****Official 2013-14 Missouri Tiger Football Repository Thread****

['Hamas' Jenkins]

We have two things to look forward to this year:

1) The potential beginning of the Maty Mauk Era. Mauk represents the best chance for this program to get back to a level of respectability after horrendous QB play cost us multiple games last year.

2) The last year of the Gary Pinkel era. Pinkel's entrenched cronyism won't play in a conference this competitive, especially if he couples his abysmal gameday coaching with lackadaisical, worst-in-conference recruiting. Pinkel was the formerly adequate meal that has now turned into a four pound bowel obstruction. It's time to jam a Fleet's enema up our collective asses.

Here is the schedule. We dodge Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas in the west and the Non-con is decidedly weaker than years past.

8/31: Murray State
9/7: Toledo
9/21: @ Indiana
9/28: Arkansas State
10/5:@ Vanderbilt
10/12: @ Georgia
10/19:Florida
10/26: South Carolina
11/2:Tennessee
11/9: @ Kentucky
11/23: @ Ole Miss
11/30: aTm

Looks like 6-6. Undefeated in non-con, 2-6 in league play.

I will eventually update the OP with a list of high profile in-state recruits that decide to go elsewhere after a half-assed attempt to gain their services. The inevitable cavalcade of *** rejects, skeezers, skanks, and scalliwags we get will fill out the ranks.


Razors, cyanide capsules, and Jonestown Kool-Aid are available in the break room. Second door on the left.

Since every Mizzou thread eventually dies of AIDS, I recommend starting anti-retroviral therapy immediately. I believe Walgreens covers Express Scripts.


Premium In-State Players:

Roderick Johnson: **** OT, Florissant, MO.
Monte Harrison: **** WR, Lee's Summit, MO.
Jimmy Swain: **** LB, Lee's Summit, MO


Commitment List: From to and possibly

Spoiler!

Committed - Not Yet Signed

Name	Pos	Location	Ht	Wt	40	Rivals Rating
Paul Adams	OL	Nashville, TNChrist Presbyterian Academy	6'6"	270		5.5
Sam Bailey	OL	Lamar, MOLamar Jr/Sr R 1	6'5"	245		5.4
Andy Bauer	OL	St. Louis, MODeSmet	6'6"	304	5.2	5.9
Kendall Blanton	TE	Blue Springs, MOBlue Springs South	6'5"	225		5.4
Nate Brown	WR	Suwanee, GANorth Gwinnett	6'3"	215	4.5	5.7
Logan Cheadle	DB	Lee's Summit, MOLee's Summit West	5'10"	165		5.6
Kenya Dennis	DB	Raymond, MSHinds C.C.	6'0"	190		5.5
Michael Fairchild	OL	Overland Park, KSBlue Valley West	6'6"	262		5.4
Darnell Green-Beckham	WR	Springfield, MOHillcrest	6'5"	175		5.3
Zach Hudson	OL	Tampa, FLSickles	6'5"	280		5.5
Stepfawn Hughes	ATH	Fort Worth, TXDunbar	5'10"	170	4.6	5.5
Grant Jones	ATH	Columbia, MOHickman	6'3"	216		5.5
Lawrence Lee	WR	Pensacola, FLWest Florida Tech	5'10"	167	4.5	5.6
Rocel McWilliams	DE	Pensacola, FLWest Florida Tech	6'3"	240		5.5
Kevin Pendleton	OL	Lee's Summit, MOLee's Summit West	6'4"	329		5.5
Thomas Richard	WR	Nashville, TNChrist Presbyterian Academy	6'1"	185		5.4
Tavon Ross	ATH	Cochran, GABleckley County	6'1"	196		5.4
Finis Stribling IV	DB	Thompson's Station, TNIndependence	5'10"	170	4.5	5.4
Greg Taylor	DB	East St. Louis, ILEast St. Louis	5'10"	181		5.7
Trevon Walters	RB	Bradenton, FLManatee	5'10"	189		5.4
Jhonathon Williams	DE	Berrien Springs, MIBerrien Springs	6'6"	230	4.5	5.5
Thomas Wilson	ATH	Buford, GABuford	5'10"	176		5.5
Roderick Winters	LB	Arlington, TXBowie	5'11"	196	4.5	5.3
Ish Witter	RB	Tampa, FLAlonso	5'8"	190	4.6	5.5
Marvin Zanders	QB	Jacksonville, FLRaines	6'1"	175		5.5

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by frazod

Sure they played well against Oklahoma.

Then looked like the ****ing Jayhawks against Nebraska the following week.

The Helu game. Ugh

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I don't remember 'dominating' in the trenches.

I do, however, recall us being a hell of a lot more credible once we narrowed the splits a little bit. It coincided nicely with the rise of our running game as well.

I think we have more talent there than we're given credit for, but I also think it's folly to underestimate just how strong SEC defensive fronts are. They don't mess around up front down there.

They held Texas to 76 rushing yards and 247 total yards, while holding the Longhorns without a TD. That wasn't a great offense, but Mizzou's DL more than held its own against a highly recruited and rated Texas OL.

In the OU game, Missouri ran for 178 yards against Oklahoma and held the Sooners to less than 100 yards.

I agree than narrowing the splits has helped. It puts fewer guys on an island. Using a TE as a 6th blocker also has been a positive. The wide splits had their day in the sun, but I think Henson's scheme is more suited to the developments vs. the spread in the past 2-3 years.

[Saul Good]

Just snapping the ball successfully has made a huge difference. Amazing what getting rid of the 10 yard shotgun does for your team's rhythm.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

Just snapping the ball successfully has made a huge difference. Amazing what getting rid of the 10 yard shotgun does for your team's rhythm.

This.

Huge props to Evan Boehm. I was told during the last recruiting cycle that they would NEVER get caught with a guy who can't snap again. With the narrowing of the splits, they can use the center more traditionally and ask him to do less than what they've done in the past with Spieker and Barnes.

That's why they offered Abeln. Kid already could snap as a jr. in HS. Even though his upside was not as high as some of the other OL they were looking at, his ability to snap was critical.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

He has. Franklin has been tremendous the entire time and has further elevated his play in key moments...particularly by being more aggressive running.

He's turned into the opposite of who he was 2 years ago. Early that year, he was way to quick to scramble. Now, he doesn't like to take off unless he really needs to make a play with his legs. Hopefully it helps him stay healthy.

I can't believe how much Franklin has developed since his first game.

[warpaint*]

The Tigers are certainly better than I thought they'd be but they've played the 13th most difficult SEC schedule tougher than only Vandy, the team they just hammered.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-...hedule-by-team

We also have the 76th ranked defense in the country in spite of that schedule

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/f...ent/team/22/p2

I think MU will be able to score some but won't be able to keep up w/ UGA scoring at will. If the game is close the injuries impacted the Dawgs more than I figured. I do think it will impact them greatly but I also think they one of the two best teams in the league this year and the gap between them healthy and MU is significant.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by warpaint*

The Tigers are certainly better than I thought they'd be but they've played the 13th most difficult SEC schedule tougher than only Vandy, the team they just hammered.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-...hedule-by-team

We also have the 76th ranked defense in the country in spite of that schedule

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/f...ent/team/22/p2

I think MU will be able to score some but won't be able to keep up w/ UGA scoring at will. If the game is close the injuries impacted the Dawgs more than I figured. I do think it will impact them greatly but I also think they one of the two best teams in the league this year and the gap between them healthy and MU is significant.

Why oh why do people use yards given up as the end all of defensive rankings. It would make sense to me if final scores consisted of yards earned.

A ton of yards given up for Missouri is after the other team is out of it and all they can do is pass.

[warrior]

Originally Posted by warpaint*

The Tigers are certainly better than I thought they'd be but they've played the 13th most difficult SEC schedule tougher than only Vandy, the team they just hammered.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-...hedule-by-team

We also have the 76th ranked defense in the country in spite of that schedule

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/f...ent/team/22/p2

I think MU will be able to score some but won't be able to keep up w/ UGA scoring at will. If the game is close the injuries impacted the Dawgs more than I figured. I do think it will impact them greatly but I also think they one of the two best teams in the league this year and the gap between them healthy and MU is significant.

MIZZ is ranked 8th in scoring offense

UGA is ranked 23rd

[warpaint*]

Murray State had 200 yards of offense in the 1q alone. Toledo moved the ball at will at times and helped MU out w/ penalties to kill drives. Indiana is atrocious and has one of the worst olines I have ever seen. Whereas UGA has given up one sack on the season. If the offense wasn't scoring prodigiously Vandy could have gotten back in that game, those weren't garbage yards they were piling up. MU has EJ Gaines and 3 liabilities in that secondary. Aaron Murray will be one of the 2 best qbs they see this year, I expect him to carve us up. If Gurley plays as well it's lights out.

If you could promise James Franklin would play as well as he did Sat I'd say MU could possibly make a track meet out of it but he's been too up and down over his career for me to say he's going to do that for sure. He was fantastic Sat night.

[warpaint*]

Originally Posted by warrior

MIZZ is ranked 8th in scoring offense

UGA is ranked 23rd

UGA has played Clemson and LSU while MU has played doormats. The defensive numbers are so much more indicting for the Tigers in light of that

[Saul Good]

Mizzou stayed in base defense all day against everyone but Indiana and Vandy. Those two games were over by halftime, and both got a bunch of garbage yards.

There is no reason we can't win this game.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by warpaint*

UGA has played Clemson and LSU while MU has played doormats. The defensive numbers are so much more indicting for the Tigers in light of that

This. As much as I want to believe this time is different, I've seen this movie too many times and I know how it ends. Beating up on a pair of perennial losers and the other KUpcakes doesn't impress me. A bunch of bold talk doesn't impress me.

****ing beat somebody good, and then beat somebody else that's good. THAT will impress me.

I'm from Missouri. SHOW ME.

[warpaint*]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

There is no reason we can't win this game.

Well there's Gary Pinkel's road record against ranked opponents. He's never in 13 years come close to winning a game like this on the road.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

Why oh why do people use yards given up as the end all of defensive rankings. It would make sense to me if final scores consisted of yards earned.

A ton of yards given up for Missouri is after the other team is out of it and all they can do is pass.

Short answer?

Yards surrendered has more predictive value.

Points scored can be dependent on things like a turnover short-circuiting a drive or an ill-timed penalty from the opposition. Granted, some teams build their defenses around exactly that, but it's not the norm.

So when you're looking for a rearview statement of how a team's defense has done, points scored is obviously the best metric. However, when you're trying to analyze how a team may do going forward, yards surrendered is a more constant statistic with more predictive weight.

If the Tigers have routinely given up a lot of yards this season, they're probably going to give up a lot of yards in most every game they play. However, they won't necessarily get a lot of the turnovers, sacks, etc... that have stalled drives for them in every game this year. So even though they've not been a bad scoring defense, there's very little predictive weight to that.

The best example I can give you is the 2003 Chiefs. The Chiefs were actually an average defense on the year when discussing points allowed. The NFL average was 20.83 PPG and the Chiefs gave up 20.75 PPG - a tick below the NFL average. However, in total yards, the Chiefs were the 4th worst in the NFL that year, giving up more than 10% more YPG than league average (356/gm vs. 318).

And as we all remember, the Chiefs got worse and worse as those breaks stopped coming. Teams learned to avoid turnovers and just plug away at the defense. Suddenly the Chiefs PPG ended up right in line with their YPG and the Chiefs gave up 27.5 PPG over their last 8 games (including the Colts game).

If you're looking at numbers and trying to predict what a teams going to do going forward, yards surrendered by a defense is actually probably the best stat to look at. It's counter-intuitive and it took me years to get there, but it really is the best predictor of future results.

The wild card here isn't necessarily the number itself, but the fact that the Tigers may have been sandbagging against lesser opponents and as a consequence have an unduly inflated yards allowed figure.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by warpaint*

The Tigers are certainly better than I thought they'd be but they've played the 13th most difficult SEC schedule tougher than only Vandy, the team they just hammered.

http://www.teamrankings.com/college-...hedule-by-team

We also have the 76th ranked defense in the country in spite of that schedule

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/f...ent/team/22/p2

I think MU will be able to score some but won't be able to keep up w/ UGA scoring at will. If the game is close the injuries impacted the Dawgs more than I figured. I do think it will impact them greatly but I also think they one of the two best teams in the league this year and the gap between them healthy and MU is significant.

Total yards is a really bad measure for college football.

Yards per play, yards per attempt and yards per rush are much better depictions of a defense's quality than total yards.

Scoring defense is also more important.

There are just too many factors that can falsely inflate yards to rely on it for much of anything (Variance in number of plays, playing second- and third-teams during blowouts, playing soft zone with big leads to force the other team to go on multi-play, long, and time-consuming drives, etc).

Missouri's defense actually is better than Georgia's when it comes to yards per play, yards per attempt, and yards per rush.