(1) The ending was what I wanted, buuut, I think everyone . . . players, coaches, cheerleaders,, fans . . . walked away with that odd feeling that we “left a lot of money on the table.” Others have said it: Stoops’ culture change is stunning when the first topic of conversation, everywhere, is we didn’t demolish them.
(2) Their Last Drive: I made the noise, etc., but when they took over after the blocked field goal, I literally asked myself if I was concerned they could do it. The internal “gut” answer came back “no.”
That Mizzou offense of quick dinks and dunks is good at avoiding the pass rush, and good at creating 3rd downs and less than 5 yards, but it eats clock. Yes, they scored in the final two minutes of the first half, but they showed us their 2 minute offense, then. All we had to do was get one big TFL or Sack, and create a need for conversion on a longer play. Mizzou just doesn’t have a consistent ability to beat a 3rd and 15, or a 4th and 15.
(3) The heavy package. I’ve never seen a real good description of it, I think some call it “22 personnel,” but when we bring in two TE’s and stack WR’s right next to the line, I expect the stadium to tilt toward our LOS. The only college teams I remember that could just overwhelm you with beef were Arkansas with Houston Nutt and Wisconsin since the 90’s. It tends to work pretty good.
(4) Liam Coen. Whenever I hear the guy interviewed, he reminds me of that real smart kid in school that had a streak of smartass and meanness . . . . you know . . . . the one that would have been voted “Most Likely to Blow Some Sh!t Up Someday.” Usually, “that kid” isn’t an athlete: Coen played high school and college football, and the rest is history. His responses post-game were classic . . . “We don’t pass the ball just to be passing the ball . . . we ran to win the game.”
(5) Walking out of the stadium, I told my brother “we passed for more than 300 yards, again,” but then I started analyzing it. I decided Wan’ Dale’s first big play was a handoff, and that we had probably rushed for 300 yards. Still, when your passes are typically longer than 20 yards, it creates a greater impression of passing yards than you actually have.
(6) CRod. How long has it been since we had a running back over 200 yards? I’m certain the question was answered somewhere in the press, today (Sunday). But like the game outcome of the game, Crod’s effort left lots of room for improvement. Maybe new gloves are in order?!?!
(7) Our Defense. That Mizzou offense is like an annoying neighbor . . . annoying and close enough to always be a nuisance, but ultimately no real threat. We got little pressure on the QB, until he actually needed time for pass patterns longer than 3 yards to develop on the final drive.
Kudos to the defense for not having a lot of late hit penalties out of frustration.
(8) Levis. I loved the running play when he tried to bait the defender as he went easily into the endzone, then strutted for the crowd. He’s a fun presence, and loves the game. I thought he got a bad spot on the play just before the blocked field goal.
(9) Wan’ Dale. He just gives an offense another gear. I scratch my head and wonder how Coach Frost had a player of those dimensions at tailback, instead of on the edge?!?! And I guess the operative word, here, is “had!”
(10) Our Crowd/Atmosphere.
We don’t have all the pregame traditions of some schools. If you’ve never seen “Mike the Tiger” or whatever they call the strutting, pregame song in Baton Rouge, or the 20 minute pregame choreography of the exhausting pregame in Columbia, South Carolina, you might not know what I’m talking about.
But our crowd noise level since the last reduction seems to have increased. That huge structure of press boxes and luxury boxes helps hold the sound in, I assume.
I noticed I could not hear my brother shouting one foot from me.
Then I noticed I couldn’t hear myself shouting back.
(2) Their Last Drive: I made the noise, etc., but when they took over after the blocked field goal, I literally asked myself if I was concerned they could do it. The internal “gut” answer came back “no.”
That Mizzou offense of quick dinks and dunks is good at avoiding the pass rush, and good at creating 3rd downs and less than 5 yards, but it eats clock. Yes, they scored in the final two minutes of the first half, but they showed us their 2 minute offense, then. All we had to do was get one big TFL or Sack, and create a need for conversion on a longer play. Mizzou just doesn’t have a consistent ability to beat a 3rd and 15, or a 4th and 15.
(3) The heavy package. I’ve never seen a real good description of it, I think some call it “22 personnel,” but when we bring in two TE’s and stack WR’s right next to the line, I expect the stadium to tilt toward our LOS. The only college teams I remember that could just overwhelm you with beef were Arkansas with Houston Nutt and Wisconsin since the 90’s. It tends to work pretty good.
(4) Liam Coen. Whenever I hear the guy interviewed, he reminds me of that real smart kid in school that had a streak of smartass and meanness . . . . you know . . . . the one that would have been voted “Most Likely to Blow Some Sh!t Up Someday.” Usually, “that kid” isn’t an athlete: Coen played high school and college football, and the rest is history. His responses post-game were classic . . . “We don’t pass the ball just to be passing the ball . . . we ran to win the game.”
(5) Walking out of the stadium, I told my brother “we passed for more than 300 yards, again,” but then I started analyzing it. I decided Wan’ Dale’s first big play was a handoff, and that we had probably rushed for 300 yards. Still, when your passes are typically longer than 20 yards, it creates a greater impression of passing yards than you actually have.
(6) CRod. How long has it been since we had a running back over 200 yards? I’m certain the question was answered somewhere in the press, today (Sunday). But like the game outcome of the game, Crod’s effort left lots of room for improvement. Maybe new gloves are in order?!?!
(7) Our Defense. That Mizzou offense is like an annoying neighbor . . . annoying and close enough to always be a nuisance, but ultimately no real threat. We got little pressure on the QB, until he actually needed time for pass patterns longer than 3 yards to develop on the final drive.
Kudos to the defense for not having a lot of late hit penalties out of frustration.
(8) Levis. I loved the running play when he tried to bait the defender as he went easily into the endzone, then strutted for the crowd. He’s a fun presence, and loves the game. I thought he got a bad spot on the play just before the blocked field goal.
(9) Wan’ Dale. He just gives an offense another gear. I scratch my head and wonder how Coach Frost had a player of those dimensions at tailback, instead of on the edge?!?! And I guess the operative word, here, is “had!”
(10) Our Crowd/Atmosphere.
We don’t have all the pregame traditions of some schools. If you’ve never seen “Mike the Tiger” or whatever they call the strutting, pregame song in Baton Rouge, or the 20 minute pregame choreography of the exhausting pregame in Columbia, South Carolina, you might not know what I’m talking about.
But our crowd noise level since the last reduction seems to have increased. That huge structure of press boxes and luxury boxes helps hold the sound in, I assume.
I noticed I could not hear my brother shouting one foot from me.
Then I noticed I couldn’t hear myself shouting back.
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