All I want for Christmas is a Senior Day win

Please, Santa? I promise I’ll be good-ish this year?

Mitchell Forde of PowerMizzou talked with a bunch of the seniors on Tuesday to reminisce about good times and bad throughout their time on campus, and they got, not surprisingly, very nostalgic.

A common theme that all of the seniors, and especially those in their fifth year at Missouri, like (Ronnell) Perkins and (Richaud) Floyd, have experienced plenty of has been adversity. In a sense, this season represents more of the same. As the Tigers look to snap a four-game losing streak that has harpooned once-high hopes for this year, the pair said the tough times they have already endured will come in handy.

Richaud Floyd told Forde, “I’m trying not to say I’m going to cry (Saturday). But I probably am.” Understandably so, this Tennessee game in particular means more to him, as the last year at this game, he got knocked out.

According to Forde, Richaud gave an impassioned speech to his teammates following the Florida loss, talking about how Mizzou has been through some tough times together and stuck it out, and this is no different. Both Floyd and Perkins were at Mizzou during the 2015 season, and both said they’ve used what they learned from those trying times (while not explicitly referencing the events of 2015) to try and lead the Tigers out of their current funk.

“I’ve been through it, so I know how to handle it,” Perkins said. “I know what to say to the younger guys, how to work, how to just keep everybody level-headed, keep everybody focused on winning one week at a time.”

But how about someone who is in their first year at Missouri as a senior? What’s Senior Day mean to him? Kelly Bryant told Forde that he felt “old.”

Here’s hoping the Tigers can bring home a victory on Saturday night. These seniors definitely deserve it. If you’d like to read Mitchell’s Notebook in full (for free), you can do so on PowerMizzou. It’s very good.

On to the links!

Yesterday at Rock M

• Nate, newly crowned King of Rock M Nation, posted what many have called one of the greatest pieces ever written for SB Nation/Rock M Nation, comparing Popeye’s to Mizzou Football. If you haven’t yet read this masterpiece, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!? Seriously, it’s amazing.
• Nate also published— and this was good too— a new edition of BTBS: the optimism is stupid edition. Someone broke Nate, y’all.
• Ryan posted a depth chart and some quick reactions. JJ’s been out the past two games, but is still listed as the starter. Hope this time it’s for real.
• Mitch and his trusty sidekick Bennett were back with a new episode of the Fifth Down Podcast for your listening pleasure. Is it pleasurable when everyone has to keep talking about losses? You can read the recap here.
• Sam put up a new Study Hall for the Wofford game where he discussed that defensive boa constrictor that the Terriers succumbed to. It’s good, guys.

More Links:

Football

• PowerMizzou (free): Gabe posted audio & a transcript, while Mitchell Forde posted a Notebook from Barry Odom’s media day press conference.
• KC Star: Souichi Terada’s coverage of the presser
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Matter was super busy, as usual, churning out the great Mizzou content. He put up looking ahead to Tennessee preview in the late hours. His earlier press conference coverage focused mainly on Odom’s thoughts on his 4-year body of work as the Tigers continue to tumble, and in yet another piece, he wrote about Derek Dooley (the greatest quote ever), and picked up the following gem. This is - mind you - a week after he called the offense “pathetic.” Not a dull interviewee, Derek Dooley.

• Columbia Missourian: Nick Kelly has been quite busy. First, he wrote about how the defensive tackles are providing a firm foundation for the defense, and did another piece about why persistence in the run game could help Mizzou’s struggling offense.
• (More) Missourian: Bennett Durando used the transitive property in frankly, stunning form, to make a case of Missouri... in the CFB Play-off? Waits for your laughter to subside... Moving on!
• Saturday Down South- Adam Spencer said the Derek Dooley experiment isn’t working, and asked, what’s next.
• MUTigers.com did a preview of this weekend’s game against Tennessee. I like these because they always include some pretty cool stats. Great news, all! We get the SEC Network dream team this weekend! Welcome back, Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic, and Jordan Rodgers!
• The Athletic: Peter Baugh asked, if the Tigers can’t function offensively, then what? Excellent question. Answer: not much. If you haven’t tried out The Athletic yet, here’s a link to a seven day free trial— http://theathletic.com/freetrial. I highly recommend it, and NO, I don’t get a kickback. If I wanted that, I’d give you my subscriber link ;).

Hoops

• I now present to you, Jeremiahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Tillllllllllllllllll-mon (said in my best announcer voice). Also, Mizzou is back in action T-O-N-I-G-H-T, facing off against Morehead State at 7pm. Be there. I’m tired of seeing the stands half-full, y’all. This team is good. Oh, and you can watch it on the ol’ internet— SEC Network+.

• Choose Your Own Wofford Gamer (published late Tues or early Weds): Gabe DeArmond (standing in for Mitchell)‘s “And One” piece (PowerMizzou). Souichi Terada (KC Star). Adam Reckamp (Missourian. MUTigers.com recap.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Mr Matter wrote a cool story about how Parker Braun’s hard work earned Cuonzo’s trust and playing time. Jeff Gordon continues to have pretty good things to say about the Tigers. I KNOW, I am as shocked as you are.
• Look at you, Hannah Schuchts! Moving right up the ranks in 3-point percentage!

Other Mizzou-related news:

• Check out the volleyball team, where Andrea Fuentes is continuing to rack up honors. She was selected as the SEC’s Co-Setter of the Week, writes Jackson Stone of the Missourian. They begin their final road trip of the season TONIGHT vs. #14 Kentucky. More details on MUTigers.com.
• The No. 3/9 Mizzou men’s and women’s swim/dive teams host two meets at Mizzou Aquatic Center this week. The first was a long course (think Olympic-sized pool for all you swimming newbies) qualifier on Tuesday, and is followed by the Mizzou Invite, running today through Friday. Admission is free, and Thurs-Fri will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. More details on MUTigers.com.
• Mizzou Wrestling will make their Hearnes Center debut on Thursday, hoping to bounce back from their recent (uncharacteristic) losses while facing some ranked in-state foes. More details on MUTigers.com.
• Mizzou Gymnastics will have 5 nationally televised contests this season, all on the SEC Network (not alternate channel for these ladies!). More details on MUTigers.com.
• In non-sports news, the Chancellor put out a new podcast about 21st century learning. You can listen or read the transcript here.

Mizzou in the Pros:

• MPJ news- Nick Kosmider of The Athletic wrote a story about Nuggets’ coach Michael Malone’s zen approach to dealing with the enormous expectations set upon Michael Porter, Jr. . TJ McBride of Mile High Sports said Mike’s defense is (slowly) improving.
• Sheldon Richardson was interviewed by Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot on his thoughts surrounding the lack of suspension for Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, and what he thinks about Myles Garrett’s actions.
• Drew Lock news- USA Today’s BroncosWire says that Denver is unlikely to activate Drew from the IR this week. ESPN.com’s blog talked with Drew about how he used virtual reality technology while on the IR. Fascinating stuff.
• Chase Daniel news- USA Today’s BearsWire says that Chicago is ready to roll with Chase if Mitch Trubisky is unable to play.
• Terry Beckner, Jr has been cut from the Tampa Bay practice squad, reported by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.
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