GABE DeARMOND ON MIZZOU-SYRACUSE, ETC
A couple weeks ago, I posted about how some had asked for more of my opinions in the Chamber. This week, we start with that. I had written my game preview prior to the news of Sheldon Richardson's suspension breaking.
Let me say first of all that I'm not changing that prediction and if Richardson's presence on the field is the difference between Missouri winning and losing tomorrow, one of two things is true: Either he's way better than we all already think he is or Missouri's program is in a lot more trouble than we all think it is. This is a 5-5 Big East team. Prior to beating Louisville last week, they simply hadn't done anything. Give them Missouri's schedule, they're 3-7. They competed with Northwestern and USC but lost both. They lost to Minnesota. The Big East just isn't any good in football. There are a bunch of average teams.
Now I'm not saying Missouri can't lose. Listen, this is an average team and it can lose games. But if the difference between winning and losing is as razor thin as having Sheldon Richardson in the lineup, this program is on ground that is shaky enough it ought to scare you. Just my take.
Now, on to the actual news, which is the suspension itself. I understand those that think he should be playing. In fact, my first thought was, "If I were the coach and I was about to play a game that would put me in a bowl if I won it, I'd play my best player unless he broke the law." But as someone who played for Pinkel told me last night, that's how you tear down something it took you ten years to build.
I'm not saying everyone should be treated the same. Michael Jordan had one set of rules, Scottie Pippen had another and the rest of the Bulls nobody ever heard of had a third. That's fine.
But I warn people about making all these declarations without all the facts. And make no mistake, you don't have all the facts here. Neither, in all likelihood, do I.
In situations like these, there is no way we know everything that goes into the suspension and the decision. We're not there. When someone gets a DWI, it's highly unlikely that's the first time he drove drunk. I mean, isn't it POSSIBLE that there have been other situations over the last year and a half that have led up to this? Isn't it POSSIBLE that rather than an isolated incident where Pinkel is trying to flex his muscle that this is just the straw that broke the camel's back?
I think you can extend this to the Mike Dixon situation as well. Everybody has an opinion from the outside and I'm not saying you can't voice it. But when you (and I include myself here as well because, while there are times I know more than I can share, there are also some times that I don't) make sweeping judgments based having a fraction of the information, well, that doesn't make much sense.
There is a small circle of people who knows everything that has gone into both of these situations. They will make the decision. And beyond that small circle, it's unlikely the vast majority of people ever really know. And that's okay. Buying season tickets or donating to the TSF doesn't mean anyone DESERVES to know everything that is going on in a kid's life. I've seen some say, "If they'd just come out and say why he's suspended, it would clear it up." It would also be a violation of the relationship, a violation of the kid's trust and send a horrid message to future recruits that, "If you screw up, everybody's going to know about it because the coach is going to tell them."
The bottom line is, the coaches want to win too. And if it's at a point (in either case) where one of the best players on the team is suspended, I think you kind of have to assume that there are valid reasons for that. If you disagree, you either simply don't trust the coaches Missouri has or want to hire Lane Kiffin as the next AD.
Anyway, on to the game...
When Missouri runs the ball: The one thing Missouri has done well pretty consistently is run it. Kendial Lawrence just re-established his career high with 153 yards at Tennessee and James Franklin looks like he's getting his legs back. Syracuse is okay against the run, but nothing special. The Orange are giving up 149 yards a game. EDGE: Mizzou, slight to moderate
When Mizzou throws the ball: Missouri finally started throwing it well in the fourth quarter last week. Franklin went from terrible to terrific in the span of a few minutes. He made every throw in the fourth quarter and he had multiple receivers making plays. Bud Sasser has emerged, Marcus Lucas has bounced back and Dorial Green-Beckham looks like the light bulb has come on. Again, Syracuse is just okay against the pass. Missouri could easily have the edge here...but the Tigers have to prove last week wasn't a fluke. EDGE: EVEN
When Syracuse runs the ball: The Orange started out as a pass-first offense, but they've leaned on the run more of late. Still, this has been Missouri's strength all season. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate
When Syracuse throws the ball: Syracuse isn't Tennessee with NFL talent all over the passing game, but the Orange can sling it some. They lead the Big East with 301 yards passing per game and Ryan Nassib has had some big days this fall. Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales are among the top 60 in the country in both catches and yards per game. Mizzou will need the pass rush to neutralize the Orange air attack. EDGE: Syracuse, moderate
Special Teams: Andrew Baggett is kicking well and Trey Barrow is a weapon. Add in Marcus Murphy and the Tigers' special teams can be very good if it can avoid the big mistake. Syracuse is one of the worst return teams in the country. EDGE: Mizzou
Coaching: Doug Marrone is sitting right at .500 over the last three years. Gary Pinkel is .500 in a much better conference and everyone views it as a down year. EDGE: Mizzou
Intangibles: Both are fighting for bowl eligibility. Both are coming off big emotional wins. Missouri is at home and Syracuse has been terrible on the road. That's the deciding factor, plus the fact that the Tigers haven't lost a non-con home game in seven years. EDGE: Mizzou
Final Word: The Missouri team many expected played the final ten minutes and overtime in Tennessee. Did that have more to do with Missouri or with the Vols? Probably a little bit of both, but with a bowl game in sight, we see the Tigers getting it done. PREDICTION: Missouri 27, Syracuse 17.
PETE SCANTLEBURY ON FOOTBALL RECRUITING
I managed to track down some information on two of the most intriguing prospects left on Missouri's board.
I spoke with Michael Langston of Warchant.com, who has developed a good relationship with the coaching staff at East Mississippi Community College, home of four-star defensive end Za'Darius Smithhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Za'Darius-Smith-137048. Langston confirmed that Missouri has offered Smith, and shed some light on what's going on with his recruitment.
First, Smith has been high on Florida State for a while, but there have been some changes that have thrown his recruitment into a little bit of chaos. The Seminoles have backed off Smith because suddenly it doesn't appear that they'll have room for a JUCO player this year. Because of that, Langston was told that Missouri, Texas A&M and Mississippi State are the three leaders for Smith, with the Aggies having a slight lead -- but it isn't significant.
Smith is visiting College Station this weekend for the second time, and is trying to set up a visit to Missouri. Florida State isn't out of it, as they're still interested, but right now, it looks like Smith's recruitment will come down to those three previously mentioned schools.?
Another defensive end on Missouri's radar is Ruben Dunbar of Glen Ellyn, Ill. Last night, Dunbar told me that Missouri has offered him, but didn't seem sure as to when the offer came in. For now, I'm holding off on adding that offer to his list, because I want to confirm it with his high school coach first.
Either way, Dunbar said he's remained in contact with Coach Kuligowski a good amount, and said the Tigers seem very interested. Right now, he's trying to schedule two known visits -- to Missouri and Michigan State. That Missouri visit, he said, will likely happen for one of the two big visit weekends in December.
Dunbar wouldn't name any leaders, but with how vocal he was about his interest in Missouri in an article in October, it seems pretty obvious that if that offer is real, the Tigers have a great shot at landing him.
For this weekend, along with the usual in-state committed guys visiting, Dutchtown (Ga.) athlete Jonathan Johnsonhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Jonathan-Johnson-140848, a CB who transferred to a prep school in Georgia, is also visiting on an unofficial. However, I don't expect Missouri to offer Johnson.
BRIAN AUSTIN ON BASKETBALL RECRUITING
This week the biggest news in basketball recruiting was the signings of Signing Day Wrap-Up story. I also got in touch with Jones after the story to get his feelings on signing early with Missouri. He told me, "It feels really good to be a part of such a good recruiting class and I hope we can turn the class of 2013 into the Big 3."
Now that the Big 3 are signed and sealed Mizzou will work to finish off the class of 2013. After a little bit of drama as to whether he was coming for a Brandon Randolph confirmed with Eric Bossi yesterday that he will be in Mizzou for his official visit. There had been some questions about whether or not Randolph had an offer from Mizzou so I talked to him about it when I interviewed him for the story. He told he did already have an offer. Something that I learned yesterday when trying to get confirmation on whether or not the visit was happening was that Randolph's dad was making him come on this trip even though Randolph was certain he wanted to sign with Xavier. Supposedly, his dad didn't want him to have any regrets about his decision later on down the road.
A new name for the final spot in the class of 2013 emerged Wednesday night when PowerMizzou.com learned that Mizzou had been in contact with former Kansas St. Wildcat commit Alex Etherington shortly after his decommittment from the Tigers former Big 12 rival. Right now it is hard to gage how much interest Mizzou has in Etherington, but since the addition of Rick Carter to the staff the Tigers have had much more of a presence in Etherington's home state of Indiana.
The final bit of 2013 basketball recruiting news I want to talk about is that Stevie Clark appears to be set to decide in the spring signing period, which is good news from Missouri. The chances of the Tigers getting back involved with Clark if he had decided to sign in the early period were zero. Now that he is waiting, Tim Fuller will have the opportunity to re-recruit Clark, who at one time was favoring Mizzou. It's not going to be an easy process for the Tiger coaching staff, though, because Oklahoma St. and Baylor are now ?the favorites for Clark. Now, at least, they have more time to try and work there way back into the picture with Clark.
A couple weeks ago, I posted about how some had asked for more of my opinions in the Chamber. This week, we start with that. I had written my game preview prior to the news of Sheldon Richardson's suspension breaking.
Let me say first of all that I'm not changing that prediction and if Richardson's presence on the field is the difference between Missouri winning and losing tomorrow, one of two things is true: Either he's way better than we all already think he is or Missouri's program is in a lot more trouble than we all think it is. This is a 5-5 Big East team. Prior to beating Louisville last week, they simply hadn't done anything. Give them Missouri's schedule, they're 3-7. They competed with Northwestern and USC but lost both. They lost to Minnesota. The Big East just isn't any good in football. There are a bunch of average teams.
Now I'm not saying Missouri can't lose. Listen, this is an average team and it can lose games. But if the difference between winning and losing is as razor thin as having Sheldon Richardson in the lineup, this program is on ground that is shaky enough it ought to scare you. Just my take.
Now, on to the actual news, which is the suspension itself. I understand those that think he should be playing. In fact, my first thought was, "If I were the coach and I was about to play a game that would put me in a bowl if I won it, I'd play my best player unless he broke the law." But as someone who played for Pinkel told me last night, that's how you tear down something it took you ten years to build.
I'm not saying everyone should be treated the same. Michael Jordan had one set of rules, Scottie Pippen had another and the rest of the Bulls nobody ever heard of had a third. That's fine.
But I warn people about making all these declarations without all the facts. And make no mistake, you don't have all the facts here. Neither, in all likelihood, do I.
In situations like these, there is no way we know everything that goes into the suspension and the decision. We're not there. When someone gets a DWI, it's highly unlikely that's the first time he drove drunk. I mean, isn't it POSSIBLE that there have been other situations over the last year and a half that have led up to this? Isn't it POSSIBLE that rather than an isolated incident where Pinkel is trying to flex his muscle that this is just the straw that broke the camel's back?
I think you can extend this to the Mike Dixon situation as well. Everybody has an opinion from the outside and I'm not saying you can't voice it. But when you (and I include myself here as well because, while there are times I know more than I can share, there are also some times that I don't) make sweeping judgments based having a fraction of the information, well, that doesn't make much sense.
There is a small circle of people who knows everything that has gone into both of these situations. They will make the decision. And beyond that small circle, it's unlikely the vast majority of people ever really know. And that's okay. Buying season tickets or donating to the TSF doesn't mean anyone DESERVES to know everything that is going on in a kid's life. I've seen some say, "If they'd just come out and say why he's suspended, it would clear it up." It would also be a violation of the relationship, a violation of the kid's trust and send a horrid message to future recruits that, "If you screw up, everybody's going to know about it because the coach is going to tell them."
The bottom line is, the coaches want to win too. And if it's at a point (in either case) where one of the best players on the team is suspended, I think you kind of have to assume that there are valid reasons for that. If you disagree, you either simply don't trust the coaches Missouri has or want to hire Lane Kiffin as the next AD.
Anyway, on to the game...
When Missouri runs the ball: The one thing Missouri has done well pretty consistently is run it. Kendial Lawrence just re-established his career high with 153 yards at Tennessee and James Franklin looks like he's getting his legs back. Syracuse is okay against the run, but nothing special. The Orange are giving up 149 yards a game. EDGE: Mizzou, slight to moderate
When Mizzou throws the ball: Missouri finally started throwing it well in the fourth quarter last week. Franklin went from terrible to terrific in the span of a few minutes. He made every throw in the fourth quarter and he had multiple receivers making plays. Bud Sasser has emerged, Marcus Lucas has bounced back and Dorial Green-Beckham looks like the light bulb has come on. Again, Syracuse is just okay against the pass. Missouri could easily have the edge here...but the Tigers have to prove last week wasn't a fluke. EDGE: EVEN
When Syracuse runs the ball: The Orange started out as a pass-first offense, but they've leaned on the run more of late. Still, this has been Missouri's strength all season. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate
When Syracuse throws the ball: Syracuse isn't Tennessee with NFL talent all over the passing game, but the Orange can sling it some. They lead the Big East with 301 yards passing per game and Ryan Nassib has had some big days this fall. Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales are among the top 60 in the country in both catches and yards per game. Mizzou will need the pass rush to neutralize the Orange air attack. EDGE: Syracuse, moderate
Special Teams: Andrew Baggett is kicking well and Trey Barrow is a weapon. Add in Marcus Murphy and the Tigers' special teams can be very good if it can avoid the big mistake. Syracuse is one of the worst return teams in the country. EDGE: Mizzou
Coaching: Doug Marrone is sitting right at .500 over the last three years. Gary Pinkel is .500 in a much better conference and everyone views it as a down year. EDGE: Mizzou
Intangibles: Both are fighting for bowl eligibility. Both are coming off big emotional wins. Missouri is at home and Syracuse has been terrible on the road. That's the deciding factor, plus the fact that the Tigers haven't lost a non-con home game in seven years. EDGE: Mizzou
Final Word: The Missouri team many expected played the final ten minutes and overtime in Tennessee. Did that have more to do with Missouri or with the Vols? Probably a little bit of both, but with a bowl game in sight, we see the Tigers getting it done. PREDICTION: Missouri 27, Syracuse 17.
PETE SCANTLEBURY ON FOOTBALL RECRUITING
I managed to track down some information on two of the most intriguing prospects left on Missouri's board.
I spoke with Michael Langston of Warchant.com, who has developed a good relationship with the coaching staff at East Mississippi Community College, home of four-star defensive end Za'Darius Smithhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Za'Darius-Smith-137048. Langston confirmed that Missouri has offered Smith, and shed some light on what's going on with his recruitment.
First, Smith has been high on Florida State for a while, but there have been some changes that have thrown his recruitment into a little bit of chaos. The Seminoles have backed off Smith because suddenly it doesn't appear that they'll have room for a JUCO player this year. Because of that, Langston was told that Missouri, Texas A&M and Mississippi State are the three leaders for Smith, with the Aggies having a slight lead -- but it isn't significant.
Smith is visiting College Station this weekend for the second time, and is trying to set up a visit to Missouri. Florida State isn't out of it, as they're still interested, but right now, it looks like Smith's recruitment will come down to those three previously mentioned schools.?
Another defensive end on Missouri's radar is Ruben Dunbar of Glen Ellyn, Ill. Last night, Dunbar told me that Missouri has offered him, but didn't seem sure as to when the offer came in. For now, I'm holding off on adding that offer to his list, because I want to confirm it with his high school coach first.
Either way, Dunbar said he's remained in contact with Coach Kuligowski a good amount, and said the Tigers seem very interested. Right now, he's trying to schedule two known visits -- to Missouri and Michigan State. That Missouri visit, he said, will likely happen for one of the two big visit weekends in December.
Dunbar wouldn't name any leaders, but with how vocal he was about his interest in Missouri in an article in October, it seems pretty obvious that if that offer is real, the Tigers have a great shot at landing him.
For this weekend, along with the usual in-state committed guys visiting, Dutchtown (Ga.) athlete Jonathan Johnsonhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Jonathan-Johnson-140848, a CB who transferred to a prep school in Georgia, is also visiting on an unofficial. However, I don't expect Missouri to offer Johnson.
BRIAN AUSTIN ON BASKETBALL RECRUITING
This week the biggest news in basketball recruiting was the signings of Signing Day Wrap-Up story. I also got in touch with Jones after the story to get his feelings on signing early with Missouri. He told me, "It feels really good to be a part of such a good recruiting class and I hope we can turn the class of 2013 into the Big 3."
Now that the Big 3 are signed and sealed Mizzou will work to finish off the class of 2013. After a little bit of drama as to whether he was coming for a Brandon Randolph confirmed with Eric Bossi yesterday that he will be in Mizzou for his official visit. There had been some questions about whether or not Randolph had an offer from Mizzou so I talked to him about it when I interviewed him for the story. He told he did already have an offer. Something that I learned yesterday when trying to get confirmation on whether or not the visit was happening was that Randolph's dad was making him come on this trip even though Randolph was certain he wanted to sign with Xavier. Supposedly, his dad didn't want him to have any regrets about his decision later on down the road.
A new name for the final spot in the class of 2013 emerged Wednesday night when PowerMizzou.com learned that Mizzou had been in contact with former Kansas St. Wildcat commit Alex Etherington shortly after his decommittment from the Tigers former Big 12 rival. Right now it is hard to gage how much interest Mizzou has in Etherington, but since the addition of Rick Carter to the staff the Tigers have had much more of a presence in Etherington's home state of Indiana.
The final bit of 2013 basketball recruiting news I want to talk about is that Stevie Clark appears to be set to decide in the spring signing period, which is good news from Missouri. The chances of the Tigers getting back involved with Clark if he had decided to sign in the early period were zero. Now that he is waiting, Tim Fuller will have the opportunity to re-recruit Clark, who at one time was favoring Mizzou. It's not going to be an easy process for the Tiger coaching staff, though, because Oklahoma St. and Baylor are now ?the favorites for Clark. Now, at least, they have more time to try and work there way back into the picture with Clark.
