would go well here, let us know and we'll add it!

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