Mo’s Monday Musings: Never-Say-Die Tigers Find A Way Once Again

Nov 11, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. (1) walks into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter of a game against Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION) | Missouri wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. (1) walks into the end zone for a touchdown during the third quarter of a game against Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

Was Pyne’s game-tying TD drive the best by a Tiger backup since Chase Daniel in 2005?

Some quick observations from week number eight of the college football season, served up in four quarter style. Legal Disclaimer: these views are my own and may be really dumb.


1st Quarter: Mizzou – The year of living dangerously continues

If the old adage about a cat having nine lives is true, then these Missouri Tigers have undoubtedly used up a couple of them in their last two home games in gritty, gutty comeback wins over Auburn and Oklahoma.

Pretty would never be a description used for either of those wins, but it’s obvious that the culture that Eli Drinkwitz has built revolves around a never-say-die attitude. That’s an intangible you can’t put a price tag on, and even though they may take the field on a given Saturday where they’re outmanned by a more talented opponent, they’ll never be accused of waving the white flag.

When Oklahoma got their scoop and score to stun the crowd at Memorial Stadium Saturday night, I got immediate flashbacks to the OU of old days. Especially the 2007 season, when Sooner LB Curtis Loftin had what seemed like 10 fumble or INT return touchdowns that just gutted Mizzou in two games that season.

For backup QB Drew Pyne to engineer a game-tying TD drive like he did was almost as stunning the other way. And I mean that as no disrespect to Mr. Pyne, because this dude obviously loves being a Tiger and he showed signs in the second half of being able to lead a competent attack. His previous few quarters at the helm after Brady Cook went out were just so unsuccessful that you can’t fault Tiger fans for not feeling great about our comeback chances on Saturday. But all credit to Pyne and his teammates and coaches for digging in and finding something collectively to march downfield against one of the nation’s top defensive units (say what you will about OU’s offense, but their defense is salty) with the odds stacked against them.

Short of Chase Daniel coming off the bench against Iowa State in 2005 to save Homecoming (and likely Mizzou’s season), this may have been the single-most impressive drive led by a Tiger backup QB in recent memory. Maty Mauk had some winning moments in relief of James Franklin in 2013, but that team was stacked offensively, and didn’t need Mauk to be a superstar, just find a way to win.

Following Pyne’s heroics, for Mizzou to win the game on a scoop and score in their favor just seconds later was a masterstroke of karma to welcome the Sooners into the SEC. Drink made sure to remind everyone what former Sooner Coach Bob Stoops had to say about joining Mizzou in the SEC earlier this summer, and it was sweet revenge, indeed.

The oddsmakers aren’t giving Mizzou much of a chance this Saturday at red hot South Carolina, as they installed the Gamecocks as 13.5-point favorites. You know Drink has that queued up as defense exhibit #1 in his playing deck of disrespect cards this week.

Carolina deserves to be the favorite, and that’s fine. Their resume is frankly more impressive than that of Mizzou’s. But they’ve shown a penchant for finding a way to lose tight ballgames this season (in losses they let get away against both LSU and Alabama). Whereas, the Tigers might not be pretty, but they have shown a propensity to somehow, someway get it done. After all, Mizzou has won nine-straight one-score games under Drinkwitz, dating back to a 21-17 loss against Kentucky in 2022. And that has to count for something, right?

I just hope the Tigers have a few lives left, maybe they can use one more up in the other Columbia this Saturday? I’m not sure my ticker can take another one like that, but what the hell?


2nd Quarter: SEC – A weekend of blowouts

It was an odd week in the league, as there were six teams with a bye, and in the six league games that took place, only one was remotely close – and we all remember which one that was.

Ole Miss dominated Georgia, seriously damaging the Bulldogs’ playoff resume. Texas embarrassed Florida, just days after Gator Coach Billy Napier got the dreaded vote of confidence from his athletic director. Gulp. Tennessee outclassed Mississippi State, as did Alabama in a surprisingly easy win at LSU that eliminated the Bayou Bengals from the playoff hunt. Another surprise was how easily South Carolina dispatched everyone’s darling Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Overall, there are eight SEC teams still with two or fewer league losses who mathematically have a shot at Atlanta on Dec. 7th.

Here’s a look at those top contenders and what they have left on the schedule:

Texas A&M 5-1 Remaining: New Mexico St.; @AUB; TEX
Tennessee 5-1 Remaining: @UGA; UTEP; @VAN
Texas 4-1 Remaining: @ARK; KY; @A&M
Georgia 5-2 Remaining: TENN; UMass; Ga. Tech
Alabama 4-2 Remaining: Mercer; @OKLA; AUB
Ole Miss 4-2 Remaining: @FLA; MISS ST.
Mizzou 3-2 Remaining: @S.Car; @Miss. St.; ARK
LSU 3-2 Remaining: @FLA; VAN; OKLA

Let’s have some fun and dream up a nightmare scenario for league officials. With all of the above games, let’s say A&M finishes 1-1 in their remaining league games (with a loss against Texas) to finish 6-2. Let’s also say that Tennessee loses this week at Georgia, and both of those teams win their remaining SEC games to also finish 6-2. Let’s say Alabama and Ole Miss both win out (which is very likely) and they’ll both finish 6-2. Then, it might be a longshot according to the oddsmakers, but let’s say Mizzou finds a way to win out and finish 6-2. Lastly, Tell me which of LSU’s last three league games they can’t win? They could easily finish 6-2 as well.

That chaos scenario would leave Texas all alone at 7-1, and seven teams tied at 6-2. That’s the kind of craziness us sicko college football fans would love to see! Let’s get even nuttier and dream that all of the above happens, with the exception of Arkansas finding a way to upset Texas this week. That would leave eight teams tied for the lead at 6-2. Good luck breaking that cluster-you-know-what of a tie!

If you need to read up on the league tiebreakers, you can find the official SEC football tiebreaker procedures at this link.


3rd Quarter: National – Mizzou can make the CFP field

Don’t listen to the pundits who are poo-poohing Mizzou’s chances to make the CFP 12-team playoff. It can happen. Yeah, I said it.

If you want to have some fun and waste some time, head over to ESPN’s playoff bracket predictor page, where you can plug in scenarios and see what their computer has to say.

Naturally, we all know the Tigers have to win out to have a shot at reaching the playoff. I went to the predictor and saw they have Mizzou as one of 24 teams with a shot at making the playoff still, so that’s a start.

Nevermind that they list the Tigers with only an 8% chance to do so. But when you go and pick Mizzou to win each of its three remaining games, and to NOT make the SEC Championship Game, the odds jumped to 61% in my scenario, and it plugged the Tigers in as a #11 seed with an opening-round game at #6 Georgia. This same simulation also had #10 seed Indiana winning the whole thing, so take that for what it’s worth.

I redid the simulation for Mizzou with a 3-0 finish to the regular season, but a loss in the SEC title game. The computer didn’t like the hypothetical third loss for Mizzou, and said a 10-3 Tiger team only had a 15% chance of making the playoff.

That scenario would be a painful reminder to Tiger fans of how losing a conference championship game can be more detrimental to your team’s post-season standing than not making the game at all.


4th Quarter: Dealer’s Choice – Utah AD gets frisky with officials and pays the literal price

I’m no longer an employee of Mizzou Athletics, so I can say things publicly without repercussion about Big 12 Conference officiating. Let me say for the record, they kind of stink.

That’s something that Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan has learned quickly in his first year in the league. His Utes gave a valiant effort Saturday night at home in the Holy War against BYU, but came up agonizingly short as the Cougars benefitted from some questionable calls late in the game and parlayed that good fortune into a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds.

After the game, Harman did something that I never saw in my 30 years in college athletics. Unprompted, with a room full of reporters, he took to the podium post-game to rip on the officiating and he didn’t hold anything back.

I feel for Harlan, as do Tiger fans, because we all felt the same way about our time in the league. I just hope he felt better getting that off his chest, because it cost the program a $40,000 fine from the Big 12 office.

That’s one expensive press conference.

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