I've posted this a million times to the point I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing it, but I'll keep posting it because people keep failing to realize it: SEC football is not a video game. You don't just roll out some robots and the best team wins 99% of the time. The other guys get scholarships and try too. Vandy isn't a terrible team. I said immediately after the Florida game I thought Vandy was the best team left on Missouri's schedule.
It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but you do not complain about winning an SEC game. Especially one which could easily have gone the other way and which often HAS gone the other way. We have given Barry Odom and Drew Lock and the rest of them a ton of crap for losing games like this in the past. When they win them, it can't just be, "Well, they SHOULD have won." They deserve credit for the wins as they do blame for the losses.
There were a lot of things not to like, but there were more to like. The defense made plays when it had to. Lock led a 99 yard drive. It shouldn't have come down to the final play, but it did and Missouri made that play. It seems like that usually doesn't happen.
More than anything, you like seeing guys like Gicinto and Parker and Bakare making plays. They've got some guys that weren't supposed to be major players making big time plays. And don't forget they did it without four major contributors playing a snap, and that's not even counting Kobie Whiteside. They did it with Emanuel Hall having a bad day.
Missouri is a damn good running team. They'll bring back two running backs that can compete with most 1-2 punches in the league and Badie and Bakare have shown they can do things. They bring back the three linemen who have been their best this season in Castillo, Simms and Durant. They bring back Albert (I'm pretty confident) and Parker at tight end. There are a lot of things to like on offense.
The defense has become what I said after the Bama game it had to become: Not great, but one that can come up with enough plays during the course of a game to help you win. Terez Hall was all over the place today. The pass defense is what it is, but if you can find a way to avoid big plays and make a couple stops, it will work. Maybe not well enough to win ten games, but at least well enough to win eight.
The special teams needs to be revamped cause it's terrible.
But overall, Missouri was injured, lost the turnover battle, gave up 465 yards, missed a field goal late...and won. I'll take it. Next week isn't a cakewalk. Tennessee is capable of being pretty good on the right day as it's proving today. It's also capable of being pretty bad as it's shown. If Missouri plays well, I think it wins. If not, the Vols are good enough to beat them.
The floor is seven wins, the ceiling is eight. Next week determines which they hit.
Notebook, photos, video and a follow story on the front page. Grades, snap counts, etc coming in the morning. Then we'll do it all over again next week and head to Knoxville. Enjoy the evening.
It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but you do not complain about winning an SEC game. Especially one which could easily have gone the other way and which often HAS gone the other way. We have given Barry Odom and Drew Lock and the rest of them a ton of crap for losing games like this in the past. When they win them, it can't just be, "Well, they SHOULD have won." They deserve credit for the wins as they do blame for the losses.
There were a lot of things not to like, but there were more to like. The defense made plays when it had to. Lock led a 99 yard drive. It shouldn't have come down to the final play, but it did and Missouri made that play. It seems like that usually doesn't happen.
More than anything, you like seeing guys like Gicinto and Parker and Bakare making plays. They've got some guys that weren't supposed to be major players making big time plays. And don't forget they did it without four major contributors playing a snap, and that's not even counting Kobie Whiteside. They did it with Emanuel Hall having a bad day.
Missouri is a damn good running team. They'll bring back two running backs that can compete with most 1-2 punches in the league and Badie and Bakare have shown they can do things. They bring back the three linemen who have been their best this season in Castillo, Simms and Durant. They bring back Albert (I'm pretty confident) and Parker at tight end. There are a lot of things to like on offense.
The defense has become what I said after the Bama game it had to become: Not great, but one that can come up with enough plays during the course of a game to help you win. Terez Hall was all over the place today. The pass defense is what it is, but if you can find a way to avoid big plays and make a couple stops, it will work. Maybe not well enough to win ten games, but at least well enough to win eight.
The special teams needs to be revamped cause it's terrible.
But overall, Missouri was injured, lost the turnover battle, gave up 465 yards, missed a field goal late...and won. I'll take it. Next week isn't a cakewalk. Tennessee is capable of being pretty good on the right day as it's proving today. It's also capable of being pretty bad as it's shown. If Missouri plays well, I think it wins. If not, the Vols are good enough to beat them.
The floor is seven wins, the ceiling is eight. Next week determines which they hit.
Notebook, photos, video and a follow story on the front page. Grades, snap counts, etc coming in the morning. Then we'll do it all over again next week and head to Knoxville. Enjoy the evening.
