Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) looks up at the scoreboard as Missouri fell behind by more than 30 points in the second half of a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)...
Our writers dug deep and found plenty of reasons to smile after Mizzou’s loss to Texas A&M.
Welcome to the MV3, a weekly piece where Rock M Nation’s staff votes on the three most impactful players in Mizzou’s previous game.
I know what you’re thinking. “The headline says there is a lot to celebrate, but Mizzou just played one of its worst games in years!”
That’s what you’re thinking. And I get it… I was there at one point too. But I’m really proud of the fact that at Rock M, we find ways to look at the positives. And despite Mizzou logging its first loss of the 2024 season — and not playing particularly well! — our staff really showed out for the reasons they found to celebrate the trip to College Station. I’m proud of us, because it can’t always be doom and gloom. Sometimes you have to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, right, Bing?
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Five punts for 228 total yards. That’s 45.6 yards per punt, with a long of 57 and one downed inside the 20. A nice little day at the office for Mr. Bauer, which is always a bad thing to type.
In something of a miracle, we were able to squeeze all 10 of these magnificent contenders onto this week’s ballot. That’s almost impossible statistically, but what can I say? The football gods smiled down on us today and provided us with a lot of heroes in College Station.
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[Borat voice]
“My sober wife”
How about you? Did we miss out on celebrating anyone this week? Let us know in the comments or at Rock M+!
“That’s one!” says Missouri defensive end Zion Young (9) to other MU players on the sideline after wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. (1) scored for Missouri in the second half of a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station,...
The Morning Commute for October 7, 2024.
Today we’re talking about polls. It’s not great, as you can imagine.
There was a lot of speculation around where Mizzou would land after its disastrous 41-10 loss to Texas A&M this past weekend. And while some pessimists thought (hoped?) the Tigers would fall out of the Top 25 completely, that was never going to happen, especially not after the team they beat two weeks ago took down the country’s top outfit. And, hey, Mizzou wasn’t the only top 10 team to take a hit this weekend! Hell, they weren’t even the polls’ steepest fall!
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The Tigers are all the way down to No. 21 in the AP, but Michigan grabbed the title of freest-fall after dropping 14 spots total. In the coach’s poll, Mizzou is up at No. 18
Look, I understand that many people think Mizzou hasn’t shown themselves worthy of being ranked yet. I get it. But I also think that’s short-sighted. Mizzou hasn’t looked “good” for the better part of a month. But that’s also forgetting that they still have a lot of the talent that took them to a Top 10 finish last season, plus a defense that played pretty damn well up until their visit to College Station. Almost nothing went right against the Aggies, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the Tigers are one of the country’s worst teams. Does it mean that they might be closer to an 8-9 win team than a 10-11 win team? Sure. But that’s all to be determined.
As we learned in college football this weekend, nothing is guaranteed. A lot is still up for grabs. It’ll be Mizzou’s job to sort it out from here.
Episode Seven of my podcast, Majority Rules, is now available. In this episode, we’re talking soccer senior night, their big Florida win, volleyball’s one good (LSU) and one disappointing (A&M) game, softball’s big Fall Ball opener win, women’s hoops exhibitions, golf’s promising performance at the Blessings Invitational, baseball needs better communication regarding fall ball, gymnastics oath keeping, men’s cross country dominance and fan journalism (fanalism). This was a fun one with everyone here together.
Good things are happening in Mizzou Sports! Just… not on the football field right now.
Let’s not do this again, sound good?
Sure thing, me.
It’s past time for the Tigers to start figuring out who they want to be and who they can be. The wilderness brotherhood has been exposed. But that doesn’t have to define who they are. It doesn’t have to define the season. The beauty of the new playoff is you do get a mulligan.
And the benefit of a mulligan is you are not as bad as your worst moment, as long as you can show the rest of the time you were not that worst moment. Success can be fleeting, but for this season’s Missouri Tigers, it doesn’t have to be.
He stole what I was thinking for a mid-week column, btw, sucks to you, Sam.
Mizzou at UMass (+27.5 / 53.5 total)
NoW – Okay, get ready to hear all week long how this is the dumbest scheduling move ever by a P4 school. And you know what? I’m not gonna try to dissuade anyone from that stance, because this one is pretty brutal. If you’re surprised to see Mizzou as four-TD favorites after what just took place in College Station, don’t be. UMass is, shall we say, non-good…
Don’t really care if they’re good or not, tbh, just want Mizzou to get back on track!
Simply put, the Tigers were overmatched. Mizzou’s offense, one of the best in the conference, never found its stride.
The team has also struggled tremendously with front row defense this year, recording the fewest blocks in the SEC and the second-worst opponent hitting percentage.
When the offense is off its game, the defense is unable to make up the difference, causing a result like the one we saw today.
Hmmm… that last line… why does it seem familiar?
The Tigers have a lot of young talent that understandably excites Coach Grevers and his staff. Having been with the team for an extended period of time now, Grevers reminded me that the newest Tigers have “been recruited into his vision.” They know what his expectations are and what the program is about.
Even from watching just one meet, there appears to be tremendous buy-in, not just from the underclassmen, of which there are many, but the team as a whole.
It should be a fun season for Karen and Rory to cover at Rock M.
The 2024 Mizzou Football season is one that has been met with as much anticipation as any in recent memory. With Eli Drinkwitz’s program taking a huge step forward in the 2023 season, going 11-2 and securing a Cotton Bowl victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, there’s a renewed focus on what Missouri can do to put itself in the conversation for a berth in the College Football Playoff.
The digital magazine we present today is 115 pages chalk full of Mizzou Football previewing, scouting, interviewing, and more…
Plenty of season left to learn about, folks! Support local journalism and all that!
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The Morning Commute for October 7, 2024. Welcome to the Morning Commute Today we’re talking about polls. It’s not great, as you can imagine. There was a lot of speculation around where Mizzou would land after its disastrous 41-10 loss to Texas A&M this past...
The Wildcats proved their ranking in Lexington
Mizzou Volleyball was overpowered by 13th-ranked Kentucky today in Lexington, falling in a three-set sweep (18-25, 20-25, 21-25).
The Wildcats controlled the action from start to finish, with only seven ties and two lead changes during the match.
Kentucky took an early three point lead with a 5-1 run capped by a Brooklyn DeLeye service ace. The 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year has the second most aces in the SEC, only behind Mizzou’s very own Jordan Iliff.
The Tigers tied it up 8-8 with three straight points, but an immediate 6-1 response by the Wildcats put the hosts up 14-9. Mizzou cut the deficit to two points with a 5-1 run started by back-to-back team blocks, 19-17, but the host team had the last word.
Kentucky ended the first set on a 6-1 run, clinching a 25-18 victory on a kill by Haley Melby. The Cats were red-hot from the start, hitting .321 in the opening frame and recording three service aces.
Serve receive has been a point of concern all season for the Tigers, who have allowed the second-most service aces in the SEC this year.
The Mizzou offense struggled to get off the ground, hitting .182 in set one. Colleen Finney was a notable bright spot, recording a perfect hitting percentage on four kills, but all other players with more than one kill ended the set hitting .125 or below.
The offense didn’t get better from there.
Both teams went on 3-0 runs early in the second set, and a block by Regan Haith and Janet deMarrais tied it 11-11.
Door, closed!!!
SEC Network+ #Mizzou 7, No. 13 Kentucky 7 | 2nd SET (0-1) | #MIZ pic.twitter.com/Pi2CfRlx4w
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) October 6, 2024
That’s when Kentucky went to work, going on runs of 3-0 and 4-0 to pull ahead by five, 20-15.
The 4-0 run displayed some of the Tigers’ key struggles in the match, as they allowed two service aces by Ava Sarafa and had two attack errors.
Mizzou prevented another late run, but a Janet deMarrais attack error gave the Wildcats set two, 25-20. Finney once again was perfect on both her attacks, bringing her up to six kills for the match, but the Tigers hit exactly .000 in this set with eight attack errors.
The Cats had their worst-hitting set at .276 but got nine combined kills from DeLeye and Megan Wilson, with DeLeye hitting .800 on her attempts.
Kentucky carried over its momentum to set three, going on a 5-1 run. The early streak included three straight attack errors by deMarrais, who finished with nine errors and a -.077 hitting percentage.
Three consecutive points, featuring a block and service ace, put the hosts ahead 12-7, and it looked like the frame was trending towards a blowout.
To Mizzou’s credit, the team fought their way back to a two-point deficit at 18-16 with a kill by Mychael Vernon. The Oregon State transfer caught fire in the final frame, getting six kills on a .455 hitting percentage.
Mychael VERNON!!
SEC Network#Mizzou 8, No. 13 Kentucky 12 | 3rd SET (0-2) | #MIZ pic.twitter.com/JxDRyDJbA3
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) October 6, 2024
The Wildcats then went on a 4-0 run, taking a 22-16 lead, but the Tigers immediately responded with a four point streak of their own.
Leading 22-20, Kentucky closed out set three with a 3-1 run, clinching the set 25-21 on Vernon’s lone attack error of the frame for the sweep.
She again led Mizzou’s attack in this match, finishing with nine kills and hitting .333. The grad student also recorded her 200th career block.
Welcome to the 2⃣0⃣0⃣ Career Blocks club, Mychael Vernon‼️#MIZ pic.twitter.com/arwE2S1UaX
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) October 6, 2024
Finney hit .750 on six kills, but everyone else fell flat on offense for the Tigers.
Iliff hit -.105 on four kills, joining deMarrais with a negative hitting percentage, and Regan Haith hit .100 with three kills.
The team hit .103 for the match, piling up 21 attack errors as Kentucky recorded seven blocks. Meanwhile, the Wildcats had a .303 hitting percentage, finishing each set above .275.
DeLeye and Wilson starred for the host team, each reaching double-digit kills on hitting percentages above .300.
Simply put, the Tigers were overmatched. Mizzou’s offense, one of the best in the conference, never found its stride.
The team has also struggled tremendously with front row defense this year, recording the fewest blocks in the SEC and the second-worst opponent hitting percentage.
When the offense is off its game, the defense is unable to make up the difference, causing a result like the one we saw today.
The good news? The Tigers have a highly favorable schedule coming up, starting with SEMO on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
The match will be on SEC Network+.
That’s a final from Historic Memorial Coliseum. #MIZ pic.twitter.com/SSWKUaBQYo
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) October 6, 2024
UTM’s Addy Vaughn hits a ball past two Mizzou defenders in a game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation) The Wildcats proved their ranking in Lexington Mizzou Volleyball was overpowered by 13th-ranked Kentucky today in Lexington,...
Missouri tight end Brett Norfleet (87) takes off his helmet after Missouri was stuffed at the goal line and failed to score in the second half of a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M...
Missouri running back Marcus Carroll (9) is stopped at the goal line by Texas A&M defenders in the second half of a game on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION) Our expectations? Maybe they were a bit off!...