No one is more of a realist about Missouri football than I am. I recognize when Mizzou is in rebuilding mode. Or let’s not kid ourselves — it’s still just a building mode.
I don’t exactly have high confidence that the Tigers will go bowling this year, or even make it .500. It’s just the nature of the beast in the SEC. At the start of the season, most projected Missouri to be the second-worst team in the best conference in football.
But if I’m a realist, then I’m certainly a hopeful realist. Because no one wants to see this team succeed more than I do. I remember how it felt standing in the middle of Faurot Field after the Tigers beat heavily-favored Oklahoma three years ago. And I remember how much it hurt seeing Alabama donkey punch Mizzou into a pile of pixie dust last year. Not that I expected different, but still, it’s never fun seeing your team get beat.
Another year, another round of brutal conference games ahead. We can all agree, this is not the time to stumble.
Admit it. The Tigers didn’t exactly look very polished against Toledo last weekend. And while the Rockets are competitive in the MAC and have had more postseason experience as of late than Indiana does, the meeting in Bloomington is not a game to dismiss. It’s true, next week’s Indiana game and the following versus Arkansas State are trap games.
The Hoosiers aren’t terrible. And make no mistake, they have Missouri circled on their schedule as a winnable game. Yes, IU did drop a game at home against Navy last weekend, albeit a close one. But that doesn’t mean Indiana can’t hang with the Tigers at home. In fact, many expect Indiana to be playing in a bowl this year.
Returning 21 starters and much of its roster from a year ago, Indiana is one of the Big Ten’s most experienced teams. The Hoosiers can move the football too. It currently ranks 7th in the nation in points scored, and these guys like to toss the football deep. Returning quarterback Cameron Coffman has a gun that can expose teams with holes in the secondary.
Indiana can also run. Keep your eyes out for their duel running back threat of Stephen Houston and D’Angelo Roberts who contributed to a running game which rushed for nearly 1600 yards in 2012. With a talented backfield and quarterback, Indiana tends to run up the score. They put 49 up on undefeated Ohio State last year in a game they came within three points of winning.
Point is, don’t sleep on Indiana. That being said, the Hoosiers like to give up points as well. That’s why it’s going to take James Franklin’s A-game — if he has one — for the team to win.
With a schedule as brutal as it is — Georgia, Florida and South Carolina all in row — the non-conference games are precious ones. If the Tigers want any shot at a bowl this year, these are not the ones to lose.
That includes two weeks from Saturday when Arkansas State comes rolling into town. And don’t sleep on the Red Wolves either. The team dominates in the realm of mid-majors, coming from two straight 10-win seasons, including winning its final eight games in a row and a bowl game a season ago. They boast an offense that has gained at least 300 yards in 35 or its last 38 games.
It’s still a game that Mizzou _has_ to win.
One more thing, a 4-0 start doesn’t mean squat in college football. The Tigers are going to have to win some games in the SEC and beat teams that few expect them to beat. But let’s take things one step at a time.
I am, in fact, hopeful. I want this team to prove everybody wrong. To make a bowl game would be a pleasant surprise. But if that’s going to happen, Mizzou has to win the games they’re supposed to win.
If the Tigers want to turn things around from a year ago, it’s not the time to trip over your own feet or blunder away winnable games. Mizzou needs a sound game from everyone, including at quarterback, in the defensive secondary, and coaching — no mismanagement fiascos like in the Syracuse game last year.
Hopefully in two weeks, I’ll be counting my blessings that my school’s team is unbeaten before starting its conference play. It’s just one step to be taken on a long road ahead.