You probably could have guessed the MVP on the offensive side of the ball but a certain defensive player put up his best numbers of the season.

The Missouri Tigers jumped to No. 19 in this week’s AP Top 25 after a 45-3 win over UMass. The win marked the Tigers last game of their non-conference slate, and was described as a rebound game after a tough loss to Texas A&M.

The offense spread the ball to a variety of players, and amongst those players one clearly dominated the touch spread. Defensively, after picking up just nine pressures as a unit last week the defense upped the ante and picked up 15 against the Minutemen. Additionally, after allowing Connor Weigman to complete virtually all of his aimed passes the Tigers only allowed Taisun Phommachanh to complete 65.3% of his last week.

The Tigers had four players on defense pick up a grade of 80 or higher last week, a stark difference in comparison to the mere two in the last two games combined.

Marcus Carroll | Running Back

Marcus Carroll had a chance to step up large with the absence of Nate Noel due to what head coach Eli Drinkwitz described as “back strains from the plane ride” and boy did he. At face value, Carroll picked up 15 carries for 91 yards and three scores, the three scores exceeding his output from the entire season prior to the game.

After a bubbly showing with 4.29 yards after contact per rush against Murray State, that after contact yardage wasn’t coming for Carroll after that game. However, Carroll seems to have found his groove thanks to increased touches as he picked up a healthy 2.8 yards after contact per rush against the Minutemen. He also picked up his highest breakaway percentage since the season opener at 38.5%, a lot closer to the 37.5% he picked up last season at Georgia State.

The play I’m going to highlight this week is his 35 yard touchdown, which was coincidentally his longest rush of the season. At around the 1:30 mark of the video, he hits the gap on the left of the line with explosive speed and the most impressive thing for me is his ability to use his vision to turn this into a touchdown. This could easily have been a 20-25 yard run without the vision, but he cuts to the outside and uses his fantastic elusiveness to break tackles en route to the score. Some people across the country said that run was Schrader-like, with the way he rumbles through the line and I’d have to agree.

Sterling Webb | Defensive Line

Sterling Webb had his best performance of the season by far and what was even more impressive is that he did it in just 19 snaps. After not picking up a single pressure the entire season, Webb picked up five against the Minutemen.

Webb ranked first in the country in pressures per snap among linemen with at least 15 snaps, which is incredible considering some of the numbers people put up this past week. Webb was in the 95th percentile of college football in HHS, and his analytics are even more impressive considering he didn’t pick up a single solo tackle. Analytically, especially for the defensive line the impact one can make extends beyond base statistics.

I tried to scan for film on Webb’s impact in particular, but wasn’t able to find anything concrete. Coming in from New Mexico State, Webb’s main calling card was the success he had at generating pressure under Jerry Kill, and his lack of a role this season has been a bit surprising. Although a performance akin to the one he had at UMass might be in order, and more playing time at that.

Legend

Running Backs

Breakaway: An RBs ability to break a run loose in space.

Elusiveness: An RBs ability to miss tackles in open space.

After Contact: An RBs ability to get yards after contact.

Security: An RBs fumble rate.

Protection: Yards Before Contact, this is used as a measure to see how good the protection a RB gets is, and is a hindrance in the RB VAT formula.

Drops: An RB’s drop rate.

Route Run: An RB’s yards per route run, often shows how good an RB is at route running.

TD/ATT: An RB’s ratio of touchdowns to rushing attempts.

YPA: An RB’s yards per attempt.

Interior Defensive Line

Pass Rush: Pass Rush Score, comprised of various pass rushing stats and factors

Run Defense: Run Defense Score, comprised of various run defense stats and factors

Stops: On a first down, if the offense gets 45% of the way to a first down or less.

On a second down, if the offense gets 60% of the way to a first down or less.

On a third or fourth down, if the offense doesn’t get a first down.

HHS: Hits, Hurries, and Sacks generated

Efficiency: Overall Defensive Efficiency

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+

• In which Karen offers another week of the Rock M Digest:

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.”

• In which Hurst celebrates the running game sans Nate Noel:

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!

• In which Sam encourages everyone to breathe after Mizzou took care of business:

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.

• In which QC highlights the direct impact Corey Flagg, Jr., had on Mizzou’s first-half performance:

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.

• In which Chad lays out the opening spreads with some of his odd-servations:

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.

• In which Dylan chronicles Mizzou Soccer’s unfortunate game against Mississippi State:

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?

• In which Matthew recaps Mizzou Volleyball’s 5-set win over Tennessee:

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.

• Over at Rock M+, we’re talking about the PFF grades from UMass, which offer quite a trick and a treat on the defensive side!

Rock M Radio: Before the Box Score was back!

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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

• 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.

This was arguably the longest, windiest road down memory lane of the series.

The morning before each Mizzou football game in 2024, Rock M’s Quentin Corpuel will look back at MU’s best moments versus that week’s opponent. This week: Independents, since UMass and Mizzou have never played each other.

Opponent: UMass Minutemen

Gametime: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 11 a.m.

Location: McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, MA

Record versus Independents: It’s complicated

For the third time in the last four seasons, Mizzou will play an FBS team that they’ve never played before.

This time, the Tigers will head to the northeast for a battle with UMass in Amherst for just their second trip to Massachusetts in program history. They’ll hope it goes a little better than their other trip to the Bay State, which was a 41-34 overtime defeat at the hands of Boston College.

Along with Notre Dame and UConn, the Minutemen are not affiliated with a conference (although that will change next season when they rejoin the Mid-American Conference, which they called home from 2012-15). Historically, becoming independent is a good thing. Oftentimes, countries have made holidays out of themselves becoming independent. But in collegiate athletics, being independent has never been ideal.

Now, here’s why dissecting Mizzou’s history against Independents is tricky. Conferences in college football weren’t very prevalent until well after World War I. Up until the late 1920’s, a large majority of FBS Division I schools were Independents, from Ole Miss to Gonzaga to Yale. Essentially, MU’s early years of football saw most of its opponents reside as an independent school or at a non-Division I level.

But then, as more schools were elevated to Division I in the early 1930’s, most resided with the Independents, ballooning those numbers back up. Even with the growth of the Southern and Southeastern conferences throughout the mid-20th century, most schools were still Independents.

That trend continued until the late 1970’s, when a lot of schools either joined a conference (Houston went to the Southwest Conference in 1976, for example), dropped down to a lower division (Dayton, Holy Cross) or disbanded its football team altogether (Villanova, but they were brought back just three years after their presumed death in 1981). In 1974, there were 37 Independents; by 1984, there were just 21, the fewest since 1890, when there were only 18 schools in the entirety of Division I.

That number would jump back up into the mid-20’s and stay there until the early 1990’s. The genesis of the Big East, the expansion of mid-major conferences and major conferences adding schools like Florida State (ACC), Penn State (Big Ten) and South Carolina (SEC) shrunk the number of Independents to single digits by 1997. Since then, there haven’t been more than 10 Independents at one time.

So what does that history lesson mean in the context of this series? Essentially, most college football teams have been independent at some point in time. Mizzou has technically played a ton of games against Independents throughout its history, but that group has included schools like Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia, schools that were only independent for a fraction of their FBS I-A lives.

With all of that in mind, two caveats will be established to see which games actually qualify to be potentially used here.

One is that Mizzou’s opponent has to have been independent at some point after 1990, which is around the start of the massive decrease in Independents. Again, most college football teams have been unaffiliated at some point in time; this eliminates the possibility of including a game like Mizzou’s 5-4 win over Texas in 1907. Was I going to include that anyways? Probably not. But I hope this clarified which games were up for dissection.

Honorable mention: Pillaging in Pennsylvania (10/1/1960)

Like most successful Mizzou football seasons, the 1960 team didn’t enter the year with national notoriety…but it didn’t take the Tigers long to gain some.

After dismantling SMU and Oklahoma State to start the season, MU traveled to Happy Valley for a contest with Penn State. The Nittany Lions were coming off of just their second nine-win season in program history and figured to make national noise once again.

Unfortunately for them, their train of momentum was stopped temporarily, as Mizzou claimed a 21-8 victory. Two-way superstar Danny LaRose made a major impact on both sides of the ball, catching touchdown pass while intercepting another later in the game. Norris Stevenson sealed the deal with a late touchdown, and the Tigers had officially skyrocketed to national prominence.

#5: Sweet tangerines (12/19/1981)

Before the bowl game that’s played in Orlando encompassed all citrus fruits, the tangerine was the spotlight from 1946-82 in the “Tangerine Bowl”. Mizzou has competed in the game twice: the Tigers defeated Minnesota in 2014, and they also knocked off a high-quality Southern Mississippi squad in 1981.

The Golden Eagles were far from the mediocre Conference USA/Sun Belt team that they have been over the past few seasons. Decades prior, USM had the best scoring defense in the country, and that wasn’t a product of an easy schedule. Southern Mississippi tied Alabama at Legion Field (which seldom happened under Bear Bryant), defeated ranked Mississippi State in Jackson, MS and smacked Florida State in Tallahassee. Their quarterback, Reggie Collier, became the first quarterback in FBS history to throw and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

It wasn’t easy, but Mizzou emerged victorious 19-17. Legendary linebacker Jeff Gaylord shined in his final collegiate game, as he played a huge part in limiting Collier, who went 5/17 and accounted for just 70 total yards. Bob Lucchesi kicked four field goals for the Tigers, and Mizzou had officially won eight games in three of its last four seasons, the first time the Tigers had accomplished that feat since 1939-42.

#4: Rising up (11/14/2015)

As if the 2015 season couldn’t test the will of Mizzou any further, the week leading up to MU’s contest against BYU in Kansas City proved to be especially tumultuous.

For months, Mizzou students had called for the removal of UM System President Tim Wolfe after numerous racist incidents on campus occurred throughout the first semester. Boycotts and protests gripped the university, and tensions reached a boiling point in early November. Graduate student Jonathan Butler announced on Nov. 2 that he would go on a hunger strike until he passed away or Wolfe was removed; five days later, the black players on MU football announced that they wouldn’t play until Wolfe was removed. Wolfe eventually resigned on Nov. 9, ending one of the darkest periods in the university’s history.

Then, the day before Mizzou football was set to take on the Cougars in Arrowhead Stadium, another bombshell rocked the university. Gary Pinkel had told his team that the 2015 season would be his last. He’d been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in May, and a PET scan during Mizzou’s bye week proved to be the deciding factor.

But similarly to so many instances throughout its history, the Tigers overcame the odds and rallied. An offense that had scored a combined 25 points over its previous four games looked…functional! MU’s 434 yards of offense ended up being the most it registered in any game that season, and a stout Tiger defense held a quality BYU offense to one of its worst performances of the season. The win was capped off by a late MU drive that featured a pair of huge third-down conversions; a 22-yard run by Russell Hansbrough and a 16-yard completion from Drew Lock to Sean Culkin. The latter chunk gain allowed Mizzou to kneel out the clock and make a grim season a little less grim.

“He was able to keep this team together during that turmoil back in Columbia,” CBS play-by-play commentator Brent Musberger said as the Tigers began to celebrate. “And even when he announced he was stepping away, they came out and played as a team despite the uncertainty of what’s going to happen next year, especially for the young players. Hats off tonight to Gary Pinkel and these Missouri Tigers.”

#3: How in the world did they just beat Notre Dame? (10/2/1972)

Mizzou football in the 1970’s can be defined by the following made-up conversation between them and a personified version of circumstances:

Circumstances: Certain results should not happen, and there are many logical reasons why

Mizzou: Check this out lol

Entering the contest, Notre Dame was rolling. The Irish had defeated their first four opponents by a combined 100 points, including two road shutouts at Northwestern and Michigan State. They were potent on both sides of the ball, with the charge being led by a handful of future pros.

Meanwhile, Mizzou was 2-3, had been walloped 62-0 by Nebraska the week prior and were without their top three running backs. In a wishbone offense, where running backs are an essential component to not just success, but mere operation, playing without your top three running backs is extra killer. Also, Notre Dame had arguably the best defensive line in the country.

On the other side of the ball, the Tigers were discombobulated defensively. Even if the Nebraska game is removed from the sample, Mizzou had allowed 23.25 points per game against its first four opponents. For context, 1972 Navy allowed 23.4 points per game over the entire season and finished 90th out of 127 FBS teams in that category. Last season, Fresno State and Oklahoma allowed 23.5 points per game and finished tied for 48th out of 133 FBS teams in that category. Three touchdowns and change was a lot back then!

The South Bend night was frigid and foggy. Notre Dame was favored by 35 points.

Mizzou scored 30 points.

They also won.

Even the finest movie directors would have a difficult time replicating this Quarterback John Cherry was brilliant. Mizzou’s battered and beaten up offense sailed smoothly, totaling 223 yards on the ground and 106 in the air. The Tigers forced three Irish turnovers while not giving up the ball themselves.

#2: How in the world did they just beat Notre Dame (Part 2)? (9/9/1978)

https://www.rockmnation.com/pages/september-9-1978-mizzou-3-notre

Remember that hypothetical conversation between Circumstances and Mizzou football from earlier? Six years after the Tigers shocked the Irish in South Bend, the same conversation proved to be true once again.

Entering the 1978 season, the Irish were the defending national champions and were ranked fifth in the preseason AP poll. Their star quarterback was back to lead an offense that returned almost every major contributor from the year before; his name was Joe Montana. Notre Dame was almost a 20-point favorite at home facing a Mizzou squad playing its first game under new head coach Warren Powers. It was also around 100 degrees in South Bend.

The actual game itself saw Notre Dame in far more advantageous scoring positions than Mizzou. With some help from MU punter Monte Montgomery, who struggled for most of the afternoon, the Irish were living in Tiger territory all game long. On the other side, Mizzou’s offense mustered up just three points, which didn’t come until 12:50 left in regulation.

All signs pointed to a Notre Dame victory…but the signs proved to be wrong. There was no Irish win at the end of the arrows. The three points were all that the Tigers ended up needing, as they walked out of northern Indiana as Goliath slayers once again.

This might be the single most Herculean defensive performance in Mizzou history. Notre Dame created nine decent scoring opportunities (including five trips inside of the MU 25-yard line) and came away with zero points. It seemed as if the Tiger defense strengthened as the Irish inched closer to paydirt; Mizzou would either intercept Montana, recover a fumble or stop Notre Dame on fourth down. Montana was held to just four completions in 17 attempts and threw two interceptions in the first half alone. It was the first time ND had been shut out since 1965 and marked Montana’s worst collegiate game to date.

In the same year that Mizzou would shatter Nebraska’s national title hopes in November, the Tigers got the upset party started in September. The improbable victory added to MU’s treasure trove of upset victories throughout the 1970’s, which was almost lengthened the next week when Mizzou gave top-ranked Alabama a scare in Columbia.

#1: The first bowl win in Mizzou history (1/2/1961)

Playing in a major bowl game is a tremendous honor. It’s a celebration of a spectacular season in a (usually) glamorous venue.

But heading into the 1961 Orange Bowl against Navy, Mizzou had been freshly stung. A national championship had evaporated at the hands of unranked Kansas the week prior. The pain only worsened when KU star fullback Bert Coan, who played a major role in derailing MU’s national championship hopes, was deemed ineligible by the NCAA after months of investigation. Instead, it would be 8-1 Minnesota, who’d lost to eventual 4-4-1 Purdue just two weeks before, claiming the 1960 national title.

This all led the Tigers to Miami, where Dan Devine’s crew would face Navy, who were captained by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Bellino. In a battle of elite ground attacks under the watch of the newly-elected president John F. Kennedy, Mizzou outdueled Navy on the back of Mel West (108 of MU’s 223 rushing yards) and a phenomenal defensive effort. Bellino was held to just four rushing yards, and the Tigers came away with three interceptions, which included a 90-yard pick-six by Norm Beal in the first quarter.

The victory marked Mizzou’s first bowl win in program history; the Tigers had lost their previous six, which included the previous year’s Orange Bowl against Georgia.

This wasn’t what MU wanted. The incomparably sweet nectar of a national championship, a first-time visit to the summit of college football, was within arm’s length…only for their arch-nemesis to deny them at the gates of glory. But if there were any consolation, taking down the mighty Midshipmen in front of the future President is a pretty good one.

The gold helmets are the highlight of the unis for the trip out east

The prodigal son has returned.

Guess who’s back?

Back again?

[Block M]’s back

Tell a friend

After a disastrous performance last Saturday against Texas A&M, the Tigers have finally caved to the fanbase’s demands and given us back the glorious Block M helmets. The online comments, social media takes and even a question on one of Eli Drinkwitz’s radio appearance worked, folks.

So… branding isn’t as big a concern as they told us, after all. Never let anyone tell you peer pressure doesn’t work, I guess.

The gold helmet with a black Block M will be paired with white jerseys, pants and cleats. The white jerseys are alright, but the pants?

C’mon, man, at least put a stripe down the side or something. If they can do it with black and gold pants, why not these ones? This continues to be one of the most confusing aspects of Mizzou’s uniform combinations. (editor’s note: I hate those stupid plain white pants with a fiery passion.)

But all that is small potatoes. As long as the Block M is back, I’m happy. Maybe switching out the oval Tiger for a classic look will carry away some of the bad juju from this season so far.

What are your thoughts on the uniform combo?

The Tigers are looking to rebound after a disgusting performance last week. Will doing it against this opponent matter?

As a brilliant poet from a bygone era once wrote:

“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)

Coming off arguably the worst performance of the Eli Drinkwitz era, the Mizzou football Tigers are in desperate need of a vibe shift, a mojo rejuvenation, a momentum reboot, or any kind of movement in a positive direction. Mizzou needs, in college football parlance, a get-right game. Unfortunately for the Tigers, this week’s opponent may not provide the prerequisites for the type of proper demon-exorcising get-right game that can help put them back on the right track.

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) takes out his mouthguard after getting sacked for a loss of six yards in the second quarter of a game against Texas A&M on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

The anatomy of “getting right”

It’s a tale as old as time: a ranked Power 4 opponent loses a difficult or disappointing game and rebounds the next week by taking out their frustrations on an undermanned team, winning handily and in convincing fashion. Commonly known as a “get-right game,” this type of performance allow a team to ostensibly fix, or “get-right,” the issues that plagued them in their loss the week prior. These games also allow the rebounding team to vent their frustrations from a potentially season-altering loss on some poor sap of a squad that has little chance of competing in the game.

After experiencing the brutal beat down last week in the form of a 41-10 loss to Texas A&M, the Mizzou football team is stewing in their feels, ripe for a get-right game. Sadly, this week’s match up against UMASS won’t give them the satisfaction they want and need.

To qualify as a get-right game, a few requirements must be met:

1) Disappointing loss the previous week.

2) Noticeable deficiencies that need to be corrected.

3) Undermanned FBS opponent.

The Tigers check the first two boxes with giant capital CHECK marks. The third requirement, however, doesn’t quite meet the standard. To call the UMASS Minutemen an undermanned opponent is an insult to all the bad, uncompetitive G5 teams around the country. Playing an FCS opponent can’t count as a get-right game because the disparity in talent and resources is so vast that satisfaction can’t be achieved, no matter how bad the final score looks. The UMASS program, while technically FBS in name, is not in practice

Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images

Moribund Minutemen

Inexplicably, UMASS made the (terrible) decision to join the FBS ranks in 2012. This followed several years of success at the FCS level, including eight playoff births in 30 years. In a stretch from 1998-2008, the Minutemen went a combined 92-56, including 43-19 under current head coach Don Brown in his first stint in Amherst. Strangely, UMASS leadership got a wild hair to move the program up a level in 2012 and in the subsequent 13 years, the Minutemen have gone 25-117. In Don Brown’s sequel stint beginning in 2022, UMASS is 5-25.

There is bad and then there is UMASS bad. So far this season, the Minutemen are 1-5, with losses to:

• Eastern Michigan (28-14)
• Toledo (38-23)
• Buffalo (34-3)
• Miami OH (23-20)
• Northern Illinois (34-20)

Their lone win was against an FCS team in 2-3 Central Connecticut State (35-31). That’s a CCSU Blue Devil team that went 3-8 last year. No matter how bad the Tigers beat the Minutemen this week, the sheer disparity in talent and resources, as well as the moribundity of the UMASS program, will render the entire performance moot (see Mizzou vs. Delaware State, 2016).

The Tigers clearly have many problems that need solved, issues to be fixed and bad vibes to be vacuumed following the shellacking by the Aggies last week:

• Passing game efficiency
• Running game efficiency
• Gaping holes in the defensive line
• Porous coverage in the secondary
• A partridge in a pear tree

Sadly, none of these problems can be counted as solved, even if the team shows improvement on Saturday. If Brady Cook goes 23-25 for 325 yards and four touchdowns? UMASS’s secondary is bad. If the running game averages 8 yards per carry? UMASS’s run defense is even worse. If the Tigers hold the Minutemen to 3 yards per carry? UMASS already averages that much per carry against worse competition. Hold UMASS to 200 passing yards? That’s what they average against worse competition.

No matter how it’s sliced, a Tiger win, whether it be by 20, 30, or 50 points, will not rinse the taste of orange juice and toothpaste from the mouths of the players, coaches and fans. The only thing that can replace that bad taste is a win over a competitive program. Unfortunately, the Tigers won’t get an opportunity to do that for another week. So, instead, we will all have to sit in this pit of poop for a while longer, hoping we can at least see some long touchdown passes and a third down stop or two on defense. For as the bard sang:

I get knocked down (we’ll be singing)
But I get up again (pissing the night away)
You are never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)