THE BAD TIGERS ARE IN TOWN, LET’S SEND ‘EM PACKIN’ WITH A BIG, MEATY L
♫ You know I stay fresh to death ♫
No uniform post as of yet, so I have to assume we’re playing naked today?
Like many an American university, Auburn held many official names before coming to be called “Auburn University” in 1960: from 1856 to 1872, it was East Alabama Male College; from 1872 to 1899, it was named the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama; and from 1899 to 1960, it was known as the Alabama Polytechnic Institute.
Can you guess which numbered set of trees is currently occupying Toomer’s Corner? That’s right… it’s the third! The original Auburn oaks occupied the area from the late 1930’s until 2010 when they were poisoned by Harvey Updyke. They were replaced again in 2017 after one Jochen Wiest — seems like an arsonist-y name, right? — set them on fire in late 2016.
Since we’re closing in on Halloween, did you know Auburn has several locations known to be haunted? The Spring Villa Mansion, Auburn University Chapel, Samford Hall and Pine Hill Cemetery have all been cited as spots of paranormal activity.
This week in “Notable Alumni from…” we’re cheating a little bit because a lot of Auburn’s alumni are, quite frankly, boring. So instead we’ll pivot to “Notably People Who Attended, but Did Not Graduate from…” That list is a little more extensive, but no one can top the often imitated, never duplicated zest of one Lionel Richie.
Rock M-ixology
I struggled with this week’s decision. At one point I even consulted a certain AI chatbot (no free sponsors!) to create a drink named after Don Faurot in honor of Homecoming, but I wasn’t a fan of the lack of creativity it used. So I went back to my handy-dandy cocktail bible aka the Instagram Reels I have saved and found a drink that I think makes for a nice party cocktail in honor of Homecoming. Is it autumnal? Not really. But it’s a crowd pleaser and one that speaks to the Tiger v. Tiger action we’ll see this weekend.
Let’s make a Jungle Sour.
2 oz Aged Rum, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz pineapple juice, 0.5 oz Campari, 0.25 cinnamon syrup, egg white or vegan foamer
Add ingredients to cocktail shaker. Dry shake for 10-15 seconds. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass of choice.
I mean… it’s a sour. It’s going to be drinkable at the very worst. And if you’re a fan of tropical drinks, this will be even more up your alley. I think my only “complaint” is that, like most weeks, I chose the wrong variation of the base spirit. I’ve been loving this bottle of Havana Club 7, but it’s a bit aggressive and smoky for this sort of drink. It’s the only rum I have on hand right now, unfortunately, but a nice aged Plantation bottle or anything Jamaican would be perfect. Highly recommend, especially if you’re wanting to get quite lubricated for what should be a tense game.
Time is passing us by so quickly, quickly enough that none of us may ever remember anything about Mizzou’s 45-3 win over UMass. Did you find anything noteworthy to glean from the trip to Amherst?
Josh Matejka, Deputy Site Manager: I think as a whole, no. It’s hard to learn much about your team when they show almost an exact replica of their performances against Buffalo and Murray State. I will say, I was encouraged by Brady Cook’s performance. Cook missed a ball or two, but he looked more comfortable going over the middle of the field. We’ll see if that sticks against Auburn’s pressure, but it was a positive step for the struggling senior.
Quentin Corpuel, Football Beat Writer: Not really. Mizzou made the fourth quarter not matter, which was all the Tigers probably could’ve asked for. It was nice to see Marcus Carroll look as good as he did as the RB1; if Nate Noel misses any more time down the line for whatever reason, it’s nice to know that Carroll can take over the starting spot effectively.
Chad Moller, Writer: Nah, this was a necessary-evil-check-it-off-the-list-get-the-job-done-and-get-out type of deal. My lasting impression was Luther running through UMass like a knife through hot butter on the second play of the game. You knew it was men among boys then and you knew the game was not going to in doubt…
Sammy Stava, Staff Writer: I guess they did what they needed to like they did against Murray State and Buffalo? And hey, it’s another win on the schedule to get them to 5-1. But other than that, the win over UMass really told us nothing. It was basically irrelevant.
The injury bug is starting to catch up with Mizzou, as Joe Moore III and Khalil Jacobs are set to miss the rest of the season. How do their absences affect your perception of the team?
Josh Matejka: You’re telling me a team that can’t pressure the QB just lost two of its most experienced pass-rushers? Cool! The defense relapsed heavily against Texas A&M, and I’m still not sure how much of that was performance/Weigman related. It just makes the secondary’s job a lot harder, as well as the need for a young pass rusher to start performing all the more urgent.
Quentin Corpuel: Yeah, that certainly doesn’t help. Jacobs was both familiar with Corey Batoon’s scheme coming into Mizzou from his two years at South Alabama and, more importantly, good at his job. Moore was also incredibly effective in a rotational role. Good teams are able to withstand personnel losses; I’ll be curious to see if Mizzou can be one of those teams.
Chad Moller: Depth is always going to be the biggest challenge for Mizzou to keep up with the upper echelon of the SEC – the Tigers have the top line that can compete with anyone on a given day, but when these types of injuries start rearing their ugly head, then it gets concerning. We’ll likely see either more reps for the established guys (which can also lead to fatigue and increased injury risk), or we’ll see more snaps from inexperienced newbies (which can lead to breakdowns), so it’s kind of a pick-your-poison situation. We’ll see this Saturday which one the coaching staff chooses to go with.
Sammy Stava: What Quentin said. Jacobs’ familiarity with Corey Batoon is a big deal. Losing both Moore III and Jacobs for the season is a big loss for this defense, but it doesn’t have to be a devastating blow. It has to be the “next man up” mentality for this defense, and now the depth has to respond.
It’s Homecoming weekend! What’s your favorite Mizzou HoCo tradition… and if you don’t have one yet, pitch us what you’d like it to be!
Josh Matejka: Ever since becoming a parent, the parade hits different. Maybe it’s just that seeing your kids excited about Truman and candy never gets old. But I also enjoy getting to take in an on-going digest of what’s happening at my alma mater. We always dip out a little early to beat the Addison’s rush, but I’ll always make room for the early morning parade.
Quentin Corpuel: Other than the football game, the parade totally rules. I’ve had the great privilege of walking in the parade over the last two years, and I plan on participating again this Saturday. Seeing the whole town descend onto campus will never not be cool.
Chad Moller: I never really got to take part in the act of Homecoming during my days with the football team due to my work duties, so I’ll just go with the obvious answer and say that my favorite memory was the 2010 win over #1 Oklahoma, with Game Day at the Quad and Gahn McGaffie’s kickoff return. That was as good as it gets. The 2005 edition when the Tigers pulled out an improbable comeback win over Iowa State in OT – thanks to the talents of Chance McDaniels – was a monumental one for the future of the program, as well.
Sammy Stava: The parade is a lot of fun, and it feels like a great atmosphere and environment on gameday Saturdays — no matter where Mizzou’s record stands. And with Homecoming usually close to basketball season, Mizzou Madness should annually be during HoCo weekend on a Friday night.
Auburn isn’t exactly great in its second year under Hugh Freeze, but they’re not awful either. Feelings about the Tigers as they come to Columbia?
Josh Matejka: F*** Hugh Freeze. That’s my take.
Quentin Corpuel: They could easily be 5-1 if they couldn’t stop getting in their own way. Auburn’s 15 total turnovers this season are a bottom-five number in all of college football. Granted, there are far better trios of teams than Arkansas, California and Oklahoma (all of whom took advantage of AU’s mishaps en route to wins), but none of those teams completely stink. Jarquez Hunter is a beast, Auburn’s receiving room is good and so is its front seven.
Chad Moller: Huzzah, Mr. Matejka, well stated indeed. I have a healthy disregard for Auburn due to scar tissue from the 2013 SEC Championship Game, as well as the heartbreaker we lost at Auburn in 2022. Add in the butt kicking they gave us in Columbia in 2017 (51-14), and I really want to deal these guys some misery. Hugh Freeze is a charlatan so I have zero f*&^s to give about him.
Sammy Stava: Auburn is totally better than their record shows, and it’s annoying that they’re the only program that Mizzou hasn’t beaten since joining the SEC. Please beat Hugh Freeze.
PICK ‘EM! Mizzou is a slight favorite over its Panthera brethren, but the consensus seems to be that this will be a toss-up. What say you? Will Eli’s boys log another SEC win this weekend?
Josh Matejka: I think we’ll see something of a bounce back performance from the (Good) Tigers this weekend. Freeze’s mealy-mouthed “lesser roster” comments aside, I think this is a team motivated to prove that the Texas A&M game was something of an aberration. Getting a flawed, yet talented opponent like Auburn gives them a great opportunity to do so. The home crowd will be raucous on Homecoming, and I anticipate the Tigers will find a way to cover the spread, even if they make it stressful.
Quentin Corpuel: I have a feeling that Saturday is going to play out similarly to the Vanderbilt game. A dogfight wouldn’t surprise me at all, although I believe Mizzou will make enough key plays to emerge victorious. If Auburn wasn’t so awesome at making self-inflicted mistakes, I’d feel more uneasy about Saturday. However, I think the Tigers can force at least a couple of turnovers, which will prove pivotal in a likely close game.
Chad Moller: I started the week thinking the good Tigers would likely put down a solid outing and come away with a comfortable win in the 14-17 point range. But then after we learned about some of the injuries that hit the defense, and seeing the point spread drop from -7.5 to around -4.5, that’s got me concerned that Vegas knows something. Only because of that, I’m still saying Mizzou wins, but hedging to a bit of a closer affair, something around Mizzou 27, Auburn 23.
Sammy Stava: It’s Homecoming against a team that Missouri is better than. Plain and simple. Black and gold Tigers get it done in front of a big day from Brady Cook, but it won’t necessarily be easy. 35-28, Mizzou.
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