We will start the Chamber as we always do, with a breakdown of this week's game. Glad to have one to breakdown, unlike last week. Also, incredibly glad I decided to take this particular feature in-house on this board. Never knew I'd inspire so much venom simply by stating my opinion that Missouri should win a football game. If I don't return from Lincoln by Sunday night in time for chat, someone alert the authorities. Anyway, on to the breakdown:
When Missouri runs the ball: Well, the Husker defense is decent against the run certainly, giving up just 110 yards per game. But they've faced no one with a back like Derrick Washington. Tyrod Taylor made some plays with his feet. Chase Daniel isn't Tyrod Taylor, but he can move around. And again, Washington is the best back they've seen this season. I think the biggest question is not if Missouri can run the ball, but if the Tigers try to or if they'll lean more on the pass. Edge: Missouri
When Missouri throws the ball: Taylor had receivers running wide open. He hit some, he missed some. Daniel won't miss as many. Simply put, the Huskers weakness is defending the pass (245 yards a game and 7.1 per attempt). Bad weakness to have when the Tigers come to town. Edge: Missouri
When Nebraska runs the ball: How about if Nebraska runs the ball. Outside of one game, the Huskers haven't really tried. Nebraska ran for 330 yards against New Mexico State. In their other three games combined, they have totalled 292 yards. Marlon Lucky has gone from first-team all-Big 12 to forgotten man. Roy Helu seems to be the fan's choice and may get the start this weekend. But neither of them seem to be getting many holes to run through. The Tigers have been stout against the run, ranking in the nation's top 25. Edge: Missouri
When Nebraska throws the ball: Joe Ganz can hurt you through the air, make no mistake. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened last season if Ganz had started the first game instead of Sam Keller. Would Bill Callahan still be around? I don't know, but it's something to think about. The Huskers don't have a ton of playmakers in the passing game, but Nate Swift and Todd Peterson will get open and make some catches. The biggest weapon could be Lucky. The Huskers have run the screen extensively against Mizzou over the last few seasons. The emergence of tight end Mike McNeill is a big help for Ganz as well. Teams have thrown the ball well against Mizzou. Is it because Missouri's pass defense isn't good or because the Tigers have had big leads and given up yardage once out in front? We may find out this week. Getting William Moore back will help, but getting some semblance of a pass rush going will help more. Missouri has a lot to prove here. Edge: Nebraska
Special Teams: Jeremy Maclin and Jeff Wolfert are among the nation's best at their jobs. All Jake Harry has done is everything the Tiger coaches could have hoped for. The Huskers have done a nice job returning punts and kicks, getting a touchdown on each, but they don't have Maclin. They also got a punt blocked last week against Virginia Tech. Edge: Missouri
Intangibles: If there is one thing coaches would privately tell you they hate, it's a night game on the road. While the Tigers sit in a hotel room and watch football all day, Nebraska gets to relax at home. Perhaps more importantly, 80000 Husker fans get to lubricate themselves for a wild night in Memorial Stadium. Make no mistake, it's going to be hostile. In addition, the Huskers have circled this game for a year. Win this one and the whole season takes on a different tenor. For the first time in forever, Missouri enters this game, and this conference season, as the hunter. How will they react? Edge: Nebraska
Bottom Line: Nebraska is capable of winning this game. Strange things happen. But if the Tigers play close to as well as they're capable of, the Huskers can't win. They just don't have enough talent. Emotion will get you so far, but eventually you have to have the horses. If Mizzou loses, they'll have themselves to blame because if the Tigers bring their A game (or probably even their B+ game), they come home a winner.
Prediction and star of the game: I thought I was being conservative picking the Tigers by three touchdowns. I think it could be worse. But still, it's a league opener, it's the game of the year for Nebraska and again, strange things happen in college football. I think the Cornhuskers will ride the emotion of this for about the first 20 minutes, and may even be in front at that point. I expect a one-score game at halftime. Then I think the Tigers' talent advantage takes over. I think Mizzou stretches it out for the 49-28 win. And how's this for a twist? I'm giving the star of the game nod to Danario Alexander, who announces his true return with two TD catches.
Time to move on to recruiting. Not a ton from me this week. I did check in with a couple of the in-state guys. I'd say the Tigers are still in good shape with Bryant Allen. For the 800th time, I'm surprised by the lack of a commitment so far and am not sure what the hold up is. If I had to guess, I think Allen is having a tough time getting over the desire to play basketball as his main college sport. Either way, in the end, I think he's a Tiger.
We've already mentioned what a big weekend the 25th of October is against Colorado. There will be some big time national recruits in for visits. I know a number of the in-state guys plan to come down to help the effort. T.J. Moe told me he's going to try to get Ronnie Wingo and Sheldon Richardson to trip down to Columbia with him. If those two do that, I think it says a lot about where the Tigers stand.
A quick note on the 2010 class, I continue to hear wonderful things about Marcus Lucas and Keeston Terry. I've had people mention to me a few times in the last couple of weeks what good prospects this pair is.
Also at the receiver position, let's talk about Terry Hawthorne. Got to give a little love to Phil Laposa here. You guys may have noticed that Phil wrote a couple of recruiting updates this week. He is going to join the staff on a free-lance basis helping us out. Up until signing day, he's going to cover recruiting and one of the guys I told him to track down this week was Terry Hawthorne. He didn't get a ton out of Hawthorne (welcome to recruiting coverage Phil), who was non-committal on visiting Missouri. However, I'm telling you I've got good sources telling me this visit will happen. Hawthorne may not want to go public with it, but he'll be on campus in Columbia at some point I think.
Speaking of Phil Laposa, I said he's going to cover recruiting through signing day. I'm very happy to tell you all that next spring, Phil will become our full-time baseball writer. He'll be covering most (if not all) of the home games and will be writing weekly features on the team and previewing opponents. I know many of you have clamored for this over the last couple of years and I'm glad to be able to make it happen.
Here is the weekly word from the world of B. Freeman:
It’s been a busy week in recruiting as both college and high school teams. Visits are the name of the game, and it looks like Missouri will get visits from several big time visits on campus.
Jeremy Smith: As was reported earlier this week, he’ll be visiting the second week of December. I had a source tell me he would be visiting, but he may not necessarily say it. Well, he told me straight up. That tells me he’s wavering. When I asked him what the likelyhood of switching his commitment, he wouldn’t answer. That tells me he is less likely to end up at Oklahoma State than a lot of people may think. (Note from Gabe: You all might remember me telling you this very thing after returning from the St. Louis camp and talking to a few people I know there. Sometimes, we get one right. You want my opinion, I think Smith's a Tiger. I hear Missouri just loves the kid, even more than that other running back in the state of Oklahoma that everyone was so high on, David Oku).
Daytawion Lowe: There are reports he’ll also be in town on the 2nd week of December. Could he cancel? Possibly because I think Nebraska and Oklahoma State are the schools to beat, but the visit has been set up at this point.
Marlon Brown: There was a tidbit on the board earlier this week that a Missouri coach visiting Brown at Harding Academy. Coach Ford was there and Brown said he was glad to see the coach. However, I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. Missouri’s unlikely to get a visit.
Jheranie Boyd: Earlier in the week, I agreed with Gabe about the proposition of Gameday coming to Columbia for the October 25th game against Colorado. It sure would be good for the Tigers… Besides Bryce Brown, it turns out Jheranie Boyd will also be in town for the game. He would like to make a decision at the beginning of November. It looks like Missouri will have the last visit.
Justin Brown: I’m curious to watch this one. He’s talked with Coach Hill every week in September and is still very interested in Missouri. I’m not 100% sold on how interested they are in him, but there’s definitely been contact between the two sides. He’s very interested in Missouri, so I think they’ll be in it as long as they want to be.
James Davis: The Nebraska lineman currently only has an offer from Ohio right now. He’ll be at the game this weekend and said he may give an edge to the winner. Nebraska and Iowa State may be the closest to offering, but he was down for the Nevada game. I think Missouri has a good shot if they offer, but I want to see if they actually do.
Emory Blake: Like I said earlier today, I think it’s either Boston College or Missouri. Boston College may be difficult to beat with coach Steve Logan there. Again, Blake has known him his whole life. However, Missouri appears to be in good shape.
Marsalis Teague: There will be a story on him this weekend. My understanding is the staff is VERY high on him. They want to use him at receiver. He’s a quarterback at his high school and even though Missouri just got in the game recently, they appear to have a pretty good shot.
Bryant Allen: This is a little strange. Bryant Allen has had Missouri on top for the past few weeks. The past few articles have been odd because it makes it seem like Missouri isn’t in the picture at all. I think the next few weeks will be very telling.
When Missouri runs the ball: Well, the Husker defense is decent against the run certainly, giving up just 110 yards per game. But they've faced no one with a back like Derrick Washington. Tyrod Taylor made some plays with his feet. Chase Daniel isn't Tyrod Taylor, but he can move around. And again, Washington is the best back they've seen this season. I think the biggest question is not if Missouri can run the ball, but if the Tigers try to or if they'll lean more on the pass. Edge: Missouri
When Missouri throws the ball: Taylor had receivers running wide open. He hit some, he missed some. Daniel won't miss as many. Simply put, the Huskers weakness is defending the pass (245 yards a game and 7.1 per attempt). Bad weakness to have when the Tigers come to town. Edge: Missouri
When Nebraska runs the ball: How about if Nebraska runs the ball. Outside of one game, the Huskers haven't really tried. Nebraska ran for 330 yards against New Mexico State. In their other three games combined, they have totalled 292 yards. Marlon Lucky has gone from first-team all-Big 12 to forgotten man. Roy Helu seems to be the fan's choice and may get the start this weekend. But neither of them seem to be getting many holes to run through. The Tigers have been stout against the run, ranking in the nation's top 25. Edge: Missouri
When Nebraska throws the ball: Joe Ganz can hurt you through the air, make no mistake. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened last season if Ganz had started the first game instead of Sam Keller. Would Bill Callahan still be around? I don't know, but it's something to think about. The Huskers don't have a ton of playmakers in the passing game, but Nate Swift and Todd Peterson will get open and make some catches. The biggest weapon could be Lucky. The Huskers have run the screen extensively against Mizzou over the last few seasons. The emergence of tight end Mike McNeill is a big help for Ganz as well. Teams have thrown the ball well against Mizzou. Is it because Missouri's pass defense isn't good or because the Tigers have had big leads and given up yardage once out in front? We may find out this week. Getting William Moore back will help, but getting some semblance of a pass rush going will help more. Missouri has a lot to prove here. Edge: Nebraska
Special Teams: Jeremy Maclin and Jeff Wolfert are among the nation's best at their jobs. All Jake Harry has done is everything the Tiger coaches could have hoped for. The Huskers have done a nice job returning punts and kicks, getting a touchdown on each, but they don't have Maclin. They also got a punt blocked last week against Virginia Tech. Edge: Missouri
Intangibles: If there is one thing coaches would privately tell you they hate, it's a night game on the road. While the Tigers sit in a hotel room and watch football all day, Nebraska gets to relax at home. Perhaps more importantly, 80000 Husker fans get to lubricate themselves for a wild night in Memorial Stadium. Make no mistake, it's going to be hostile. In addition, the Huskers have circled this game for a year. Win this one and the whole season takes on a different tenor. For the first time in forever, Missouri enters this game, and this conference season, as the hunter. How will they react? Edge: Nebraska
Bottom Line: Nebraska is capable of winning this game. Strange things happen. But if the Tigers play close to as well as they're capable of, the Huskers can't win. They just don't have enough talent. Emotion will get you so far, but eventually you have to have the horses. If Mizzou loses, they'll have themselves to blame because if the Tigers bring their A game (or probably even their B+ game), they come home a winner.
Prediction and star of the game: I thought I was being conservative picking the Tigers by three touchdowns. I think it could be worse. But still, it's a league opener, it's the game of the year for Nebraska and again, strange things happen in college football. I think the Cornhuskers will ride the emotion of this for about the first 20 minutes, and may even be in front at that point. I expect a one-score game at halftime. Then I think the Tigers' talent advantage takes over. I think Mizzou stretches it out for the 49-28 win. And how's this for a twist? I'm giving the star of the game nod to Danario Alexander, who announces his true return with two TD catches.
Time to move on to recruiting. Not a ton from me this week. I did check in with a couple of the in-state guys. I'd say the Tigers are still in good shape with Bryant Allen. For the 800th time, I'm surprised by the lack of a commitment so far and am not sure what the hold up is. If I had to guess, I think Allen is having a tough time getting over the desire to play basketball as his main college sport. Either way, in the end, I think he's a Tiger.
We've already mentioned what a big weekend the 25th of October is against Colorado. There will be some big time national recruits in for visits. I know a number of the in-state guys plan to come down to help the effort. T.J. Moe told me he's going to try to get Ronnie Wingo and Sheldon Richardson to trip down to Columbia with him. If those two do that, I think it says a lot about where the Tigers stand.
A quick note on the 2010 class, I continue to hear wonderful things about Marcus Lucas and Keeston Terry. I've had people mention to me a few times in the last couple of weeks what good prospects this pair is.
Also at the receiver position, let's talk about Terry Hawthorne. Got to give a little love to Phil Laposa here. You guys may have noticed that Phil wrote a couple of recruiting updates this week. He is going to join the staff on a free-lance basis helping us out. Up until signing day, he's going to cover recruiting and one of the guys I told him to track down this week was Terry Hawthorne. He didn't get a ton out of Hawthorne (welcome to recruiting coverage Phil), who was non-committal on visiting Missouri. However, I'm telling you I've got good sources telling me this visit will happen. Hawthorne may not want to go public with it, but he'll be on campus in Columbia at some point I think.
Speaking of Phil Laposa, I said he's going to cover recruiting through signing day. I'm very happy to tell you all that next spring, Phil will become our full-time baseball writer. He'll be covering most (if not all) of the home games and will be writing weekly features on the team and previewing opponents. I know many of you have clamored for this over the last couple of years and I'm glad to be able to make it happen.
Here is the weekly word from the world of B. Freeman:
It’s been a busy week in recruiting as both college and high school teams. Visits are the name of the game, and it looks like Missouri will get visits from several big time visits on campus.
Jeremy Smith: As was reported earlier this week, he’ll be visiting the second week of December. I had a source tell me he would be visiting, but he may not necessarily say it. Well, he told me straight up. That tells me he’s wavering. When I asked him what the likelyhood of switching his commitment, he wouldn’t answer. That tells me he is less likely to end up at Oklahoma State than a lot of people may think. (Note from Gabe: You all might remember me telling you this very thing after returning from the St. Louis camp and talking to a few people I know there. Sometimes, we get one right. You want my opinion, I think Smith's a Tiger. I hear Missouri just loves the kid, even more than that other running back in the state of Oklahoma that everyone was so high on, David Oku).
Daytawion Lowe: There are reports he’ll also be in town on the 2nd week of December. Could he cancel? Possibly because I think Nebraska and Oklahoma State are the schools to beat, but the visit has been set up at this point.
Marlon Brown: There was a tidbit on the board earlier this week that a Missouri coach visiting Brown at Harding Academy. Coach Ford was there and Brown said he was glad to see the coach. However, I wouldn’t get too excited just yet. Missouri’s unlikely to get a visit.
Jheranie Boyd: Earlier in the week, I agreed with Gabe about the proposition of Gameday coming to Columbia for the October 25th game against Colorado. It sure would be good for the Tigers… Besides Bryce Brown, it turns out Jheranie Boyd will also be in town for the game. He would like to make a decision at the beginning of November. It looks like Missouri will have the last visit.
Justin Brown: I’m curious to watch this one. He’s talked with Coach Hill every week in September and is still very interested in Missouri. I’m not 100% sold on how interested they are in him, but there’s definitely been contact between the two sides. He’s very interested in Missouri, so I think they’ll be in it as long as they want to be.
James Davis: The Nebraska lineman currently only has an offer from Ohio right now. He’ll be at the game this weekend and said he may give an edge to the winner. Nebraska and Iowa State may be the closest to offering, but he was down for the Nevada game. I think Missouri has a good shot if they offer, but I want to see if they actually do.
Emory Blake: Like I said earlier today, I think it’s either Boston College or Missouri. Boston College may be difficult to beat with coach Steve Logan there. Again, Blake has known him his whole life. However, Missouri appears to be in good shape.
Marsalis Teague: There will be a story on him this weekend. My understanding is the staff is VERY high on him. They want to use him at receiver. He’s a quarterback at his high school and even though Missouri just got in the game recently, they appear to have a pretty good shot.
Bryant Allen: This is a little strange. Bryant Allen has had Missouri on top for the past few weeks. The past few articles have been odd because it makes it seem like Missouri isn’t in the picture at all. I think the next few weeks will be very telling.
