Rock M Nation - 2019 Mizzou Football: Week 1 vs WyomingA Blog for Ol' Mizzouhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50319/rmn-fav.png2019-09-05T08:30:00-05:00http://www.rockmnation.com/rss/stream/205998302019-09-05T08:30:00-05:002019-09-05T08:30:00-05:00Okwuegbunam looks to be a bigger focal point in Missouri’s Week 2 offense
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J2c2QhasDZCv48YWwYqnYUHc6R0=/14x0:2398x1589/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65180049/usa_today_13294028.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Despite being targeted just four time versus Wyoming, Albert O should be more involved in the passing game come Saturday’s home-opener.</p> <p id="DLKddb"><span>Albert Okwuegbunam</span> thought he had his first touchdown of the season.</p>
<p id="mksDVq">With his team trailing Wyoming 27-17, Missouri’s star tight end caught a two-yard pass from quarterback <span>Kelly Bryant</span> that seemingly brought his squad to within a field goal a little less than five minutes into the third quarter. After the team had imploded the previous quarter, getting within three points to open the third was more than the Tigers could’ve asked for.</p>
<p id="t90Gzr">But a whistle and a flag ended Okwuegbunam’s celebration, as he was penalized for pushing off a Cowboy defender prior to making the catch.</p>
<p id="jgQun6">The call erased what would’ve ended up being the highlight of Okwuegbunam’s night— one of the lone bright spots from his first game back since a shoulder injury Nov. 3 at Florida ended his 2018 season. Not that the lack of big plays were all his fault— Okwuegbunam was only targeted four times throughout the game— but as someone who’s arguably one of the two most important players for Missouri’s offense, four targets doesn’t seem like nearly enough.</p>
<p id="qAXfLM">The touchdown could’ve made up for all of it, as the Tigers were just one score away from tying the Cowboys in the 37-31 loss, but Missouri couldn’t complete its comeback attempt without it.</p>
<p id="KFru16">“I had a one-on-one matchup, and he engaged me so I engaged him back and just the way with the push-off, honestly, it could’ve gone both ways,” Okwuegbunam said. “I feel like if he wouldn’t have fallen, it wouldn’t have drawn as much attention. He kind of got tripped up and fell, but I think I just need to be better about using my hands, not trying to use two hands. Maybe just a little flipper or something like that.”</p>
<p id="o1Tkt2">“Down in the red zone there’s always bumping and grinding, and defensive backs are handsy, receivers get collisions and have to be physical to get off of it,” tight ends coach AJ Ofodile added. “I think really looking at it, I don’t think it was anything more egregious than any other contact that happens on any other route down there.”</p>
<p id="sJCHeY">Okwuegbunam ended up taking the field for 62 of 93 offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, which makes the small number of targets surprising — well, surprising for everyone besides offensive coordinator Derek Dooley. The second-year coordinator said he didn’t expect Okwuegbunam to play that many snaps, especially considering he hadn’t played a real game in over nine months and was in and out of fall camp with nagging injuries. This explains why there was less of a focus on getting the ball his way.</p>
<p id="cUmAiv">“Frankly, I wasn’t confident he could play that many snaps at a high level,” Dooley said. “So we probably didn’t have as many things that we (usually) would for him.”</p>
<p id="V4jzxf">The game plan, then, revolved more on getting the receiving corps involved than on trying to get Okwuegbunam his expected targets. Slot receiver <span>Johnathon Johnson</span> and running back <span>Tyler Badie</span> led the team with seven receptions apiece and finished first and second in targets with 11 and 9, respectively.</p>
<p id="zxcbSd">Wideouts <span>Jalen Knox</span> and <span>Jonathan Nance</span> were also targeted more times than Okwuegbunam (6), while he and backup slot receiver <span>Barrett Banister</span> ended up tied.</p>
<p id="HckHCf">Okwuegbunam, though, isn’t worried about his targets the way most of the Tigers’ fanbase is. As a guy who wants to show he’s a team-player, Okwuegbunam expressed to reporters Tuesday his desire to do whatever the team needs him to do. Whether that involves making catches or distracting the defense, he tries to make the best out of whatever the coaches ask of him.</p>
<p id="SdVnOQ">“Defenses have a big focus on me, so they’ll lean their safeties, double-team me... so if I need to be a drain-out or tie down some guys then I’ll do that, no problem,” Okwuegbunam said.</p>
<p id="3Ohxpm">Regardless of how much Okwuegbunam surprised his coaches by playing the amount of snaps he did Saturday, they surely know now what they can expect out of him stamina-wise. Okwuegbunam said he feels healthy and knows he can play all four quarters if he needs to; he’ll do whatever’s necessary to help Missouri have a bounce-back performance against West Virginia in the Tigers’ home-opener.</p>
<p id="aVwYNg">So with added motivation following its disappointing performance in Week 1, Missouri should end up calling Okwuegbunam’s number more often than not against the Mountaineers.</p>
<p id="yjy3jC">“Going into it, you just weren’t sure how available he was going to be, so there’s that part of it, and then also the game flows like it flows,” Ofodile said. “...Albert’s a big part of our offense, and as we go forward, things over time kind of play themselves out the way they should.”</p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019-mizzou-football/2019/9/5/20848075/missouri-football-west-virginia-albert-okwuegbunam-offenseRyan Herrera2019-09-04T16:10:00-05:002019-09-04T16:10:00-05:00In the Huddle: How to follow a tough loss
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cuGdUK-p75ws90cxSRsxZ-neJWk=/0x0:2618x1745/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65175018/usa_today_13294021.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Great teams know that the next game is always the most important one. Terry Dennis explains how the Tigers are equipped to handle the sting of week one and use it to make themselves better.</p> <p id="ycW24N">Victory Sunday is something every football player plans for at the end of game week. </p>
<p id="cDOwPe">It’s the day following a win, getting the chance to cool down and recover. Like a typical Sunday, players lift then break into special teams meetings. The head coach goes over the goals from the previous game, diagramming which goals were met on a chart for all three phases of the game. For coaches, evaluation begins that morning (or night of in some cases). They spend hours alone and as a group — going over each quarter, series, play, and player — grading out the performances. Many times it is clear which team was better; other times it’s more difficult to determine who <em>should </em>have won. </p>
<p id="mRpIEl">There are, however, times like this past week, where mental errors, turnovers, missed assignments, and miscues are put on display. Coaches have to point out the areas that directly contributed to a tough loss. When that happens, there is no Victory Sunday. </p>
<p id="zkf6Ai">The Sunday following a loss means there’s practice to attend. The day otherwise is somewhat typical of any other week; players go through meetings and receive coaching points on their performances. But following a loss, it’s an opportunity for coaches to talk accountability. </p>
<p id="s5Sx8c">Former Independence Community College Head Coach (and <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/last-chance-u">Last Chance U</a> mogul), Jason Brown once said, “Players win games, coaches lose them.” Gary Pinkel consistently shared this phrase — more relevant after Saturday’s demoralizing loss — “If we bring our A game, we can beat anyone. We bring our B game and anyone can beat us.” While some might argue Mizzou left their B, C, and D game somewhere back home, there is no denying that the A game was not present. </p>
<p id="kQaaA8">Following a crushing loss — particularly one you had the pieces to win — the day after takes a different toll. It’s a time to reflect on what went wrong, but it gives you a starting point to move forward to next week. </p>
<p id="BRzZnX"> A tough loss requires a collective team decision to correct the things that led to that result. Since teams are judged by their most recent performance, it’s important for coaches and the team leaders to prioritize that the <em>most important game is the next one.</em> The temptation to look at the past for verification or to look past the next opponent is present. But teams must understand that they can’t judge themselves by their last result, but how they prepare for the next one. </p>
<p id="sL7psj">Attention to detail is key, and it starts from the top-down. Come Tuesday practice, coaches and players start fresh. Practice is normal, but with a renewed understanding and sense of urgency. Team leaders speak a little more sternly and ask more of themselves as well as their teammates. Coaches pay close attention to the habits and body language of the players as to not repeat the cycle of what led to the loss in the first place. </p>
<p id="Ti8LlG">Though it may sound backwards, a tough loss can be just what great teams need. It can create a sense of humility— which may be needed— surrounding the hype of this Mizzou football team and its new additions from the offseason. The team understands this is not the Mizzou of old, where fans expect to be let down. These are new coaches, players, teammates, and a new culture. What many may not understand — but those involved seem to always figure out — is that the noise surrounding the state of the program is not an accurate representation of what happens internally. Tough losses are short-lived at Mizzou, and the opportunity to start fresh for the next week is imminent. </p>
<p id="SMsHOx">What distinguishes Missouri from other programs is the ability to reset and refocus. Tough losses hurt for the moment, but approaching the next game as the top priority is something many great teams have consistently embodied. Mizzou has the potential to be one of those teams. </p>
<p id="56uT0h">Any loss has the ability to bring up emotions for those surrounding the program. People call for the head coach’s head and slip back into thinking, “Same old, same old.” They think they can tell the tale for the whole season based off week one. </p>
<p id="3529X5">Internally, it falls on deaf ears. No one understands what’s at stake more so than the team and its coaches. The opportunity to reset rests on the shoulders of those involved, and under that realization, tough losses are treated as opportunities rather than failures. Coaches and players know that they’re qualified to be in these positions. </p>
<p id="YRCQOF">Tough losses are opportunities to create even greater results. It’s not about how you start. It’s how you finish. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/9/4/20848623/missouri-mizzou-tough-loss-wyoming-west-virginia-in-the-huddle-terry-dennisTerry Dennis2019-09-04T08:30:00-05:002019-09-04T08:30:00-05:00Film Room: Mizzou vs Wyoming
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TWCnzN4HfzB4F-KNDJx7UDehR-Q=/0x10:3756x2514/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65169428/usa_today_13292370.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Tigers did some good things. The Tigers did too many bad things.</p> <p id="lVvp3G">Welcome to the first in-season installment of Film Room.</p>
<p id="u0Yztm">Here I’ll look at some of the mistakes Mizzou made against Wyoming (dang, they made some <em>costly</em> mistakes). But we’ll also look at some of the good things they did — and in spite of the sting of losing — they did do some good things (it’s true).</p>
<h2 id="QKGGxP">The Good</h2>
<p id="ewmStB">In the <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/6/20752371/film-room-missouri-running-game-kelly-bryant-derek-dooley">first installment</a> of Film Room, I wondered whether Derek Dooley would emphasize the quarterback read game as a way of utilizing <span>Kelly Bryant</span>’s legs. He did— though not as much as I expected— by featuring a play he called infrequently last year.</p>
<p id="1trwmq">I’ve presented the Zone Read scheme <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/20/20808341/film-room-mizzou-football-derek-dooley-drew-lock-kelly-bryant-running-ball-spread-offense">before</a>, but let’s refresh our memories. On Inside Zone, the entire line of blockers steps to the playside, leaving the end man on the line of scrimmage (EMOL) unblocked. The quarterback’s read controls the EMOL: if the EMOL crashes down to tackle the running back, the quarterback pulls the ball and attacks the backside edge.</p>
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<figcaption>Zone Read</figcaption>
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<p id="DuLzGo">A common tactic to defend Zone Read is to gap-exchange the EMOL and the backside linebacker. In the above diagram, the backside defensive end (in red) is aligned in the C gap outside the offensive tackle and the backside linebacker (also in red) is responsible for the B gap between the guard and tackle. A gap-exchange is just what it sounds like— these players exchange the gaps they are responsible for.</p>
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<figcaption>Gap-Exchange</figcaption>
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<p id="hweO5G">Now the DE takes the B gap and the LB takes the C.</p>
<p id="rfxWAW">We’ve seen this play before in Film Room— Clemson’s Kelly Bryant running Inside Zone Read against a gap-exchange during last season. Notice how the DE takes the RB while the LB instantly appears on the edge for Bryant.</p>
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<p id="ZOugRW">While Bryant beats the linebacker for a TD here, an offensive coach would obviously rather develop a scheme that would account for the problem gap-exchange poses than depend on a phenomenal play time and again. On Saturday night, Dooley employed such a scheme.</p>
<h3 id="4Kyv2q">Zone Read Search</h3>
<p id="PVmYbm">We looked at a scheme called Zone Wham <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/20/20808341/film-room-mizzou-football-derek-dooley-drew-lock-kelly-bryant-running-ball-spread-offense">last month</a>. The play features a split flow action in the backfield with the H back moving against the grain of the play to kick out the EMOL.</p>
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<figcaption>Zone Wham</figcaption>
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<p id="6ahe8M">Wyoming ran a ton of it Saturday night, and with success.</p>
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<p id="nj5ebH">Zone Wham blocks the EMOL, so there is no need for a QB read. Dooley ran a play very similar to Wham— we’ll call it Zone Read Search— that keeps the read viable and accounts for the backside linebacker in a gap-exchange. It was something like a signature play for the 49ers during the Colin Kaepernick era. </p>
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<figcaption>Zone Read Search</figcaption>
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<p id="qHP99Q">Dooley called Zone Read Search four times against Wyoming, and Bryant pulled the ball on each of them. The first two— both on the first drive— were quite successful.</p>
<p id="arcfx0">First, Bryant converts a 2nd and 7. The DE is the EMOL and attacks the back. Albert Okuwegbunam (#81) crosses the formation on a split flow path. Instead of blocking the EMOL as he would in Zone Wham, he searches out the inside linebacker who is gap-exchanging with the end. Watch as the Search block creates the seam that Bryant hits.</p>
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<p id="uSoppn">Later in the drive, Bryant moves the chains on a 3rd and 2, again on Zone Read Search.</p>
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<p id="LwvIrs">You can best see the way the play develops in the tight shot. The DE shuffles way down to take away the run and the LB instantly flies to the edge. This time, Daniel Parker (#82) hooks the hard-charging LB, giving Bryant the outside.</p>
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<p id="PFMTcB">On their second drive, the Tigers again ran Zone Read Search, this time unsuccessfully.</p>
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<p id="4HLWte">In the first two instances, Bryant was attacking the two-receiver side when he pulled the ball. Here he is attacking the single-receiver side. With the corner covering the only receiver to his side, the boundary safety is free to aggressively attack the run box on the snap.</p>
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<p id="wPMyXm">All kinds of problems ensue. Right tackle <span>Hyrin White</span> (#50) becomes preoccupied with the safety, but fails to block him <em>or</em> the playside linebacker. While Albert O gets his helmet on the inside number of the gap-exchanging LB, heavy pursuit from the inside keeps Bryant from cutting up inside and forces him to the sideline.</p>
<p id="ensAHc">We saw the play once more on the second to last snap of the first half (yes, we’ll address the fateful last snap of the half later). It was also to the single-receiver side and, again, the boundary safety stopped Bryant short of the goal line.</p>
<p id="Uj8csD">Zone Read Search was a nice wrinkle Dooley mixed in. I would like to have seen it again in the second half, and to the two-receiver side, but we can’t always get what we want. </p>
<h2 id="GyNXaa">The Bad</h2>
<h3 id="s7Hp4j">Valladay: 61 yard TD</h3>
<p id="9I5vJd">I’m feeling masochistic, so let’s shift to the defensive side of the ball where the Tigers allowed almost 300 yards rushing. A full 45% percent of the Cowboy’s total yards on the ground came on two snaps. </p>
<p id="3ny1lg">Yes, you remember them.</p>
<p id="mwtx3h">The first big play was <span>Xazavian Valladay</span>’s 61-yard dash to the end zone.</p>
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<p id="veixEZ">Did you notice that the scheme is the aforementioned Zone Wham? It is executed out of an unbalanced formation— the tight end is covered by a wide receiver— with a Jet Sweep fake as window dressing.</p>
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<figcaption>Zone Wham with Jet Sweep fake</figcaption>
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<p id="I1mqY2">Let’s look at the way the Tiger defense reacted.</p>
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<p id="wZkCDK">That looks like a bunch of gobbledy-goo, so let’s isolate the most important elements.</p>
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<ul>
<li id="BEZhRG">This is the most important aspect: rather than stepping to the playside as an OL would normally do on Zone, the left guard steps backside to chip the nose tackle before climbing to linebacker level. This is a subtle but important technique. The chip allows the center to overtake <span>Jordan Elliott</span>’s (#1) playside shoulder, turning Elliott out of his gap.</li>
<li id="cvMIze">The guard goes on to drive <span>Cale Garrett</span> (#47) into <span>Jordan Ulmer</span>’s (#11) lap, effectively blocking two players. Ulmer is late reacting to the inside run as he must respect the Jet Sweep fake.</li>
<li id="gk8Pn2">These two blocks create the seam that Valladay hits with a full head of steam.</li>
</ul>
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<p id="UsS4IO">Watch again, and appreciate the effectiveness of the left guard’s technique.</p>
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<ul><li id="xT1Nf4">Another reason the lane gapes so wide is the right side of the line— defensive end <span>Jatorian Hansford</span> (#28) and strong safety <span>Khalil Oliver</span> (#20)— fail to constrict the hole. They get too far upfield and are further widened by their blockers. Hansford is roughed up pretty good by the right tackle.</li></ul>
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<p id="P09aJT">(As an aside, as the Cowboy run game gained steam, I wondered whether we would see DT <span>Akial Byers</span>, who played DE last year, replace pass-rusher Hansford on the edge. We did not.)</p>
<ul><li id="UxzfDf">Finally, notice the lack of a deep safety to cover for the defensive front and save the touchdown. Free safety Ulmer is aligned in the box as a third linebacker. <span>Joshuah Bledsoe</span> (#18) is the boundary safety, but on the motion he flies across the formation to defend the Jet Sweep. This leaves the deep middle of the field wide open.</li></ul>
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<p id="BwfXDo">All these elements come together for the huge Cowboy score. One last time, if you can stomach it:</p>
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<h3 id="1uixRv">Chambers: 75 yard TD</h3>
<p id="mHJViJ"><span>Sean Chambers</span> proved to be quite a handful as a runner. I neglected to go back and watch the four games he played for Wyoming last year, so I was not expecting it when he did this.</p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FDPB9Omtvqly1ZwCxEX3cIXMheI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159351/WY_TIGER_LONG_TD.gif">
</figure>
<p id="AfO8nH">The play is Inverted Veer, a play I mentioned <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/8/20752586/film-room-how-the-missouri-running-game-might-look-with-kelly-bryant-at-quarterback-part-two">in this space</a> a few weeks ago. Let’s look at it in some detail.</p>
<p id="W4ZJfP">The blocking scheme is Power. A traditional Power play might look like this.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IPrrXpX6uv_RRy4Q_q6pyo8mr7Q=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159367/POWER_DIAGRAM_2.png">
<figcaption>Power</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="6dC56F">While Inside and Outside Zone are both considered part of the Zone family of schemes, Power is from a family called Gap schemes. In Gap schemes, the playside linemen block to their backside gaps while one or more blockers from the backside pull around to the playside. In Power, the backside guard (the right guard in the above diagram) is the puller. </p>
<p id="3zTMLY">Inverted Veer adapts the Power blocking scheme for spread formations. Neither a tight end nor a fullback are necessary to block on the playside because the quarterback reads the playside EMOL.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mu57LCK4vfStssGjC-ZIqy3IcL4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159380/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM.png">
<figcaption>Inverted Veer. The red defensive end is the read man.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="YdynD7">The QB puts the ball in the RB’s belly and shuffles laterally. If the playside EMOL— here the defensive end— squeezes inside, the quarterback hands to the RB on a sweep path.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zi9RFmpLdRglEe9XNAqY9koOb80=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159394/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_2.png">
<figcaption>DE squeezes = handoff to RB</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="O2x8WM">If the EMOL comes upfield, the QB pulls the ball and runs it up inside.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/b9fXbKX_osDR5iGXAtWgIDKwdss=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159404/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_3.png">
<figcaption>DE upfield = QB keep</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="2rCy5E">The Inverted Veer play on which Chambers scores includes a Jet Sweep fake going the opposite way. I find this ingenious, for reasons I’ll get to.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9ac_kQ6YhI6W36n0x2Edofqvb2w=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159436/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_5.png">
<figcaption>Inverted Veer with Jet Sweep fake</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="rrR2gP">The Mizzou defense presents an odd front (three down linemen). There are linemen in both B gaps (the gaps between the guards and tackles): this is called a Tight Front, alignment <em>du jour </em>for stopping inside runs against the spread offense. </p>
<p id="sIlRP0">Here is another jumble of a diagram showing how the Tiger defense reacted.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CBELHeX2gEQYxMnWcOzdMCmNk40=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159456/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_6.png">
</figure>
<p id="uvxiPF">Again, let’s make sense of this by isolating a few things.</p>
<ul>
<li id="ZCormw">First, as we see above, Oliver (#20) comes upfield, triggering Chambers to pull the ball.</li>
<li id="rim2aI">The Jet fake has tremendous effect, drawing the attention of <span>Tre Williams</span> (#93), <span>Nick Bolton</span> (#32), and <span>Tyree Gillespie</span> (#9). This is important, because getting the backside linebacker blocked is essential to successfully running Power. Here, Bolton is goaded into blocking himself.</li>
<li id="x9yMPa">Hansford (#28) gets mauled by the left tackle, but at least gets penetration, causing the pulling guard to belly into the backfield a bit. This keeps the guard from turning upfield to block Garrett (#47). The guard instead kicks out Oliver.</li>
</ul>
<p id="BpFoUd">Watch the play again, paying attention to these three elements.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nCmb_OPz3IVy2Tet82m1GohsMts=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159480/WY_TIGER_LONG_TD.gif">
</figure>
<p id="n2dTbj">Now for some criticism.</p>
<ul><li id="RUTdE3">Byers (#97) is in the backside B gap and goes entirely unblocked (the center neglects to check back on him for some reason). Instead of running upfield as he does, I’d like to see Byers follow the pulling guard— staying in his hip pocket, in the parlance of coaches— right to the ball.</li></ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/schR3nwv_I3iewetUf6M0Hds_jg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159485/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_7.png">
<figcaption>Preferred path for unblocked DT</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul><li id="IguYpU">As we mentioned, the pulling guard is unable to make his way to Garrett (#47). Both Garrett and Joshuah Bledsoe (#18) are unblocked and have a shot at Chambers. Garrett whiffs and Bledsoe is the victim of a nasty stiff-arm.</li></ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oRHflducOoH5ESjd8Dp9NrNNjQY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159508/INVERT_VEER_DIAGRAM_8.png">
<figcaption>Two unblocked defenders miss</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul><li id="E9RGHH">The Jet fake makes Garrett indecisive. Rather than attacking the line of scrimmage as he often would, Garrett waits to diagnose. By the time he makes his read, Garrett is in space with an athlete of a quarterback.</li></ul>
<p id="V6CRVX">Let’s watch the tight shot.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j1wePYxgzvTXYiSb5Ya7vuBLQAg=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159487/WY_TIGER_LONG_TD_TIGHT.gif">
</figure>
<h2 id="1mwAsT">The Ugly</h2>
<p id="cJU01J">I told you we’d get to the first half’s last play from scrimmage, and here we are. Abandon hope all ye made it this far.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ORAoaJ9B0gvi3vRJ_bGInpfY3UE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159488/MZ_GL_FUMBLE.gif">
</figure>
<p id="g6lHOS">Oof.</p>
<p id="uUTVIp">What’s interesting about this play to me is that it was prefigured by the Tigers’ first touchdown.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_T76qVl1t-6tjgqkzw4E0j-yiPc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159510/MZ_GL_TD.gif">
</figure>
<p id="oZ3842">The scheme is a Trap where the playside guard kicks out the playside EMOL and the fullback leads inside. This is the way I believe it would be drawn up.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cRGecoS6So3xgGreL6w9y-D5dns=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159516/GOALLINE.png">
<figcaption>Lead Trap</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="iPGKwV">But more often than not, they don’t happen the way they’re drawn up. Notice the way Cowboy strong safety <span>Esaias Gandy</span> (#5) knifes inside pulling guard <span>Larry Borom</span> (#79). The linebacker ends up on the ground and Larry Rountree III (#34) scoots past him for the TD. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/riDYOCOsf0BS9O-s_wGZrHl_D5k=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159524/GOALLINE_3.png">
<figcaption>OLB unblocked</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wa1g7Rk5qU1Ke5cUQ1NFi0mADHY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159518/MZ_GL_TD_TIGHT.gif">
</figure>
<p id="cAiJ0l">Gandy didn’t make the play, but demonstrated a problem with the play’s execution. Might this problem arise again?</p>
<p id="WMzbcA">It might, and it does. </p>
<p id="m4Cl7b">The fumble happens on the exact same play which is defended the exact same way. Here the puller is Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, who misses linebacker <span>Ben Wisdorf</span> (#43). Wisdorf keeps his feet and plants his helmet on the ball, forcing the fumble.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PXleRwduJCkDjBjJ_F-zjSvuCn4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19159528/MZ_GL_FUMBLE.gif">
</figure>
<h2 id="9Rzl3K">Conclusion</h2>
<p id="NcsN0g">Allow me to conclude with a bit of editorializing. </p>
<p id="7Gv7iJ">I fear costly mistakes are becoming less regrettable abberations and more hallmarks of Odom’s otherwise solid program. As was apparent Saturday night, this team is not good enough to overcome mistake after mistake.</p>
<p id="AOapyI">Having said that, it’s important to acknowledge that <em>there is always time to clean things up</em> because there are still games left. The season can still be a good one.</p>
<p id="x2tt5Q">Win or lose, I’m looking for games where we can honestly say the Tigers gave their best shot and didn’t hamstring themselves with egregious errors. </p>
<p id="JnWdiQ">Show me a clean game and I can accept any outcome. These mistake-riddled efforts, though, are getting tiresome.</p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/9/4/20843925/mizzou-football-film-room-wyoming-run-gameTim Bussen2019-09-03T16:31:26-05:002019-09-03T16:31:26-05:00Let’s all take a deep breath
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Rsm7MhrfmjANWhlHB19PU6iDKh0=/0x0:2618x1745/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65166005/usa_today_13294021.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The loss at Wyoming hurts. But everything is still on the table for this Missouri football team.</p> <p id="F0emPy">It’s time to take a deep breath.</p>
<p id="nS0Ldp">No, I’m not going to tell you what happened on Saturday is excusable. I’m not here to make you feel better about Missouri losing on the road against a Mountain West team that Vegas had projected as a five win team. I’m not interested in doing that. It’s a brutal loss. </p>
<p id="Q33atO">B-r-u-t-a-l. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it.</p>
<h3 id="FceSy9">But it doesn’t end the season. </h3>
<p id="iUjmO0">It’s time to take a step back, take a deep breath and realize what’s still on the horizon for this team. Because everything - and I mean <em>everything</em> - is still on the table.</p>
<p id="5ogc8W">Did you see what the rest of the SEC did over the weekend? Let’s go through it briefly. Because it matters. A lot.</p>
<ul>
<li id="FKUhjW">Tennessee lost to Georgia State. At home.</li>
<li id="Z4Apxx">South Carolina lost to North Carolina.</li>
<li id="8VGoZI">Florida’s offense looked like an absolute disaster against Miami.</li>
<li id="zqGwR0">Arkansas had to hold on late to beat Portland State 20-13. At home.</li>
<li id="GEFPOP">And Ole Miss lost on the road against Memphis.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="NCAA Football: Mississippi at Memphis" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7jriZ1-68WGftgFbhOgBhI2rmTY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19164797/usa_today_13289157.jpg">
<cite>Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
</figure>
<h2 id="p7SJrj">So that schedule we’ve all been talking about? Yeah, it still looks weak.</h2>
<p id="Dln66W">The schedule was always the reason to be optimistic about this Missouri squad. I still believe this is a talented team. There are obvious flaws, but the potential is still there. I fully expect the Tigers to beat West Virginia this weekend, start the year 2-1, and ultimately go on a run that could have the team at 6-1 before they go back on the road to take on Vanderbilt.</p>
<p id="1GXqym">It wasn’t supposed to start this way. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. But the SEC still looks weak. The two worst teams in the SEC West very well may be the two teams Missouri gets in the cross-divisional match-ups.</p>
<p id="lUCdwI">It still hurts today — maybe a little less than Saturday — but the sting is still there. The hope of having a magical season is likely off the table. Maybe the interest level among casual fans craters before the season really gets going for the sixth consecutive season. I can’t overstate how disappointing all of that is to me, and should be to you.</p>
<p id="U87lkc">But it doesn’t change the reality of the situation. Missouri lost a relatively meaningless (and pointless... but we’ll discuss that another time) non-conference road game to begin the season.</p>
<p id="AaDB3A">A dark-horse campaign to be the 2nd best team in the SEC East is still very much alive. A big time bowl game is still on the table if the Tigers can get this turned around and the NCAA makes things right.</p>
<p id="caHkmm">The goals for the season are very much still attainable. There’s no denying that the season is currently on a bit of a detour. Now it’s time for Barry Odom to prove once again that he’s capable of keeping the train on the tracks. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019-mizzou-football/2019/9/3/20845573/lets-all-take-a-deep-breathBrandon Kiley2019-09-03T06:30:00-05:002019-09-03T06:30:00-05:00Getting mad at Barry Odom isn’t going to make you feel better
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Football: Tennessee-Martin at Missouri" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qw85wVZUewkeSZ563Rwihm7V0uU=/20x0:5105x3390/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65161544/usa_today_11174008.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Missouri’s head coach is as divisive as ever after this past weekend. But fans should recognize that calling for his head won’t make things better.</p> <p id="ICFskT">There’s a tweet I think about <em>a lot</em> when it comes to being a sports fan. The tweet itself has nothing to do with sports and would only ever be tangentially related, but it’s still funny to think about as a sports fan who’s always trying to keep a level head.</p>
<p id="HJUDAb">At the risk of getting divisive — the tweet is very political in nature — it won’t be linked here, though you could likely find it without much effort. In essence, the premise involves a lot of people standing around holding hands, chanting, “Better things aren’t possible!”</p>
<p id="oWb5vU">Trying to maintain a somewhat reasonable head as a sports fan can often feel like this. When you feel dogged passion about something, you want to chase the best possible outcome at any cost, no matter how unlikely or absurd things may get. But there also comes a point when, be it cynicism or fatigue, you come to accept the status quo. Things are the way they are and they will be what they will be until the seas rise and the sun explodes.</p>
<p id="siCLKB">It’s especially starting to feel this way when it comes to the conversation around Barry Odom. Now 19-20 in his young head coaching career, the Missouri alum is as divisive as ever. Some people (this writer included) have admitted Odom’s obvious faults as a coach, but point to his clear strengths as a motivator and culture builder (along with some burgeoning skills as a recruiter) as reason to have hope that he can have sustained success at Missouri. Others (fairly) point to his seeming inability to motivate his teams until everyone’s ass is on the line, coupled with the continued struggles with team defense — a development no one could have seen coming back in 2015 — as reason to think that Odom won’t ever get any better than he is now. </p>
<p id="AZZ6qE">The discourse reached Chernobyl levels of toxic after Saturday’s dumpster fire in Laramie. Before the half, people were calling for Odom’s head. They were saying that he should have been fired after year two! Message boards were melting down faster than glaciers! Chaos reigned in Tiger fandom, all at the seemingly unconscious whims of the former Tiger linebacker.</p>
<p id="oXu88H">We’re now two full days separated from the disastrous loss in Wyoming, and now that the dust has somewhat settled, it’s time to ask ourselves... did screaming about Odom make us feel any better?</p>
<p id="svKqQE">That isn’t meant to be a criticism of those who are critical. As a defender, even <em>I</em> cannot fault those who found reason to be infuriated by Saturday’s result. The team <em>did</em> look unprepared and overwhelmed. The play calling <em>was</em> suspect on both ends of the ball. And, once again, the defense <em>was</em> steamrolled by a quarterback who you will now never forget. Seriously, we’ll all remember the name <span>Sean Chambers</span> — who will no doubt go on to have a lucrative career as the CEO of a mid-level marketing firm — until the day we shuffle off this mortal coil.</p>
<p id="hAEpjD">But be honest with yourself. Do you really feel better now that you’ve had a chance to say what you really feel about Barry Odom? Did your angry tweets or high-pitched conversations help you digest the horrors of Saturday? If they did, great! No need to read further. You can justifiably leave this site and think of this writer as that idiot who doesn’t get you.</p>
<p id="p3SrGe">However, it’s probably fair to say that no matter what you felt about Barry Odom coming out of Saturday, it didn’t help you feel better about the direction of the program going forward. Because realistically, we all know that nothing we say or do can change the mind of Jim Sterk. You may think that your voice amongst the mob will reach him in his luxury suite, convincing him to reach down with his mighty hand and banish Odom to the coordinator wasteland once more. But if you think about it, you’ll realize it’s not happening.</p>
<p id="ptHKHj">It’s hard to end this because there’s not really an end in sight, at least not one that we can see or predict. Those of you who still believe in Barry will move on from Saturday convinced Missouri is still trending up. Those of you who never did will remain convinced of Missouri’s downward spiral until Odom proves himself the way Gary Pinkel did (though even that wasn’t enough for some).</p>
<p id="sppdRp">That’s a drab way to walk away from week one, with no clear answers about the future and no clear-cut strategy on how to move on from the disappointment it left.</p>
<p id="PmeiJh">There is one thing you can know for sure, though. Screaming about a coach you have no power to control — regardless of whether you like him or not — isn’t going make you feel any better about what happened or what will happen in the coming months.</p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/9/3/20845534/missouri-football-tigers-barry-odom-wyomingJosh Matejka2019-09-02T19:20:44-05:002019-09-02T19:20:44-05:00Recapping Week One of College Football
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Football: Georgia State at Tennessee" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M3c6oynBGFYFW36o219IxudCQhg=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65158739/usa_today_13290847.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first week of the college football regular season is in the books, but what exactly did we get out of it?</p> <p id="X79lVP">Hope everyone out there enjoyed their long holiday weekend.</p>
<p id="OYYNkN">College football is back, thank heavens, and the opening weekend did not disappoint. Teams we suspected were good delivered. Teams we thought maybe would take a step back indeed looked terrible. And, in between, there was chaos.</p>
<p id="AyyS4T">It should make for a fun season. So, after one week, let’s do a recap, shall we?</p>
<h2 id="3RfVne"><strong>What We Learned</strong></h2>
<p id="epMyZY"><em><strong>The Powers That Have Not Been Powers Recently That Were Supposed To Be Powers Again Are Still Not Powers</strong></em></p>
<p id="Fr0LGW">At the moment, Mizzou fans don’t have much room to talk. That one time in Laramie is to never be discussed again (except a few paragraphs from now).</p>
<p id="dVPyvo">But, Tennessee and Florida State, what the hell? </p>
<p id="XzYIVH">Jeremy Pruitt deserves a fair shot in Knoxville, but for a team that is fully expected to make a large leap this season, losing to Georgia State, which won only two games a season ago, will surely make the locals restless. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="NCAA Football: Georgia State at Tennessee" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4FS6EGzP5lEj8lAMs_3Dx5kd-K4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19161241/usa_today_13290845.jpg">
<cite>Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
</figure>
<p id="RO9bqU">The kicker is, not only did Tennessee look largely disinterested for much of the game, <em>especially</em> on defense — Pruitt’s specialty — but the Vols paid the Cougars and head coach <span>Shawn Elliott</span>, a former SEC assistant, $950,000 for the embarrassment.</p>
<p id="RN5bNR">Further south, the Seminoles blew an 18-point lead to visiting Boise State in a trainwreck that is symbolic of Willie Taggart’s coaching career. Everywhere he goes— Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State— for some reason, Taggart is hired as the next big thing, actually starts to deliver, and then abruptly bolts before finishing the job.</p>
<p id="nOetW3">Perhaps, then, it should come as no surprise that Florida State — predicted by the media to finish third behind Syracuse in the ACC Atlantic Division— built a large lead going into the locker room at the half, thanks in large part to QB <span>James Blackman</span>’s 12-for-15, 278-yard performance, failed to score on their next eight possessions, and whimpered to a 36-31 defeat, mustering a measly 68 yards of offense in the final 30 minutes. </p>
<h2 id="SYxkfs"><strong>What We’d Still Like To Now</strong></h2>
<p id="0asav2"><em><strong>Is The SEC Still The Best Conference In America?</strong></em></p>
<p id="ec6dmX">Mizzou lost handily, and in my opinion, could’ve lost by 2-3 scores... to a mid-tier Mountain West team. Ole Miss put up 10 points in a loss to Memphis. Arkansas let Portland State hang around way too long. Same with Kentucky and Toledo. And then there’s Tennessee.</p>
<p id="qLvjeU">Thank God for Auburn’s last-minute comeback.</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt="NCAA Football: Advocare Classic-Auburn vs Oregon" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VNi0sQmrosFY-ZoQQrm4RZmj0BA=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19161261/usa_today_13293880.jpg">
<cite>Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports</cite>
</figure>
<p id="5HQuHX">The rest of the country has been saying it for years: the SEC only goes as far as Alabama can carry it. On one hand, that has been true, but in the process, a core of fellow SEC programs has bolstered the Tide’s resume and helped carry the baton. Right? Well…</p>
<p id="cGrk7f">In each of the Tide’s national championship seasons – 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017 – only once have more than four SEC teams finished ranked in the final AP Top 25 poll. That year was 2012, when six SEC schools finished the season ranked in the poll, including four in the Top 10.</p>
<p id="RhJM8R">During those same seasons, the Big Ten featured at least four programs in the final AP poll. Same as the Big 12. Slightly behind is the ACC, with an average of just under four. </p>
<p id="UhpAuJ">Once you get past Alabama and Clemson— and perhaps a small handful of other schools— there’s more parity in college football than ever before. It’s evident every Saturday. </p>
<p id="RhU7Ra">And it was very evident this weekend.</p>
<h2 id="YNXxMz"><strong>What We’d Like To Forget</strong></h2>
<p id="CMgWU7">Remember Hugh Freeze? </p>
<p id="ggA9pB">So, now he’s the head coach at Liberty. He watched over his team’s 24-0 loss to Syracuse on Saturday — apparently half naked — from the coziness of a hospital bed in the coaches’ box.</p>
<p id="xO1FDv">Freeze — who resigned as the head coach of Ole Miss in 2017 amid accusations of lack of institutional control and was found to have used a university-issued phone to call an escort service — underwent back surgery earlier this year for a herniated disc. </p>
<p id="Ig2oGd">I suppose the guy deserves some kudos for his dedication. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The best part is non-cfb fans RTing this like " I don't even understand what I'm looking at but ." Freezus is the universal language <a href="https://t.co/uovtfxUnN6">pic.twitter.com/uovtfxUnN6</a></p>— Sharks with rabies (@thejasonkirk) <a href="https://twitter.com/thejasonkirk/status/1167975123657216000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/9/2/20845103/college-football-recap-week-1Ryan Faller2019-09-02T06:30:00-05:002019-09-02T06:30:00-05:00Missouri isn’t dead yet, just badly hobbled
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7yF9Q-jPC56VT7_K1ssj86GvynM=/134x0:2195x1374/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65155777/usa_today_13292373.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It’s OK to feel strongly about the Tigers’ opening loss, but don’t let it color the expectations you had just days ago.</p> <p id="QhmWTp">It feels good to get angry, even though most of you probably won’t admit it.</p>
<p id="xDNmQj">It feels especially good to get angry about football, a sport whose chief concern is controlled violence. We see strength on the field (and on our screens), and we respond with strong emotion. This is normal, as the synergy between physical strength on the field and emotional strength off of it flows naturally together. Anger also makes us feel vindicated, from those of us who feel the sharp pang of disappointment to the ones who always knew things were going to go belly up from the get go.</p>
<p id="THZJLS">Of course, there are moments when anger becomes too strong. I can think of several Mizzou-centric figures on the internet Saturday night screaming into the void about Barry Odom’s lack of coaching ability and the need to fire him <strong>immediately following the game</strong>. </p>
<p id="LzxK57">This writer is in no position to refute everything said on Twitter about the head ball coach, but whoever feels the need to share such a take should realize that Odom, for all his flaws, is going nowhere. When you start a season as a program’s top dog, it often takes quite a bit to unseat you. It may sound shocking to you, but a six-point loss to a Mountain West team on the road doesn’t qualify.</p>
<p id="GIt3Kt">So now that we’ve had a day to express our feelings and get angry at and with each other online, the question emerges: What do we do now?</p>
<p id="HnpFJw">Before the season started, many of us here at Rock M were high on the Tigers’ chances to win 10 games, and those of us who weren’t settled on nine. Double digits was an ambitious pick, but one the team seemed to have earned. They were captained by the biggest transfer in the land, sported a wealth of returning talent from a pretty good team, and had the narrative wind at their backs. </p>
<p id="m9ff2v">Now it feels like double digits doesn’t even belong in the discussion. Who cares about a bowl ban now, right? Can’t get into a bowl game if you can’t qualify!</p>
<p id="Q5PiOZ">Believe it or not, though, despite how you may feel about Barry Odom, despite that Missouri just lost to <em>anot</em>her one-dimensional freshman starter,<em> </em>despite the fact that the Tigers show a curious distaste toward generating fan support early in the season, both 9 and 10 win seasons are still on the table! Our tweet from the other night caught some serious flack, but rings disturbingly familiar.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mizzou lost at home to a 4-8 Indiana team and won the SEC East</p>— ROCK M NATION (@RockMNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/RockMNation/status/1168000813882650624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2019</a>
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<p id="PzpK8J">It wasn’t long ago that Missouri endured a similar loss that sent fans spiraling. Cancel the next renovation project! Contact the White House! Raze Faurot Field and salt the ashes! </p>
<p id="hdYNEx">The Indiana loss, in retrospect, was just a blip on the radar of a very good team. At the time, though, it felt like a big maroon sticky bomb, just like this weekend’s Wyoming game felt like being shot in the face with an old-timey six-shooter.</p>
<p id="G0PGLV">We have perspective on the former... now what about the latter?</p>
<p id="1RLnxn">All the things you hoped for this Mizzou season — double-digit wins, a New Year’s Day bowl, revenge on the NCAA for unjust punishment — can all still very much happen. You may not think of that as a rational way of looking at the Wyoming loss, but is it any less rational than thinking Barry Odom should be fired into the sun because of one loss following steady, program-wide progression?</p>
<p id="DDM47j">That isn’t to say these things <em>will</em> happen. In fact, they probably won’t. All the advantages the Tigers had going for them — overwhelming fan support, an enticing national narrative, the hype of a new quarterback — have officially been left behind in the Rockies. That’s what happens when you lay an egg in Laramie.</p>
<p id="NUPlfg">However, we’ve learned over the course of Barry Odom’s short career that his teams respond well to adversity. Well, there doesn’t seem to be a more adverse time to kick that off than right now. Because, despite the reports leaking from the corners of Twitter, the 2019 Missouri Tigers are not yet dead and buried. Badly hobbled? Yes. Pride wounded? Without a doubt. </p>
<p id="jGaI8W">But the beauty of sports is that you <em>always</em> get another crack at things. For Missouri, they’ve got 11 more games to show that what happened in Wyoming was a fluke and the promise they exuded beforehand was the real deal.</p>
<p id="pguncG">Worst case scenario, we can all just stay mad. And is there a more normal state of being for Mizzou fans than that?</p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/9/2/20844211/missouri-wyoming-loss-week-one-bounce-back-west-virginiaJosh Matejka2019-09-01T15:17:00-05:002019-09-01T15:17:00-05:00What to Make of Missouri’s Disastrous Loss to Wyoming
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Missouri at Wyoming" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KNgArL2SEeg7dG5Pn32wms17tQ0=/14x0:2398x1589/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65153839/usa_today_13294028.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Pressure mounts as Missouri starts the season on the wrong note.</p> <p id="oN2LT9">This was supposed to be Missouri’s most anticipated season since maybe 2013-2014. </p>
<p id="jisCci">And how do we start it off? With <em>maybe</em> the Tigers’ worst loss since 2004 at Troy. Lesson learned: <em><strong>(editor’s note: is it though?)</strong></em> never schedule non-Power Five teams on the road! Nate Edwards said it best in his first season opponents preview,<a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/8/20759391/2019-season-opponents-preview-wyoming-cowboys"> “Never schedule a pesky team. Wyoming is a pesky team.” </a></p>
<p id="OgLXD5">Missouri learned that lesson the hard way in a baffling and disastrous season-opening loss to the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/wyoming-cowboys">Wyoming Cowboys</a>, falling 37-31 in Laramie. The Tigers led 14-0 at one point, but it ended as Craig Bohl’s first win over a Power-Five team at Wyoming. </p>
<p id="km7VVF"><span>Kelly Bryant</span> went 31-48 throwing for a career-high 423 passing yards in his Missouri debut, but those are empty calories. Missouri out-gained Wyoming 537-389 in total yards on offense, but that’s just window dressing. </p>
<p id="c44Oeb">What matters is the Tigers have started the season inexplicably with a 0-1 record. </p>
<p id="IxLrSO">So, where do we go from here? Here are some key takeaways from the meltdown loss:</p>
<h1 id="rIWGqV"><strong>The bowl ban isn’t worth worrying about right now.</strong></h1>
<p id="IXcOLq">When you start the season with a loss to Wyoming, there’s just no need to worry about making a bowl game at the moment. Can the Tigers get to a bowl game if the appeal gets lifted? Yes, absolutely. But this Missouri team had much loftier goals for this season than just making a bowl game. Finishing with a 9-3 or 10-2 record were realistic expectations for this team, and that margin for error is now gone after Week... One. It’s put up or shut up time now, because there are a lot of issues this team needs to fix right now.</p>
<h1 id="kZRqH3">
<strong>The schedule doesn’t matter anymore.</strong> </h1>
<p id="Jx6sCB">The schedule was one of the main reasons for optimism about this season (and <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/29/20809744/missouri-football-most-important-sec-games-kentucky-georgia-florida">I’m as guilty as anyone!</a>) That has been all washed away. That’s what happens when Missouri loses to Wyoming. Yes, this was an unspectacular Week 1 across the SEC East as Tennessee lost to Georgia State at home and South Carolina lost to North Carolina, along with other uninspiring results. But, this was supposed to be a gimme game, and the Tigers failed miserably in their first test. We haven’t even gotten to Missouri’s most important game of the season yet, which<a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2019/8/30/20833656/missouri-tigers-football-season-predictions-rock-m-nation-mvp-key-game"> I thought it should be South Carolina</a>. It’s officially one-game-at-a-time now mode for Barry Odom and the <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/">Missouri Tigers</a>. </p>
<h1 id="mn34i2"><strong>The excitement for the season has already lost its luster.</strong></h1>
<p id="4Cfc8P">There is still <em>a lot</em> of season left to play, but West Virginia next week was supposed to be <em>the</em> game to go to for the fan base. SEC Nation is going to be there, it’s Kelly Bryant’s home debut, there’s the new south end zone, <em>and</em> it’s the first game with alcohol being served at Farout Field. After a loss to Wyoming, it’s fair to ask — what will the attendance look like now? </p>
<p id="U4aOQM">Overreactions are only valid in Week One if you lose. The fan base is already calling for Barry Odom’s job. Is that fair? Maybe. Are we realistically there yet? No. </p>
<p id="4X5L0Y">However, this is exactly the type of game that gets coaches fired. This is exactly the type of game that loses recruits. This is exactly the type of game that loses the momentum of where the program is heading. Barry Odom and Missouri absolutely have to rebound from this loss immediately and resoundingly. They have no other choice. </p>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2019-mizzou-football/2019/9/1/20836258/missouri-wyoming-loss-recap-takeaways-schedule-barry-odom-big-pictureSammy Stava