Mizzou Crushes Murray St!

Aug 30, 2024 | Football Gameday

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Mizzou’s football team delivered a statement win on August 29, 2024, with a 51-0 demolition of Murray State at Faurot Field. The Tigers came out roaring, putting up 28 points in the first quarter alone, with Brady Cook connecting with Luther Burden III for a 16-yard touchdown to kick things off. The defense was relentless, allowing just 86 yards and forcing three turnovers, including a 25-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Toriano Pride Jr.

Missouri’s offense was in top gear throughout the game. Nate Noel added a rushing touchdown, while kicker Blake Craig contributed three field goals, further extending Mizzou’s lead. The Tigers’ dominance was also reflected in their ground game, with multiple players contributing rushing touchdowns, showcasing their depth and versatility. The crowd at Memorial Stadium was electric, feeding off every big play and celebrating a flawless performance by their team.

For the visiting Murray State Racers, it was a game to forget as they struggled to find any offensive rhythm against the Tigers’ ferocious defense. Quarterback Jakob Johannsen faced relentless pressure, resulting in a turnover-heavy game that left the Racers scoreless. Mizzou’s defensive unit was a brick wall, thwarting any attempt by Murray State to gain momentum. With this victory, Mizzou sets a high standard for the season, proving they are a force to be reckoned with in the SEC​

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Mizzou trending upward again with a Homecoming date up next


The Morning Commute for October 14, 2024.

Welcome to the Morning Commute

Today we’re talking about polls. As we usually do on Monday morning.

I’ll preface this by once again emphasizing that they don’t matter. The only things that matter are (a) the number in the win column and (b) the number that the CFP committee gives you at the end of the year. That’s it.

BUT after last week’s marvelous fall from No. 9 to No. 21 in the Associated Press poll, it’s nice to see upward movement again, even if it’s slight.

It was yet another chaotic week for ranked teams, with a lot of good squads beating each other up. The Tigers, on the other hand, took advantage of a cushy trip to Amherst and are walking back home for a Homecoming game against a beleaguered Auburn team that looks to be at the tail end of the Hugh Freeze era. Win that game and things are looking a lot more rosy than they did a week ago.

As Sam said in yesterday’s Pourover, the only thing the Tigers can do is control what’s in front of them. And what’s in front of them is a limping SEC powerhouse that’s available for the taking. Time to wrap up HoCo in style.


Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+

There are two— count em, TWO — episodes of my podcast, Majority Rules, now available. First, in this very special extra episode, special guest Nate Salsman and I delight in the Helen Hu return announcement. Join us for 45 minutes of utter joy.

They’re not saying, “boo,” they’re saying, “Huuuuuuuuuuu.”

It became obvious early in the game that Nate Noel wasn’t going to play, as Marcus Carroll, Jamal Roberts and Kewan Lacy all got carries in the first 20 minutes of the game. Come to find out he had some back tightness and was unable to loosen up to play. His absence was no problem for the Tiger running game as they wracked up 231 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, three of which went to Carroll.

Fascinated to see how quickly Kewan Lacy got involved. He was getting first quarter carries!

Eli Drinkwitz isn’t a perfect coach with a perfect football program. He’s a good coach with a good program. But even the best coaches and best teams have weeks where things get away from you. One of the things I really like about Drink is the 1-0 mentality. All you can do is control how you play one play at time, one series at a time, one game at a time. You can’t control what’s behind you, you can’t control what’s in front of you. You can only control what’s right here in this moment.

1-0 against Auburn. That’s the mentality.

Although he couldn’t take the interception all the way to the end zone, the Miami transfer’s hurricane of a turnover put Mizzou at the UMass nine-yard line with nine seconds to go. Although Brady Cook was sacked on the next play, there was still time for Blake Craig to kick a field goal, which he did so successfully to complete a 10-point swing that stomped out any spark of a Minutemen revival.

I also appreciate that Corey always takes a chance to gas up his little brother in interviews.

11 am (ESPN) – Auburn at Mizzou (-7.0 / 51.5 total)

NoW – Who the hell knows anymore? Would any result here surprise you? The only thing I’ll go on the record as guaranteeing in this game is that it will be won by the Tigers…

I’d lay all of my money on that, Chad.

This game marked the return of Tigers defender Rachel Kutella, but her expertise was only able to do so much to fend off the fearsome Bulldog offense. The Tigers were still shorthanded, left without Kylee Simmons for the third consecutive game. Midfielder Keegan Good took the reigns, taking two of Mizzou’s three shots throughout the match.

This tape goes in the trash, right?

The Tigers played some of their best defense of the season during this time, winning multiple long rallies and getting several highlight-level plays from All-SEC libero Maya Sands. The team held Tennessee to a -.080 hitting percentage in the final frame, and Sands finished with 22 digs for the match.

“Unreal, right?,” asked head coach Dawn Sullivan. “I think they were to a point where they were like, ‘We’re not losing this game.’”

It’s a nice win as the Tigers prep for a potential bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Rock M Radio: Before the Box Score was back!

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Subscribe to Rock M Radio on Apple Podcasts. Or stream episodes through Megaphone or Spotify. Have a question for us? Leave a 5-star review with your question and that show just might answer it in an upcoming episode!

If you like Rock M Radio drop us a Review and be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. Follow @RockMRadio on Twitter and if you heaven’t already head over to our YouTube channel and click that subscribe button!

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Rock M Digest: Vol. 2, Issue 7

Truman the Tiger sitting under a lamp in a book-lined room, reading a book called “Rock M Digest”
I’m no Photoshop wizard like Josh, but I think this looks pretty great | Karen Steger Designs

A weekly list of fantastic stories (and quotes) you may have missed this past week at Rock M Nation dot com

Welcome to Rock M Digest, a renewed weekly column where I, Madame Editor, share with you my must-read picks for the Rock M Nation content of the week. These stories made me think (sometimes too much), laugh, smile, cry… you get the picture. We’ve got a talented bunch of writers at this site, and since I have the distinct pleasure of reading all of it — I love reading it all, I swear — I want you, the readers, to know what you should be checking out if you don’t have time to read all the content. After all, we did put out 48 stories this week alone. And that’s not including podcasts (which I’ve linked to below) and Rock M+ content, which isn’t found on the main RMN page.

At the bottom, I’ve gathered up my favorite quotes of the week and presented them with no context. There is a link to the story included, and I highly recommend reading the stories that go along with them.

DISCLAIMER: I’ll largely focus on new content here, instead of cramming a bunch more unsightly Texas A&M content into your eyes.

Let’s begin.

Rock M Recs

Mizzou Volleyball sweeps Bama in SEC home opener

Winning is fun. Watching Jordan Iliff tally yet another kill is fun. Watching Colleen Finney’s facial expressions is realllllly fun. And reading Matthew’s recap about Mizzou’s dismantling of their first SEC home opponent Alabama is a lot of fun as well, especially when accompanied by Cal’s photos.

Five Takeaways from Mizzou’s 45-3 win over UMASS

In Nathan’s version of the 5 Takeaways, he reminds us first that no one wanted to be here— not either team and not a crowd, as hardly anyone was in attendance Saturday in Amherst. As for the other takeaways, he tells us fast starts are fun, wonders about the injury to Luther and others, and reminds us that we can take absolutely NOTHING from this game, Enjoy!

Dennis Gates and Mizzou Men’s Basketball looking forward to 2024-25 season

Basketball season is almost here, and I love a good media day where we get to hear from Dennis and his players. I particularly love this quote, captured by Adeen, from freshman Marcus Allen really stuck out to me. “We have a great group; we love playing with each other,” Allen said. “That atmosphere and that camaraderie is what brings us together.” We love to see it.

Mizzou Soccer Crushes Ole Miss 5-0

Who knew hat tricks extended into the soccer universe?! Not me, friends. Not me. But that’s exactly what Milena Fischer did, as Dylan writes in his soccer recap. Kate Phillips did Kate Phillips things, Emily Derucki picked up her first career goal, and the Tigers got the first five-goal SEC game of Golan’s tenure. If you’re looking for good vibes, make sure you check this one out. And while you’re at it, check out Dylan’s Tiger Targets, which discusses the lead up to Thursday’s game.

Mizzou Hoops Player Previews

It’s officially player preview season for Men’s Hoops, and The Matts — Watkins, with some video assistance from Harris — have put together quite the collection thus far. This week alone, you can read about Peyton Marshall, who has dramatically reshaped his physique and worked on his passing reads, but his strength on defensive and the glass might earn steady minutes, Annor Boateng, the top-30 talent and headliner of a ballyhooed recruiting class might find the best route to minutes is wreaking havoc on defense and in the open floor, and Trent Pierce, who after a freshman year to forget, looks to boost his stock and reassert himself as a key member of the Tigers’ rotation. You don’t want to miss ‘em, I promise.

BREAKING NEWS: Mizzou Gym announces HUUUUUUUge roster addition

I’ve been holding onto this intel for weeks, and I was absolutely bursting at the seams to get this one out. After spending the last year traveling the world, Mizzou’s third all-time leading scorer on beam is back for one last go-round. In this article, I examine what this means for the Tigers, as well as the backstory as to how I found out about this in the first place. My first real breaking news piece!

SEC Previews: LSU and Matt McMahon build the old-fashioned way

OMG, you guys, the season is so close that the team previews have started. Second worst on the list? #15 LSU, who used to have high highs and low lows, and then they hired Matt McMahon. It’s not McMahon’s fault; after the MESS that was the ending of Will Wade’s career, LSU needed to make a sensible hire. But as Sam writes, that’s not super exciting, and so far, McMahon has turned in one of the most bland and traditional builds you can think of. Oh, and while you’re at it, do read the #16 preview, too, for South Carolina.

Quotables

“I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down. I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down. I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down. I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never gonna gonna keep me down.” — Chumbawumba (1997) —Nathan Hurst, Is UMass a get right game for Mizzou Football?

While the Missouri Tigers baseball team continues to play Fall Ball games against themselves, the softball Tigers have taken a different approach, facing off the likes of against MO State, Kansas City (formerly UMKC), kansas and Kaskaskia College. And on a beautiful and unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, the Tigers faced off against Braggin’ Rights rival Illinois, who was 21-31 last season in the Big 10.” —Karen Steger, Timely hitting leads Mizzou to 9-3 W over Illini

Visions of dancing joyously into the 12-playoff at 10-2 or 11-1 have gone up in flames. The warning signs from weeks 3 and 4 are now full-blown emergencies, and the Tigers will have to rally to meet their goals… It was a complete and total system failure. The preparation was poor, despite a bye week, as shown by Texas A&M’s ruthless execution on offense. The team’s motivation and mindset were lacking, evidenced by a few humiliating moments. Execution was completely missing; not one unit of the team had a good day (except for punting). —Dan Keegan, A Fan’s Notes: It’s Now or Never

“Did you know UMass is #1 in the country for dining? Or at least that’s what their website claims, which is frankly a wild thing to advertise on your website with no citations. No. 1 according to whom? No. 1 in the country for dining in what category? I understand that college marketing is steeped in half-truths, but this feels like something that needs to be interrogated.” —Josh Matejka, Pregamin’ UMass

“South Carolina proved doubters wrong last season. So, why are we forecasting them at the bottom of the standings again? Unlike last season, Paris’ roster doesn’t have 824 games of experience, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Nor are the Gamecocks second in minutes played. Yes, the Gamecocks were overlooked, but they also leaned hard on experience to prove doubters wrong. —Sam Snelling, South Carolina hopes to carry the momentum from last season

Mizzou ran three more plays on the same amount of possessions as A&M but was doubled up (at a minimum) in total yards, yards per play, yards per possession, yards per carry, yards per attempt, average yards gained on 1st-down, and points per opportunity. This was a total ass whipping. As a top ten team. Shameful.” —Nate Edwards, Beyond the Box Score: Butt

Through five games the Missouri Tigers look like they’re a good football team who had a rough game on the road at A&M. Vanderbilt certainly proved their near win in Faurot was no fluke by taking down number one Alabama last night for the first time in 23 tries. Boston College has proven they’re feisty, Buffalo even has shown they’re decent. Winning those games shouldn’t be completely discounted, but applied in context. The context being that Missouri is a better team than you think they are right now, but they’re not what we thought they were coming into the season.” —Sam Snelling, Pourover: Take nothing for granted for success can be fleeting

Hot Shots

In this week’s Hot Shots, Mike & Cal both attended volleyball matches. Cal also took in a softball game. Meanwhile, Matthew and I took some photos at the gym intrasquad, and I took a couple shots at baseball as well.

Listen Up!

We’ve been busy this past week with non-football related podcasts! Here’s what you may have missed.

  • There were two— count em, TWO — episodes of my podcast, Majority Rules, is now available. First, in this very special extra episode, special guest Nate Salsman and I delight in the Helen Hu return announcement. Join us for 45 minutes of utter joy.
  • And then in our regularly scheduled episode, we discuss track/xc recruiting, wrestling rankings, the prowess of women’s golf, Helen Hu’s return, soccer’s improvement, diamond sports fall ball, swimming, soccer’s needs and volleyball’s recent struggles.
  • In a new episode of Before the Box Score, the Nates, Edwards & Hurst, reconvene to ask what the heck is going on with Mizzou post-A&M.
  • And then in their preview episode, they tried to fill 30+ minutes with a preview of UMass. They’re not good, guys. But enjoy the podcast!

Mizzou Sports this Week:

  • Sun, Oct 13: VB v. Tennessee, 2pm | SOC AT MS State, 5:30pm
  • Wed, Oct 16: BASEBALL, 3:30pm (home)
  • Thur, Oct 17: BASEBALL, 3:30pm (home)
  • Fri, Oct 18: SB v. MO Southern, 6pm | SOC v. OU, 7pm | W GOLF AT Bahamas Invite | XC AT Crimson Classic
  • Sat, Oct 19: FB v. Auburn, 11am
  • Sun, Oct 20: VB v. MSU, 2pm | M GOLF AT Williams Cup (Wilmington)

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PREGAMIN’ UMASS


It’s giving, “existential poetry,” zero aura points

♫ You know I stay fresh to death ♫

To quote Nathan Hurst in our Rock M Slack channel:

Looks like they blew their uni reveal budget in the first three weeks

Aside from that, though, I’m a fan! All-whites, the first appearance of the Block M. 10/10

Trivia
  • History lesson about Josh: Back when I was a know-nothing, shitty teenager, I made it a point to tell anyone and everyone how much I loathed Emily Dickinson’s poetry. My English teachers must have hated me, and I honestly wouldn’t have blamed them. Now that I’m a know-nothing, shitty adult, I still don’t love the work of the celebrated American poet, but I’m wise enough to recognize the impact she had on modern poetry and the place she holds in the history of American literature. Anyway, she was an Amherst native and citizen for the entirety of her life! Sorry, Emily, I hope this makes up for all the times I bad-mouthed you in high school.
  • Don’t be a hater, vote for Nader! Amherst was one of a few places in the United States that had a higher vote percentage for Ralph Nader in the 2000 election than George W. Bush.
  • Did you know UMass is #1 in the country for dining? Or at least that’s what their website claims, which is frankly a wild thing to advertise on your website with no citations. No. 1 according to whom? No. 1 in the country for dining in what category? I understand that college marketing is steeped in half-truths, but this feels like something that needs to be interrogated.
  • This week in “Notable Alumni from… I have so many options to choose from! Do you want the best fictional president of all-time? Do you want a Nobel Prize winner? Do you want a funny… oh wait, no, he’s cancelled!

I’m going to choose to spotlight legendary blues singer Taj Mahal, one of America’s most underrated talents of the last century.

Rock M-ixology


One of my great regrets this season is the missed opportunity I had against Boston College. If you recall, I had a series of gastrointestinal crises that coincided with Mizzou’s unconvincing stretch against the Eagles and Vanderbilt which left me unable to consume any beverage that wasn’t either hydrating me or sating my rapidly collapsing digestive tract.

I’d decided early on that Mizzou’s game against BC was the perfect opportunity to make one of my favorite, basic drinks, a classic Boston Sour. It’s just a whiskey sour with an egg white, which is fundamental enough that some people wouldn’t think of drinking a whiskey sour without the foaming element. But here we are, in week 7 and no Boston Sours having been consumed.

I decided to put a little Amherst spin on the Boston Sour recipe, but when I googled “Amherst Sour” I learned that there’s already a “grassy, tropical” depressant that boasts that name. That’s a whole different column that I haven’t cleared with editorial yet, though…

Anyway, I took the “grassy, tropical” cue and decided to swap out the base spirit for my favorite South American liquor, Cachaça, to create my best approximation of what an Amherst Sour cocktail would be. It’s essentially just a Cachaça Sour. So let’s make it!


2 oz Cachaça, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz rich or simple syrup, 0.5 egg white or foaming agent

Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Dry shake for 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into chilled rocks glass over ice.

I ended up going with rich syrup, but I think I’d swap that out for simple next time around. But other than that, this was a perfect weeknight drink. It was sweet and tart, but not too boozy. Sometimes you don’t need a ton of analysis; it was just a very good drink that I’d recommend you make! “Oh, but I don’t have Cachaça,” relax, you can find it at almost liquor retail store. Don’t be lazy, give yourself the best!


It’s been a week since the crushing disappointment of the Texas A&M game. Have the bad feelings worn off yet, or are they still lingering for you?

Josh Matejka, Deputy Site Manager: I think any bad feelings about the game have transitioned from frustration to curiosity. I wrote earlier in the season that Mizzou needed to face some adversity if it wanted to be the best version of itself, though I didn’t anticipate it would be quite that extreme going into the A&M game. Drinkwitz and the team have said all the right things this week — accountability, responding, etc. — and it does feel noteworthy that Drinkwitz’s teams have generally gotten stronger as the season rounds into the latter half. I don’t think there’s a lot that can be done this weekend to stem the “overrated” narrative, but I’m at least feeling good that history suggests Mizzou isn’t quite finished.

Chad Moller, Semi-Professional Writer/Podcaster: Still there, thanks for asking. I’ve always felt like if you’re going to lose, you might as well get your ass kicked. It’s easier to move past as opposed to a tight game that came down to a fluke play or a missed call or just flat out bad luck – those are the ones you can’t let go. However, this one lingers with me more than a normal blowout because I really thought this program was past laying this big of an egg. I’m not going to over react and think that’s who we actually are, BUT it’s got me wondering now if Mizzou is closer to an 8-4 team rather than the 10-2 or 11-2 team we all had hopes of coming into the season.

Quentin Corpuel, Football Beat Writer: I’m in the same boat as Josh when it comes to curiosity. The only thing that’s lingering for me is how badly Mizzou got beat by a team who appears to be in the same class the Tigers was supposed to be in. It was apparent early on that Mizzou was getting overwhelmed, which didn’t happen at all last season even in the losses to LSU and Georgia. These final seven games will be a reminder that history doesn’t remember who got knocked down; it remembers who got up and, to a lesser extent, who stayed down.

Sammy Stava, Staff Writer: It’s still annoying how poorly they played — especially coming off the bye week, but in the end, it’s one bad game. It’s over now and you just have to flush it and move on. One loss doesn’t have to define a season, but it will be interesting to see how Mizzou responds from here.

We’ve made a lot of the fact that Mizzou is traveling to UMass in a “why is this game being played” manner. So I suppose we should address the question… why is this game being played?

Josh Matejka: The only real reason I can think of, aside from the legal implications of cancelling a game like this, is that Drinkwitz thought Mizzou might be in this scenario. You’re coming off a road trip to one of the toughest venues in the country, possibly with your first loss of the season. So why not take a week to get some real game reps in and reset with a win on the board? I don’t think it’s the worst idea in the world, though it does seem strange to drop a trip to Amherst this far into the season.

Chad Moller: Scheduling non-conference games is an inexact science. Unfortunately, when this game got scheduled, Mizzou was in scramble mode and had very little leverage, so there were external factors that led to this game. While I’m not going to call anyone out specifically, I will say that the administration that booked this one didn’t handle it well. If they thought they’d be able to buy out of this game, or pay to move it to CoMo, I get that strategy, but when UMass refused, then it was a failed strategy that’s left the current program in a no-win situation. The whole thing is unfortunate.

Quentin Corpuel: Because the East Coast is awesome, obviously.

Sammy Stava: I have no answer for it. I could understand if this was a Week 1 or Week 2 game, but in the middle of the season is just … odd. At the very least, UMass is an FBS team? They might as well be FCS though. The better question is how did this game get televised on ESPN2?

It’s hard to look at this as a potential “get right” game considering how poor UMass has been so far. But in an ideal world, what does a bounce back performance look like for the Tigers in Amherst?

Josh Matejka: Obviously a blow-out win is the only thing that will sate Tiger fans who are still frothing from the trip to College Station. Specifically though, I really need to see Brady Cook have a good game. Not just clean and efficient, but dangerous and explosive. Part of what has made Cook so effective has been his ability to play smart and protect the ball, but there’s margin for error against a team like UMass. Hit some deep passes, take some risks in the middle of the field, revive the QB running game. It feels like the Tigers have been shielding Cook from making mistakes thus far, and it came back to bite them against A&M. Time to take off the speed governor and let him go. At the very least, Cook will be able to work out some wrinkles and get his confidence back ahead of Auburn.

Chad Moller: I want to see the defense play with their hair on fire after getting pantsed at A&M. I want to see the offense begin to establish an identity. To me that’s the biggest question about the offense – who are they trying to be?

Quentin Corpuel: In the most ideal world, Mizzou would totally eviscerate UMass and become the sixth SEC team to beat an opponent by at least 60 points this season. While the Minutemen have capable weapons, including quarterback Taisun Phommachanh, the Tigers should be able to roll — on paper, at least. Mizzou has yet to play a game where both the offense and defense were dominant since Week 1. Another performance like that in Amherst would, at the very least, prove that there is elite life on the team.

Sammy Stava: This game pretty much needs to be a blowout, and Missouri needs to find an identity heading into the second half of the season. It also wouldn’t hurt if we get to see the second and third string players in the second half.

PICK ‘EM! Mizzou is about a four touchdown favorite and needs some good juju. What do you think? Do they get back to covering ways?

Josh Matejka: I think so! Look, I understand the frustration and the “MIZZOU ISN’T EVEN TOP 25” rampages that erupted after last weekend. This is still a good Mizzou team with a lot of talent, certainly enough talent to sleepwalk through a trip to UMass. But I think there will be some extra motivation to have a clear, focused response to last weekend’s loss. I don’t know that we’ll see a “sharper” Tiger team than we’ve seen so far, but I think they’re going to be determined to make a statement. I’m expecting a blowout, maybe one unlike we’ve seen in the Drinkwitz era. Anger can do things to you!

Chad Moller: This one will be all about internal drive. An 11 am sleepy time kickoff at a small stadium with likely very little crowd will feel like a scrimmage. I feel like the Tigers could sleep walk through this one and never be in trouble of losing, but for cryin’ out loud, let’s have some pride and come out with a crisp, clean, efficient, business-like performance. That’s what I’m hoping to see, and if they do just that, I’m thinking Mizzou rolls in a 42-13 type of outing.

Quentin Corpuel: I’ll go with a final score of 45-13. I think UMass will be able to string together a small handful of sustained offensive drives, but I have a hard time believing that the same team who outlasted Central Connecticut State can remain competitive with an SEC team, albeit one who’s fallen short of expectations so far.

Sammy Stava: If it means anything in this game, Missouri returns to form like they did against Murray State and Buffalo and beats an inferior opponent with ease. I’ll go with 35-3.

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