Unless you're a big FCS football fan, from Louisiana, or a graduate of McNeese State University, I doubt you know very much about the Tiger's next opponent. Not to worry, we're here to help. Here's a few quick facts about McNeese State University.
Look familiar? Probably not.
University Info:
Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana
Enrollment: 8,095
Type: Public
Nickname: Cowboys
Colors: Blue and Gold
Founded: 1939
Random: McNeese State offers a major called, "Terrorism, Preparedness, and Security."
Football Info:
Record: 1-0 (Defeated Lamar last week 30-27)
Conference: Southland
Ranking: Currently ranked 10th in the FCS coaches poll (North Dakota State is 21st for comparison).
Attendance: A capacity crowd of 19,235 witnessed McNeese State's week one victory.
Offense: Put up 30 points, 495 total yards, and no turnovers in week one.
Stars: Senior quarterback Jacob Bower went 18-31 for 288 yards and 2 TD's last week. Meanwhile, freshman tailback Marcus Wiltz carried the ball 26 times for 182 yards.
Defense: The Cowboys allowed 426 yards and three TD's through the air in week one. Their opponent, Lamar, is in only their second year of varsity football. However, McNeese only allowed 20 yards rushing.
Quotes: McNeese State Head Coach Matt Viator -
"Missouri will be a tough challenge. Anytime you go and play in front of 74,000 people in that kind of atmosphere, it's always a challenge." (Hey, if Mizzou can pack 74,000 into "The Zou," this weekend, count me as impressed).
We examine three players who's stock is rising and three players who's stock is falling as the Tigers prepare for this week's home opener against McNeese State.
Three Up:
Carl Gettis - SR. - CB
Guys like Gabe DeArmond and Dave Matter spent all summer hyping him. Last Saturday he proved them right. Yes, the interception was impressive, but Gettis was solid in coverage all day. He was a big factor in the fact that Illinois only had 81 yards passing. Throw in some big hits and his downed punt and Gettis' stock continues to rise.
TJ Moe - SO. - WR
This is another obvious choice. Moe's 13 catches not only lead the Tigers, but also the nation. This week he'll face an FCS opponent who yielded 426 passing yards in week one to something called Lamar. Moe and the rest of the receivers could be in for a big night on Saturday.
Second string defensive ends
Michael Sam and Brad Madison proved loudly and clearly that there is more to the Mizzou D-ends than just Aldon Smith. In fact, they were so good that Dave Steckel put out a four defensive end front just to get them both in the game. Sam only tallied one QB hurry but showed tremendous burst off the line of scrimmage and seemed to be in the backfield all day long. Brad Madison also had an impressive day recording a big sack that kept Mizzou's momentum in the second half. These two are pushing for a starting spot and should see significant playing time this Saturday.
Three Down:
Kendial Lawrence - SO. - RB
It's not that Kendial was bad, it's just that he was clearly out-shined by De'Vion Moore. Lawrence only managed just 20 yards on seven carries. He also suffered a minor shoulder injury. He's still listed as a co-starter with Moore, but with his injury and the fact that Mizzou should be up big against McNeese, I don't see Lawrence doing much damage Saturday. Freshmen backs Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy should see significant time rather than Lawrence.
Jacquies Smith - JR. - DE
Again, it's not that Jacquies was bad but against Illinois there were three defensive ends on the field for Missouri who were better than he was. Smith keeps his starting spot this week but he's definitely feeling the heat from Sam, Madison and Malbrough. Look for those three to see more playing time than Jacquies this Saturday as the coaches evaluate whether they are worthy of starting over Smith.
Grant Ressel - JR. - K
When you start the season as a preseason All-American who's only career miss came in a monsoon, you have nowhere to go but down. Ressel struggled throughout fall camp so seeing him miss a 37 yarder is a bit concerning. I'm not saying it's time to panic, but it's something to look for this weekend.
no commentsIn our final article looking back at Illinois, I take a look back at my predictions for the Illinois game compared to what actually went down on the field.
Once again Ron Zook's team starts the season 0-1. Zook is now 0-4 in his career against Missouri (AP photo).
When Missouri runs the ball: I said: Draw - Result: Draw
Mizzou didn't hand the ball off until the final play of the first quarter. In all, the ground game was solid. Missouri backs totaled 108 yards on 24 carries. However, Mizzou only had one running play longer than 10 yards and didn't record a rushing TD.
When Missouri throws the ball: I said: Advantage Missouri - Result: Advantage Missouri
It may have taken longer than most fans would have liked, but Mizzou's passing attack finally clicked in the second half. At the end of the day Blaine Gabbert ended up completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. TJ Moe was Mr. Reliable, consistently getting just enough yards to move the chains. Gabbert also spread the ball around to seven different receivers.
Wes Kemp, Blaine Gabbert and the Tigers escaped with a win, but some fans aren't satisfied (AP photo).
Mizzou fans (myself included) can overreact at times. Some always point out the negatives, others are hopelessly optimistic. In the first of our new weekly series, Pessimist and Optimist, I make the argument of both sides about the weekend's game. We begin with the pessimistic and optimistic outlooks on Saturday's win over Illinois.
The optimist says...
1. A win is a win
Sure, it wasn't exactly pretty, but this could have been worse. Gary Pinkel always says that winning never comes easily. I mean, just ask kU. Mizzou struggled a bit but still came back to beat a Big Ten team by 10 points. In the second half, the Tigers outscored the Illini 20-0. Hard to complain about that.
I'm working on my wrap up of yesterday's game, but in the meantime, someone sent me this and it warranted immediate posting.
Photo from Lawrence Journal World
So much kUchebaggery going on here, I don't know where to start but I'll try.
1) The dice earmuffs. First of all, they're dice. Maybe more importantly, it's September, buddy. Why are you wearing earmuffs?
2) The shades. Notice he's got he's sweet sunglasses strategically placed on his cartoonish beaker hat (that hat shouldn't be worn by anyone over the age of 12 btw), yet he's still squinting into the sun. Typical kU fan.
3) The tie. This is the most kUchey thing of the whole ensemble. He's wearing a tie over his Sod Reesing jersey. I don't even know what to say about that. Needless to say it was a losing combo.
I'll have my Mizzou breakdown up in a few hours.
no commentsIt's gameday. This is cause for celebration.
Gamday warrants us throwing up this picture.
The real cause for celebration should come around 2:30 this afternoon. Barring disaster, Mizzou should be 1-0 at that point. To be honest, I'd be shocked if Mizzou loses. In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if they don't cover the 12 point spread. Illinois' secondary is in such shambles they have a guy who was playing receiver a few weeks ago starting at corner. I like Blaine Gabbert's odds.
Anyway, be loud. Wear gold. Hopefully I'm recapping a Mizzou win at this time tomorrow.
no comments
New to Mizzou? Need to brush up on your Mizzou football? Here are 25 basics about MU football that'll keep you from sounding less ignorant than most of the other freshmen.
Before Missouri takes the field against Illinois, here are some things every fan should know. (Photo from Words and Light blog).
1. Missouri runs the spread offense. Forget about fullbacks or the I-formation. It's not happening
2. 10 years ago, this program would have killed to become bowl eligible. Keep that in mind.
3. The winner of the Missouri - Nebraska game has determined the winner of the Big 12 North the last four seasons.
4. 2007 was arguably the greatest season in Missouri history.
5. That team had more than 10 players who would go on to spend time on NFL rosters.
6. The quarterback of that team was Chase Daniel. Not Chase Daniels.
Gary Pinkel took this program to new heights with the help of Sean Weatherspoon, Chase Daniel, and Jeremy Maclin.
7. Gary Pinkel has never beaten the University of Texas or the University of Oklahoma.
8. Since 2007, Texas and Oklahoma are the only Big 12 Conference teams with more wins than Missouri.
9. Since 2005 Missouri has averaged nine wins per season.
10. Missouri has gone to five straight bowl games. That's a school record.
The following entry was written by ESPN anchor and MU alumnus John Anderson. This was originally posted on his blog back in 2008. With the college football season kicking off today, I thought it would be fitting to pass along to our readers.
"With the college football season kicking off this week, here's my...
*10 point college refresher course.*
