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1. The Missouri football team has arrived in Memphis, and a Liberty Bowl shirt might hint at a new helmet?
And we have the video proof that the team has arrived ahead of the Liberty Bowl on Monday.
Look for yourself:
CoMo ✈️ Memphis pic.twitter.com/Ojn1JOsJeu
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 27, 2018
The Liberty Bowl shirt that Terry Beckner Jr. wears in the video has a white helmet with the cartoon tiger logo inside of it — could it be a secret design for the Liberty Bowl itself?
This is what I’m talking about:
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Computer, enhance:
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Maybe it’s nothing, but it’s certainly an interesting logo to pick for a bowl shirt.
2. Drew Lock’s draft stock is rising and he didn’t even have to do anything!
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert announced his return for his senior year, meaning the quarterback many projected as the top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft is no longer on the board.
He’s back. Justin Herbert will return for his Senior year. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/2x4cYbccpE
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) December 26, 2018
So, yeah, Drew Lock moves up a slot and now has a better shot at being taken inside the top-ten. A lot of this depends on how his performs at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, but talent-wise, this is going to open the door for more top teams to give him a longer look, earlier in the process.
CBSSports has Lock as the No. 2 quarterback, behind Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins (which seems like a surprise to me, but I’m admittedly no draft expert). That article also has a comparison to Lock I’ve never heard before:
Here’s our quick and dirty assessment of Drew Lock: He’s a lot like Jay Cutler -- both the good and bad. Lock can throw the ball a mile but he has never met a coverage he couldn’t squeeze a pass into, and sometimes his decisions leave you wondering if he even had his eyes open on the play. But when he’s on ... whew boy, it’s fun to watch.
Cutler. Huh.
3. Previewing the Liberty Bowl on the 10/12 Podcast.
I recently went on a Big 12 podcast — the 10/12 Podcast — to preview the Liberty Bowl, along Oklahoma State writer Kyle Porter.
Check out the full podcast here.
Spoiler alert — I predicted a closer-than-expected 31-27 Missouri win.
More Links:
- Odom’s QB reload was Missouri biggest win of the year, writes Ben Fredrickson of STLtoday.com. I do not disagree with that entirely, but that Florida win was pretty damn big in the moment.
- Peter Baugh of the Kansas City Star has a very nice article on Christian Holmes, his hometown in Mississippi and how he overcame a recent loss.
- PowerMizzou.com kicks off its Liberty Bowl previews by taking a look at Missouri’s passing offense.
- Barry Odom has no time for nonsense in Memphis:
Thank you @memgrizz for helping us welcome @CoachGundy & @Coach_Odom to #GrindCity! #AZLB60 #MIZ #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/ExkRKFgnVo
— AutoZone Liberty Bowl (@AZOLibertyBowl) December 27, 2018