2009 Big 12 Football Previews: Missouri
by ccmachine on Jul 20, 2009 11:26 PM CDT
in Football
2 comments
There’s a very good chance that the run of the Missouri Tigers as the Big 12 North Champions will come to an end in 2009. The Kansas Jayhawks are returning 15 starters and should take over as the frontrunners in the north. That means the pressure is off the Tigers as they enter a rebuilding year in which they are replacing 6 starters on offense and 7 on defense from last season’s north division championship team. It isn’t just attrition that could plague
Offense
Among the players the Tigers are replacing on offense are Chase Daniel who was the school’s all-time passing leader and All Americans Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin. The good news for the Tigers offense is that they return three of last year’s starting offensive linemen and running back Derrick Washington.
42.2 6 153.8 52 330.4 4 411.5 8
`08 Offense
Per Game
Rank
Scoring
Rushing
Passing
Total
Gabbert played some garbage time minutes last year as a true freshman but only completed 5 passes in just 13 attempts. Not only will he be working with a new offensive coordinator in `09 but also a trio of receivers that not much more experienced than he is. With the departures of Coffman and Maclin the Tigers also lost the bulk of their receiving yards from last season. Jared Perry and Danario Alexander are both senior receivers but have played a backseat role in the offense the past three seasons and now must step up as leaders on the offense.
The chemistry between Gabbert and his receivers (as well as new offensive coordinator, David Yost) developing quickly is going to be crucial. Yost has been with the Tigers for 9 years as the quarterbacks coach but taking as far as him taking complete control of the offense he’s still unproven. If I were an opposing defensive coordinator I would play
Defense
The defensive unit is what has truly been the crutch of the Tigers. Last season they were ranked 98th in the nation in total defense which I believe had just as much to do with the explosive Big 12 offenses as it did the personnel the Tigers had on the field.
`08 Defense 27.2 69 124.9 31 286.6 117 411.5 98
Per Game
Rank
Scoring
Rushing
Passing
Total
| RETURNING | LEADERS |
| Passing | Blaine Gabbert, 5/13, 43 |
| Rushing | Derrick Washington, 177/1,036, 17 TDs |
| Receiving | Jared Perry, 41/567, 4 TDs |
| Tackles | Sean Weatherspoon, 155 |
| Sacks | Sean Weatherspoon, 5 |
|
2008 High |
2008 Low |
|
30-23 OT win over Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl |
62-29 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship |
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I'm going to have to disagree with both the high and low
The Alamo Bowl was hardly cause for celebration in a lot of Missouri circles. Mizzou isn’t exactly the kind of program where bowl wins can be taken for granted, but that’s exactly what Missouri fans were prepared to do. Missouri entered the game as double-digit favorites and had to fight to win the game in overtime after a less than inspired first half. Included in all of this was Chase Daniel (regrettably) getting booed by many Missouri fans in the midst of a 3-INT performance in San Antonio.
Yes, the win got Missouri its first back-to-back 10-win seasons in forever, but the feeling was overwhelming relief, not overwhelming joy. I’d argue the “high” in the eyes of most Missouri fans was almost unquestionably the 52-17 pounding of Nebraska in Lincoln. It was Missouri’s first win in front of the Sea of Red in 30 years and a fantastic chance to see “the greatest fans in college football” abandon ship midway through the third quarter. There was a generation of frustration alleviated in that win – one of the reasons it made our Greatest Win in Mizzou Football History tournament field. Quoth my colleague, The Boy:
“This was the absolute apex of the 2008 season. Five games into the season, Mizzou was averaging 53.4 points per game and had yet to go three-and-out in a single series. Oklahoma State came to Columbia the next week and stole Mizzou’s mojo. Mizzou would go just 5-4 the rest of the way, leading to the most “disappointing” 10-win season in Mizzou’s history.."
I’d also argue that calling the loss to OU the “low point” may be misguided. Regardless of how it was reported by fans in Kansas City or whatever means Stoops used to drum up disrespect, most Missouri fans saw that beating coming. While it’s among the most thorough, I’d argue that game was perhaps the least deflating of Mizzou’s losses in 2008.
The Oklahoma State game was a gut punch (at home, no less) that no one had seen coming because of the aura of invincibility around the offense before that game. The Texas loss was so deflating because of the sheer blitzing MU took early in that game and having to watch DKR turn into a four-hour block party after we’d [falsely] convinced ourselves we were still a viable threat to most teams in the country. And then there is what I would call unquestionably the lowest moment of the season, which I don’t particularly feel like recapping and shouldn’t require much vindication or explanation from my end.
Sorry to use the comment section as my own personal diary here, but I figured you might appreciate my own perspective on the matter.
by RPT on Jul 21, 2009 12:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Great Perspective!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I had actually given the Nebraska game a lot of consideration but decided on the Alamo Bowl because of the 10th win and the fact that they really had to do a gut check to win that game because it could have easily gone the other way.
by ccmachine on Jul 21, 2009 7:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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