Tigers will learn from this

**KcMizzou** · 12-02-2007, 12:58 AM

Tigers will learn from this

SAN ANTONIO | The only thing to do is tip your hat to Big Game Bob and his Oklahoma Sooners.

Don’t bury your head and wallow in sorrow.

Nope, this is a different sort of Missouri Tiger pain, an ache born of not being quite good enough rather than the victim of an unlucky bounce, poor officiating or a heroic last play.

Missouri’s run as the nation’s best football team lasted a week; its bid for the BCS championship crashed inside the Alamodome in the Big 12 title game.

The Tigers, for the second time this season, ran into a better team, a more mature program and arguably the country’s best coach, Big Game Bob Stoops.

Oklahoma 38, Missouri 17.

There’s nothing to whine about. And no reason to cry.

Bob Stoops proved the point he’d been making all week. Oklahoma’s 10-point, October victory over the Tigers was no fluke, no product of Missouri mistakes. Oklahoma, winner of six conference crowns under Stoops, is still the class of the Big 12. The Sooners proved that by demolishing the Tigers in the second half of Saturday night’s tilt, outscoring Mizzou 24-3 after the break.

But the Tigers are on the Sooners’ tail.

Yeah, I still believe that. And that’s why I say Tiger fans should hold their heads high today.

The Tigers will be back. They’ll get another shot at Big Game Bob and Oklahoma next year. This 11-win season is a harbinger of bigger and better things. A team and a coach have to learn how to win, and then they have to learn how to win BIG.

This season was a learning process for Gary Pinkel and his players. It was their first appearance on the big stage, and unfortunately, they ran into a man and a program that have never strayed all that far from college football’s biggest stage.

You know the history of Oklahoma’s program, the seven national championships, the four Heisman Trophy winners and the legendary coaches, Owen, Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops. Oklahoma’s players arrive on campus expecting to play for conference and national titles. Big games are no big deal. They’re used to the lights, the hype and the interview requests.

It was all new to the Tigers this year. Daniel leaped into the Heisman race, and the Tigers burst into the national-title picture out of nowhere. Not that they handled the attention poorly, but they’ll handle it better next season. And their play will elevate next season, too, when they expect to be here.

The same goes for Pinkel.

Toledo and the Mid-American Conference don’t really prepare you for a No. 1 ranking and a Saturday-night showdown with Big Game Bob and Herbstreit and Musburger second-guessing you from the booth.

Pinkel isn’t Urban Meyer, a prodigy backed by the best recruiting talent in the land. And Pinkel isn’t Bob Stoops, the right-hand man to Bill Snyder’s building of Kansas State into a power and the right-hand man to Steve Spurrier’s national title at Florida.

Stoops was groomed for the big stage. Pinkel is learning as he goes.

I expect him to come back next year with enhanced red-zone and short-yardage offensive packages. Unless you have a 230-pound, Tim Tebow-like quarterback to run the football, the spread breaks down terribly close to the goal line.

The game of football does adhere to a few simple rules. You can invent all the wacky, seven-receiver offenses you want, but you must be able to run the football when the other team knows you need to run the football. Wide-receiver reverses look good on the stat sheet. They don’t move the chains on third and short.

Missouri’s high-flying offense can’t run when it absolutely has to. Tony Temple, Derrick Washington and Jimmy Jackson, MU’s running backs, ran for 24 yards on 15 carries. Missouri had first and goal on three occasions Saturday night and came away with field-goal attempts all three times.

Devising a more reliable running game will be Pinkel’s primary focus this offseason.

I offer no excuses, but Mizzou played Saturday’s game without the services of tight end Chase Coffman and no Danario Alexander in the second half. Coffman never touched the field because of an ankle sprain. Alexander appeared to hurt his knee late in the first half. He never returned. Their absences really hobbled Mizzou’s passing attack.

Ah, no excuses. The Sooners and Bob Stoops own the Big 12 … for now.

12-02-2007, 12:58 AM	Topic Starter
KcMizzou Supporter Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Parkville MO Casino cash: $10005170	Tigers will learn from this Tigers will learn from this SAN ANTONIO \| The only thing to do is tip your hat to Big Game Bob and his Oklahoma Sooners. Don’t bury your head and wallow in sorrow. Nope, this is a different sort of Missouri Tiger pain, an ache born of not being quite good enough rather than the victim of an unlucky bounce, poor officiating or a heroic last play. Missouri’s run as the nation’s best football team lasted a week; its bid for the BCS championship crashed inside the Alamodome in the Big 12 title game. The Tigers, for the second time this season, ran into a better team, a more mature program and arguably the country’s best coach, Big Game Bob Stoops. Oklahoma 38, Missouri 17. There’s nothing to whine about. And no reason to cry. Bob Stoops proved the point he’d been making all week. Oklahoma’s 10-point, October victory over the Tigers was no fluke, no product of Missouri mistakes. Oklahoma, winner of six conference crowns under Stoops, is still the class of the Big 12. The Sooners proved that by demolishing the Tigers in the second half of Saturday night’s tilt, outscoring Mizzou 24-3 after the break. But the Tigers are on the Sooners’ tail. Yeah, I still believe that. And that’s why I say Tiger fans should hold their heads high today. The Tigers will be back. They’ll get another shot at Big Game Bob and Oklahoma next year. This 11-win season is a harbinger of bigger and better things. A team and a coach have to learn how to win, and then they have to learn how to win BIG. This season was a learning process for Gary Pinkel and his players. It was their first appearance on the big stage, and unfortunately, they ran into a man and a program that have never strayed all that far from college football’s biggest stage. You know the history of Oklahoma’s program, the seven national championships, the four Heisman Trophy winners and the legendary coaches, Owen, Wilkinson, Switzer and Stoops. Oklahoma’s players arrive on campus expecting to play for conference and national titles. Big games are no big deal. They’re used to the lights, the hype and the interview requests. It was all new to the Tigers this year. Daniel leaped into the Heisman race, and the Tigers burst into the national-title picture out of nowhere. Not that they handled the attention poorly, but they’ll handle it better next season. And their play will elevate next season, too, when they expect to be here. The same goes for Pinkel. Toledo and the Mid-American Conference don’t really prepare you for a No. 1 ranking and a Saturday-night showdown with Big Game Bob and Herbstreit and Musburger second-guessing you from the booth. Pinkel isn’t Urban Meyer, a prodigy backed by the best recruiting talent in the land. And Pinkel isn’t Bob Stoops, the right-hand man to Bill Snyder’s building of Kansas State into a power and the right-hand man to Steve Spurrier’s national title at Florida. Stoops was groomed for the big stage. Pinkel is learning as he goes. I expect him to come back next year with enhanced red-zone and short-yardage offensive packages. Unless you have a 230-pound, Tim Tebow-like quarterback to run the football, the spread breaks down terribly close to the goal line. The game of football does adhere to a few simple rules. You can invent all the wacky, seven-receiver offenses you want, but you must be able to run the football when the other team knows you need to run the football. Wide-receiver reverses look good on the stat sheet. They don’t move the chains on third and short. Missouri’s high-flying offense can’t run when it absolutely has to. Tony Temple, Derrick Washington and Jimmy Jackson, MU’s running backs, ran for 24 yards on 15 carries. Missouri had first and goal on three occasions Saturday night and came away with field-goal attempts all three times. Devising a more reliable running game will be Pinkel’s primary focus this offseason. I offer no excuses, but Mizzou played Saturday’s game without the services of tight end Chase Coffman and no Danario Alexander in the second half. Coffman never touched the field because of an ankle sprain. Alexander appeared to hurt his knee late in the first half. He never returned. Their absences really hobbled Mizzou’s passing attack. Ah, no excuses. The Sooners and Bob Stoops own the Big 12 … for now.
Posts: 54,695